Key not Detected

[MarkFromSLO]

My wife and I both have card keys and iphones with the Tesla app for our Model 3. Today, something unusual happened regarding her key.

I was not with her, and she drove out of the garage for a short trip. She placed her phone with the Tesla app active in the charging area (and her key card was in her wallet), and then during that trip, a message came up that said the Key is not detected. When she arrived at her destination and placed it in park, it told her that if she did not have her key she should would not be able to drive again. She went to her appointment and 20 minutes later came back to the car and it operated as usual, with no message.

What would cause this?

 

[afadeev]

What would cause this?

Tesla software.
BTDT.
"works within spec".

 

[MarkFromSLO]

Tesla software.
BTDT.
"works within spec".

Sorry, I really don't understand what you mean with works within spec.

 

[EVRider-FL]

It’s not unusual for the car not to recognize your phone key at times, it happens to many of us. I’m guessing that when your wife took the car, your phone key was the one that was detected, and once she drove away, your phone was out of range and no longer detected.

 

[father_of_6]

It's a Bluetooth issue. Because the car was unlocked and started with a Bluetooth key, the car gave a warning when it became disconnected from that phone.

The real question is... why did it disconnect?

It could've been from radio interference, it could've been a software issue in either the car or phone, etc.

The most likely scenario is what @EVRider-FL said... the car was actually unlocked and started by *your* phone key (since the car was in proximity to your phone), and then she drove away without that phone key.

 

[MarkFromSLO]

Thanks everyone!

 

[EVRider-FL]

Another problem that you'll see when the wrong phone key is detected is the wrong driver profile being used, which happens frequently in my wife's Model 3, which we both drive. On the other hand, my Model S sometimes selects the wrong profile even though I'm the only driver -- I want it to use my local profile, but it occasionally selects my cloud profile instead.

 

[MJB-CO]

I've had this happen in my Model 3 - usually because my phones Bluetooth was inadvertently turned off.

 

[PianoAl]

It's funny that ours will work flawlessly for months or a year and then fail to unlock the car.