Tesla 3 doors unlocked by themselves and stayed unlocked the whole night

[Wolfique]

This morning I received 2 notifications from my Tesla 3 in the Tesla app:
* The doors are unlocked at around midnight
* The doors are unlocked at 1:46AM

The doors stayed unlocked the whole night and I locked them from my phone when woke up. Somebody certainly was in the car checking the content of the door pockets and main console but looks like nothing was taken. Just the content of the door pockets and the console was out.

The doors were locked before and I didn't drive car yesterday, so it was 100% locked the night before.
I do not use the Tesla key cards and both of them (2) are in a safe space in my house.

Sentry mode is on. The car was at 105km charge, Century seemed to work fine but, again, no recordings of any events.
Exclude home/work/favorites are off as well.
I noticed a new feature "Set Camera-Based Detection" in settings today which also was off. This may explain the absence of the recording but I am not suer.

Questions:
1. How to reach out to Tesla support and start the investigation (at least to figure out why the doors magically opened)
2. If you experienced this - how to fix this? Saw some suggestions to reboot the car in some similar threads
3. Why aren't there recordings of the event?

Appreciate your thoughts

 

[LoudMusic]

I'd use the Tesla app to open a service ticket.

I've gotten notifications that the car is unlocked. I don't know how, but it seems like there are time the "walk away auto lock" doesn't trigger, and then later the car determines no one is in the car and the doors are unlocked so it notifies me. It's happened less than 5 times in 3 years and I am in and out of the car a lot.

Sentry mode is frankly wonky. Also I think if the doors are unlocked it disables.

Do you use any third party apps for your car?

Have you added anyone else to your account?

Are you the first owner of the vehicle?

How long have you owned it?

 

[pnwadventures]

It sounds like you use phone-as-a-key. How far away is your phone from your car at night? Is it within Bluetooth range?

 

[EVRider-FL]

The doors were locked before and I didn't drive car yesterday, so it was 100% locked the night before.

How do you know the car was locked?

Sentry Mode is active even if the car is unlocked, so there should be a Sentry alert (not alarm) event if someone approached the car, even if that was you. Maybe that only happens with Camera Based Detection enabled. I never enabled/disabled that feature in my car, so I’m guessing it’s enabled by default.

 

[zoomer0056]

1. How to reach out to Tesla support and start the investigation

Use the app to open a service request. Just state what you've mentioned here in your post.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

The "doors unlocked" message occurs when the car has been:
- Locked
- Then unlocked by any means (e.g. internet, keycard, Bluetooth, keyfob)
- Passive proximity-based unlocks (e.g. Bluetooth or keyfob) don't actually occur unless a door is opened.
- Active unlocks (internet, keycard) do actually unlock on command, but will timeout and re-lock if a door is not opened within a minute or so.
- Then door cycled and de-occupied *while* out of proximity range.
- Then left for ~5 minutes or so.

So it sounds like someone did a relay attack on your phone to get the car open, then dropped the relay attack while it was either open or occupied, and then you got the message a few minutes after they left and closed the door. Twice.

New Bluetooth hack can unlock your Tesla—and all kinds of other devices

All it takes to hijack Bluetooth-secured devices is custom code and $100 in hardware.

arstechnica.com

P.S. You can't have Sentry mode when the doors are unlocked so that's one reason you didn't get video. But, they may have tried for a while to get the attack to work, triggered some recordings, then deleted them once inside. Try some file recovery methods to see if something exists.

 

[zoomer0056]

The "doors unlocked" message occurs when the car has been:
- Locked
- Then unlocked by any means (e.g. internet, keycard, Bluetooth, keyfob)
- Passive proximity-based unlocks (e.g. Bluetooth or keyfob) don't actually occur unless a door is opened.
- Active unlocks (internet, keycard) do actually unlock on command, but will timeout and re-lock if a door is not opened within a minute or so.
- Then door cycled and de-occupied *while* out of proximity range.
- Then left for ~5 minutes or so.

So it sounds like someone did a relay attack on your phone to get the car open, then dropped the relay attack while it was either open or occupied, and then you got the message a few minutes after they left and closed the door. Twice.

New Bluetooth hack can unlock your Tesla—and all kinds of other devices

All it takes to hijack Bluetooth-secured devices is custom code and $100 in hardware.

arstechnica.com

P.S. You can't have Sentry mode when the doors are unlocked so that's one reason you didn't get video. But, they may have tried for a while to get the attack to work, triggered some recordings, then deleted them once inside. Try some file recovery methods to see if something exists.

I really don't know about this type of theft. However, I would think there would be a tone of news media stories out there exaggerating this to no end if it was true, especially since its a Tesla. Again ... I really have no direct knowledge of this.

 

[jjrandorin]

I really don't know about this type of theft. However, I would think there would be a tone of news media stories out there exaggerating this to no end if it was true, especially since its a Tesla. Again ... I really have no direct knowledge of this.

There have been reports of this, actually. Not just the one @Gauss Guzzler linked to, but there are at least a few different threads here either asking the question about something like this, or saying "my car was stolen" and discussion about something similar to this occurring.

How likely is keyless theft 2023

I think you are confusing a targeted multi vector attack against typically well managed and secured resources with someone losing their phone. I’m just thinking of total risk There’s evidence that the thefts a while ago were an organised gang, at least in the sense a lot of cars were taken in...

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Relay attack (in)security mitigations?

Hello all. I haven't posted in quite a while. Wondering if anyone has the scoop on Tesla coming up with something more friendly than pin-2-drive as a mitigation for relay hacks to enter and operate our cars? Mine is always garaged except when I'm out at a store or something so I'm not THAT...

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Security of Phone/Card/Key?

