Stupid design of boot/trunk left open alert

[Mullermn]

For about the 100th time since I got the car I find myself asking what idiot designed the way this alert works.

For those who don’t use a boot liner or have a dog bed in the back you may not have experienced it at all, but if the boot closes and is unable to lock because of a small obstruction then the car waits a good 10 minutes and sends a push message to your phone to tell you, by which time you are probably far enough away that it’s a massive pain to go back and sort it out. The cherry on the cake is that you’re also unable to lock the doors while the boot is not closed properly.

(A slightly less annoying variation on the same issue is when you shut the boot then get sat down and belted in to the car only to be told not to drive because the boot didn’t close properly.)

The car knows you’ve shut the hatch, and it knows it didn’t lock immediately. Why the stupid timeout? The car has lights and a horn (even an external speaker) it could use or it could send a message to your phone, any of which could be done immediately while you’re still stood there and able to fix it. There’s literally no circumstance where someone has deliberately shut the boot while it’s obstructed so there’s no potential for a false alarm here.

Pretty sure I can predict the answer to this based on Tesla’s standard level of customer care, but is there any way to put suggestions in to Tesla?

 

[EVRider-FL]

Which car do you have? It’s pretty obvious when my Model S trunk doesn’t lock because of an obstruction.

 

[Mullermn]

Which car do you have? It’s pretty obvious when my Model S trunk doesn’t lock because of an obstruction.

Y. I'm sure it's literally possible to see that it hasn't latched, but it's definitely not obvious if it's a thin obstruction.

Obviously the ultimate problem is user error, but piles of software (including this warning) exist to make life easier - it's hugely infuriating that this bit has been implemented in such a dumb way. This is probably my no.2 irritation with the Y (with the fact that it has a turning circle like an aircraft carrier in #1 slot).

 

[beatle]

There’s literally no circumstance where someone has deliberately shut the boot while it’s obstructed so there’s no potential for a false alarm here.

Your whole post is about deliberately closing the hatch while it is obstructed. It sounds like you need to better secure your liner or dog bed so that it doesn't move around so much, or just wait to see that it closes before walking away.

I wouldn't rely on the app to tell you it's open, and I certainly wouldn't want the car blaring at me if it didn't latch. I even went so far as to disconnect the annoying beeping speaker from the hatch in my car when you close it. If I'm loading the car for a trip, I also don't want my phone nagging me for intentionally leaving the hatch open, so there's a good reason the app doesn't notify you.

 

[Unclepaul]

Sounds like the problem is more with the aftermarket items, than Tesla design.

 

[SidetrackedSue]

I experienced this yesterday and thought about making a similar post.

In my case, the time-out is long enough to get up the 25 floors to my apartment.

Yesterday the obstruction was the rubber tip of my hiking pole. It wasn't obvious at all. Even after I went down to look.

The app won't allow me to put the back back up and try closing again (that might have pushed the pole back the half inch required.)

And the app would not let me turn on Sentry to view through the cameras to tell if the back was up or down. As I had had pressed the down button and not noted anything out of place as I walked away, I assumed down but wasn't sure. (My Sentry is off in my parking spot because the new LED lighting triggers it 100s of times a day.) The exhaust fan of the garage was running so I didn't hear whether the honk on lock had happened or not. I was just anxious to get out of the noise.

Finally, the system won't raise the back hatch even when I was there so I had to physically lift it up without power assist, then look at the back and try and figure out WTF was the problem, then press the down button again and babysit it to make sure it closed.

 

[SidetrackedSue]

Sounds like the problem is more with the aftermarket items, than Tesla design.

The problem is design Tesla design at least half the time. I'll agree if the mat slips it causes this problem. But if I put the umbrella stroller in so the double front wheels are at the rear, they look like they are under the height limit but the thick bit on the hatch settles in so far it will hiccup. At least in the case of the stroller, I'm getting in the car to go somewhere, rather than going up to my apartment. Yesterday it was the rubber tip of my hiking pole in the way of the thick part of the hatch from moving in fully. Or more likely a sensor sensing an obstruction so not pulling the back in tight so as to not crush a finger.

