Tesla Motors is taking one of its former suppliers to court over the botched design of the “falcon wing” rear doors used on the company’s Model X crossover.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Northern California on Tuesday, claims that Germany-based Hoerbiger Automotive Comfort Systems LLC failed to design a hydraulic lift system for the Model X’s falcon wing doors that could meet Tesla’s engineering standards. According to the suit, Hoerbiger’s lift system leaked oil and often over-heated.
Tesla claims that the faulty doors forced the company to delay the introduction of the Model X. Tesla is also suing to help cover the costs of rushing a functioning version of the falcon wing door into production.
“Tesla incurred millions of dollars in damages, including, but not limited to costs of re-tooling the entire vehicle in order to support a different engineering solution,” Tesla said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The suit further states that Hoerbiger is seeking additional money from Tesla relating to the door design. Tesla says it has already paid Hoerbiger $3 million and doesn’t owe the supplier anything else for its work.
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