Just About Had It With the Frunk Dent

MassX1317 · Aug 30, 2014

After 4 months and nearly 10k miles, it has become pretty obvious that the Model S blows every other car I have driven out of the water. I've had a few minor issues here and there, we have had two tires puncture, but the thing that I'm starting to lose my mind about is the frunk dent.

Earlier today, I was walking back to my car at the grocery store and as I approached another person asked me what I drove into that dented the hood and not the bumper. They though maybe someone had run their grocery cart into my car. It happens to be a very sunny day today and the way the light was shining really emphasized the frunk dent.

I noticed that I was starting to get a dent a couple months back. If was extremely small and really impossible to notice unless you were looking for it. Over the past two months it has become worse and worse and now is noticeable by passers by at the grocery store!

Here is what really ticks me off about it:

1 - I knew about the issue before I purchased the vehicle. Because of this, I made sure to watch the frunk closing video several times. My wife did as well. We also read every post on this website about closing the frunk.

2 - It all started going downhill on day 1. When we popped the frunk at delivery, the rubber piece that borders the frunk was contorted/out of place. I pointed it out and they pushed it back into place. When we got home we were showing off the car and I found it very difficult to close the frunk but with slow pressure it would close. I thought it was me but in hind site, I'm thinking it's more than that. I was looking at it closer after the grocery store incident and noticed that the rubber border piece is actually in contact with the latch. It appears that that rubber piece may pinch between the hard black plastic piece and the hood, right where the latch is. Is this normal?

3 - I let service know before it went in that a frunk crease was starting to develop. It was hardly noticeable at the time. When my car was delivered the paperwork just said that the owner pointed on frunk dent and they recommend telling the owner to consult a body shop. After doing more research on this site, it appears that my frunk shouldn't be as difficult to close as it is. If they opened and closed the frunk to test this, they probably would have noticed as well. I would have liked to discuss this with someone when they had my car but now it's not worth the trouble of either driving all the way to the service center or losing my car for a day. The dents there and I can't imagine it can get much worse.

4 - We splurged on this car for good reason, we love it, we love what Tesla has accomplished and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish going forward. I hate the fact that I am now embarrassed to show the car off when the sun is shining because I don't want people to see the dent. I can't show off the frunk at all because I look foolish closing it. There is a supercharger going in down the street. I'm down there 2-3 times a week checking out the progress. Lots of questions from people down there, have to make sure I keep them away from the front of the car!

Sorry for the rant, but Tesla shouldn't produce another car that has this issue. If the Model X or Model 3 have the same issue, we won't buy one. Too nice of a car to have to worry about something cosmetic not found on any other car. It breaks my heart (because I love the Model S).

mejojo · Aug 30, 2014

Can you possibly post a photo of the dent and the seal/latch issue you suspect?

Larry · Aug 30, 2014

The way Tesla's service is re customer satisfaction you need to talk to the manager of the nearest service center. I would be very surprised if they didn't resolve this for you 100% to your satisfaction due to the fact there was an issue from the get go. Yes, you may have to leave your S for a day or 2 but well worth the wait. In most cases they will give you a loaner S to drive. Also let us know if they don't provide you with what you need.

Merrill · Aug 30, 2014

If you had this problem on delivery you need to go up the latter, start with the Service Manager and go from there. I have had no problems closing the frunk and always check to see if the weatherstrip is in place. If it is misalign or the latch is not adjusted properly that can cause the crease. It should require very little pressure to close.

MassX1317 · Aug 30, 2014

So my wife and I just went out to do some trouble shooting. It's the weather strip.

kevincwelch · Aug 30, 2014

I'm fortunate to not have a dent. Sadly, the reason I don't is because I don't use the frunk. I used to use it at the grocery store (or whatever) to show people, but now I just avoid it. When I do use it, I make sure to close the frunk VERY slowly with evenly distributed pressure.

MassX1317 · Aug 30, 2014

I'd like to thank everyone for responding rationally to my rant. After your feedback we went out and did some troubleshooting. The weather strip overlaps the hard black plastic piece by about a few millimeters. Doesn't sound like much but it is actually closing in-between the hard black plastic and the hood. Not only making it difficult to close but the pressure isn't relieved even when the good is fully closed (leading to a loud opening because the latch is so tight). We pushed the weather strip out of the way before closing and there was no issue at all, shut like a dream. It was amazing how much of a difference it made. Weather strip just pops right back out of place when the frunk is reopened. Looks like it will have to be removed and reattached in the proper spot.

I don't know if I should be relieved or even more upset that it appears to be such a simple fix! I don't even know if it's worth repairing the hood itself because it's prone to happen again.

Knobby · Aug 30, 2014

I also have the dreaded dent too. And I also knew about the possibility way in advance and was super careful closing the frunk, using the recommended method. This thread got me thinking about it. Some people say they don't have the dent at all, and use the frunk all the time. Others like the OP, and myself, were careful but got the dent anyway. There was a poll recently http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/34039-How-do-you-close-the-frunk-Have-you-creased-it and I was surprised by how many do not have this problem. So maybe OP is right, and there is an interference with the weather strip, a build or tolerance issue that results in the dent occurring on some cars no matter how careful we are. The frunk does pop up quite aggressively, and it does take considerable force to latch it. I think this bears more investigation.

linkster · Aug 30, 2014

So very sorry that you are experiencing this unfortunate denting issue that many others have reported coming from a previous fellow New Englander. We currently have 34K wonderful miles on our S and I use the frunk semi-regularly (whatever that means?) with no issues as of yet. I understand how terribly frustrating this must be for you that it is occurring on your brand new S. It makes it doubly worse when we are trying to share the amazing engineering features of the S to others as we all just love to show/demonstrate/sell our cars to friends and any passers-by that express an interest. It appears that our weather stripping curves up along the front, but seems to make a smooth transition.

