Deleted keyfob from car, but its still paired to the car

[3Sweet]

Hello, I am here in a crazy predicament. I purchased the passive entry key fob for my model 3. My fob was stolen, and the thieves followed me home and have tried to steal the car from my garage 2x now.
I went into the car and deactivated the key fob from the car. The thieves came back and were able to open the car again, even while the fob was deactivated. It turns out that even though it is no longer listed, the fob will always stay connected to the car.
Please be aware the fob cannot be deactivated unless the physical fob is placed on the console.
Tesla charges $105 dollars and must reset the car's entire security locking/Bluetooth and you must have an appointment to do so.
Please keep your key fobs close anytime you leave the house and try your best not to lose them. I find this ridiculous and extremely dangerous the fob cannot be disabled in the same fashion a key card can be.
If anyone has any ideas, on how I can remain safe and not get the car stolen until my appointment that will be great. I have a pin to drive activated.

 

[3Volts2aTes]

That is a bit weird, but one more reason to keep the PIN set.

 

[David.85D]

I would drive to the service center immediately and explain the situation politely. I think you have a good chance they would take you immediately.

Or watch some Pink Panther movies for excellent boobie trap ideas ;-)

 

[father_of_6]

Lucky they can do it at all. I imagine with most vehicles there's no way to disable a fob... perhaps unless you disassemble parts. Maybe Tesla will add this ability to the software so that owners can do it by themselves at some point.

 

[Adam3]

Haha i knew mods would change the title from "Danger please be aware, key fob security risk"

 

[XPsionic]

Haha i knew mods would change the title from "Danger please be aware, key fob security risk"

as they should, it's like saying "danger please be aware if you lose your car key to your normal car people could steal it!!!"

 

[father_of_6]

There's a lot of FUD against Tesla and EVs, so this really *has* to be done. Otherwise this site would have many, many posts with sensationalized titles that make EVs seem bad.

 

[3sr+buyer]

Lucky they can do it at all. I imagine with most vehicles there's no way to disable a fob... perhaps unless you disassemble parts. Maybe Tesla will add this ability to the software so that owners can do it by themselves at some point.

Many vehicles do have a way to reset which fobs are accepted, if you have at least two fobs that currently work that you can bring to the vehicle (and all fobs that you want to be accepted afterward must be present). The procedures are somewhat less convenient and obvious than for the Model 3, however.

It would be a significant bug in the Model 3 software if removing a fob (or other key) from the accepted keys does not actually prevent it from accessing and driving the car.

 

[David.85D]

Lucky they can do it at all. I imagine with most vehicles there's no way to disable a fob... perhaps unless you disassemble parts. Maybe Tesla will add this ability to the software so that owners can do it by themselves at some point.

I have had to do this on a BMW and a Mini. They can delete the whole list and add back the ones still in your possession. What is even weirder is they have stored extra key IDs and when you order a spare key from the dealer it comes pre assigned with ID#3 (or whatever) already programmed. Once you delete the whole list, getting a spare key becomes a bigger hassle. I’m sure that process changes over time… They also have a single vestigial key that opens the drivers door hidden inside the fob you can’t program out.

 

[father_of_6]

In a Tesla, I would expect the key fob to work just like a key card... it should all be self service.

Can anyone else with a fob verify that this is true? Delete the fob from your vehicle and see if it still works afterwards. I'm wondering if this is a one-off issue or even FUD.

 

[jjrandorin]

In a Tesla, I would expect the key fob to work just like a key card... it should all be self service.

Can anyone else with a fob verify that this is true? Delete the fob from your vehicle and see if it still works afterwards. I'm wondering if this is a one-off issue or even FUD.

I really doubt its what most would consider as "fud". I did change the thread title, because I am not a fan (to put it mildly) of "alarmist" type thread titles. With that being said, someone following you home to try to repeatedly steal your car would be a very (very) scary thing, so I would not be surprised if some of the details of whats going on get lost somewhere.

A keyfob would not let the thieves into the garage though, so its likely there is something else stolen beside the keyfob I would guess?

I have a keyfob for model 3 and Y (I have both the old non passive one for model 3s, and the newer passive one I got when we got my wife a model Y). I tested the passive keyfob when it came in, I got it before I got my wifes model Y actually.

I paired it with my model 3, and left it that way until my wifes model Y came in (was ready to be picked up). I then un paired it from my model 3, then paired it with my wifes model Y. I removed it the same way you remove a key normally, and paired it with her model Y. It did not work as a passive key for my model 3, and pushing the button to unlock her model Y only opened her car, not mine.

Translation, I did this previously and did not experience what this OP is talking about.

I suspect there is something else going on here, either a repeater attack, a stolen keycard as well, or something else, however I am also not going to pretend I did extensive testing of this. I did all the above previously during "normal actions" not trying to test this thread, and dont have any desire to go out and try to test it myself because that wont matter. The OP could be experiencing something I didnt.

