If you have changed out your stock Tesla Model 3 trunk struts for a set off Amazon that will automatically open your trunk for you, you might want to think again and put your stock struts back in.
Or if you’re considering buying some, be aware that they can cause significant damage to your vehicle.
These automatic trunk struts can be bought off Amazon for a fairly cheap price, ranging between $20-$40. Vincent, a Model 3 owner in Vancouver tells Drive Tesla he bought automatic struts from Amazon and installed them in his trunk in October 2019.
His particular set is no longer available for purchase, but look just like the numerous other sets still listed that have the red springs on them.
Other than the known side effect of making it more difficult to close, he had no issues with the struts, until last week.
When trying to close his trunk, the strut simply fell off from the top attachment point, hitting his rear glass resulting in significant damage that will mean replacing his rear glass panel. Not only did it crack his glass, the struts also misaligned his trunk.
Upon closer inspection, he discovered the piece that clips on to the trunk had simply cracked in two.
In researching this issue, Drive Tesla was able to find several examples of similar situations happening to other Tesla Model 3 owners.
James, a Model 3 owner from Texas posted on Facebook about how his strut failed in the exact same way that Vincent’s did. Again, you can see these are the same struts in the background of the photo with the red springs.
Fortunately for James, his strut failure did not result in similar damage to his glass.
If you have these struts, the nominal savings you get from the trunk opening for you are not worth the huge expense and hassle of having to replace your rear glass.
If you really want an automatic trunk, you should consider getting the automatic trunk and frunk kits from Hansshow. It’s obviously a little more expensive, but still less than what it would cost to replace your glass.
To save on the expense, you can use the coupon code drivetesla for 15% off your purchase price from Hansshow.
Do you have these struts in your Model 3? Let us know in the comments below if you’ve had similar issues with yours.
