Model 3 problem unlocking charging port and doors and problem with summon on 4 Day Old Model 3

[rperel1944]

Today I could not remove the charger or unlock the doors even though I had my app open on my phone 5 feet from the car. The only way I could open the port or doors was by using the app itself to unlock the charging port.

I also cannot get smart summon to work anywhere. It just stops as soon as it starts the summon.

I CANNOT get through to Tesla chat support on any browser since the chat button is grayed out. There is not phone number to call. What do?
I am really frustrated to spend $50,000 on a 4 day old car but cannot get any help.



PS I just received my purchase survey from Tesla but have not filled it out yet.

 

[jjrandorin]

Try resetting up the phone as key (which is separate from setting up the phone with a regular bluetooth connection). If the charge port did not unlock and doors did not unlock, the phone was not being recognized as a key.

you dont say what kind of phone you have, but this is very common with some phones "optimizing" bluetooth connections, etc. Delete the phone as a key in the car, and re set it back up.

On the summon, that is quirky so I have no feedback for you on that.

 

[rperel1944]

Try resetting up the phone as key (which is separate from setting up the phone with a regular bluetooth connection). If the charge port did not unlock and doors did not unlock, the phone was not being recognized as a key.

you dont say what kind of phone you have, but this is very common with some phones "optimizing" bluetooth connections, etc. Delete the phone as a key in the car, and re set it back up.

On the summon, that is quirky so I have no feedback for you on that.

I have an iPhone 10. How do I reset it as key?

 

[jjrandorin]

Go into the car (take your main keycard with you, which you should have in your wallet / purse / bag, etc with you at all times as a backup anyway)

Touch the controls (car icon) then locks, then scroll through the list of keys, find the key that says "XXX iphone" that represents your phone, then click the trashcan icon to delete it. Do not delete any key cards. Ensure that you have the key card that came with your car with you before you do this.

In that same menu, I think there is a plus key to add a key, go through that workflow to add your phone back as a key. You will need to approve the phone as key again (its considered new since it was deleted), by swiping the keycard on the center console.

 

[rperel1944]

Go into the car (take your main keycard with you, which you should have in your wallet / purse / bag, etc with you at all times as a backup anyway)

Touch the controls (car icon) then locks, then scroll through the list of keys, find the key that says "XXX iphone" that represents your phone, then click the trashcan icon to delete it. Do not delete any key cards. Ensure that you have the key card that came with your car with you before you do this.

In that same menu, I think there is a plus key to add a key, go through that workflow to add your phone back as a key. You will need to approve the phone as key again (its considered new since it was deleted), by swiping the keycard on the center console.

Thanks, I will try that and report back.

 

[mtndrew1]

When smart summoning are you holding down on the button or releasing it? It will only work as long as you continue to hold the button and the car and phone must have strong data connections. Do you get an error message?

 

[Wnuk]

Summon also requires you be within 200 feet of your car for it to work.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Today I could not remove the charger or unlock the doors even though I had my app open on my phone 5 feet from the car. The only way I could open the port or doors was by using the app itself to unlock the charging port.

I also cannot get smart summon to work anywhere. It just stops as soon as it starts the summon.

As others mentioned the phone key works based on bluetooth, so you need to make sure it is enabled on your phone, the Tesla app has permissions for it, and also make sure there aren't sleep settings that make bluetooth or the Tesla app sleep. Note if your phone supports NFC, it has been reported can also use NFC to unlock the car (in the same way as the card).

You can also pair the phone again with the car. See page 8 on the manual on how to do so:
https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_3_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf

Another tip is that Tesla has implemented a proximity feature for the phone key to prevent unlocking your car while you are inside a building and the car is nearby (a common situation, as there are many places where the car would be parked in a place that is just separated by 1 wall from the phone). Thus you need to be very close to the car for it to unlock via bluetooth and also people have mentioned something as putting your phone in your front pocket instead of back pocket (or facing your back pocket toward your car as you approach) is enough to get it working reliably.

For smart summon, you must satisfy the conditions (see page 107 in manual), and press and hold either the "come to me" or "go to target" button. This is a safety function to ensure that the car can immediately stop if necessary.

I CANNOT get through to Tesla chat support on any browser since the chat button is grayed out. There is not phone number to call. What do?
I am really frustrated to spend $50,000 on a 4 day old car but cannot get any help.



PS I just received my purchase survey from Tesla but have not filled it out yet.

If the chat button is grayed out, it is probably off hours. The hours are 8:00am - 3:00pm PST for the USA. Note you can also find many articles on that support page which may answer your questions.
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