I opened another Tesla by mistake!

[Fourdoor]

Two relevant stories:

I was using scan my Tesla to data log a charging session so I wanted to leave my phone in the car, I used my key card to lock the door and walked off to use the restroom. When I came back I forgot that I had left my phone in the car and just grabbed the door handle like normal... and it opened!

Using another phone, or the key card will "lock" the car (my mirrors folded when I locked the car with my keycard while the phone was in the center console), but it recognizes the phone as key as still a valid key, so if you leave a phone in the car and lock it with a different phone, or your key card it will immediately unlock if anyone pulls on the door handle... so is it really locked at all? Not in my opinion. You could get around this by turning Bluetooth off on the phone, but in my case I was using a Bluetooth dongle for data logging so that wasn't an option (even if I had thought of it).

second story:

Once when I was sitting in my car at a Supercharger, my car all of a sudden stopped charging... I was like "WFT?" and went to hop out of the car... a shocked looking man was standing there holding my supercharger cord... his car was same color and model a couple of spaces over.

Keith

 

[Charles R]

I don’t think I understand…did you open another Tesla, or your own?

 

[Jimt29]

He knew he was in someone else’s car and still tried to open the glove compartment. A petty criminal no less?

 

[jw934]

Earlier today I was returning to my car from shopping, and I accidentally opened someone else's car! I was parked on the street; when I left, and there were 2 empty spaces behind me. My last stop was a bakery near my car, and I was not really paying attention when I went to what I thought was my car and pressed in the button to open the door (using my phone as a key). As I'm looking at my hand on the door handle, I see the side view mirror open and I realize the colour of the car and the wheels are different, and it's not my car! It was a Tesla M3. I pull my hand back, but realize the door opened, so I pull it open a bit and re-close it, then left a note on the windshield about what happened, with my phone number (since I'm sure I'm on the Security camera).

How did I open someone else's car? Interestingly, when I went in my car to write a note, I tried to use a voice command to open the glove box, and it wouldn't accept any voice command.....I'm not sure if that was related.

last month I left my phone in the car while I went shopping, and Pressed the lock car icon to lock the car before I left. But when I returned, the car unlocked as soon as I tried to open the door.

Now I learned to disable Bluetooth on my phone if I want to charge it so that the car is REALLY locked

 

[Proppilot]

I have enabled pin to drive as another added layer of security. Not directly related to this thread but to lock security, I am reading more and more stories about thief’s using BT relays to open Tesla’s. Yes insurance would replace the car but the wait time would be killer !

On the thread topic, leaving your phone in the car with BT enabled is the same as leaving your key fob in the car. To prevent the owner locking the ‘key’ in the car, it does not lock you out. To me, the way it works is how I want it to work as I have been known to leave my phone in the tray !

 

[Calliope]

Thanks for the stories - it looks like if the phone was left in the car but the lock icon tapped, the windows would have folded in, but the car not actually locked. Good to know that opening cars (or stopping charging) in supposedly locked cars is not unheard of.

(jimt29, I think you misunderstood - I tried to open the glove box via voice command in MY car; I never got into the strangers' car, of course!)

 

[skriefal]

Just a quick note... unfolded side mirrors doesn't necessarily indicate an unlocked vehicle. There is a setting to disable the auto-folding. I think it's intended to be used during cold winters when the mechanism might freeze up - but the setting can be enabled at any time.

 

[3sr+buyer]

We posted the same thing also the same time. It happens A LOT. People don't want to take their phone with them and thinking that the car is locked when the mirrors folded after tapping the keycard. It is locked... until someone pulls the handle bar.

If you leave your phone in the car, turn it off (or at least turn Bluetooth off). You may want to test in your own garage first to make sure.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

He knew he was in someone else’s car and still tried to open the glove compartment. A petty criminal no less?

It looks like you missed the part where the OP said they went back to their car to write a note. It was the glove box in the OP's own car that they were trying to open.

Interestingly, when I went in my car to write a note, I tried to use a voice command to open the glove box, and it wouldn't accept any voice command.....I'm not sure if that was related.

 

[Jimt29]

Thanks for the stories - it looks like if the phone was left in the car but the lock icon tapped, the windows would have folded in, but the car not actually locked. Good to know that opening cars (or stopping charging) in supposedly locked cars is not unheard of.

(jimt29, I think you misunderstood - I tried to open the glove box via voice command in MY car; I never got into the strangers' car, of course!)

Apologies. My bad. Truly very sorry.

 

[randomwalk101]

Okay...it literally JUST happened to me a few mins ago. I'm still sitting here at the parking lot waiting for the other owner to talk about this while writing this post.

I walked up to a Tesla model Y same blue color thinking it's mine. I tried opening the trunk but it won't open. I was like "great, phone connect again" so I took out my key card and tapped on the side driver door and the damn car unlocked. At this time I was still thinking it's my car so I went to the back and open the trunk to load my craps in. Then I saw a bunch of cardboard boxes in there and I was like "wait, someone dumped craps into my car? Then I realized it's not my car!!!! The interior is black and mine is white. Wtf???"

 

[randomwalk101]

Okay, I'm still here waiting for that owner to talk to him or her about this (not sure how much longer I can wait)....but anyways, I read some of the earlier posts in this thread...

1) no, the car is locked. Mirror folded. I tried opening the door handle without tapping my key card and it won't open.

2) no, owner is not around...or close by. I'm still here a few steps from that car.

Lol

 

[Z_Lynx]

Okay. Now that you opened the car with your card, if you leave now, lock it with the card because it won't do the phone walk-away lock (not linked by phone). Weird though - glad I have stickers on my car so I can recognize it and the crap inside ;-)