Secure Second Row Seatback Warning, 7 Seater

[Bigriver]

When I fold my second row seats flat by simply using the mechanical lever on the side of the seat (as instructed in the owners manual), I usually get the following notification when I prepare to drive. After I put my foot on the brake and enter my PIN, while still in park:

Then when I put it in reverse to back out of the garage, I get the following warning, same wording but in blaring red with a rather unpleasant loud beeping apparently to point out that I’ve done something wrong.

The warning is about the seatback. Well, it is intentionally down and there does not appear to be any lock/click to hold it down. There is a lock/click to the base of the seat which is firmly in place. When I get the warning, I have tried sliding the base forward and/or back. I have tried hitting the electronic easy entry button, although I know it is not intended for folding the seats flat.

When the second row seats are folded flat, I get this warning most of the time, but not all of the time. I haven’t been able to discern if I’m actually doing something differently when I do and don’t get the warning. The warning always goes away and let’s me drive in peace. Without me touching the back seats, sometimes I get the warning the next time I drive, and sometimes I don’t.

I have identified this as an issue to the SC and they tell me it is operating as intended. I’m hoping the Tesla engineers did not design a red warning and loud noise just for folding the seats flat. I don’t see anything in the owners manual about this warning.

Has anyone else experienced this, or does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[davezforce]

I thought the same thing, Happens to me everytime as well but goes away after a few seconds into the trip while driving. I don’t know if there is a way they can tell if the seat backs are partially not locked in or fully folded so I’m assuming it just normal. As long as it doesn’t do it for the whole trip doesn’t really bother me much

 

[mswlogo]

Mine does that too. I swear it only warned once per "fold" initially. Now it seems once per drive while folded. A little annoying.

 

[stadia]

It's working as intended. I was told by a SC adviser this warning was added in an OTA not long ago. Annoying, yes. Something wrong, no. Was it intended to nudge drivers not folding down the 2nd row? What the purpose? I can only guess things in the trunk would have a higher chance become a projectile at harsh brake or collision, when the 2nd row is down.

 

[Bigriver]

I’m a bit glad to find out I’m not alone with this issue, but even more puzzled at Tesla. Why would they give us an audible warning and tell us to take a nonsensical action when we have seats folded down? The actions specified would only make sense if someone were sitting in the back seat and the seatback was not latched into place.

 

[mswlogo]

I’m a bit glad to find out I’m not alone with this issue, but even more puzzled at Tesla. Why would they give us an audible warning and tell us to take a nonsensical action when we have seats folded down? The actions specified would only make sense if someone were sitting in the back seat and the seatback was not latched into place.

I agree makes no sense. I think it's bug or a design flaw. Not a huge deal.
It's been doing it since I got my car almost a year ago and I posted a similar thread asking the same thing and folks that had there cars longer also said theirs does it.

I don't buy the SC argument that it's a "feature".

One problem I see is, when something really is wrong I'll probably have tuned it out when someone is sitting in the seat when it's not properly latched !!

 

[jtrevill]

I have the 6 seater and occasionally one of the kids will move the middle row up a bit so they can have more leg room in the back. I always get an error up front telling me the seat isn't locked back. I wondered about it as well. Seems odd that it has to be all the way back when it has an adjustment it can make...

 

[mxnym]

I have the 6 seater and occasionally one of the kids will move the middle row up a bit so they can have more leg room in the back. I always get an error up front telling me the seat isn't locked back. I wondered about it as well. Seems odd that it has to be all the way back when it has an adjustment it can make...

This is different. I believe the issue here is that the screen and top-of-seat buttons are only meant for entry and exit, so the seat is actually unlatched from something when they are used. If I am correct, to move the seat forward and not get the warning, you would use the button under the seat.

 

[jtrevill]

Ahh... Gotcha! Thanks!

 

[andrewFW]

I don't have anything to really add except I get this too. Model year 2020 7 seater. Like you, it goes away. Very weird, but glad it's not just me.

 

[sedluk]

I have a 2020 7 seater and most of the time I have my seats down for my bike ect..

I get this warning every time that I drive my car, this is simple wrong and I can't believe that it has not been fixed yet.

 

[Richbot]

Yep. When we road-trip it the big half of the second row is usually folded the whole time to make a back-row suite for the big kid complete with footrest. It's annoying but it will occasionally stop annoying you after a while. Seems to come back at random.

