Model 3 Jailbreak. How to do this?

[wexler]

I have seen various pictures of Model 3 users doing some stuff like navigation change (for example from US to EU), attaching new keys, changing firmwares, custom things.

I have seen many pictures when users are SSHed to their Tesla and pics when htop is opened.

Is there any info about how is it possible?

 

[Kirby64]

No. Nothing public, anyways. As far as I can tell, all the folks that know how to do this are guarding their secrets closely... likely in hopes that Tesla won't know how to patch whatever vulnerability they're using so they can continue to use it to access newer firmwares.

 

[C141medic]

I’m all for Jailbreaking my iPhone or iPad but there’s no way I’m doing that with my 60K+ car and risk voiding my warranty.

 

[Kirby64]

I’m all for Jailbreaking my iPhone or iPad but there’s no way I’m doing that with my 60K+ car and risk voiding my warranty.

Good thing jailbreaking anything doesn't void the warranty. That being said, you're definitely at risk of being banned from future software updates over the air, supercharging network, etc. That would be my fear.

 

[C141medic]

Good thing jailbreaking anything doesn't void the warranty. That being said, you're definitely at risk of being banned from future software updates over the air, supercharging network, etc. That would be my fear.

Good luck taking your jailbroken IPhone or iPad to Apple for repair. I know you’d have to un-jailbreak it before you took it in. Not sure how’d that work with the Tesla?

 

[Kirby64]

Good luck taking your jailbroken IPhone or iPad to Apple for repair. I know you’d have to un-jailbreak it before you took it in. Not sure how’d that work with the Tesla?

Cars are a lot more than a screen luckily, so all the stuff like motor, suspension, etc, should still be warrantiable. It's not like if your seat reclining malfunctions they can blame that on software. The computer though? Yeah, you're probably hosed.

 

[M109Rider]

Cars are a lot more than a screen luckily, so all the stuff like motor, suspension, etc, should still be warrantiable. It's not like if your seat reclining malfunctions they can blame that on software. The computer though? Yeah, you're probably hosed.

Unless your jail broken car results in changes to how the motor runs...
Are you certain those changes won’t void the warranty.
If I was Tesla, I would void any car that was broken.
If this is even a thing.

 

[Kirby64]

Unless your jail broken car results in changes to how the motor runs...
Are you certain those changes won’t void the warranty.
If I was Tesla, I would void any car that was broken.
If this is even a thing.

That's cool, but in the USA the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that you (the manufacturer) have to prove that changes to a car were the reason why it broke something. You'd be breaking the law if you acted that way.

I agree that it's possible you could potentially change the way the motor runs if you have full access to all systems, but the onus is on Tesla to prove you caused failure. It's the same reason if you upgrade a car stereo they can't say your powertrain warranty is void.

The easy example here is if you somehow 'unlocked' an AWD car into a Performance one. Tesla would have justifiable reason to void your powertrain warranty, since you're clearly putting additional stress on it. If you just root it and run Linux on it or something? Sorry, no warranty is void (except for maybe the infotainment MCU).

 

[M109Rider]

That's cool, but in the USA the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that you (the manufacturer) have to prove that changes to a car were the reason why it broke something. You'd be breaking the law if you acted that way.

I agree that it's possible you could potentially change the way the motor runs if you have full access to all systems, but the onus is on Tesla to prove you caused failure. It's the same reason if you upgrade a car stereo they can't say your powertrain warranty is void.

The easy example here is if you somehow 'unlocked' an AWD car into a Performance one. Tesla would have justifiable reason to void your powertrain warranty, since you're clearly putting additional stress on it. If you just root it and run Linux on it or something? Sorry, no warranty is void (except for maybe the infotainment MCU).

This is a very complex piece of software ALL controlling a lot of expensive hardware.
Since the battery, the BMS, the cooling and heating of the batteries, the cooling of the computer, the motor assisted heating, and the very complex tweaks to make all that run well, right down to the glove box is all controlled by the computer that would be hacked, I would suggest, it wouldn’t be too hard to void the warranty if something goes wrong.
This isn’t an iPhone. If you mess with something you think is inconsequential, and damage the car, or void the warranty, you’re risking a $60,000 car for a fun hack to the software.?

Your call. ...

 

[DrtyJrze]

That's cool, but in the USA the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that you (the manufacturer) have to prove that changes to a car were the reason why it broke something. You'd be breaking the law if you acted that way.

I agree that it's possible you could potentially change the way the motor runs if you have full access to all systems, but the onus is on Tesla to prove you caused failure. It's the same reason if you upgrade a car stereo they can't say your powertrain warranty is void.

