Unable to drive - Authentication required

[DCEV]

The strangest message keeps coming up on the instrument cluster when I press the brake pedal to start the car:

"Unable to drive - Authentication required"

Has anyone else seen this? When this happens I manually unlock the doors by double clicking the fob and while still seated on the driver's seat I open and close the driver's side door and the car turns on when I subsequently press the brake pedal.

This also seems to affect being able to sometimes walk up to the car and open by the trunk just by pressing the button. I need to manually double click the trunk button to open the trunk when it happens.

Is this a low battery issue with the fob? I thought there was a specific low battery alert if the key fob battery is low.

I did Google this error and I only found one single passing reference on TMC so this seems like an odd error. I appreciate any insight on what is causing this.

 

[PWlakewood]

Have you updated your key fobs

 

[alstoralset]

I'm worried this might be an eMMC related issue? Hope it isn't!

 

[PWlakewood]

In all the discussions about emmc I have not seem this mentioned yet.

 

[DCEV]

Have you updated your key fobs

I have a V1 Keyfob and I just checked the update option via the MCU and it said my V1 keyfob is already up to date.

When I walked to the car just now, the trunk open button did not detect the keyfob so the trunk button would not open the trunk. Double pressing the trunk button on the keyfob opened the trunk.

Also when I approached the car, the handles did not auto present. Even pressing the door handles didn't extend the handles. As soon i double pressed the unlocked button on the keyfob, the doors unlocked immediately. So it seems the car is no longer able to detect the keyfob for self presenting handles or opening the trunk with the button on the trunk.

 

[DCEV]

I'm worried this might be an eMMC related issue? Hope it isn't!

What makes you think that? Google this error and you see only one single hit so it seems like a strange error condition.

What I'm worries is that with it not detecting the keyfob properly, the error comes up when I try to drive the car. If you then unlock the car with the keyfob and immediately press the brake pedal, the car turns on.

While I investigate the cause and a solution, if someone else sees this error, you can start the car by unlocking the car with the keyfob buttons and immediately pressing the brake pedal.

 

[KalJoMoS]

It seems to me it’s a keyfob issue, sensors are not detecting the key. Does it happens with the second key as well?

 

[DCEV]

It seems to me it’s a keyfob issue, sensors are not detecting the key. Does it happens with the second key as well?

Good question! Just checked.

Neither keyfob auto extends handles or opens the trunk with the trunk button. So whatever is causing this condition affects both keyfobs... Both keyfobs work for manually locking, unlocking, or opening the trunk.

 

[alstoralset]

What makes you think that? Google this error and you see only one single hit so it seems like a strange error condition.

Total speculation on my part that the car might be losing authentication information. Hope it's just a fob or similar issue!

 

[ucmndd]

Change the batteries. Start with the simple stuff.

 

[DCEV]

Change the batteries. Start with the simple stuff.

But would this affect both keyfobs? And the Keyfob I never use sits in a Faraday pouch so it should be pretty much asleep.

Seems like the battery is working fine though because with both keyfobs, there is no low battery warning in the car and I can operate the keyfobs manually from a decent distance. Let me pop in a CR2032 just in case but there seems to be something else going on with the car where the car does not really recognize passive entry/keyless go authentication for the fobs anymore.

Any other ideas anyone?

 

[KalJoMoS]

It might be a battery as well, pressing a button do not require that amount of power than the “wireless” functions. Tesla recommend to change battery every year. Perhaps they are the same age on both keys?

 

[ucmndd]

But would this affect both keyfobs?

Not unreasonable to think they’d both crap out around the same time. For the cost of a couple batteries, I can’t think of a more appropriate place to start troubleshooting.

 

[DCEV]

Not unreasonable to think they’d both crap out around the same time. For the cost of a couple batteries, I can’t think of a more appropriate place to start troubleshooting.

I agree. As soon as I wrap up work, I'll pop some new batteries in and report back.

I've already bought a set of spare batteries just in case so I have new batteries handy.

 

[Hugh Mannity]

I agree. As soon as I wrap up work, I'll pop some new batteries in and report back.

I've already bought a set of spare batteries just in case so I have new batteries handy.

if that doesn't work it almost sounds like the RF receiver isn't working or not working right anyway ? I didn't see up above but did you reboot the car ?

 

[DCEV]

if that doesn't work it almost sounds like the RF receiver isn't working or not working right anyway ? I didn't see up above but did you reboot the car ?

Good call. Let me reboot the car first.

 

[DCEV]

The reboot did not fix the issue. I'll try new batteries and see if that fixes the issue.

 

[Joelgjr]

I’m confused. This is how the model s functions by design. This is how mine always functions. It’s does this when autopresent and Auto Unlock are disables in the settings.

have you double checked that your settings didn’t just reset to turn the convenience features back off? That message isn’t an “error message”. I get it every time I drive my car. As soon as I turn Auto Unlock on the message disappears permanently

 

[DCEV]

I’m confused. This is how the model s functions by design. This is how mine always functions. It’s does this when autopresent and Auto Unlock are disables in the settings.

have you double checked that your settings didn’t just reset to turn the convenience features back off? That message isn’t an “error message”. I get it every time I drive my car. As soon as I turn Auto Unlock on the message disappears permanently

I've never had this issue because and I've never seen this error until now and none of the settings were changed.

I just double checked and Auto Present Handles is selected and this does not work. Even when I manually press the door handles, they do not extend and I need to double press the fob to present the handles.

Also while going over the settings in the car, I see a "Key not inside vehicle" message so it seems there is some communication/authentication issue between the car and the keyfob. As soon as I find my spare batteries I'll replace the batteries and see if the issue persists.

 

[aesculus]

What about powering the car off, wait the 5 minutes and then powering back on again?