While the entry-level Model Y crossover SUV has the potential to become Tesla's best-selling car in its push to bring EVs to the mass market, its predecessor, the larger Model X, has been plagued with build quality issues that have given it bad publicity, from faulty parking brakes to Falcon Wing doors that won't open. The latter had near-fatal consequences when an owner was trapped inside their Model X after a fiery crash. In this latest incident, a US owner of a Model X 90D was alarmed when the driver's side falcon door opened while driving at 65 mph.

To make matters worse, a six-year-old child was sitting next to it. Since receiving their Tesla Model X on January 5 2017, the owner has been inundated with issues which have been documented in a letter to Tesla on Reddit. Just days after the Model X was delivered, the owner reported that the EV required a software update and had low windshield wiper fluid, implying that the car had not been fully serviced on delivery. Tesla resolved this, but a few hours after returning home they found their garage was "flooded" with windshield fluid due to a cracked wiper fluid container. Since then, the owner encountered numerous issues with the driver's side falcon door where it would stubbornly stay shut and refuse to open.

Then on June 2, the falcon door started to lift open while driving on the highway which endangered their son, despite three attempts from Tesla to fix it. Fortunately, the owner managed to slam it shut before it could fully open. "In our eyes, the car was not safe to drive and we were all severely traumatized by that event," the owner wrote on Reddit. "Had the door opened the damages would have been irrecoverable and my son's life was put in imminent danger, a feeling no parent should ever have to feel." The owner is requesting a full refund from Tesla as the door-opening issue complies with California Lemon Law. Let's hope the Model 3 isn't plagued with such serious build quality issues.