Safety feature --- Can I just unlock the driver's door with the key-fob?

[X_Pegasus_X]

We recently picked up our Model S at the Fremont Factory... Simply an amazing experience...

Now that we're getting more familiar with the inner workings of the car, we noticed that the Model S lacks the ability to modify the protocol for opening the doors... Are we missing something?

From a driver safety standpoint, some cars have the ability to open the driver door first with one click of the key-fob... The second click of the key-fob opens all four doors... The idea is to protect the driver in potentially unsafe areas (i.e. parking garage at night) where you don't want to risk opening all four doors at once... My wife loves this safety feature... Since she is the main driver of our Model S, I thought I would seek counsel in the forum...

In closing, it occurs to me that this "could" be added in a future firmware upgrade...

Question # 1 --- would other owners want this feature?

Question # 2 --- what's the best way of suggesting this feature to Tesla (other than hoping an engineer is reading this post)?

Thanks!

 

[travwill]

We recently picked up our Model S at the Fremont Factory... Simply an amazing experience...

Now that we're getting more familiar with the inner workings of the car, we noticed that the Model S lacks the ability to modify the protocol for opening the doors... Are we missing something?

From a driver safety standpoint, some cars have the ability to open the driver door first with one click of the key-fob... The second click of the key-fob opens all four doors... The idea is to protect the driver in potentially unsafe areas (i.e. parking garage at night) where you don't want to risk opening all four doors at once... My wife loves this safety feature... Since she is the main driver of our Model S, I thought I would seek counsel in the forum...

In closing, it occurs to me that this "could" be added in a future firmware upgrade...

Question # 1 --- would other owners want this feature?

Question # 2 --- what's the best way of suggesting this feature to Tesla (other than hoping an engineer is reading this post)?

Thanks!

I think this is possible in the settings menu. You have to turn off the auto present door handles feature I think and then you will manually have to touch a door handle (with key close by) or use the fob. That should meet your needs. You'll just be disabling the cool feature where they pop out when you start to get close...

 

[green1]

I think this is possible in the settings menu. You have to turn off the auto present door handles feature I think and then you will manually have to touch a door handle (with key close by) or use the fob. That should meet your needs. You'll just be disabling the cool feature where they pop out when you start to get close...

That wouldn't solve it, anyone touching another handle while you are close by would still be able to open that door (or at least that's my understanding)

 

[Andyw2100]

That wouldn't solve it, anyone touching another handle while you are close by would still be able to open that door (or at least that's my understanding)

Right.

One way to do it might be to add a "safety" mode to the "door handles don't present" mode. If selected, in safety mode only the driver's door handle would respond to being touched, and allow opening of the door. In this mode, the only way to unlock the other three doors would be to click twice on the top of the fob (the standard fob unlock command.)

I think that would work, if Tesla wanted to implement a third mode.

 

[Cyclone]

There have been a couple threads of people wanting it. I see the value in being an option. My Toyota, Lexus, and VW was user selectable to do that or not, with the Honda always operating this way.

 

[CHG-ON]

I think this should be offered.

 

[Barry]

I think this should be offered.

I agree

 

[MartinAustin]

Question # 1 --- would other owners want this feature?

TOTALLY.

 

[tinm]

What I've always wanted is a control setting where I can choose between:

DOOR HANDLE AUTO-PRESENT SETTINGS
[ ] Auto-present disabled
[ ] Driver's door-handle auto-present only
[ ] All door-handles auto-present

So if I had the middle setting on, I could walk up to the car and get in without having to reach for the fob, but none of the other door handles auto-present.

 

[mkspeedr]

I think this is my only issue with the model S - it should have a safety feature that only presents the drivers door handle. I know my mom and GF (both have a model S) wish they had this feature when they park in a parking structure.

 

[Andyw2100]

I think this is my only issue with the model S - it should have a safety feature that only presents the drivers door handle. I know my mom and GF (both have a model S) wish they had this feature when they park in a parking structure.

Please see some posts upthread.