The easy example here is if you somehow 'unlocked' an AWD car into a Performance one. Tesla would have justifiable reason to void your powertrain warranty, since you're clearly putting additional stress on it. If you just root it and run Linux on it or something? Sorry, no warranty is void (except for maybe the infotainment MCU).

Yea, it’s cute grabbing little bits of info off the internet and thinking you’ve outsmarted the system and are covered. Unfortunately there’s a whole industry of lawyers that thrive on connecting improbable events together to protect their clients.

A computer that controls everything can be linked to anything. I wouldn’t recommend accessing areas you’re not supposed to be in unless you’re willing to accept full financial and legal responsibility for all outcomes, including potentially killing yourself or others. Make sure having that personalized home screen is worth the risk to you before going there.

You can disagree with this comment all you want, idc. Playing tech geek with the software on a quick, heavy vehicle could have much greater consequences than making changes to an iPhone.

 

[Kilotango74]

Cars are a lot more than a screen luckily, so all the stuff like motor, suspension, etc, should still be warrantiable. It's not like if your seat reclining malfunctions they can blame that on software. The computer though? Yeah, you're probably hosed.

Why not, with a vehicle that is so software centric is it so hard to believe that they could tie a seat issue back to software?

 

[Kilotango74]

That's cool, but in the USA the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act states that you (the manufacturer) have to prove that changes to a car were the reason why it broke something. You'd be breaking the law if you acted that way.

I agree that it's possible you could potentially change the way the motor runs if you have full access to all systems, but the onus is on Tesla to prove you caused failure. It's the same reason if you upgrade a car stereo they can't say your powertrain warranty is void.

The easy example here is if you somehow 'unlocked' an AWD car into a Performance one. Tesla would have justifiable reason to void your powertrain warranty, since you're clearly putting additional stress on it. If you just root it and run Linux on it or something? Sorry, no warranty is void (except for maybe the infotainment MCU).

So your saying you have the legal clout required to fend off Tesla’s legal resources? Good luck with that.

 

[640k]

Unless your jail broken car results in changes to how the motor runs...
Are you certain those changes won’t void the warranty.
If I was Tesla, I would void any car that was broken.
If this is even a thing.

to the people disagreeing with this comment, here's how dealerships and car manufacturers work:
short statement: you can modify your vehicle, so long as it does not interfere with the basic functionality of how the vehicle was delivered.

long statement: if you replace the air intake of your vehicle, you're probably not going to get too many looks. new wheels? no problem. new suspension? probably ok. but if your new suspension breaks a tie-rod or causes an axle to fail, you bet that dealership is going to void your warranty! new exhaust? is it causing engine error codes? no warranty. did you replace the catalytic converter? no warranty. new sound system? well, unless you've gutted an infotainment solution, provided by the dealer, you're probably fine.

with the Tesla, so much is controlled through the OS and that little screen, that there's a probably a REALLY big gray line of what will void your warranty and what won't. my guess is if you did ANYTHING to create an anomaly that causes your car not to match their DB, or to cause your car to do things it's not supposed to (more speed, features you didn't pay for, etc), i'm guessing you're going to get your warranty voided. can you hide it/cover it up? maybe. only these guys know how much the vehicles phone home to check in and have probably taken measures to "offline" their vehicles until needed.

i think it's logical to assume that whatever these guys have been doing to "jailbreak" (read: root) these vehicles are probably MISSING more features than they're gaining, just for the sake of tinkering with it.

 

[JBT66]

Tesla security research policy is below.
They’ll reflash the car if you brick it as a good faith pre approved security researcher.

I wouldn’t do it if you aren’t one of those.

Product Security | Tesla

 

[cypho]

I wouldn’t do it if you aren’t one of those.

And if you have to ask random internet acquaintance on a public forum how to gain access, you are probably going to have a hard time arguing that you are.

 

[Garlan Garner]

I have seen various pictures of Model 3 users doing some stuff like navigation change (for example from US to EU), attaching new keys, changing firmwares, custom things.

I have seen many pictures when users are SSHed to their Tesla and pics when htop is opened.

Is there any info about how is it possible?

There is currently a contest to see who can break into Tesla's software.

If these guys aren't even applying to get the $500k prize AND a Tesla Model 3...they must work for Tesla or something. Hack A Tesla Model 3 & Win A Prize — The Tesla Model 3 + $500,000 | CleanTechnica

I had my car worked on last year at the Service Center and they left my car in Service Mode when I picked it up. I went in and told someone that it was still in service mode and they cleared it out in 3 seconds....so it must not be difficult to enter and exit service mode. I'm sure Service Mode is not considered to be a "break in" type scenario....so....the pics of Service Mode must be a legit pic of someone affiliated with Tesla that is working on a car.

