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People are sharing videos of their Tesla vehicles malfunctioning in the extreme cold, another side effect of a particularly severe winter storm that wreaked havoc across much of the country during the holidays.
Meteorologist Rachel Modestino got the ball rolling after she tagged billionaire and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk in a post on Twitter which includes a video of her failure to open her vehicle's driver-side door.
The reason?
The latch—which must be popped out of the door to use—had frozen shut.
\u201c@elonmusk bet ya didn\u2019t think of ice in the Tesla design \ud83d\udc80 #ONStorm\u201d— Rachel Modestino TWN (@Rachel Modestino TWN) 1671814733
Modestino was eventually able to enter her vehicle by using a companion app.
Twitter users suggested she could use her Tesla app to preheat her car.
\u201c@ThatMetGirl @elonmusk Unlatch door remotely\u2026 and preheat the car first\u201d— Rachel Modestino TWN (@Rachel Modestino TWN) 1671814733
But Modestino wasn't alone in her struggle.
TikTok user Domenick Nati uploaded a video in which he noted that his Tesla would not charge in the cold weather, which left him stranded on Christmas Eve.
The video includes a shot of Nati's dashboard, which showed an outside temperature of 19 degrees and 19 miles remaining before his battery would die.
\u201cTesla S will not charge in the cold. Stranded on Christmas Eve!\n\n#tesla #ev #cold #winter #winterweather #storm #christmas #christmaseve #coldweather #weather #blizzard #wow #car #cars #elonmusk #help #stranded #how #electric #electriccar #teslas #charge #fail @Tesla @elonmusk\u201d— \ud835\udd89\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd92\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd26\u1d04k \ud835\udd93\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd31\ud835\udd26 (@\ud835\udd89\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd92\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd93\ud835\udd26\u1d04k \ud835\udd93\ud835\udd86\ud835\udd31\ud835\udd26) 1671919974
Nati was unable to successfully charge his car at a charging station and his other attempts to charge his battery also failed. In the end, Tesla was able to tow his vehicle and provide him with a Tesla Model 3 while his is being serviced.
Both videos garnered millions of views in short order and prompted many to criticize what they said is Telsa's poor design.
\u201cI drive a truck that's old enough to vote. It's very easy to get into when it's cold.\u201d— Greg (@Greg) 1672180735
\u201cThat would be a reason to give the car back and get full money back. At least in Germany the court would need less then 1 minute to decide it. \n\nFaulty product from the start. Give the car back and get your money back. \n\n$TSLA\u201d— Robert (@Robert) 1671948941
\u201cAnother reason I think hydrogen cell will eventually win over EV technology.\u201d— JD Crowbar (@JD Crowbar) 1671991697
\u201cIf you live or drive anywhere that might ever get cold, don\u2019t buy a Tesla. Elon\u2019s engineering genius didn\u2019t take cold weather into consideration apparently. \n\nApropos of nothing, here\u2019s a totally irrelevant map of the US.\u201d— Democrats in Array \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Democrats in Array \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1671996808
\u201cNot surprised at all.\u201d— R (@R) 1672016331
\u201cah yes completly \u201cunforeseen\u201d design failure in t*sla no. 274728 who would\u2019ve thought\u201d— doogan\ud83e\udd91 (@doogan\ud83e\udd91) 1671907458
\u201cWonder how the battery life is in -20F below zero weather-\u201d— Doc Holliday* (@Doc Holliday*) 1671893059
\u201cThe amount of people in the replies trying to defend this with stuff like "you can set the door to automatically open when you approach"\n\nA mechanical system will always have fewer failure points than and electric one like that. You're just trying to justify poor design\u201d— TRIPP Pants Sommelier (@TRIPP Pants Sommelier) 1672225430
The stories of Teslas experiencing major malfunctioning in the freezing weather is another headache for Musk, whose behavior since he officially acquired Twitter has adversely impacted Tesla's stock price.
Musk has continued to share inflammatory tweets and attack his critics while spreading misinformation on the social media platform, behavior that has spooked Tesla investors. This week, news outlets reported that shares in Tesla plummeted to a 52-week low of $113 by midday, December 27.
Additionally, the automotive company confirmed it would be reducing production at its factory in Shanghai, China by next month, a development that came after Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren launched an inquiry into the harm Musk has caused to Tesla's investors since using Twitter as his "private plaything."