Tesla Service Doesn’t Need My Key.

Sounds useful, TBH. Maybe it only works because the app knows your car is being serviced.

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My wife recently had mobile service come out to fix something on her MY. They did not need a key card either - they had full access to the vehicle.

They have been able to do this forever. Back in 2015 took our first S home. My wife left with one key and I had the second. Went out to use car and the key didn’t work. Called Tesla they unlocked and started car. I drove over and picked up a new key.

So you’re saying only Tesla can unilaterally write new code to access and control my car? That’s a relief. For a moment there I thought untrustworthy thieves might have access.

Got news for you, buddy. Any car dealer can create a new key fob to get into your car, and start it. This isn’t unique to Tesla, it’s just easier.

Do not forget you are on the anti Tesla subreddit lol. It is same craziness except we do not get banned here for using the word cult that hurts the Tesla Fanboys 😂

Maybe it is the only thing i like about Tesla is this easy Service process for trivial stuff, no need to talk to a service advisor or wait for one, just drop the car and leave. And pick up can be done anytime even if service department is closed. For big stuff, i still prefer to have a human interaction but for small stuff it is perfect.

You might have figured it out yourself: Tesla can also deactivate and lock you out of your car remotely, not only unlock and remote start it. As with all companies: they aren’t failproof. Just the way that a cable company could wrongfully deactivate your account because they made a mistake when typing in the customer id, Tesla could deactivate your car mistakenly. Great news, though: other manufacturers have picked those neat tricks now, too.

Think about this: mElon could summon every cyberdumpster within range and have them self-drive to barricade a location, create a huge traffic jam, ram a building, break up a protest, or cause general chaos. All with just a few lines of code.

I agree with the OP that this is seriously disturbing, and an escalation of the “you don’t really own anything” model society has been moving into. At the same time, other contributors are correct that Tesla is far from the only manufacturer with this kind of access. If your vehicle has telematics, the manufacturer, and likely a dealer, could brick it at any time, among a long list of actions they could take. Manufacturers also make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to disable or remove a car’s built in modem. You’ve got some insulation if your car has an old 3G modem, since those towers have largely gone extinct. But you need a pre-telematics car if you actually want some assurance that a corporation or hacker isn’t going to disable or otherwise exert control over your car. Edit: I’m not sure why this is being downvoted, but here’s a great article on what I’m talking about: https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway/

Has this ever not been possible with any model besides the original Roadster?

Was thinking the same with onstar

I have a 2018 Kia Niro that I paid cash for and made the dealership take EVERY way the car communicates with them off. If I own a car- I should OWN it. My car shouldnt call THEM when I get in a wreck and they can't access my car remotely. I know that my only "contact" is my phone when I am driving and if I don't want that to track me, I need to get a Faraday box to put it in. I can't tell you how much I do not regret this decision.

Not only that, it shows op obviously didn’t read the agreement when purchasing the car, the agreement when getting service, or any of the easy-to-access information pertaining to how this works. What they should be concerned with is how unsecured Tesla’s NFC reader is or remote keycard spoofing by bad actors, completely separate from the “service mode” or whatever the crap the devs like to call it.

Onstar has been doing this via satellites for a few decades, my dude. Relax.

lol easy there partner. There are a thousand legitimate beefs with Tesla and their operations. The smooth service drop off experience isn’t one of them.

Oh what you’ve noticed is just [the tip of the iceberg](https://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2021/06/blind-items-revealed-2_01873854195.html?m=1)

The problem with this is that the more features you introduce, the more potential security exploits as well.

I think it's more the implications when you realize how deeply weird Musk is and how beholden the company is to his every bad idea. People don't generally like the idea that their car can be remotely overridden, even theoretically. There's a point where added convenient really doesn't make up for it.

Okay, but Tesla has had an API since forever.

Sure. And I'm not saying that it's been a bad deal for Tesla owners. Just that it's a very obvious path for enshitification.

OnStar primarily uses AT&T’s cellular network. I seem to remember older OnStar just stopped working when carriers shut down all 2G and 3G networks.

You think nobody could ever get in your hotel room either without “the key”?

I just had service done the other day and he explained it that he only gets access once he’s there and opens the ticket on the car then Tesla sends him access to it. Once the repair ticket is closed when he’s done the doors lock and he no longer has access to the vehicle.

I mean, none of those other instances involved the wealthiest, and second pettiest, man in the world who is also a drug-addicted, attention-starved nazi man-baby who cannot make people like him.

Watch Leave the World Behind on Netflix

My favorite scene. I roared at all the wrecked shitboxen

Imagine what they can hear and see?

I read last week about a cybertruck owner/ fan posted a song about his cybertruck. Tesla bricked it remotely for violating their terms of service (using the cybertruck name without permission). Correction. This was faked.

[Rapper Fakes Video Claiming Tesla Deactivated His Cybertruck | Carscoops](https://www.carscoops.com/2025/08/rapper-fakes-video-claiming-tesla-deactivated-his-cybertruck/) Was it this guy?

Wait until you find out that Ford patented a technique for a car to repo itself after missed payments and drive to a dealership or repo yard.

That was it. Thanks for the heads up. I don’t like repeating something that is incorrect.

You don’t own your Tesla. If Elon doesn’t like you they can remotely disable your vehicle. This has already happened in at least one documented case.

