Walkaway lock at home ... I don’t want it

[NoMoGas]

I know that. But I bought a $40k car and I have to now buy a $150 fob? And that fob has no place to put a key, so I have to carry the fob, and key ring, and I can't hang the fob with the rest of my keys.

It's a really poor design.

First world problems defined.

 

[NoMoGas]

You could just leave the key in the car, or don't close the door all the way.

 

[Kiwiadventure]

Is it too much to ask of Tesla Engineers to allow a modicum of programability to the walkaway lock function on the Tesla App? Tesla didn't give the M3 an option for a smart fob. You straight up have to fish out old school the one you can purchase for $150 and tap a button to lock/unlock. What comes standard is a card or your phone's bluetooth as the key. I can't tell you how many times my neighbors have heard me shout (and I live in a very rural area) "F#%k!" when I go out to my driveway to fetch something from my car but forgot it automatically locked behind me. It's terribly frustrating not being able to get into your own car in your own driveway without having your phone on you.

It should be easy enough to be able to program certain locations as exempt from the walkaway lock function. Or am I missing something obvious?

I agree and as well I don't want to carry my phone when my 3 is at home.

 

[trak0r]

But doesn't the other door "just open" when you pull the handle? What's the difference as long as it's pull-handle, open door no matter what?

Yes, it will still open, I was mentioning that because I think it is a side case not handled properly by Tesla. I'm not saying it is a big deal, but I don't believe it is a great implementation since it could easily be solved by simply increasing time before auto lock occurs or implementing it the same way when walking away from vehicle from any direction other than the front of the vehicle.

The only times I've been impacted by this bug, is when I've gotten out, and go to open kids doors, but the phone used by car (and none other is on me) currently is now in front of car and moving away to the inside of the house (2-3 ft from front of car) before I've opened any other door.

 

[Dan203]

When I walk around the front of my car (even 2 ft away), it autolocks, when all I wanted to do is walk to the other side of the car to open up another door.

Isn't it weird how sometimes it does this and others you have to walk 50' away in a parking lot before it locks. (sometimes giving you anxiety that it's not going to lock)

 

[kunzjob]

^ yes to all the above... just tweeted this the other day. It's really annoying my car will flash lights and honk while walking from one side of the car to the other inside my garage but in a parking lot I've got to be 50' away like Dan. Pretty dumb. Just give us a toggle like sentry mode. I want the auto lock except at home in my garage where sentry mode is disabled.

 

[Myocastor]

Agreed. I would like auto lock disabled when my car is home. I don't carry my phone or wallet with me all the time. Also when other household members need something it's a pain to unlock for the kids. Everyone's situation is different and where I live leaving your car and house unlocked is acceptable.

 

[jerry33]

Walk-away-lock hasn't bothered me in almost seven years. I really don't see what the big deal is.

 

[adrianp89]

It is a bit annoying when my wife forgets to plug the car in and when I do my nightly check I have to go plug it in. Oh wait I have to go back to my bedroom, get my phone, go back to garage, unlock the car, and then plug it in. Or it could just not lock in my garage.

 

[Matsayz]

It is a bit annoying when my wife forgets to plug the car in and when I do my nightly check I have to go plug it in. Oh wait I have to go back to my bedroom, get my phone, go back to garage, unlock the car, and then plug it in. Or it could just not lock in my garage.

Or like someone else said above, leave one of the key cards (or buy an extra like I did) and leave it in the garage. I’m sure there’s somewhere you could put it.

 

[diamond.g]

You could also buy the new fob and leave it in the cupholder. The doors shouldn't lock then.

 

[adrianp89]

Both of these options allow for easy theft of the entire car. I don’t have this issue with my ICE. If they have dog mode they could create garage mode.

 

[diamond.g]

Both of these options allow for easy theft of the entire car. I don’t have this issue with my ICE. If they have dog mode they could create garage mode.

You ICE doesn't autolock? I know my Volt does, even if you press unlock on the door after a minute it relocks. You have to disable the locking feature all together (which mean having to press a button to lock).

 

[adrianp89]

Not to my knowledge. I have no issue pushing a button on the door handle to lock, would prefer that on the 3.

 

[Kiwiadventure]

The horn going off each time the car locks at home is a pain and I don't want to have to turn it off each time I arrive home.

 

[Needsdecaf]

There should be no debate about this feature. It's pretty silly that it still hasn't been implemented after all this time and as many people have requested it. Compared so some other requests, or even other features implemented, this one its child's play. Heck, they already have the same feature for a different function..Sentry mode. How hard could it be?

 

[bpobill]

Walk-away-lock hasn't bothered me in almost seven years. I really don't see what the big deal is.

Its been clearly explained by several members.

 

[Ishahmael]

Looking forward to having this feature added. Many other features incorporate geofencing for nuanced customized use. Auto-lock should definitely be added to the list.

 

[Watts_Up]

I think if you force to enter a PIN number to start your car, you should be able to keep your car unlock.

This prevent any liability issue in case your car is unlock by keeping a phone inside and a kid be able to start the car while trying to play with the arcade games.

 

[drtimhill]

There should be no debate about this feature. It's pretty silly that it still hasn't been implemented after all this time and as many people have requested it. Compared so some other requests, or even other features implemented, this one its child's play. Heck, they already have the same feature for a different function..Sentry mode. How hard could it be?

Well, it's much harder than you seem to realize (a phrase with the word "bliss" comes to mind).

First, the consequences of Sentry Mode getting the geofencing wrong are pretty benign. Basically, Sentry Mode might occasionally be on when you dont want it on, which apart from a bit of added vampire drain is hardly the end of the world (I bet you have never checked to see if its actually disabled at home more than once or twice, if ever). But any "Disable Auto Park" geofencing mistake is far more serious. The car ends up being unlocked when it should have been locked. Not good at all.

Second, geofencing using GPS really isnt all that accurate, and can vary based on climatic conditions (nav systems overcome this with a lot of inertial correction and assumptions about cars being on roads and not in adjoining fields etc). Again, for Sentry Mode that's not too important. But for this disable auto-lock stuff, it can be critical. When 10 feet or less can separate "safe to leave unlocked" and "needs to lock", you are at the very edge of what GPS can provide.

Sure, many on this thread have said "But its my responsibility" or "I live in a quiet location" etc etc. And maybe you do. But could you correctly configure and test a disable auto-unlock feature? How would you know it was safely setup? You would have to repeatedly park the car at different distances to see when it was going to auto-lock and when it wasn't. On several different occasions at different times of the day, to allow for GPS variance. How many people are going to do that? And how would they know to do it? Read the manual? How many people do that???

So what would happen is this: An owner would see the toggle in the UI, turn it on, click "OK" to the dire bright-red on-screen warning (which they would not read). They would then walk away from the car in the garage, and verify that it worked (car remains unlocked). What they would not do is try the same thing with the car on the street next to their home to verify it doesnt leave the car unlocked. (A classic case of not testing for negative outcomes.)

Fast-forward a few months, and the car is burgled while parked unlocked overnight on the street. What will the hapless owner say? Will he say "Oh, it was my fault for not reading the instructions and testing the boundaries carefully", or will he say "Damn Tesla, they should never have allowed such a dangerous reckless feature. I WANT COMPENSATION". I will leave you to guess which is more probable.

Tesla have to weigh features carefully, especially when it comes to security. I would argue the risks here far outweigh the benefits.