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Demo drive to tennis goes badly - Easy Entry on!

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Four of us are playing indoor tennis at Duke University and my three friends want me to drive my wonderful, brilliant Tesla 2020 Model 3, White and White AWD.

Of course I'm delighted to have the opportunity to show the car and convert some non believers. It's my intention to give them my referral code in the hope that we can benefit from any potential purchase in the future.

My wife set her driving position in "Warwick Davis" mode with the steering wheel and seat set very close together, in my previous cars this was always a challenge for me when I was following my fragrant wife into the drivers seat. With the Tesla this was no longer a problem due to the drivers seat automatically adjusting to my preferred driving setup once I approached the car with my iPhone.

Earlier in the week I'd set up the Easy Entry functionality which moved the drivers seat fully back and down when I undo my safety belt in preparation to exit the vehicle. I'm 6'2" and I decided to give myself the maximum room although I'd been getting in and out of the vehicle without any issues. I just love playing with the functionality! Easy Entry seemed so cool and a great party piece to demonstrate.

So when I drive to the meeting point I decide to move my drivers seat up so that the rear passenger would get plenty of room. Once sat in the seat I can drive quite comfortably with the seat much further forward. I didn't want my friends to feel that the Model 3 is a small car.

I pick the guys up without issues, all the tennis gear is stowed in the trunk with plenty of room to spare. Once we hit the open road I go through the usual demonstration routine, I give the warning that I'm going to punch the power and press the accelerator pedal to the metal. Once the excitement is over I run through the AutoPilot and FSD functionality, next is the audio system and then the battery information. Things are going well and I'm starting to be a little bit smug.

Then we reach the barrier for the parking lot, I open the window and present the pass to the card reader but I dropped the parking pass on the ground. I opened the door but couldn't reach it due to the seat belt restricting my movement. Now the story really begins!

I undo my seat belt, the seat moves backwards and down, the passenger directly behind me screams in bone crunching pain. I realize what has happened and move my seat forwards to provide relief for my dear friend. It's probably worth mentioning that the friend in the front passenger seat is a lawyer.

Of course I'm starting to panic but I understand what has happened, my friend in the rear drivers side seat continues to whimper behind me. I retrieve the parking pass and now my friends are urging me to pass through the gate before it times out and drops down. At the same time they want an explanation of why our friend is in pain, for the moment I'm focused on getting through the barrier. Somehow I'm "keeping it together", I fasten my seatbelt and press my foot on the brake in preparation for selecting Drive.

It was then that I felt the seat move back into my predefined driving position, once again my friend behind me yelps out in agony but this time I'm too busy driving through the gate and can't offer immediate relief by moving my seat forward manually. In the heat of the moment I'm also confused about the second incident but now I understand that the seat was adjusting to my "normal" driving position the moment I pressed the brake pedal.

We find a parking spot and I was calm enough to wait for everyone to depart the vehicle before I unclipped my seat belt. This act of brilliance avoided another Easy Entry moment of pain for my passenger. Three of us walked off toward the tennis facility discussing the incident while my victim hobbled behind us trying to shake off his injury eventually asking if anyone knew a decent lawyer ;-)

The tennis was fun and as we walked back to the car I was able to use "Summon" to reverse the car out of the tight parking spot. Two of my friends expressed amazement at the functionality but my "victim" was silent, when I turned around to see his reaction he had exactly the same look as my dog when we took him to the vets to be neutered. His face showed nothing but fear at the thought of getting back into the Model 3, interestingly his two friends didn't offer to change seats and kept their position around the car like a world champion musical chair players.

I made several mistakes and I write this post to warn fellow Model 3 drivers of this incident and hope for some kind of setup suggestion that could avoid this problem in the future.
 
This isn't really a Tesla issue, other cars can have the same problem. You just always have to be aware when folks are behind you. I've turned off the easy entry mode, it just doesn't gain me that much.
If nothing else, don't have easy entry set all the way to the back, just have it in a lowered seat location. I found when all the way back, the door jamb is then in the way.
 
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In most Mercedes I've had there are sensors and if there is too much resistance the seat stops moving (especially important in coupes), I haven't tested to see if Tesla is the same, but it should be. But this is one reason I never use Easy Entry, if my very short GF drives I just reach over to the screen and tap my profile for my tall 6'4 body before I even try to get in. Sometimes she's even nice enough to remember to reset to my profile for me as she leaves the car :D
 
This is an issue with all sorts of automated things. Often circumstances change and your previously handy automation becomes a detriment.

Have this issue with my automated house thermostat. Once programed for your typical routine, it really becomes inappropriate for staying home sick, visitors staying overnight or during house parties. Much easier for me just turning the dial automatically when I want heating or cooling.
 
I have set up a 2nd profile I use called "Passengers" which does NOT use Easy Entry. Pretty simple.

Great idea (although my legs are fairly short to start with so this wouldn't be needed in my case).

I have a profile I set up for "Road Trip" which I use that backs the seat up a bit farther than I normally have it set to. I've found that when using Autopilot there's not a great place to rest my right foot when the seat is positioned for my comfortable driving position, so when on a road trip I back the seat up slightly. I can still reach the brake just fine, but it gives me a little extra room for my foot to rest on the floor.