Bluetooth Not Connecting Automatically

[davewill]

ARRRRGGGHHHHH!!! I scheduled an appointment to have this looked at. They only offered me a mobile appointment, which is OK. I postponed it to the only week day I had off, even though it meant waiting two weeks. Three days ago, they started pinging me for times that the problems occurred so that they could remote diagnose. I responded each and every time with times that the problem had occurred. This morning they message me that they want to postpone "to provide sufficient time to remotely diagnose your concerns and develop a repair plan". THEY'VE HAD TWO WEEKS TO DO THAT!!

I just want an appointment I can keep and count on. This doesn't happen with other car manufacturers. You call, make an appointment, you take it in, and they fix it. I've messaged them that it's not acceptable, but who knows if they'll listen.

 

[Kimmi]

They probably will not listen.

 

[davewill]

Well, that took long enough. I finally got it in for an appointment last week. They replaced the seat switch. I took it home and found that the car was still not connecting my bluetooth, and that the screen was shutting off when I shut my door. They had me bring it back in. When I dropped it off, they tried to blame everything on my Pixel 6 phone saying that "Pixels don't work". Luckily the screen symptom got them to continue to look. Turns out they didn't get the plug for the seat switch connected securely.

Now it works perfectly again. I ended up getting a big break, though. Right after I got the car, I scratched the hell out of the bottom of my steering wheel with my ring. It was one of those annoying things that others didn't see because it was out of sight, but I was reminded of every time I drove the car because I could feel it. They ended up replacing my steering wheel during this service! I don't know whether they noticed the scratches and did it, or whether it was a legit part of the repair attempt (it's listed on the invoice under my bluetooth complaint).

Anyway, if enyone else if facing this, don't let them tell you it's your phone. Borrow another phone if you must. They claimed Samsungs and IPhone work fine.

P.S. I noticed that everything they did was marked as "goodwill", which it is certainly not. This is a warranty repair! I realize that outcome-wise, it doesn't matter, but I'm always suspicious when businesses play games like that.

 

[G35Rocker]

Well, that took long enough. I finally got it in for an appointment last week. They replaced the seat switch. I took it home and found that the car was still not connecting my bluetooth, and that the screen was shutting off when I shut my door. They had me bring it back in. When I dropped it off, they tried to blame everything on my Pixel 6 phone saying that "Pixels don't work". Luckily the screen symptom got them to continue to look. Turns out they didn't get the plug for the seat switch connected securely.

Now it works perfectly again. I ended up getting a big break, though. Right after I got the car, I scratched the hell out of the bottom of my steering wheel with my ring. It was one of those annoying things that others didn't see because it was out of sight, but I was reminded of every time I drove the car because I could feel it. They ended up replacing my steering wheel during this service! I don't know whether they noticed the scratches and did it, or whether it was a legit part of the repair attempt (it's listed on the invoice under my bluetooth complaint).

Anyway, if enyone else if facing this, don't let them tell you it's your phone. Borrow another phone if you must. They claimed Samsungs and IPhone work fine.

P.S. I noticed that everything they did was marked as "goodwill", which it is certainly not. This is a warranty repair! I realize that outcome-wise, it doesn't matter, but I'm always suspicious when businesses play games like that.

Which service center in San Diego did you use?

 

[davewill]

Which service center in San Diego did you use?

Miramar

 

[👑GOAT]

Car: Tesla 2021 Model 3 RWD
Phone: iPhone 12 Pro

I feel like I've seen this a few places, so about 6 months ago the problem started -- every now and then when I entered my Model 3 it would have trouble connecting automatically, but no problem whatsoever when I went to the "Connect Phone" button on my Tesla to manually connect it myself. This problem started increasing in frequency to the point where just simply opening the car door would lead to my phone getting disconnected and then me needing to manually connect it via the "connect phone" button again. I'd say now it's at the point where it's around 75% of the time where I enter the car that I need to manually connect it.

I have also made sure that it's not simply a matter of taking a bit longer to connect by driving for 15+ minutes, and it still never connects. I have also restarted both my phone and the Tesla on multiple occasions with no changes. I've also re-done the Bluetooth connection with my phone (by forgetting the device and then re-connecting), still not fixed. I should also note that I am hyper vigilant with updates for my car, phone, and Tesla app.

