Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Is anyone else hating the auto door open upon keyfob unlock?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
... what I would really like, cute as it is, is to not have a fat fob with mechanical buttons at all but a thin card which first requires unlocking with thumbprint, swipe, or long press then presents a graphic with a few well placed texture reliefs and haptic feedback which offers full control of discrete remote features but which communicates with the car directly like the current key and not through the internet like the phone app.
Yeah, but you're going to have to recharge that gadget on a regular basis ... not at all like the fob you have now that you can ignore unless you need it. Maybe ... a (smart)watch and an app?

-- Updated --

Seems like others have gotten here before me. :oops:
 
The new software update on Model X that opens the driver side door on unlock is very dangerous. Nowadays almost all cars can be unlocked remotely. So I believe most people will start unlocking the car upon approaching it. Today I have this terrible experience. As I approach my Model X I remotely unlock it about twenty feet away. The door swing open. Several car have to swirl to avoid hitting it. I don't think the cars will hit the door if they don't swirl, but when the drivers saw the door swing open, their natural instinct is to avoid even get close to it. Additionally, I was about to run to try to close the door, but stopped because I don't want to jump on the street and get hit also. Tesla has to coming up with a fix really soon. I think some lawyers are anxiously waiting.
 
Yes, when one unlocks the Model S or Model X with the keyfob, the A/C turns on (as does the radio, if it's playing Slacker or TuneIn). The A/C and radio also turn on in the X if you open a FWD or the trunk. Before this firmware update, you didn't need to worry about the front door opening into traffic when unlocking the car to turn on the A/C. Now Tesla has managed to both remove a useful, convenient feature and add a dangerous one, all in one fell swoop!

Thank you! This would have been great earlier today when we got back to the car from tubing as no cell service meant no preconditioning. But generally, for me the walk to the car from the grocery store is going to be much improved! :)
 
Whenever the door is open, the Model S/X turns on. It's not linked to the unlocking action, it's linked to the door being open.

Not linked to the auto-unlock, that won't turn it on, but the AC on the X turns on with the double-tap unlock from the fob, without opening a door. At least mine always has. Now with the latest updates, it opens the door too. Dumbest most pain in the ass feature ever. After a couple near misses and several annoying incidents I shut off the auto presenting door. Now we have it all over again if someone unlocks the car from the fob. Honestly, with the auto-unlock and specific FWD/ trunk control from the fob I can avoid just unlocking the car most of the time, but this is still a really stupid thing for Tesla to add.

To add one more complaint about the app starting climate control, we had an instance on our last road trip where my wife pulled out her phone to turn on the climate control before we walked to the car. It was 110°F outside and we figured we'd crank the AC for a couple minutes while we walked to the car. Upon getting to the car, the fans were going full blast and it was trying very hard to cool the car, but only blowing hot air. Had to shut everything off, exit and lock the car. Then re-enter the car normally and it fired up OK. I thought it a bit weird so I played with it more after getting back. About 1 out of 3 times I try it, the AC does not come on properly with the app. It's now number 6 on my list of things for when it goes into the SC in the near future.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blastphemy
Sorry to hear @Monkey -- I've used the app a few time to turn on the Climate system before going to the X. It has worked fine. The fans roaring the air was cooling the cabin. It was much more comfortable that getting in and rolling down the widows. Just used yesterday, albeit not 110 here... just 95.

I have seen the posts about open with unlock. Is that without the premium package? Mine doesn't open on unlock, and when I turn off auto-present doesn't open at all. I saw the update notes, but no change in its response to unlock. Note: I don't press the unlock button on the FOB... just walk up.
 
Sorry to hear @Monkey -- I've used the app a few time to turn on the Climate system before going to the X. It has worked fine. The fans roaring the air was cooling the cabin. It was much more comfortable that getting in and rolling down the widows. Just used yesterday, albeit not 110 here... just 95.

I have seen the posts about open with unlock. Is that without the premium package? Mine doesn't open on unlock, and when I turn off auto-present doesn't open at all. I saw the update notes, but no change in its response to unlock. Note: I don't press the unlock button on the FOB... just walk up.

The opening only occurs when you use the key fob/smartphone to unlock in the X. Monkey's use case is unique because he/she uses it to turn on the AC versus the smartphone pre-conditioning. I've never had an issue with preconditioning my S from the smartphone-- but I'm one of those people that reset their car/smartphones every other week-- just a habit :p
 
I just tested it on my X. Using to FOB to unlock does cause the driver's door to open. However, just walking up to the car does not open the driver's door. When I used the app yesterday to turn on the climate, as I approached from the passengers side, the driver's door did not open and opened only when I approached the driver's side of the X. Honestly, I never used the FOB buttons to unlock the X -- just the auto unlock. I turn off the Auto present in parallel street parking conditions. Now I know not to use the FOB as well.
 
