The launch of the long-awaited Tesla Model X was delayed several times, and it finally happened in late 2015, nearly two years after the launch date that was originally announced by the automaker.
Although at the time the company didn’t officially inform the public about the reasons behind those production delays, it was clear that issues with the design and manufacturing process of the “falcon doors” – the single most distinctive feature on the all-electric SUV – were a major contributing factor. Tesla finally acknowledged the issues in May last year, when it ended its collaboration with Hoerbiger Automotive Comfort Systems, the German company that was developing the falcon-wing doors.
Entering a Legal Battle
After it was dropped by Tesla, the supplier from Germany complained that the electric-car maker had breached the contract and demanded to be compensated for it. In order to stop Hoerbiger from asking further payments, Tesla has now decided to sue the supplier and avoid future unpleasantness.
Tesla has announced that it has filed a lawsuit against its former partner, claiming that the falcon door prototypes that Hoerbiger designed had severe faults, in addition to the fact that the supplier didn’t deliver the doors on time.
Automotive News reports that in the lawsuit, Tesla stated that the doors “sagged beyond Tesla’s specified tolerance levels” and “did not open with the speed or symmetry”. Furthermore, Tesla says in the lawsuit that the doors generated excessive heat and leaked oil, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“We were forced to file this lawsuit after Hoerbiger decided to ignore their contracts with us and instead demanded a large sum of money to which they are not entitled,” a Tesla spokeswoman said in an email. “We will vigorously prosecute this case.”
Tesla Seeking Compensation Now
The automaker filed the lawsuit with the U.S. District Court of Northern California, asking the court to order Hoerbiger to stop demanding more payments, and make a ruling on Hoerbiger’s accusations that Tesla had breached their agreement.
Tesla states that it had already paid a total of $3 million to Hoerbiger, for the design prototypes that the automaker claims were defective, and feels that the supplier is not entitled to any further payments.
What’s more, Tesla now demands to be compensated by Hoerbiger, arguing that it has suffered serious financial losses due to the fact that the supplier failed to meet the deadline for manufacturing the falcon door system.
It remains to be seen whether this lawsuit will pan out for Tesla, but it seems that it was a logical and inevitable move, given that it must try to avoid further problems and unnecessary expenses with the production and delivery of the Model X, which had more than its fair share of issues in the past couple of years.