Unlocking driver door ONLY not all doors when entering car?

[Robdabuilder]

Hey guys.. anyone know if there’s a way to ONLY unlock the drivers door when unlocking the car?

We had a setting on our last car where if you press the unlock button once it would only unlock the driver door. This was a huge peace of mind for me since my fiancé was the main driver of the car and she would walk to her car very late at night after work. Nowadays a lady has to be extra cautious while walking to her car alone. This setting definitely prevents anyone from trying to enter the car from the passenger side or backseat doors when the driver is entering the car. Yes I know chances of that happening are probably slim but you can never be too careful.

Any thoughts?

 

[pk44FG]

Hey guys.. anyone know if there’s a way to ONLY unlock the drivers door when unlocking the car?

We had a setting on our last car where if you press the unlock button once it would only unlock the driver door. This was a huge peace of mind for me since my fiancé was the main driver of the car and she would walk to her car very late at night after work. Nowadays a lady has to be extra cautious while walking to her car alone. This setting definitely prevents anyone from trying to enter the car from the passenger side or backseat doors when the driver is entering the car. Yes I know chances of that happening are probably slim but you can never be too careful.

Any thoughts?

This is something that I am concerned as well. There is no fast way (like a traditional one button lock ) to lock all the doors as soon as we sit in the car or is there ?

 

[mastervm]

This is something that I am concerned as well. There is no fast way (like a traditional one button lock ) to lock all the doors as soon as we sit in the car or is there ?

There is a lockpad button at the top on the screen that does this.

 

[KrenGrl]

yes it is a setting in the options in the car. maybe you haven't seen all of them yet. if i am understanding the question.

 

[Need]

I have never noticed that "lock" button up there! Now I am ready for Halloween when Michael Myers chases me to the car.

 

[ilyak]

yes it is a setting in the options in the car. maybe you haven't seen all of them yet. if i am understanding the question.

Not for model 3, unlocking the car (whether by touching the key card on the b-pillar, using the button on the key fob, pulling on the door handle with the phone key in range, or pressing the unlock button in the app) unlocks all doors and there's no way to change this behavior right now.

 

[sduck]

This is something that i've bugged tesla support about several times. Several females have expressed interest in my car, but have specifically asked about the locking behavior, and won't buy a car that doesn't allow only the drivers door being unlocked. Lots of cars have this setting now, so why tesla doesn't, is a mystery. It's certainly something they could easily implement in the settings.

 

[Msjulie]

Time to tweet Elon...

 

[user212_nr]

Yes I know chances of that happening are probably slim but you can never be too careful.

Any thoughts?

There's a difference between being proactive about security and just being anxious/afraid. Your real threats are going to come from elsewhere and you probably haven't even thought about them, let alone given her any self-defense training. Having this feature just gets you some "peace of mind" from OCD thoughts.

So you have someone hiding on the passenger door, and then he gets in the car on the passenger side (?) then says hello and asks for a ride...? She then gets out and runs away? Or he asks for the keys and then climbs over the console to drive off...

I have had the same thoughts, and can't think of a scenario where this feature would work. You need to lock the car after getting in, and that's it. Be attentive.

 

[justsomeguy]

There's a difference between being proactive about security and just being anxious/afraid. Your real threats are going to come from elsewhere and you probably haven't even thought about them, let alone given her any self-defense training. Having this feature just gets you some "peace of mind" from OCD thoughts.

So you have someone hiding on the passenger door, and then he gets in the car on the passenger side (?) then says hello and asks for a ride...? She then gets out and runs away? Or he asks for the keys and then climbs over the console to drive off...

I have had the same thoughts, and can't think of a scenario where this feature would work. You need to lock the car after getting in, and that's it. Be attentive.

That scenario has happened to a friend of mine. Guy had a knife and took him for a joyride.

 

[Eno Deb]

I'd like to have this feature too. Years ago a friend was robbed this way. A thug followed him to the car on a dark parking lot, quickly opened the passenger side rear door when my friend unlocked the car, got in, and threatened him with a knife to hand over his wallet and watch.

 

[srs5694]

Drifting a bit from the topic, Larry Niven's short story, "The Deadlier Weapon," is something of an interesting thought experiment about how to respond to a carjacking. I don't know if anybody's tried the approach in the story in real life, and it might not be advisable, though. I don't know of an online source for the story, but it's been reprinted in several Niven anthologies.

 

[kaffine]

Can you even lock the car if you use your phone as the key if you are in it?

I thought it would see the phone as a key and you would be able to open the door from outside.

At least for now the door handles seem to confuse some people so there is a little protection.

 

[RedModel3]

There's a difference between being proactive about security and just being anxious/afraid. Your real threats are going to come from elsewhere and you probably haven't even thought about them, let alone given her any self-defense training. Having this feature just gets you some "peace of mind" from OCD thoughts.