I truly hope I'm missing something, because I can't find a setting to disable the driver's door from opening when I unlock my Model X from the keyfob. This may be the worst feature I've seen Tesla implement, because there's no control over it.

Three days ago I was walking to my Model X that was parked on the street. It was 100 degrees outside, so I unlocked the car at a distance so that the A/C would start running. Ten seconds later, I see three cars swerve unexpectedly when passing my Tesla. To my horror, as I got closer, I saw the front driver's door open wide into the oncoming traffic!

When I got to the car, the first thing I did was go into Settings and turn off the Auto-Present Doors function to stop this from ever happening again.

So what happens today? Same thing, except this time my husband unlocked the car with the keyfob and nearly clobbered a cyclist when the door opened without warning right in front of her. I hadn't mentioned that new functionality to my husband because I thought I had turned it off! I'm very lucky that cyclist was far enough back to swerve and skid to a stop in time, or I bet my husband would be enjoying a lawsuit right about now. Luckily, the cyclist was more fascinated with the Model X than she was angry about nearly smashing into the door.

Tesla needs to give me a way to turn off this stupid feature because I'll either lose the door to a passing truck or kill some poor soul on a bike who doesn't have lightning reflexes.

At least now I know not to unlock the door with the keyfob any more, but I shouldn't have to remember such a dumb thing! Now I'm stuck using the slow-as-molasses app on my phone to first wake the car, then wait for it to turn on the A/C, then confirm it's on.... at which point I'm already at the car.
I'm a non-PUP and have never seen my driver door open with FOB unlock, until today, and last software upgrade was last week.
It just happened a random time from locked state, and does not repeat. Similar to others and another thread. Scary
 
Three days ago I was walking to my Model X that was parked on the street. It was 100 degrees outside, so I unlocked the car at a distance so that the A/C would start running. Ten seconds later, I see three cars swerve unexpectedly when passing my Tesla. To my horror, as I got closer, I saw the front driver's door open wide into the oncoming traffic!
How long would the AC have to run to get the cabin to a reasonable temperature (say 85) from 100? I want to think that the walking distance to the car at which the fob button press is detected by the car should be fairly small. Like in the order of 10 to 20s of walking. Would that time really be enough to cool the cabin down? I would need the AC to run atleast 10 mins to get to 85 and that is why the fob may not be a reasonable solution for preconditioning unless the car is parked close to the place where I am hanging out.

Let me give you an almost every day scenario. Coming out to my car in a parking lot with my kid, who usually sits on the passenger side. I first unlock the car with the keyfob and then I help my kid into the back seat on the passenger side. Why would I want my driver door hanging open while I do this? Plus, it is not uncommon to have strangers getting in or out of their own car on the driver side of my car while I am helping my kid get in on the passenger side. The door opening on the driver side could cause all kinds of problems in such scenarios.
So I have noticed that I can remotely open the FWDs from the fob without having to unlock the car first. Infact I do this routinely to put my son in the carseat on the 2nd row passenger side.

I find it convenient to have the door open when I want to. I just have to use a different button to unlock the car. When I don't want to remotely open any door, I just walk up to the car and press the needed door handle.. has been very easy for me. So I do find the auto door open feature useful.. maybe I should not be posting in this thread then ;) ?
 
I think it would be better to do away with some of these new features and keep it simple.
I am ok to have an option to disable certain features that don't work for some people but I will never do away with them. I disable the door auto-present feature but I do like the auto-present on fob unlock - allows me to choose when I need that feature.

Part of the fun driving this car is all the cool features it is loaded with and why we paid a huge price. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from that don't have all the cool features but just an electric drivetrain.
 
How long would the AC have to run to get the cabin to a reasonable temperature (say 85) from 100? I want to think that the walking distance to the car at which the fob button press is detected by the car should be fairly small. Like in the order of 10 to 20s of walking. Would that time really be enough to cool the cabin down?
However long it takes, it's faster using the keyfob than using the phone app if all you had to do was walk 50 feet.

Before this annoying auto front door open feature was added without warning or need, I used to do this all the time. Perhaps the car doesn't cool down 20 degrees in one minute, but at least the A/C has started running by the time I get to the car. It's a heck of a lot easier to just unlock the car than to fiddle with the app, waiting 30 seconds for the car to wake up, connect, turn on the A/C, then confirm it's on.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cyclone
Opening the front door when unlocking is wrong for me nearly every time it happens. I already have & use auto-present; when I use unlock (fob double click), it's to let someone into a passenger door / FWD.

@Telsa Please remove this unwanted, uncontrollable linked feature!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blastphemy