The tesla design flaws are:

1. the sloped cargo area that makes it hard to reconcile such a big area can't manage the height of a stroller double wheel for example.

2. the lack of immediate audio feedback that the back isn't shut. It knows I've walked away because my phone key has left.

3. The lack of power assist to raise the back hatch back up to remove the 'obstruction'

4. the delay in the notification from the app, expecting me to stand around with the car not fully closed and then when I don't notice it after 10 minutes 'helpfully' sending me a notification.

5. The lack of ability to raise the hatch in the app and retry closing. Or at least accurate illustration as to whether the hatch is down but not latched (therefore rain isn't pouring into the car) or that if it is still fully up. That makes a difference as to the priority I will give to returning to the car to resolve the problem.

 

[uscbucsfan]

The problem is design Tesla design at least half the time. I'll agree if the mat slips it causes this problem. But if I put the umbrella stroller in so the double front wheels are at the rear, they look like they are under the height limit but the thick bit on the hatch settles in so far it will hiccup. At least in the case of the stroller, I'm getting in the car to go somewhere, rather than going up to my apartment. Yesterday it was the rubber tip of my hiking pole in the way of the thick part of the hatch from moving in fully. Or more likely a sensor sensing an obstruction so not pulling the back in tight so as to not crush a finger.

The tesla design flaws are:

1. the sloped cargo area that makes it hard to reconcile such a big area can't manage the height of a stroller double wheel for example.

2. the lack of immediate audio feedback that the back isn't shut. It knows I've walked away because my phone key has left.

3. The lack of power assist to raise the back hatch back up to remove the 'obstruction'

4. the delay in the notification from the app, expecting me to stand around with the car not fully closed and then when I don't notice it after 10 minutes 'helpfully' sending me a notification.

5. The lack of ability to raise the hatch in the app and retry closing. Or at least accurate illustration as to whether the hatch is down but not latched (therefore rain isn't pouring into the car) or that if it is still fully up. That makes a difference as to the priority I will give to returning to the car to resolve the problem.

In my cars if it cannot close it does make a beep sound, but both scenarios are either laziness are user error.


Just wait until the trunk closes, especially if you have stuff in there or this has occurred previously

 

[gtae07]

I've had this happen a few times too. Something in the trunk just big enough to stop it in the last 1/4" of travel, and no indication (beep or otherwise). It looked closed but wasn't. I wish it had a beep or reversed when it hit an obstruction.

 

[beatle]

The Y has a power liftgate but it doesn't go back up when it senses an obstruction?

According to the manual it should at least beep twice if it is blocked:

 

[uscbucsfan]

The Y has a power liftgate but it doesn't go back up when it senses an obstruction?

According to the manual it should at least beep twice if it is blocked:

View attachment 987229

Mine does

 

[zoomer0056]

The Y has a power liftgate but it doesn't go back up when it senses an obstruction?

According to the manual it should at least beep twice if it is blocked:

View attachment 987229

Just tested this on my Feb 2022 MSLR. It does beep twice with a box of kleenex in the way. However, the volume is so low that it's hardly perceptible even in a quiet garage. Pressing the liftgate button does open it.

 

[Mullermn]

I experienced this yesterday and thought about making a similar post.

In my case, the time-out is long enough to get up the 25 floors to my apartment.

Yesterday the obstruction was the rubber tip of my hiking pole. It wasn't obvious at all. Even after I went down to look.

The app won't allow me to put the back back up and try closing again (that might have pushed the pole back the half inch required.)

And the app would not let me turn on Sentry to view through the cameras to tell if the back was up or down. As I had had pressed the down button and not noted anything out of place as I walked away, I assumed down but wasn't sure. (My Sentry is off in my parking spot because the new LED lighting triggers it 100s of times a day.) The exhaust fan of the garage was running so I didn't hear whether the honk on lock had happened or not. I was just anxious to get out of the noise.