I would think that your local SC could fix this for you.

Good-Luck!

invisik · Aug 30, 2014

I've given in to the frunk dent and just accepted it as a flaw with the car. Nothing is 100% perfect.

The funny thing though as I rarely use the frunk, and have always closed it with proper procedure.. the body shop swears they also follow the proper procedure, yet I have a dent like yours...... we'll just never know I guess.

-m

llngoc · Aug 30, 2014

On my frunk, I also have to applied quite a bit of pressure to engage the latch and have a loud pop when I open it. Can some other owners on this forum confirm if this is abnormal? I have another car with a front trunk and it requires very low pressure to close it, I just close it slowly and then push slightly on the emblem. But for the Tesla when I used the 2-hand technique as shown in the video, I have to lean my body weight slightly. My wife feels that it is so hard to close that she refuses to use it. Any thoughts? Should I ask the SC to take a look? Maybe I should go into the Walnut Creek store and try it on their demo car...

Merrill said:
If you had this problem on delivery you need to go up the latter, start with the Service Manager and go from there. I have had no problems closing the frunk and always check to see if the weatherstrip is in place. If it is misalign or the latch is not adjusted properly that can cause the crease. It should require very little pressure to close.

MassX1317 · Aug 30, 2014

Here is a picture from the inside looking out. Am I correct by saying the weather strip does not look right?

GaryREM · Aug 30, 2014

Just took a look and noticed the front latch is corroded (MassX1317 looks similar). This cause a 'scrunching' sound when closing and requires extra pressure when closing). I wonder if this could be contributing to the issue? Going to lubricate the latch later.

theheff · Aug 30, 2014

I hope they make the frunk open/close automated in future models like the trunk hatch. I think it would make a lot of sense because the frunk is used for storage instead of maintenance, like most cars.

MITE46 · Aug 30, 2014

I purchased a SC loaner car that had the same crease...The SC admitted that the hood was very hard to close and that it probably caused the crease. SC resolved the issue with a brand new hood and adjusted the position latch, but it is still not easy to close compared to other cars. I use the frunk at least 3-4 times a day.

FlasherZ · Aug 30, 2014

Unlike other cars that can use a "drop it and it latches" hood, the Tesla requires you to apply pressure to close it so that it can maintain a seal. Other cars don't have this problem because they don't have to seal the opening to keep water out of it.

I don't know why the existing mechanism was designed the way it is. Perhaps it was designed the way it is to keep people from worrying whether the frunk would fly open. Give them a double-latch mechanism they're used to on the hood, and they can guarantee it's closed. Perhaps they needed some longevity data on the rear hatch's mechanism before they relied on it for the frunk.

Who knows? I'm sorry you have the frunk dent. I've been lucky over the past 2 years, my wife, kids, and I use it regularly and haven't experienced a dent.

Perhaps there will be an auto-closing frunk on the Model X or Model 3. I'd welcome that.

jerry33 · Aug 30, 2014

llngoc said:
On my frunk, I also have to applied quite a bit of pressure to engage the latch and have a loud pop when I open it. Can some other owners on this forum confirm if this is abnormal? .

Compared to my car it's abnormal. My car doesn't require much pressure to close and while you can hear a pop when it opens, I wouldn't call it a particularly loud pop. I've cycled the hood many times in the year and a half I've had the car and no dent yet. I cycle it dozens of times at every car show (the screen doesn't show all the features when the frunk or hatch is open, and it's always fun to get the reactions of folks when you open the frunk). I don't use it for groceries because the front seat is easier unless there's a passenger.

Zarwin · Aug 30, 2014

MassX1317 said:
So my wife and I just went out to do some trouble shooting. It's the weather strip.

I'm a bit confused as to how the weather stripping plays a role here, though I am all ears. I too have a very minor frunk crease even though I've been extremely careful as to how I've closed it. Also, I feel it takes a lot more pressure than it should to actually latch it, and every time I'm nervous about doing it. We appear to have cars made near the same time and I wonder if this could be something that is related to a certain batch of cars? 35x and 36x VINs?

Could you take a look at these pics and let me know your thoughts on the weather stripping? They look very similar to the pics you posted...

Frunk - Imgur

Edit: Saw your other post where you explain the overlap. Thanks, will go check that now.

K5ING · Aug 31, 2014

theheff said:
I hope they make the frunk open/close automated in future models like the trunk hatch. I think it would make a lot of sense because the frunk is used for storage instead of maintenance, like most cars.

They wouldn't even have to make it fully automated either. Cadillacs had (or maybe still have?) motorized latching on their trunks. Just set the frunk on the latch and a motor/hook finishes the job of closing.

Atebit · Aug 31, 2014

As cool as I thought the frunk was pre-purchase, after hearing about all the potential issues I just don't use it. Luckily I don't need the extra cargo space. I use the rear hatch like crazy though, hopefully the motor will last...

Just About Had It With the Frunk Dent

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