Crazy Carwash fail!!! Has this happened to anyone else?

[dark cloud]

Can't you close the port from inside the car via the big screen? Also in the past, after charging, I've left the port open and it closed itself after I shifted to D.

I have never manually closed the port door. I believe mine closes before I put it in park, but next time I will check.

I bet you moved out of your driver's seat, or shift enough to de-trigger the weight sensor.
That does all sorts of weird things to the car.

There is a weight sensor in the front seat? If that is the case I wonder how this can happen

 

[HankLloydRight]

One more thing I thought of... when the car was forced into Park and you tried to shift back to Neutral or Drive, did you have your foot on the brake pedal? There should have been a warning message to do so.

 

[ricebucket]

I have never manually closed the port door. I believe mine closes before I put it in park, but next time I will check.

Mine used to close by itself after a short delay. But seems that recently, it hasn't been doing that. Not sure if they've increased the delay times a lot or if they've disabled the auto close completely in a recent firmware. But it always closes automatically after I get in the car and shift away from P.

 

[JohnnyG]

1. I've never heard of a charge port door opening by just tapping it. It needs the radio singnal from the charging handle to open or I think a triple click of the key fob ( or maybe click and hold).

2. Your 2015 should also have a motorized door... just tap the main screen button to close it from inside the car.

3. I've also never heard of a car forcing park just because the port is open, just a warning message.

4. The car will force park if you lift up out of the seat. Is your key fob getting pressed?

5. I've taken both my cars through lots of automatic car washes and have never had this happen.

1. Charge port doors which are motorized, have a momentary contact micro-switch that allows you to push on the narrow end, and the door will open. (Keyfob: hold trunk for 5-seconds to open / close door, and also unlatch / stop charging).

2. Early 2015 still had the spring loaded, magnetically latched, charge port door. By mid 2015, they were all motorized and could be both opened and closed using the touch screen or the fob. (This was in preparation for the automatic "snake" charge cables, so you wouldn't have to get out of your car in inclement weather).

3. Same here.

4. Lifting of the butt will only force park if your seatbelt is off. (Also, only below a certain speed, but that doesn't apply here.)

5. Same here. (Well, I did leave my seatbelt off once, only once, and yea, PARK!).

 

[JohnnyG]

I have never manually closed the port door. I believe mine closes before I put it in park, but next time I will check.

There is a weight sensor in the front seat? If that is the case I wonder how this can happen

By latching the seatbelt, you disable the weight sensor feature of going into Park when weight is removed. Also, the weight sensor won't put the car into Park above a certain speed.

 

[HankLloydRight]

2. Early 2015 still had the spring loaded, magnetically latched, charge port door. By mid 2015, they were all motorized and could be both opened and closed using the touch screen or the fob. (This was in preparation for the automatic "snake" charge cables, so you wouldn't have to get out of your car in inclement weather).

My 2014 P85D has the motorized door. I believe all P85D have the new motorized charge port door. I just didn't know that it was openable by tapping on it (which I've just confirmed, works).

 

[JohnnyG]

My 2014 P85D has the motorized door. I believe all P85D have the new motorized charge port door. I just didn't know that it was openable by tapping on it (which I've just confirmed, works).

Eek! Sorry, I missed that @jacksdavim was a PD. The base 85 still had the manual spring loaded door in early 2015.
Yea, it was first introduced with the AP hardware, but not all cars with AP got the motorized door at first; only the "D" cars (which never made sense to me, seeing that the idea was for automation).

 

[Az_Rael]

We take our 2015 P85D thru a auto brush Costco wash often (I know, I know). Never had this issue. I would get your chargeport door checked out. Maybe it is starting to fail.

Or maybe it is that particular wash. Does it happen at other car washes?

 

[Max*]

The tap-to-open charge port door ONLY works while the car is unlocked. So if the OP is in the drivers seat, car in neutral (and locked), chargeport door won't open by a high pressure stream.

OP - next time just lock the car from the 17" screen and make sure to keep your butt in the seat.

 

[ricebucket]

The tap-to-open charge port door ONLY works while the car is unlocked. So if the OP is in the drivers seat, car in neutral (and locked), chargeport door won't open by a high pressure stream.

OP - next time just lock the car from the 17" screen and make sure to keep your butt in the seat.

I don't think this is true. If I press the button on the charging cable to open the port, all Teslas around me with closed ports will also open their ports.

 

[Max*]

I don't think this is true. If I press the button on the charging cable to open the port, all Teslas around me with closed ports will also open their ports.

The charge port door will open (even when the car is locked), if you push the button on the Tesla charging cable.

I didn't say to push the button on the charging cable, I said to push the tap-to-open charge port door. Two different ways of getting the same end result. But one works when the car is locked, and the other doesn't. Try it out.

 

[Barklikeadog]

if you've never gotten out of your car in the middle of a car wash, really stinks.

I would definitely contact the car wash to see if they have surveillance cameras in the wash area.

 

[princeofhouse]

Charge port open and high pressure water spraying at it? Yowsers.

you will find tesla's are rather water resistant lol

 

[Shock-On-T]

I have never manually closed the port door. I believe mine closes before I put it in park, but next time I will check.



There is a weight sensor in the front seat? If that is the case I wonder how this can happen

The weight sensor doesn’t deactivate autopilot. Presumably for safety so it doesn’t disengage at high speed if you lift out of chair.
It will disengage if you take off seatbelt though.

 

[JohnnyG]

The tap-to-open charge port door ONLY works while the car is unlocked. So if the OP is in the drivers seat, car in neutral (and locked), chargeport door won't open by a high pressure stream.

OP - next time just lock the car from the 17" screen and make sure to keep your butt in the seat.

This is very true; what's a mystery is the exact order of events. We know the OP said the charge port door opened and the car went into Park. If the OP has the car set to "Unlock when put in Park", and lifted his unbelted butt first, which put the car into Park, that would've unlocked the car, and allowed the charge port door to open when the brushes were smacking it or high pressure sprayer hitting it. <just another possibility>

I think the key here, for all these mystery posts where cars surprisingly go into Park, is to keep your seatbelt buckled.