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Phone Key always connected at Home

I live in a side by side duplex where the driveway runs the full length of the house. The other night I went outside without my phone and noticed that I could get into the car. The phone was in the house the entire time. I came to realize that most if not all of the home is within reach of the...

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Walk Away Door Lock Timer

So recently I just got my MYLR last week and I setup the walk away door lock. I’ve noticed that it takes around 35 seconds to lock actually after leaving the vehicle. Is there a way to make this time instantaneous? Seems like 35 seconds is a fairly large amount of time.

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How Secure Are Teslas/Tesla Thefts

I’ve had my Model Y for nearly two weeks now and I’ve been thinking about security. You hear stories about car signals being exploited and stolen within minutes etc. How secure are our Tesla’s? I know they emit a Bluetooth signal for the phone unlocking etc. I’m also thinking of installing a...

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There are a few more, but I just wanted to point out that this discussion IS a thing already.

 

[zoomer0056]

There have been reports of this, actually. Not just the one @Gauss Guzzler linked to, but there are at least a few different threads here either asking the question about something like this, or saying "my car was stolen" and discussion about something similar to this occurring.

How likely is keyless theft 2023

I think you are confusing a targeted multi vector attack against typically well managed and secured resources with someone losing their phone. I’m just thinking of total risk There’s evidence that the thefts a while ago were an organised gang, at least in the sense a lot of cars were taken in...

teslamotorsclub.com

Relay attack (in)security mitigations?

Hello all. I haven't posted in quite a while. Wondering if anyone has the scoop on Tesla coming up with something more friendly than pin-2-drive as a mitigation for relay hacks to enter and operate our cars? Mine is always garaged except when I'm out at a store or something so I'm not THAT...

teslamotorsclub.com

Security of Phone/Card/Key?

Currently I make use of a faraday pouch in the hope it prevents my car from being nicked off my driveway. How do Tesla owners secure their key cards and phones against the signal stealing tech that car thieves favour? Does anyone use faraday pouches or metal tins to block the signals or is...

teslamotorsclub.com

Phone Key always connected at Home

I live in a side by side duplex where the driveway runs the full length of the house. The other night I went outside without my phone and noticed that I could get into the car. The phone was in the house the entire time. I came to realize that most if not all of the home is within reach of the...

teslamotorsclub.com

Walk Away Door Lock Timer

So recently I just got my MYLR last week and I setup the walk away door lock. I’ve noticed that it takes around 35 seconds to lock actually after leaving the vehicle. Is there a way to make this time instantaneous? Seems like 35 seconds is a fairly large amount of time.

teslamotorsclub.com

How Secure Are Teslas/Tesla Thefts

I’ve had my Model Y for nearly two weeks now and I’ve been thinking about security. You hear stories about car signals being exploited and stolen within minutes etc. How secure are our Tesla’s? I know they emit a Bluetooth signal for the phone unlocking etc. I’m also thinking of installing a...

teslamotorsclub.com

There are a few more, but I just wanted to point out that this discussion IS a thing already.

Yes. I have read those.

 

[Wolfique]

Appreciate your ideas and suggestions! Will raise a service request right away

Just to add more information:
1. Do you use any third party apps for your car?
No, no third party apps

2. Have you added anyone else to your account?
No, only myself and my spouse

3. Are you the first owner of the vehicle?
Correct, I am

4. How long have you owned it?
Around 2.5 years

5. How far away is your phone from your car at night? Is it within Bluetooth range?
This night the phone (iPhone 14) was within 10m. Interestingly, I manage to open the car only when the phone is withing a meter-or-so distance from the car. Yesterday I put the phone to the same place and tried to open the car - locked, only triggered sentry

6. How do you know the car was locked?
I walked by the evening before, the mirrors were folded. So I assumed the doors were locked

 

[Wolfique]

Speaking of Bluetooth proximity/connection between a card and a key - I saw a bunch of threads with quite different results (some people had to be 1 meter away, while others could be up to 10 meters away to open the car).

Is there some official tesla's perspective on it?
For now also turned off the phone key, just to be a bit safer

 

[zoomer0056]

I noticed a new feature "Set Camera-Based Detection" in settings today which also was off. This may explain the absence of the recording but I am not suer.

Camera based detection has been around since update 2022.44.2

2022.44.2 Official Tesla Release Notes - Software Updates

Tesla software update 2022.44.2 includes Sentry Mode, Camera-Based Detection, New Language Support, Seat Belt System Enhancement, Energy App, Battery Temperature, Service Mode Enhancement, Manual Climate, Auto Seats, SOS Button.

www.notateslaapp.com

 

[Wolfique]

Thanks! I didn't know that. And thanks for the link as well

 

[zoomer0056]

Thanks! I didn't know that. And thanks for the link as well

You're welcome. Not A Tesla App is a good source for update specs. Gotta take their articles with a grain of salt though. They're into speculation and use TMC and Reddit as two of their "sources famiar with".

 

[AndroidFreak]

I've had this happen to me twice already. 100% when I exited my car I made sure it was locked in the app & physically see the side mirrors folded. Also disabled bluetooth & Tesla app in phone. Then an hour or 2 later my neighbor walks dog ..... comes near my car.& sees side mirrors unfolded & enters my car. 2023 Model 3 delivered on 12/16/23

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Dude, your neighbor is sketch. Hope your dog is bigger than his.

 

[MikeRTX]

I often see a notification that my Model 3 is "Disconnected" (?), but only once that I know of has it actually left the doors unlocked.

 

[AndroidFreak]

Dude, your neighbor is sketch. Hope your dog is bigger than his.

he's a relative of mines lol. if he hadn't pointed it out to me probably would've never known about it.

 

[Gasaraki]

he's a relative of mines lol. if he hadn't pointed it out to me probably would've never known about it.

Your car tells you though...