Key not found

andrewket · Feb 24, 2015

Hmmmm

First time having this problem on my P85D. Let's see if it repeats.

rickgt · Feb 24, 2015

Any chance it's a bad battery in the Key??? Either that, or loose battery contact in the key. Try the other one they gave you and see if it solves the problem

Lloyd · Feb 24, 2015

replace the battery. Do you keep the key within 20 feet of where it is parked? Could be draining the battery.

mknox · Feb 24, 2015

I've had that a bit recently. Even right after my battery was replaced during the car's Annual Service. I assumed Tesla installed a dud battery and replaced it myself, but continued to have the problem. Then I realized what (I believe) is causing it: I keep the fob in my front right pants pocked and in the winter, I often keep my cell phone in my jacket's front right pocket. I'm pretty sure the cell phone in fairly close proximity was causing interference. Once that message appears on the dash, even waiving the key around the cup holders doesn't make it go away immediately. I found if I pressed one of the buttons, the message would clear. Once I stopped keeping my cell phone near the fob, the problem went away and never came back.

wycolo · Feb 24, 2015

rickgt and mknox are peering off toward the same exact spot on their horizons. Do they see a bright EV future ahead??
--

ErstD · Feb 24, 2015

Similar thing happened to me this weekend. My two-month old P85D was getting washed and I placed the key in the cup holder (inside the car). After a little bit, the car locked itself with the key inside. Touching the car handle did not open the door. I had to call Tesla to get them to remotely open the door. The key itself seems fine and is working normally. Not sure why the car wasn't getting a signal when the key was in the cupholder.

wycolo · Feb 24, 2015

Key belongs on your person - in money belt, in watch pocket, taped to back of iphone*, on neck strap etc.

* forget I said that.
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pete8314 · Feb 24, 2015

mknox said:
I've had that a bit recently. Even right after my battery was replaced during the car's Annual Service. I assumed Tesla installed a dud battery and replaced it myself, but continued to have the problem. Then I realized what (I believe) is causing it: I keep the fob in my front right pants pocked and in the winter, I often keep my cell phone in my jacket's front right pocket. I'm pretty sure the cell phone in fairly close proximity was causing interference. Once that message appears on the dash, even waiving the key around the cup holders doesn't make it go away immediately. I found if I pressed one of the buttons, the message would clear. Once I stopped keeping my cell phone near the fob, the problem went away and never came back.

^ This. I've noticed the same thing. I also wonder if the phone being in close proximity all the time makes the key work harder, thus draining the battery quicker. I wish I could send a spare CR2032 cell with every FobPocket I sell as those batteries are dirt cheap in bulk, but the restrictions with shipping lithium batteries make it not worth the effort.

mknox · Feb 24, 2015

ErstD said:
I had to call Tesla to get them to remotely open the door.

The car will lock with the key inside. I think this is "normal" (probably not "desired") behavior. I've noticed it just sitting in the car waiting for someone.

Did you try to unlock the car with the mobile app?

andrewket · Feb 24, 2015

Sorry for not responding sooner.. Busy day. Currently on a plane at 32kft (TMC is a great past time).

So far it was a one time glitch. I exited the car, had lunch, and when I returned the door handles extended and I drove off. The message has not repeated.

The battery is only a few months old and I keep my keys and cell phone in different pockets.

I mostly posted because I thought the picture was funny. If it repeats I'll try swapping the battery.

Thumper · Feb 24, 2015

This happens to me periodically. Move the fob around and it always goes away for me fairly soon. It doesn't seem to matter how new the fob battery is.

mknox · Feb 25, 2015

andrewket said:
So far it was a one time glitch.

Were you parked near anything that could cause a large EMF to exist? Large utility power transformer? Radio broadcast tower? These have been known to cause interference as well.

andrewket · Feb 25, 2015

mknox said:
Were you parked near anything that could cause a large EMF to exist? Large utility power transformer? Radio broadcast tower? These have been known to cause interference as well.

None of the above. I was on a road that I travel on almost daily. Moving the key around had no effect. The message that it could not detect the key stayed for the entire trip until I parked and left the car.

JPP · Feb 25, 2015

Me, I have a second bunch of keys in the same pocket, and my S key is on a metal TM key fob. I will get the message from time to time, and need to rearrange the critical mass of metal to get the message to go away.

gavine · Feb 25, 2015

Instead of waving the fob around, just hold the fob under the two USB ports and it will get recognized. That works even if the battery is almost dead. I think I even recall seeing this in the owner's manual.

andrewket · Feb 25, 2015

gavine said:
Instead of waving the fob around, just hold the fob under the two USB ports and it will get recognized. That works even if the battery is almost dead. I think I even recall seeing this in the owner's manual.

The cup holders is the place tesla usually suggests. It had no effect.

orangem · Feb 25, 2015

i have been having key not found issue quite a bit recently too. The way to resolve for me is to step out of the car, manually use the fob to lock the car and then reopen the locks. Then the car will recognize the fob inside.

mknox · Feb 26, 2015

andrewket said:
The cup holders is the place tesla usually suggests. It had no effect.

Same for me. The cupholder, near the USB ports... nothing. Once I clicked one of the fob's buttons it started working again. I am all but convinced that having my phone and the fob very near each other was the root cause because it happened a couple of times with my phone in the same pocket and never once I kept the phone away from the fob.

gavine · Feb 26, 2015

From page 41 of the manual:

If Model S does not detect a key when you
press the brake, the instrument panel displays
a message telling you that a key was not
detected.
Place the key in the center console cup holder
where Model S can best detect it.
If Model S still does not detect the key, try
holding it against the center console,
immediately below the 12V power socket (see
12V Power Socket on page 87). Or try using
another key. If another key does not work,
contact Tesla.
A number of factors can affect whether
Model S can detect the key. These include a
low battery in the key, interference from other
devices using radio signals, and objects
between the key and receiver.

It always fixes the problem for me if I hold the fob under the 12V. The cup holder is not 100% for me.

CHG-ON · Feb 26, 2015

I haven't had this problem as of yet. But I do have a question:

My key is always in my pocket and I spend a LOT of time in my garage. I must walk by the car 20x per day, constantly unlocking it. Does this hurt the key fob battery or the lock/unlock mechanism in the car? The idea of taking the key out of my pocket and placing it away from the car when I am at home would be very inconvenient for me as I lose just about everything!

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