Is there a complete power off switch on Model 3?

[vyb2]

I am curious if there is a complete power off switch on the Model 3? I have asked this question to an employee at the showroom however they could not confirm this or did not know. I am referring to a total power off/kill switch for the entire vehicle, not just the screen. This would be in the event of hacking to the car from an outside source while driving which would allow the driver to push a button inside the car to completely shut down the vehicle on the spot.

 

[jjrandorin]

None I have ever seen posted about, talked about etc. I am pretty comfortable in saying "No" for the scenario you are talking about, which is "while driving".

You could disconnect the car from its HV battery under the seat, but you are not doing that while driving. I think there is a Firemans loop somewhere around the front of the vehicle under or around the frunk area, but again, that isnt happening while driving.

 

[ATPMSD]

No. Your best bet if you think the car has been jacked is to reboot. You can do this while driving.

In reality, the car only talks to the Tesla mother ship so a hacker for would first have to compromise Tesla.

 

[vyb2]

No. Your best bet if you think the car has been jacked is to reboot. You can do this while driving.

In reality, the car only talks to the Tesla mother ship so a hacker for would first have to compromise Tesla.

So would a reboot essentially provide a disconnection at least momentarily from the mother ship? If this is the case then that would be plenty sufficient in the unlikely event of a compromise.

 

[vyb2]

None I have ever seen posted about, talked about etc. I am pretty comfortable in saying "No" for the scenario you are talking about, which is "while driving".

You could disconnect the car from its HV battery under the seat, but you are not doing that while driving. I think there is a Firemans loop somewhere around the front of the vehicle under or around the frunk area, but again, that isnt happening while driving.

Got it, so yes technically it is possible but not from a drivers standpoint on the road. You would have to have a competent passenger with you that knows where the disconnect is and has the knowhow to access it quickly in a compromised hectic situation which is most likely is not going to happen.

 

[Kevy Baby]

In reality, the car only talks to the Tesla mother ship so a hacker for would first have to compromise Tesla.

Never say never

• Tesla Car Hacked Remotely From Drone via Zero-Click Exploit (2020 - since patched)
• A 19-year-old security researcher describes how he remotely hacked into over 25 Teslas (2022 - since patched)

It's a computer with exterior connectivity, so theoretically it will remain possible. Tesla (like many software developers) offers a bounty program for reporting them, but not everyone will have good intentions.

 

[jjrandorin]

I dont know about the first link you posted, but I remember that second one and it was not quite "hacking" as much as it was people setting up teslamate (self hosted type solution for car monitoring like teslafi), and not changing defaults for the install. Basically it was completely 100% self inflicted, and the only thing the person had access to is stuff you would through the app.

its not like they were hacking self driving and directing cars somewhere.

 

[Kevy Baby]

I dont know about the first link you posted, but I remember that second one and it was not quite "hacking" as much as it was people setting up teslamate (self hosted type solution for car monitoring like teslafi), and not changing defaults for the install. Basically it was completely 100% self inflicted, and the only thing the person had access to is stuff you would through the app.

its not like they were hacking self driving and directing cars somewhere.

But the point is that it is technically feasible. Highly unlikely, but one thing I have learned is that NO system is invulnerable.

 

[dusty22]

If there was a way to turn off LTE; would that work?

 

[ATPMSD]

But the point is that it is technically feasible. Highly unlikely, but one thing I have learned is that NO system is invulnerable.

The biggest security threat is always the user doing stupid things they shouldn’t.

 

[Whoze]

I am curious if there is a complete power off switch on the Model 3? I have asked this question to an employee at the showroom however they could not confirm this or did not know. I am referring to a total power off/kill switch for the entire vehicle, not just the screen. This would be in the event of hacking to the car from an outside source while driving which would allow the driver to push a button inside the car to completely shut down the vehicle on the spot.

Yes, sort of. Tap the car icon on the bottom left to get to the Control panel, then in the Safety tab, scroll to the bottom, there is a big square button for OFF.

 

[jjrandorin]

Yes, sort of. Tap the car icon on the bottom left to get to the Control panel, then in the Safety tab, scroll to the bottom, there is a big square button for OFF.

I have no idea if that works during driving, but it also does not immediately put the car to sleep so doesnt accomplish what the Op was talking about, even if it does work during driving. it does, however, immediately turn off the screen while parked.

 

[Whoze]

I have no idea if that works during driving, but it also does not immediately put the car to sleep so doesnt accomplish what the Op was talking about, even if it does work during driving. it does, however, immediately turn off the screen while parked.

Press and hold the PARK button on the control stalk will override a runaway Tesla and bring it to a stop. Then tap the "stop" button. Don't forget to take your foot off the accelerator peddle.
But if you are worried about car theft, the top ten cars stolen in 2022 were all ICE vehicles, all 720,000 of them. Teslas mostly get their rims stolen..

 

[3sr+buyer]

Teslas mostly get their rims stolen..

Thieves steal OE wheels these days? It is not like Tesla wheels are popular to use on other cars, and lots of Tesla wheels have curb rash.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

What a weird question.

No. Teslas are exactly the same as every other car in the world. If you want to truly "turn them off", you need to disconnect the wiring. It's easy enough to do (when parked) but you should probably focus your paranoia on the microwave oven spying on you instead of worrying about hackers on the 405 messing with your music playlists.