Roadster Immobilized

[BartJ]

Nice to hear all is ok.

 

[AEdennis]

I'm going to expand this good advice to the Model X and S because there is a Valet Mode which requires a pin. The Model 3 may have it too.

If you forget valet mode on the newer vehicles, I believe that it requires you to use your My Tesla password.

 

[jerry505]

Glad to hear you got the Roadster safely back home!!!!

 

[hjr]

Did the secret code change recently? In the early days Tesla did not know that the owners club had it, or that we knew its powers.

 

[John W. Ratcliff]

Fortunately the secret code was whatever Tesla had previously on file. If that were not the case, the car would have had to have been towed to the service.

Yea, to be clear, my car is still in a screwed up state. It's just that now I have a way to get it out of it. However, in the state it is in right now, if I had the windows rolled up and the top on the car, and I simply hit 'lock' on my keyfob, I would be completely unable to get back into the vehicle. I couldn't enter the code, of course, since the windows would be up and the top on.

Once I hit 'lock' it goes into a security lock down mode and it will *not* unlock the door unless I manually grab the door handle from the inside and the car won't do anything without the security code. This is especially bad because the emergency unlock underneath the drivers side door does not work.

Tesla service is going to take the car tomorrow and sort it all out.

 

[markwj]

I've heard of quite a few people with this problem over the years. Some comments:

1. All roadsters have a security PIN code. This is the same as the valet mode code. When you buy a roadster, make sure you have it, and can get in and out of valet mode with it.
2. If you don't have the PIN code, you can get it from Tesla. You send them your vehicle logs, plus supporting documentation, and they give you the PIN. This may take some time, and persuasion, but is certainly possible (whatever your local Tesla service may tell you).
3. Along with the physical lock, roadsters have a key fob style security system. The antenna is near the bottom left (drivers side in USA) of the windshield. If the fob unlock doesn't work, try putting it in the corner of the windshield then pressing.
4. If the fob still doesn't work, you can try to reset the VMS by repeatedly opening and closing the charge port door a bunch of times in quick succession (10 suggested).
5. If the fob still doesn't work, you can try unplugging the cables to the VMS and then plugging in again.
6. Reportedly [4] and/or [5] solves this problem most of the time, unless your key fob battery is dead or the security system in the car has a physical fault.
7. If the fob doesn't work, you can manually unlock the door using the key under the left side door. That doesn't disarm the alarm, just mechanically opens the door, so things are likely to get noisy when you do it.
8. US cars can have the alarm disarmed using the PIN. Just enter it on the VDS. You are then good to go.
9. Non-US cars have an additional immobiliser security system and do not use the PIN for disarming the alarm (only for valet mode). If you can't get the FOB to work, you're screwed and a tow is the only option.