It doesnt fit the pattern for "fud" though, and I am not a fan of using that term (nor the opposite type term, "fanboy / fanboi"). I have a fairly decent nose for that given the number of posts I see here, and this does not feel like that at all.

 

[RayK]

I have a non-passive fob but OP states they have a passive one. Not sure if that would be comparing apples-to-apples.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I would have expected it to be like a key card, but I guess they programmed it like the Model S/X legacy fob, which is more like a traditional car (as others described). Also as others mentioned, if you lose a key fob to other cars, the backup key inside it can always open your car. You would have to rekey your car to prevent access, and I would venture to guess that costs a lot more than $105 if it is even possible.

 

[3Sweet]

They key fob. I bought is the new model passive entry fob. The reason this is important is , regardless of the display. If lost or stolen, the passive entry key fob will have access to the car. They have to manually delete it and reprogram new key cards and fobs. This is somthing that is not done on the display and their computer makes this change.
Mr. Moderator, enjoy when this happens to another victim and they arnt away key fobs cannot be unprogrammed. When people think they are safe they really are not and perpetrators can still gain access to the car.
Nothing else was stolen just the fob. No key cards nothing.

You situation is your reprogrammed your old fob to a new car. My key isn't reprogramed I have 2 men, Outside my house all hours of the day and night, unlocking my car from outside my garage, waiting for me to open the garage or waiting to gain access to it. I'd say this is a serious safety risk and people need to be aware.

 

[3sr+buyer]

You situation is your reprogrammed your old fob to a new car. My key isn't reprogramed I have 2 men, Outside my house all hours of the day and night, unlocking my car from outside my garage, waiting for me to open the garage or waiting to gain access to it. I'd say this is a serious safety risk and people need to be aware.

If they are there all the time, it should be easy to have the local police arrest them and recover the stolen fob.

 

[3Sweet]

They bike by breifung pulling into driveway. They don't sit stationary . That's not how cops work either
You cannot arrest people for being around your house.

 

[3sr+buyer]

They bike by breifung pulling into driveway. They don't sit stationary . That's not how cops work either
You cannot arrest people for being around your house.

Attempting to steal your car and being in possession of stolen property (the fob) would be something that the police should take an interest in.

 

[jjrandorin]

They key fob. I bought is the new model passive entry fob. The reason this is important is , regardless of the display. If lost or stolen, the passive entry key fob will have access to the car. They have to manually delete it and reprogram new key cards and fobs. This is somthing that is not done on the display and their computer makes this change.
Mr. Moderator, enjoy when this happens to another victim and they arnt away key fobs cannot be unprogrammed. When people think they are safe they really are not and perpetrators can still gain access to the car.
Nothing else was stolen just the fob. No key cards nothing.

You situation is your reprogrammed your old fob to a new car. My key isn't reprogramed I have 2 men, Outside my house all hours of the day and night, unlocking my car from outside my garage, waiting for me to open the garage or waiting to gain access to it. I'd say this is a serious safety risk and people need to be aware.

Your safety issue is the two people sitting outside of your house waiting for you to open the garage, and that doesnt have anything to do with "Danger!" from the operation of the keyfob.

Your focus on "the keyfob" in this situation is strange to me.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Your safety issue is the two people sitting outside of your house waiting for you to open the garage, and that doesnt have anything to do with "Danger!" from the operation of the keyfob.

Your focus on "the keyfob" in this situation is strange to me.

Right, if you lose the keys to practically anything (like your house for example) it may need rekeying, and the danger is not from the fact it needs rekeying, but from whichever perp trying to gain access. There are locks out there that can easily be rekeyed (like Kwikset's Smartkey) but I don't see it making sense to use "danger!" to describe normal locks simply because they require a locksmith to rekey. The ease of reprogramming for Tesla's keycard is actually not the norm.

For the OP, really the solution is to contact to police if this has not been done already. Evidence can easily be recorded on camera (esp if you have a security camera already). If you don't have one, there are plenty of cheap ones out there (like Wyze which is only $35, plus a microSD card). The police won't have personnel camping at your home, but they can certainly have patrol units looking out (as it's unlikely you would be the only one that is a target).

If this issue is urgent and can't wait for the appointment, as others mentioned, you can do a drop in. Speak to the manager if necessary and explain why you need this addressed urgently.

 

[3Sweet]

The point of the thread is simple....
And needs to be common knowledge, If you lose your key fob or its stolen, you cannot unpair it with your car, only the tesla dealership can.
How is this not a big deal and should be explained when ordering the fob.
People can lose their fobs and think to just remove if manually from the car, to find out it doesn't work and their car gets stolen, while they think they are safe.