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My trunk has a mind of its own - opens randomly

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hcsharp

Active Member
Jun 7, 2011
3,518
1,675
Vermont
The trunk on our 2018 Model 3 recently started some odd behavior. Usually about once a day, some days more often, it will randomly open on its own. Sometimes it does it while driving but usually the car is parked. It doesn't seem to matter whether you're near the car or not, whether it's locked or unlocked. There doesn't appear to be anything visibly wrong with the latch itself. Once you close the trunk it seems to be solidly closed, and it says it's closed on the screen and in the app (until it opens again). I can't find any pattern.

It also locks shut at times that it shouldn't. For example the car can be parked and unlocked and even have a door open, but you can't open the trunk from the back of the car. It will open from the app or the screen but not from the release button on the trunk itself. It's a pain when you have an armload of something and you just want to open the trunk and put it in. Instead you have to set it down, walk to the front of the car and open it from the screen.

Has anyone else seen this behavior? Is it a bug in the latest software?
 
This problem is getting worse. Yesterday it opened several times while driving. It's completely random. The app is not open on the phone. Two days ago it opened while I was in the supermarket. When I got back to the car with the wide-open trunk, I loaded my groceries in and shut it firmly. Then as I was about to open the front door and get in, it pops open again. Weird. No one else has seen this?
 
They should be able to pull logs and see what is going on. Put in a service request now as it’s a safety issue if it opens while driving.

Haha Are you sure no one isn’t playing with your app and opening your trunk as a gag? You don’t have a key fob that you keep in your pants pocket that does a butt depress like a butt dial on a phone right?
 
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i would first have a look at the emergency open latch in the truck and make sure the button is not stuck, its the glow in the dark button inside the trunk, other then that it's probably an electrical short of some sort...
Good idea. I'll take a look at the emergency release tonight. We got a software update last night so I'm waiting to see if that makes a difference. But I'm starting to think like you are that it's an electrical issue, not software.

Haha Are you sure no one isn’t playing with your app and opening your trunk as a gag?
Some of my friends I wouldn't put it past them! But we have no fobs and the app is not open on my phone when it happens.
 
This problem is getting worse. Yesterday it opened several times while driving. It's completely random. The app is not open on the phone. Two days ago it opened while I was in the supermarket. When I got back to the car with the wide-open trunk, I loaded my groceries in and shut it firmly. Then as I was about to open the front door and get in, it pops open again. Weird. No one else has seen this?
Having exactly the same problem with my 9-day old Model Y. I keep coming out to my car and finding the trunk open. And the manual door latch doesn’t work anymore.
 
I just happened to see a youtube video yesterday where this happened as well, it turned out it was the screen protector was somehow activating the open buttons on the console, she took it off and problem went away.

so out of curiosity...do you all happen to have screen protectors on? and if so take them off and see if that makes any difference.
 
Hello hcsharp:
How was the problem resolved? I have owned my car for a week and I’m feeling like I got ripped off.
It resolved itself when the new software update was installed at the end of January. We do not have a screen protector. My advice is to contact Tesla Service via the app on your phone. They have been very responsive with issues like this. You probably need a gateway firmware install which Tesla can do OTA (over the air).
 
I’m facing the same problem in my Tesla X.
It’s a crazy and dangerous thing that you drive a car and the trunk keep opening randomly…. NEVER except this form what I thought it’s the most advanced smart made car, appears it’s NOT RELIABLE AT ALL.
I called the service center in Dubai and after waiting for more than three hours 🥴They informed me that it’s a default in trunk actuators . The funniest part of the story that Tesla do not want to consider it as manufacturer malfunction 😡 THIS IS TOP SAFETY MALFUNCTION . As of this moment the technical agent of Tesla Dubai informed that to replace these actuators I have to carry the cost of this manufacturer low quality and unreliable product amounting 950 AED 984 almost 300$ and should be paid me 😡😡😡
This issue fundamentally changed my opinion about Tesla in general and I don’t think that I can trust this car or brand anymore….
 
I’m facing the same problem in my Tesla X.
It’s a crazy and dangerous thing that you drive a car and the trunk keep opening randomly…. NEVER except this form what I thought it’s the most advanced smart made car, appears it’s NOT RELIABLE AT ALL.
I called the service center in Dubai and after waiting for more than three hours 🥴They informed me that it’s a default in trunk actuators . The funniest part of the story that Tesla do not want to consider it as manufacturer malfunction 😡 THIS IS TOP SAFETY MALFUNCTION . As of this moment the technical agent of Tesla Dubai informed that to replace these actuators I have to carry the cost of this manufacturer low quality and unreliable product amounting 950 AED 984 almost 300$ and should be paid me 😡😡😡
This issue fundamentally changed my opinion about Tesla in general and I don’t think that I can trust this car or brand anymore….
Guys you will never believe what happened with me today with this incident…. I came at 2 pm to Tesla service center and the agent told me that they can check and find when and why the TRUNK was randomly opening in my car… then they told me that they found that it opened by malfunctioning order from the TRUNK actuators!!!! After 4 hours working on the car and sending me online payment invoice I found that they replaced the FRONT actuators WHICH HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM…. Now I’m not only shocked but also confused on how they diagnose the car and what they will do next
 
I picked up my car on Saturday. Since then, the trunk has opened on its own twice. Both times it was charging. No notification either time. I went to the car to confirm it was open and not just an error in the app. It also doesn't close from the app when it happens. It'll go down, but not stay down in the app or on the car. Have to go down myself and close it with the button.

Any fix for this?
 
My Y did this last night. It’s parked in the garage and charger plugged in. I haven’t driven it in a week but received a notification that the trunk had been left open. Went down to the garage and sure enough it was open. Strange behavior.
 
This has started happening to me (2021 MY) in the past 5 days. Had to disable alarm because trunk would open in the middle of the night, triggering car alarm. I now leave car unlocked but trunk keeps randomly opening. Service booked for next week. Has not yet happened while driving but now I am even more concerned.
 
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