Finally, the system won't raise the back hatch even when I was there so I had to physically lift it up without power assist, then look at the back and try and figure out WTF was the problem, then press the down button again and babysit it to make sure it closed.

Finally, someone gets it. Of course the underlying problem is user error.. that is both true and utterly irrelevant. Tesla have implemented this warning because they recognise that humans make errors; the issue is that they've implemented it in a really dumb way!

 

[SidetrackedSue]

So I finally was out with the car yesterday so when I parked at home I tested it with my hiking pole and yes, according to my husband there are some beeps but I didn't hear them at all the first time so repeated the experiment and sort-of heard it. There's no way I would have heard them if I had the kid with me (one or the other of us would be making noise) or if the fans were on in the garage. It sounded like the beeps were coming from inside the car, not outside.

I did learn I can make the back go up with the outside switch. So the app won't raise the lift gate but the button on it will.

About 45 minutes after getting upstairs, I got a notification that the car was unlocked. At least the car responded to the app in this case so I didn't have to go downstairs but I have no idea why playing with the lift gate disabled the walk-away door locks.

Today, the next trip out with the car, the car wouldn't come to life when I got in it. It let me in (yesterday before I went out with the car, it wouldn't let me in without the keycard) but the screen remained black. I did a reset and was late for church as a result. But the car worked once the reset completed. I wish there was a way to know it is thinking of rebooting, it was about 20 seconds between my holding the two buttons for 30 seconds and releasing them before the logo appeared on the screen. I had already texted my husband that the car was dead and wouldn't reboot. And I'm slow at writing texts that's why I know it must have been about 20 seconds.

And today, the liftgate didn't properly close when the button was pushed. It went down an inch or two and stopped. My husband had walked away since he assumed it was going to close all the way and I had to tell him to go back and try again. Then I told him what I learned from this thread: ALL Liftgate closing errors are the users fault.

 

[Yelobird]

So I finally was out with the car yesterday so when I parked at home I tested it with my hiking pole and yes, according to my husband there are some beeps but I didn't hear them at all the first time so repeated the experiment and sort-of heard it. There's no way I would have heard them if I had the kid with me (one or the other of us would be making noise) or if the fans were on in the garage. It sounded like the beeps were coming from inside the car, not outside.

I did learn I can make the back go up with the outside switch. So the app won't raise the lift gate but the button on it will.

About 45 minutes after getting upstairs, I got a notification that the car was unlocked. At least the car responded to the app in this case so I didn't have to go downstairs but I have no idea why playing with the lift gate disabled the walk-away door locks.

Today, the next trip out with the car, the car wouldn't come to life when I got in it. It let me in (yesterday before I went out with the car, it wouldn't let me in without the keycard) but the screen remained black. I did a reset and was late for church as a result. But the car worked once the reset completed. I wish there was a way to know it is thinking of rebooting, it was about 20 seconds between my holding the two buttons for 30 seconds and releasing them before the logo appeared on the screen. I had already texted my husband that the car was dead and wouldn't reboot. And I'm slow at writing texts that's why I know it must have been about 20 seconds.

And today, the liftgate didn't properly close when the button was pushed. It went down an inch or two and stopped. My husband had walked away since he assumed it was going to close all the way and I had to tell him to go back and try again. Then I told him what I learned from this thread: ALL Liftgate closing errors are the users fault.

Having a 2020 myself there is no external speaker vs 21 plus cars. May be different for others on the beep.

 

[SidetrackedSue]

Having a 2020 myself there is no external speaker vs 21 plus cars. May be different for others on the beep.

I'm pretty sure I have the external speaker as the snake-jazz is quite loud.

(My favourite example of that was the time my toddler granddaughter was playing in a front-facing bedroom when I dropped by unexpectedly. I decided I had pulled up too far in their driveway so put the car in reverse to move back a bit. My daughter reported that at the sound, my granddaughter squealed, "Nana's here!")

But I might play with this a bit more and see if the sound is louder when the windows are down. It might be a sign at least one of my speakers isn't working correctly now and the car is under warranty so I should check that out.