 

[Kirby64]

Wow, bunch of really upset people here telling me that my Tesla (which I have no intention of jailbreaking) is going to explode and Tesla will laugh at me if I even think about jailbreaking it.

Look, I'm just stating the facts of how the warranty system works. OBVIOUSLY if you do something to brick the car or damage it, that's on you. And given that you're in a very precarious place given the car's MCU controls basically everything, it's a whole lot easier to potentially damage or affect something if you start mucking around in the software.

THAT BEING SAID: Just because you dared to jailbreak/modify/root/whatever the car DOES NOT mean that Tesla has carte blanche ability to void your entire warranty. Or even most of it. They need to have a reason to do so! Now, whether Tesla takes a very stand-offish approach (as they have with 3rd parties repairing damaged cars, for instance), is up to them. It's possible this is a legal fight waiting to happen.

Gaining root in-and-of itself does not mean stuff in the car gets damaged. What you do after that... well, that's on the user, no? If Tesla voids your entire warranty just because you got root access to it then reflashed it back to normal, well... I'd fight that in court.

 

[Garlan Garner]

Wow, bunch of really upset people here telling me that my Tesla (which I have no intention of jailbreaking) is going to explode and Tesla will laugh at me if I even think about jailbreaking it.

Look, I'm just stating the facts of how the warranty system works. OBVIOUSLY if you do something to brick the car or damage it, that's on you. And given that you're in a very precarious place given the car's MCU controls basically everything, it's a whole lot easier to potentially damage or affect something if you start mucking around in the software.

THAT BEING SAID: Just because you dared to jailbreak/modify/root/whatever the car DOES NOT mean that Tesla has carte blanche ability to void your entire warranty. Or even most of it. They need to have a reason to do so! Now, whether Tesla takes a very stand-offish approach (as they have with 3rd parties repairing damaged cars, for instance), is up to them. It's possible this is a legal fight waiting to happen.

Gaining root in-and-of itself does not mean stuff in the car gets damaged. What you do after that... well, that's on the user, no? If Tesla voids your entire warranty just because you got root access to it then reflashed it back to normal, well... I'd fight that in court.

You can't worry about upset people here.

If it gets bad enough....there is a solution built into the forum that you can use.

It actually works...lol

 

[lowtek]

I'd fight that in court

.. and loose because they would cover you up in so much litigation you would go bankrupt before having your day in court .. unfortunate but true

 

[chillaban]

Wow, bunch of really upset people here telling me that my Tesla (which I have no intention of jailbreaking) is going to explode and Tesla will laugh at me if I even think about jailbreaking it.

Look, I'm just stating the facts of how the warranty system works. OBVIOUSLY if you do something to brick the car or damage it, that's on you. And given that you're in a very precarious place given the car's MCU controls basically everything, it's a whole lot easier to potentially damage or affect something if you start mucking around in the software.

THAT BEING SAID: Just because you dared to jailbreak/modify/root/whatever the car DOES NOT mean that Tesla has carte blanche ability to void your entire warranty. Or even most of it. They need to have a reason to do so! Now, whether Tesla takes a very stand-offish approach (as they have with 3rd parties repairing damaged cars, for instance), is up to them. It's possible this is a legal fight waiting to happen.

Gaining root in-and-of itself does not mean stuff in the car gets damaged. What you do after that... well, that's on the user, no? If Tesla voids your entire warranty just because you got root access to it then reflashed it back to normal, well... I'd fight that in court.

All this sounds fantastic in theory but in practice it is not nearly as clear cut. When I worked in automotive I've spent countless hours with legal as an expert witness with Legal asking pointed questions about whether or not certain procedures "operate the system outside design specifications", etc.

And that's assuming that they do not just stop you at the service center or dealership level where they will charge you a $175/hr diagnostic fee and spend hours attempting to understand what has been done to your car, and the law does not stop them from putting up a high barrier to entry. They tend to back that up by stating that the modifications made to the vehicle software (an integral part of the service center workflow) affect the efficiency and their ability to run proprietary diagnostics on the vehicle. They could simply put you on a infinite wait list for a custom service center queue/procedure to work on your vehicle.

I'm not saying don't jailbreak your car, or if you jailbreak your car you're 100% screwed for sure, but all I'm saying is that this kind of top level read on the M-M warranty act does not have the kind of blanket protection you are hoping for. Car companies have plenty of experience dealing with the implications and especially in the world of modifying a predominantly software controlled car, I don't think the line is as clear cut as either side makes it out to be.