Here's What You Need To Do If Your Telsa's Door Handle Is Frozen Shut

During the winter, snow and ice can wreak all kinds of havoc across the land, which means stuck windows and frozen door handles for all. Tesla owners might find the coldest parts of the year especially troubling when their car's sleek, recessed door handles freeze solid, giving them nothing to grab onto. They may be cool and aerodynamic the rest of the year, but if they're covered with ice, you're stuck.

Owners of these expensive EVs may be understandably reluctant to pound away on their cars. You could always wait for it to thaw on its own, but if you fancy yourself a DIYer or can't wait for nature to balance things out, you can do a few things to get yourself out of the deep freeze.

The best solutions can be found right in the car's manual, and you can be sure that you're not doing anything to damage your vehicle since the advice is coming from Tesla itself.

Tesla has a handy tip if you're a forward thinker and reading this before an ice storm hits — they suggest applying some WD-40 to the handle's pivot pins. It's good advice, as it'll keep ice from adhering to the handle in the first place, but it won't do much good if the handle is already frozen.

Most Tesla owners will have the car's mobile app on their phone, which is fortunate since it has two features that could save your proverbial bacon. While standing next to the car, give the "Unlatch Door" command a shot. This is a relatively new feature added in October 2022, so for this to work, you'll need software version 2022.36+ in the car and app version 4.14 on your phone.

If this doesn't work because the door itself is frozen shut, you can use the app to fire up (pun intended) the car's preheat feature. Go to Climate > Defrost Car in the app. While it can take around 30 to 45 minutes to melt off the snow and ice, it should do the trick. This also helps warm up the battery, which Tesla suggests doing before driving in the winter months anyway.

Maybe you've run into a technical issue like a bad connection or just don't have the app installed on your phone. It's time to get a little more physical. First, remove any jewelry you might have on your hands or wrists, such as rings, bracelets, or watches to avoid scratching the paint.

Start by pushing on the front and rear of the door handle to try and crack the ice. While the handle only opens one way, it can actually rock in the opposite direction if you press the front, which Tesla says can loosen the ice. You might have to try it a few times. If that fails, lightly pound on the car door around the latch perimeter, giving the handle a tap or two in the process. Tesla suggests using "forceful bumps" akin to knocking on someone's front door, not the same force as hitting the heavy bag at the gym. No one wants to dent the door. Repeat the process a few times until the ice cracks.

Using one or all of these options together should eventually do the trick. If not, well, you can always wait until springtime to drive your car again.