So after dealing with this problem for months and it continuing to get worse, I finally set up a service appointment with Tesla on the app for Friday, and yesterday I got this text message from them:
"It seems like this is an updated change we introduced in firmware version 2020.8.

“Bluetooth now connects to your paired phone only after you are sitting in the driver’s seat and all doors are closed”.

Other than that, the Bluetooth system seems healthy." Then they said they were going to cancel the service appointment as a result.

I'm confused by why they sent that message to me, since the update they were referring to came before I even received my car (in December 2020), so I don't see how that problem could be correlated whatsoever. Curious if anyone else here has had the same problem, and figured out a solution. Thanks!

I found a solution just now. When you get in the car make sure you’re holding the brake pedal as you close the door so car doesn’t shut off. Bluetooth will automatically come one.
For me I was having to manually connect. I do this and it always works now

 

[👑GOAT]

I have the same issue with Bluetooth not automatically connecting to my phone for audio purposes. But also when I shut the door it seems to disconnect Bluetooth altogether. It won’t even detect the Tesla app on my phone. Pressing the screen doesn’t wake my Model 3. The only way I’m able to “wake”/reconnect from this state is to open the door again, press the accelerator pedal, or going into the Tesla app and pressing the lock icon. Tapping the screen or pressing the park button does nothing.

My “workaround” to prevent the Bluetooth connection from being completely lost is to either press the lock icon on the touchscreen while the door is open or press the accelerator pedal while the door is still open. So shutting the door seems to be the step that causes the bug to occur.

I’m using an iPhone 13 Pro Max on latest firmware and I have a Model 3 Performance 2020

I found a solution. Just hold the brake pedal as you close the door after you get in the car so the car doesn’t shut off. Your phone should automatically connect 5-10 seconds later. Always works for me now

 

[davewill]

I found a solution just now. When you get in the car make sure you’re holding the brake pedal as you close the door so car doesn’t shut off. Bluetooth will automatically come one.
For me I was having to manually connect. I do this and it always works now

Yeah, that worked for me, too, but fixing the car is better.

 

[onshi]

I found a solution. Just hold the brake pedal as you close the door after you get in the car so the car doesn’t shut off. Your phone should automatically connect 5-10 seconds later. Always works for me now

lol thanks! yeah I eventually figured this out too! If I’m supercharging and plan to chill in the car I turn on Camp Mode before I close the door to also keep the car from shutting off.

 

[G35Rocker]

I found a solution. Just hold the brake pedal as you close the door after you get in the car so the car doesn’t shut off. Your phone should automatically connect 5-10 seconds later. Always works for me now

Yes, this works for me! Thanks for the solution!

 

[sld12]

I found a solution just now. When you get in the car make sure you’re holding the brake pedal as you close the door so car doesn’t shut off. Bluetooth will automatically come one.
For me I was having to manually connect. I do this and it always works now

Sorry I should have updated this thread when it got fixed — it actually ended up being a hardware issue for me.

I brought it into the service center twice after making this thread, the first time they just tried updating it. But the second time they figured out that the sensor in my driving seat was malfunctioning and it’s needed in order to detect someone sitting to connect the Bluetooth devices. So they replaced it and it’s been good ever since.

 

[Sparklemetink]

Car: Tesla 2021 Model 3 RWD
Phone: iPhone 12 Pro

I feel like I've seen this a few places, so about 6 months ago the problem started -- every now and then when I entered my Model 3 it would have trouble connecting automatically, but no problem whatsoever when I went to the "Connect Phone" button on my Tesla to manually connect it myself. This problem started increasing in frequency to the point where just simply opening the car door would lead to my phone getting disconnected and then me needing to manually connect it via the "connect phone" button again. I'd say now it's at the point where it's around 75% of the time where I enter the car that I need to manually connect it.

I have also made sure that it's not simply a matter of taking a bit longer to connect by driving for 15+ minutes, and it still never connects. I have also restarted both my phone and the Tesla on multiple occasions with no changes. I've also re-done the Bluetooth connection with my phone (by forgetting the device and then re-connecting), still not fixed. I should also note that I am hyper vigilant with updates for my car, phone, and Tesla app.

