I recently had all four of my door handles upgraded to 2nd generation handles. These newer handles, introduced on the assembly line last summer, have improved ergonomics and reliability. When used with firmware v5.9, Tesla seems to have solved the handle glitches for once and for all.
The door handles utilize a hall-effect switch to activate the electric door latch. In the 1st generation handle, the two halves of the switch are mounted less than 2mm apart. Pulling on the handle brings the two halves of the switch together, opening the door. With such a tight tolerance, it's no wonder there were issues involving doors opening by themselves or refusing to open.
The 2nd generation handle is vastly improved. Right after it extends, it retreats about one-quarter-inch. Inside, the two halves of the hall-effect switch are parked further apart, eliminating false triggers. When you pull on the handle, you are pulling against a light spring, which gives it a much more appropriate feel, whereas the 1st generation handle felt like it was bolted to the side of the car. At the end of that quarter-inch of travel, the hall-effect switch comes together and activates the latch. It requires a lot less of a pull than the previous version.
Apparently, firmware v5.9 has been optimized to get the best performance out of the 2nd generation handles.
Time will tell whether this eliminates the issues many owners have experienced. From what I've seen so far, it looks promising.
The door handles utilize a hall-effect switch to activate the electric door latch. In the 1st generation handle, the two halves of the switch are mounted less than 2mm apart. Pulling on the handle brings the two halves of the switch together, opening the door. With such a tight tolerance, it's no wonder there were issues involving doors opening by themselves or refusing to open.
The 2nd generation handle is vastly improved. Right after it extends, it retreats about one-quarter-inch. Inside, the two halves of the hall-effect switch are parked further apart, eliminating false triggers. When you pull on the handle, you are pulling against a light spring, which gives it a much more appropriate feel, whereas the 1st generation handle felt like it was bolted to the side of the car. At the end of that quarter-inch of travel, the hall-effect switch comes together and activates the latch. It requires a lot less of a pull than the previous version.
Apparently, firmware v5.9 has been optimized to get the best performance out of the 2nd generation handles.
Time will tell whether this eliminates the issues many owners have experienced. From what I've seen so far, it looks promising.