 

[sedluk]

There is a sensor in the rear seat, close to the side that looks like a strain sensor. It is the source of the problem, it does not sense that the seat is down properly so you get the error. Rub your hand along the rear seat and that usually fixes the problem.

I have no idea why I was told by my service center that the error message was normal. They know it is not normal, maybe they have trouble getting the part.

 

[mxnym]

I don't usually get this warning, but I did today. I was taking my winter wheels in to have the tires changed on them. Once I had the wheels out, subsequent trips did not present the warning. This makes me think that it is the occupant sensor triggering the warning (warning was only triggered while there was a load on the seatbacks). It would stand to reason that you would want this warning when there is an occupant and the seatback isn't secured (and some regulations may even require it). IMO, this means that either the seats weren't designed to indicate they are folded and the warning must always presented when the occupant sensors are triggered for safety, or this is a firmware bug that may or may not be known / getting worked on.

ETA: It is strange that this bypasses the seatbelt warning, though. Seems like the occupant sensors would trigger the seatbelt warnings if it wasn't known the seats were folded. Since the warning says to push the setbacks back (presumably this means upright), I guess the firmware bug explanation is more likely.

 

[mxnym]

I don't usually get this warning, but I did today. I was taking my winter wheels in to have the tires changed on them. Once I had the wheels out, subsequent trips did not present the warning. This makes me think that it is the occupant sensor triggering the warning (warning was only triggered while there was a load on the seatbacks). It would stand to reason that you would want this warning when there is an occupant and the seatback isn't secured (and some regulations may even require it). IMO, this means that either the seats weren't designed to indicate they are folded and the warning must always presented when the occupant sensors are triggered for safety, or this is a firmware bug that may or may not be known / getting worked on.

ETA: It is strange that this bypasses the seatbelt warning, though. Seems like the occupant sensors would trigger the seatbelt warnings if it wasn't known the seats were folded. Since the warning says to push the setbacks back (presumably this means upright), I guess the firmware bug explanation is more likely.

Face, meet egg. Apparently it was a fluke that the warning didn't pop up after I unloaded the wheels.

 

[Bigriver]

Face, meet egg. Apparently it was a fluke that the warning didn't pop up after I unloaded the wheels.

It was a great theory tho. I know I get the message regularly with the seats down, although I’m not sure that it is ALWAYS. Service center told me this is as designed. Makes no sense.

 

[stevemc]

I took my 2018 Model X in for this issue and here's the response I received from the SC.

 

[sedluk]

This is still a problem, I was expecting it to get fixed with the next major firmware update and that did not happen. I no longer think this is a sensor issue, this is a total annoyance for someone like myself that usually has their seats down. I rarely if ever have passengers and get this error every time I use the car. I ordered a 5 seat X and now am following the total lack of 5 seat cars being produced. This did not happen with a previously owned 5 seat car. Unfortunately that car was totaled in a bad accident and I thought that getting a 7 seat car would not be much different. If you regularly use your car with the second row seat down or forward, you do not want the 6 or 7 seat options.

 

[DCGOO]

This is still a problem, I was expecting it to get fixed with the next major firmware update and that did not happen. I no longer think this is a sensor issue, this is a total annoyance for someone like myself that usually has their seats down. I rarely if ever have passengers and get this error every time I use the car. I ordered a 5 seat X and now am following the total lack of 5 seat cars being produced. This did not happen with a previously owned 5 seat car. Unfortunately that car was totaled in a bad accident and I thought that getting a 7 seat car would not be much different. If you regularly use your car with the second row seat down or forward, you do not want the 6 or 7 seat options.

This was a two year old thread, but I will chime in and say that I have never seen that error, not once in four years of X ownership. And I frequently drive with the drivers side portion flat. It sounds to me more like a misaligned or damaged sensor in the seat. If it was a firmware issue, it would have affected everybody at one time or another.

 

[cobra]

This was a two year old thread, but I will chime in and say that I have never seen that error, not once in four years of X ownership. And I frequently drive with the drivers side portion flat. It sounds to me more like a misaligned or damaged sensor in the seat. If it was a firmware issue, it would have affected everybody at one time or another.

Interesting. Odd that the SCs don’t seem to know how to fix it then. Ours does it as well, but I just nod and say ‘yup, seat is down.’