So after dealing with this problem for months and it continuing to get worse, I finally set up a service appointment with Tesla on the app for Friday, and yesterday I got this text message from them:
"It seems like this is an updated change we introduced in firmware version 2020.8.

“Bluetooth now connects to your paired phone only after you are sitting in the driver’s seat and all doors are closed”.

Other than that, the Bluetooth system seems healthy." Then they said they were going to cancel the service appointment as a result.

I'm confused by why they sent that message to me, since the update they were referring to came before I even received my car (in December 2020), so I don't see how that problem could be correlated whatsoever. Curious if anyone else here has had the same problem, and figured out a solution. Thanks!

My Bluetooth has NEVER automatically connected…only my husband’s! Very frustrating.

 

[sld12]

My Bluetooth has NEVER automatically connected…only my husband’s! Very frustrating.

Check the update post I made above your's -- could be a malfunctioning seat sensor like mine. You'll know that's the problem for sure if when you sit down and you don't put your seatbelt on, your car doesn't give you a message telling you to put your seatbelt on.

 

[LenoraJ]

So I've read some but not all of the replies to this thread, but I'm so excited that I resolved my issue I wanted to share.

My "phone as key" Bluetooth was working fine, and I could make and receive phone calls via BT, but it wouldn't play music, or a podcast, or you tube, etc. So frustrating! Tried resetting the computer, turning bt on and off on both car and phone, forgetting and reconnecting, deleting and reinstalling the Tesla app, etc, to no avail.

Then someone said you have to choose Bluetooth as your media source, and it fixed it for me!! The first time I used the voice command function to say "play media source Bluetooth". Also they say you can tap the button with the three dots at the bottom of the screen (?media button) and tap the Bluetooth button.

Hope this helps.

 

[bichuga]

So I've read some but not all of the replies to this thread, but I'm so excited that I resolved my issue I wanted to share.

My "phone as key" Bluetooth was working fine, and I could make and receive phone calls via BT, but it wouldn't play music, or a podcast, or you tube, etc. So frustrating! Tried resetting the computer, turning bt on and off on both car and phone, forgetting and reconnecting, deleting and reinstalling the Tesla app, etc, to no avail.

Then someone said you have to choose Bluetooth as your media source, and it fixed it for me!! The first time I used the voice command function to say "play media source Bluetooth". Also they say you can tap the button with the three dots at the bottom of the screen (?media button) and tap the Bluetooth button.

Hope this helps.

 

[bichuga]

I was having the exact symptoms- Bluetooth not connecting automatically, car going into park if I'm driving at a slow speed without my seatbelt on. I took it into the Tesla service Center and asked for them to please check the seat weight sensor. They were incredulous saying you can't drive without the seat weight sensor there's no way it's that. But later that afternoon they said I was right. The seat weight sensor wasn't malfunctioning but it was misaligned so it wasn't detecting when I would sit in the driver seat. They fixed the alignment, whatever that means, and now Bluetooth is working great and I'm not having any of the same problems.

 

[bisco]

I have exactly the same problem and have tried all the DIY troubleshooting steps you mentioned also, but I have not attempted to get Tesla/service center involved (mostly because I presume I would get some non-answers/boilerplate responses about firmware/shrugged off one way or another).

 

[wupcwww]

To add to my previous comment. Sometimes sensors do have issues and having Tesla replace mine improved the percentage BT connectivity was successful, but it didn't fix it to 100%. In reading comments on this I realized my car entry and driving sequence is/was really fast. I would get in, grab seat belt, take my phone out of my pocket, hit reverse and go fairly quickly almost as one quick motion (not the best I know). I don't think the car can react that fast, it would be nice if it did though. So slowing the process down, hitting the brake (critical point I never did prior), putting on the seat belt, having your butt in the seat (a lot of times I would be getting my phone out of my pocket causing my butt to come off the seat), and then hitting drive increased the success rate. It still doesn't work 100%, a lot times me going back to previous habits, but it has definitely improved substantially. It feels like there is a timeout, that once the car gets going if the phone isn't connected it reduces BT connect rate. They should change the design that if there isn't a phone connected it should try at least one more time a couple minutes later. I can see for power savings that they didn't want to keep checking on a continual basis, but giving it only a 1-2 minute window is a flaw.