Tesla Model S Door-Handle Failures Still Plague Electric Car, Consumer Reports Learns: UPDATE

It is one of the more remarkable features of the Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan: door handles that retract flush with the body until needed.

But the retracting door handles proved tricky in practice; owner of early Model S cars reported that quite a lot of them had to be replaced under warranty.

The problems seemed to have abated, but clearly they're not gone--as Consumer Reports recently learned.

DON'T MISS: Tesla Gigafactory: Drone Flyover Shows How Huge It Really Is

The well-known consumer magazine took delivery of a brand-new 2015 Tesla Model S P85D, only to find that the car's proximity sensors weren't recognizing the key fob and extending the door handles as a driver approached.

Jake Fisher, director of auto testing, notes the Number One complaint among the 1,300 Tesla Model S owners surveyed by Consumer Reports involves the exterior door handles.

UPDATE: In response to a reader comment, Green Car Reports reached out to Consumer Reports to get the precise data on the extent of Tesla door-handle problems uncovered in its survey.

Fisher responded: "Of the 1,278 2012-2014 Tesla Model S cars in our 2014 Survey, 31 were reported to have problems on locks and latches, and 11 were reported to have problems on doors.

"These are unusually high problem rates," he added. "The average problem rate for locks and latches is less than one-half of 1 percent for each of the model years 2012 through 2014."

The magazine was back on track one day later, after a visit by a Tesla technician who replaced the door handles.

That's standard Tesla service, Fisher emphasized, not any kind of special treatment for the magazine.

Green Car Reports' two Model S-owning writers, David Noland and George Parrott, have had varied door-handle experiences. Parrott reported no problems on either of the two Model S cars he's owned.

ALSO SEE: Why Tesla Model X Electric SUV Is Late: Range, Towing, 'Falcon Doors'