Tesla sues Model X falcon wing door supplier

The Tesla Model X's intelligent falcon wing doors are one of the electric crossover's major styling cues, but their development is now at the heart of a lawsuit filed by the automaker against an early supplier for the parts. Tesla alleged Hoerbiger, which it hired to develop the doors, didn't produce a satisfactory product, and the problem caused the CUV's delay to hit the market. Hoerbiger also continued to request payment for the work, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This lawsuit alleges Hoerbiger's prototypes for the falcon doors leaked oil and overheated. Tesla dropped the supplier in 2015 because it was unhappy with the work and found a different company to provide the parts. At that point, the EV automaker had already paid Hoerbiger $3 million for the development, and the supplier still wanted more. The delay and re-tooling the Model X for the new firm's components reportedly also cost Tesla millions.

Tesla's lawyers now want the court to rule that the automaker didn't breach its contract with Hoerbiger by not paying for the allegedly unsatisfactory work, and the EV company also wants damages and legal fees. "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 spokesperson told the Journal.

There have been many reports over the years that the falcon wing doors' development delayed the Model X's launch. For example, Musk admitted in 2014 the components' engineering caused setbacks. At one point, rumors arose that the electric CUV might switch to a more conventional door design, but the boss quashed those reports. These days, Tesla finally has the vehicle's large-scale production underway.

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