If they turn off the auto-present door handles, only the driver's handle will present when they touch it. Other handles would present if touched, but what's the likelihood that someone trying to get into the car against your mom or girlfriend's will would know that? Sure, they might, but disabling the auto-present handles should still allow your mom and girlfriend to feel somewhat safer.

 

[mkspeedr]

Thanks - I gave them the info. I appreciate this forum - very helpful.

 

[mknox]

In addition, I don't see the value of the handles extending every time I put the car in Park. Me and my passengers are getting out from the inside, so why do the handles need to come out? If I do want them out, I can simply tap Park again which is how it works today if the handles are retracted.

 

[W0QR]

Yup. Ought to be available.

 

[RAW84]

In addition, I don't see the value of the handles extending every time I put the car in Park. Me and my passengers are getting out from the inside, so why do the handles need to come out? If I do want them out, I can simply tap Park again which is how it works today if the handles are retracted.

I find this operation useful for when I'm picking someone up or using valet parking.

 

[mknox]

I find this operation useful for when I'm picking someone up or using valet parking.

Yeah, but I do that maybe one in every 100 times I put the car in park. And usually by the time the passenger gets to the car, the handles have retracted, so I have to tap Park again anyway. (Some may not remember, but early on, you had to put it in Drive, then Park to get the handles to extend again). Further, sometimes I stop but do not want to get out of the car right away and as soon as I do, all the doors unlock themselves and the handles extend. Not a particularly "safe" option.

 

[TomServo]

What I've always wanted is a control setting where I can choose between:

DOOR HANDLE AUTO-PRESENT SETTINGS
[ ] Auto-present disabled
[ ] Driver's door-handle auto-present only
[ ] All door-handles auto-present

So if I had the middle setting on, I could walk up to the car and get in without having to reach for the fob, but none of the other door handles auto-present.

So simple a Cave Man could do it. Toe Tap for Tesla.......

 

[MarkScott]

Just a note to say that this feature is now available in 7.0 and higher. Under Settings, you can choose an unlock mode that unlocks just the driver's door. It takes a second double-press of the key fob to unlock the remaining doors.

One issue I have with this functionality is that when it's enabled, the touch-screen display shows that the car is unlocked even if only the driver's door is unlocked. This can confuse some drivers, who wonder why their passengers aren't able to open their doors. It's necessary for the driver either to fish out their key and perform the double double click or to use the touch-screen to lock, then unlock the car, in order to unlock all doors. A solution would be to use a distinctively different touch-screen icon to indicate that only the driver's door is unlocked.

 

[Soolim]

Just a note to say that this feature is now available in 7.0 and higher. Under Settings, you can choose an unlock mode that unlocks just the driver's door. It takes a second double-press of the key fob to unlock the remaining doors.

One issue I have with this functionality is that when it's enabled, the touch-screen display shows that the car is unlocked even if only the driver's door is unlocked. This can confuse some drivers, who wonder why their passengers aren't able to open their doors. It's necessary for the driver either to fish out their key and perform the double double click or to use the touch-screen to lock, then unlock the car, in order to unlock all doors. A solution would be to use a distinctively different touch-screen icon to indicate that only the driver's door is unlocked.

Pressing the park button on the stalk also unlock all doors.

 

[f-stop]

Just a note to say that this feature is now available in 7.0 and higher. Under Settings, you can choose an unlock mode that unlocks just the driver's door. It takes a second double-press of the key fob to unlock the remaining doors. [...]

Maybe just a typo but this should say it's a new feature in 7.1

fyi 7.1 also adds a setting to disable unlocking all doors when you shift the car into Park, which was a suggested feature further upthread. Note: Soolim's tip above to tap the Park button to unlock all doors still works even with the new Unlock On Park setting disabled.
e.g. with Unlock On Park disabled, when you first park the car the doors stay locked and handles don't extend. But let's you're waiting in the car for your passenger with the car locked, if you then tap on the Park button that will unlock the doors and present the handles.