Alarm false fires

[hab66]

Parked car up on quiet car park near to a sports field we were attending. Sentry mode enabled. Then the car started to alarm and play loud music. Returned to car and as expected all was well. Locked and went away again. Some time later it happened again, alarm and loud music. Returned to car, which was okay.

Turned sentry mode off and left car again. Again, some time later the alarm went off. Returned to car and all was well. I turned off the cabin overheat protection as this was the only thing i could think might trigger an alarm. But i also moved the car so it was now within sight of us. Locked it and all went well.

I believe the loud music in sentry mode is normally associated with unauthorised entry into the vehicle, of which there was none.

Is cabin overheat protection known for triggering the alarm? Or am i chasing a red hearing.

I dont appear to be able to check what has caused the alarm triggering. Obviously with sentry mode i can watch the video, but is there nothing else that logs and shows what caused the alarm (non-sentry mode)?

Is the tesla alarm system know for false alerts?

 

[OfficialMark_H]

Fly spray

 

[Lockey]

I've had a ladybird set off my car alarm (sentry mode not activated so no loud music thankfully) so my guess would be some sort of insect life in the car.

 

[Chris CG]

Mine’s gone off randomly over the last few days too! Once at 3am and then twice the following afternoon. Took it for a quick blast with the windows down that evening to hopefully get rid of anything living inside and it hasn’t happened since - although it did also do an update to 2022.20.8 so it could just as well have been that too!

 

[thax1]

I've had a ladybird set off my car alarm (sentry mode not activated so no loud music thankfully) so my guess would be some sort of insect life in the car.

As there is a cabin camera that can supposedly even tell which way the drivers eyes are pointing; it’s a pity that it can’t tell the difference between a car thief and a 5mm diameter spotty insect

 

[MrT3]

Is cabin overheat protection known for triggering the alarm? Or am i chasing a red hearing.

Any time the fans/climate is turned on the interior motion sensors should deactivate to stop false alarms. That’s what should happen, but software bugs mean it could happen.

Much more likely to be a real bug/insect triggering the alarm.

 

[Huggybear]

I’ve had the same problem when I turn on climate remote to lower the temp before I get to the car. I assume it’s the air movement as it tries to lower the temperature quickly. I believe I have a work around by choosing Dog Mode which cools the car and must turn off the alarm sensors inside the car.

 

[Masklin]

Mine had gone off a few times since being at Goodwood House at the weekend. Found the culprit a little earlier today, a grasshopper!

 

[Adopado]

Oh, here's another one that hasn't been mentioned for a while ... the alarm can be triggered by an expanding or contracting plastic water bottle. I had a one-off spurious alarm about a week ago and I had recently put a fairly large bottle with very cold water in it in the hot car. May have been that popping or it may have been an insect that since departed because I also made sure to open doors and windows for a minute.

 

[roadcred]

Yet another example of Teslas poor software. Too much concentration on irrelevant gimmicks not enough on solid useable design.

 

[EEC C2]

Mine went off the other day twice . Thought I had a problem then went on here and found that any wildlife in the car can set it of . Went back to the car and sure enough there was a small fly buzzing around . Once he was removed all was well .

 

[WV72]

Oh, here's another one that hasn't been mentioned for a while ... the alarm can be triggered by an expanding or contracting plastic water bottle. I had a one-off spurious alarm about a week ago and I had recently put a fairly large bottle with very cold water in it in the hot car. May have been that popping or it may have been an insect that since departed because I also made sure to open doors and windows for a minute.

I have a different problem. I've owned a tesla y for a year and never heard an alarm, even on a ferry. Today I left my phone at home and shook the car with all my might, yanked the door handles and it didn't activate any alarm. How can I check if I have an active alarm at all?

 

[Tony Hoyle]

Put a fly in it?

It takes internal movement to set it off, motion of the car alone doesn't seem to affect it.

 

[WV72]

Put a fly in it?

It takes internal movement to set it off, motion of the car alone doesn't seem to affect it.

Oh I understand. So outside you can trash and tow the car without activating the alarm?

 

[debrooker]

As above, flies are generally the culprit

 

[Ashdeman]

Mine was going off at work the other week, the tiniest of little flies buzzing around inside set it off!

 

[WV72]

Mine was going off at work the other week, the tiniest of little flies buzzing around inside set it off!

I thought the alarm also reacts to external events. In that case, you can steal it by loading it on a tow truck.

 

[LiamPope]

Mine goes off all the time on ferries, so it's definitely no just internal motion.

 

[MrBadger]

Ours occasionally goes off when we jack the car to seasonally swap the wheels.

It’s probably gone off 2 or 3 times in total whilst jacking each of the 4 corners, twice a year over 4 years that we have done this. It’s not a big lift, but certainly more than you could do by manually rocking. I think it may even say tilt alarm.

Internal test could be done by leaving someone in the car without a phone and locking …

 

[M1tch]

If you open a door and leave it on the latch but not fully closed it should alleviate the alarm while changing the wheels - or leave a phone in the car.