So you have someone hiding on the passenger door, and then he gets in the car on the passenger side (?) then says hello and asks for a ride...? She then gets out and runs away? Or he asks for the keys and then climbs over the console to drive off...

I have had the same thoughts, and can't think of a scenario where this feature would work. You need to lock the car after getting in, and that's it. Be attentive.

I'm assuming from your screen name that you are a guy. If you were a woman, you certainly wouldn't have answered this in such a glib manner. All of my previous cars that had fobs had the driver's door only unlock feature, and it is one of the top safety issues for women. I've worked at night for over 30 years, and I've been personally safe in spite of unsafe events happening around me. I AM attentive, which is why I want this feature.

 

[srs5694]

Can you even lock the car if you use your phone as the key if you are in it?

Yes. There's an icon for this at the top of the screen. See the Model 3 Owner's Manual for details. The current version shows the display on p. 4; the icon in question is at the leftmost edge of callout area 1. The description reads "This area on the top of the touchscreen displays the time and provides shortcut to lock/unlock the vehicle...." It's also covered on p. 13.

 

[user212_nr]

I'm assuming from your screen name that you are a guy. If you were a woman, you certainly wouldn't have answered this in such a glib manner. All of my previous cars that had fobs had the driver's door only unlock feature, and it is one of the top safety issues for women. I've worked at night for over 30 years, and I've been personally safe in spite of unsafe events happening around me. I AM attentive, which is why I want this feature.

I wouldn't mind this feature either, but I don't see what situation it protects against. The drive door opens in your scenario, so why cannot said person also go in the driver seat, then move to the passenger seat (?) or the back seat. It takes a dedicated attacker to know both you and your car, along with your schedule, so in that case you have serious problems that the Tesla setting won't help with.

Having entered via the driver door, he/she can take the car so long as Pin-To-Drive is not enabled.

More importantly, how do you unlock the passenger doors with the phone? You would have to get into the car/app and press a button.

 

[St☰v☰]

Can you even lock the car if you use your phone as the key if you are in it?

I've been wondering that myself, especially when my wife is out at night and stops at a light or anywhere.

 

[kaffine]

Yes. There's an icon for this at the top of the screen. See the Model 3 Owner's Manual for details. The current version shows the display on p. 4; the icon in question is at the leftmost edge of callout area 1. The description reads "This area on the top of the touchscreen displays the time and provides shortcut to lock/unlock the vehicle...." It's also covered on p. 13.

I tested it today. No you can not lock the car if using your phone as a key and you are in it. I push the lock button on the screen and it shows locked but if I actually use the outside door handle door still opens because it sees a phone key. You would have to turn bluetooth off on your phone so it will lock.

 

[alexGS]

I tested it today. No you can not lock the car if using your phone as a key and you are in it. I push the lock button on the screen and it shows locked but if I actually use the outside door handle door still opens because it sees a phone key. You would have to turn bluetooth off on your phone so it will lock.

Useful information, thanks.

Seems to me that choosing Lock should really lock the doors; prevent opening from outside even if a key/phone is in the car.

Also seems to me that ‘unlock driver’s door only’ would be an easy on/off setting to add on the Security settings page; those of us that don’t want it, simply leave it off. My last car required two clicks of the key’s Unlock button to unlock all doors, I would have liked the option of not having it.

On a somewhat related and hilarious note, I was at a tourist attraction today (jetboat ride) in which I was unexpectedly forced to participate. I ran back to the car to empty out my pockets into the centre console; wallet, keys, phone, etc. and got back to the ride just in time. Didn’t want to drop anything in the boat etc.

Can you see the flaw here? I assumed the car would re-lock itself but of course it didn’t, so all my valuables and the car were there for the taking tourist hotspot car parks are the very worst place to risk this...

-Alex

 

[srs5694]

I tested it today. No you can not lock the car if using your phone as a key and you are in it. I push the lock button on the screen and it shows locked but if I actually use the outside door handle door still opens because it sees a phone key. You would have to turn bluetooth off on your phone so it will lock.

Ouch. I just tested and can confirm your results. That's certainly not what I'd expect based on what's written in the manual. A caveat: I'm alone at the moment and so I tested it by leaving a phone configured as a key in the car, using another phone (out of phone-as-key range) to lock the car remotely, and then opening the door. This could conceivably result in different behavior than would locking the car's doors via the screen. Also, a car that's self-locked by driving might behave differently -- has anybody tested in this way? This would be relevant for safety when stopped at a traffic light or whatnot.

I've reported the issue to Tesla at Tesla SSO – Login and asked that they fix it ASAP. If you're concerned by this, I suggest you do the same.