OP is RIP Van Winkle

Tesla can [remote-repo](https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/18/tesla-allegedly-remotely-unlocks-model-3-owners-car-uses-smart-summon-to-help-repo-agent/) cars

What do you mean we, Tesla owner?

I remember those ads

That is so they can use it as cyber cab to score some extra money if you are late for a pickup.

OnStar was able to do this years ago. BTW, no new code is needed as it’s already there.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to cut the cable from the cellular antenna if you really wanted to do that. Most are located in one of the side mirrors.

In his final moments of insanity Elmo will probably remotely brick every Tesla on the planet and wipe the update servers.

This has been my point all of this time, I don’t mind electric cars… The car should be mine, no remote access, no call back home, let’s say it’s there, I should turn it on or off. Yet people are sleeping on this huge privacy and security issue and I fail to understand why. They record everything you do, inside and outside and we have consciously stated that we are ok with it.

Tesla service has never asked for my key. They’ve always had the ability to unlock their cars. I just found out they can remotely disable them too.

I'll quibble with a few differences. Unlike prior cars, TSLA is constantly making a wifi connection to these cars...and "updating" them. I don't think TSLA is going to drive my car off a cliff with these "updates", but they sure as hell could nerf the car's performance to help the battery limp across the warranty finish line, etc. We've seen this movie before with smart phones...and I wouldn't be enthusiastic about my car ownership experience going that route. One example - early Branch Elonians who bought Autopilot or FSD have experienced radical changes to the products they paid for (in the form of alerts and hand on wheel requirements), all done without express permission, OTA. And its really, really hard to opt out. TSLA holds all of the cards - if they want to, they can screw you over and withold supercharging until you download the next update. They already do this with warranty - owners report that any trip to the service center results in all the past OTA's getting loaded. Its not the end of the world, but IMHO it aint good that TSLA has such unfettered access to consumer owned cars. IIRC, their employees got caught leering at customers through the cameras, as just one small example of why IMHO its gone a bridge too far.

"You are experiencing a car accident."

I agree elon is a dick, but what is the actual concern here? Someone hacks tesla and your car is unlocked by thieves? Elon himself personally comes and commandeers it himself? How is this different to any other car that has had some kind of app to unlock it over the last 10 years?

“A dick”? No no no, Leon is much more than “a dick.”

And they nodded along and said "ok, you're all set sir, we've disabled all the features you requested against the advice of our manufacturer." lol

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At least when I was looking into it for my friend’s Subaru, I was seeing folk commenting that doing so would cause a lot of downstream issues

It's funny because even though you're referring to Elon that describes like all the famous males in that circle. Zuck, Rogan, trump, all of em.

I just went through this today. Brought my wife’s car to get serviced, but she has her car key while on a trip. I asked the lady if they needed my phone to move the car, and she said nope, we can control it remotely. I was shocked , but shouldn’t have been.

And the difference there is, those others largely hide theirs. Or at least they don’t flaunt and delight in theirs.

When you get the bill let me know if you still think it’s a great thing no one to argue with when they overcharge you good luck with that

That’s actually the least of my worries- the amount of tracking and what parts of the car they can control via on air updates is much scarier. Remember when the m3 launched and there were complaints about the braking not being sensitive enough? They made changes via software updates.

That's not too bad. And wow is it convenient. Car battery notification that it needs to be replaced (yeah a bit early I think compared to other cars, but not too bad). Start thinking about the stress of going to a dealership, dropping off the car, transportation, etc or risking it and driving to an auto center, buying the right battery, sweating it out replacing it. Nope, schedule in the app, come out the next day, replace it in 30 mins along with a recall fixit, and they're just gone afterwards (was going to give a tip). Pay in the app. So hassle free, it's such a good system that more dealerships should adopt.

You should probably spend a minimal amount of time researching a story that sounds as fake as that one before you spread it.

With a Tesla S and the app on your phone, since 2013, you could unlock doors, open windows and the roof, start AC and the car, from around the world, if you wanted. No need for a keyfob, if you wanted anyone to borrow your car for a trip

Noting new. I’ve never once had to give them my key. It’s a little creepy but not at all surprising given the nature of this car.

True, it isn’t new but it is the farthest reaching and most egregious and that makes this more concerning. I just got out out of the ecosystem because I felt personally tarnished driving one now the brand is tainted with his public displays of awfulness, and I’m glad I did for a number of reasons but the lack of control over working I bought outright is a large one

Dude parked it on a highway and played a YouTube video on the screen

Thinking fElon will not be using his powers for evil....

It’s been predicted https://youtu.be/9xkokcGTK4k?si=K4p_zbD1EzMAH5FX

The reported screwing with the odometer to end warranty obligations early, the ability to pull travel data remotely without your knowledge or express permission…I think the real problem I have with them, other than the Nazi image, poor quality, outrageous service costs, tanking resale, vaporware - I’m sorry, where was I? - oh, yes…is the fact that they can access your car without your permission or knowledge. I had a Ford that could do remote updates (though it took them an hour with the car running, so it was impractical), but I had to initiate the request. Heck, the dealer wouldn’t update unless I specifically requested it. And while I believe most modern cars have the equivalent of a “black box” which can be recovered and checked by authorities investigating accidents, Tesla can access the data remotely and won’t release it to investigators until an internal review decides if anything in the data is “relevant.” Which means it can cover up lots of problems, like the failure of the doors’ emergency open systems which has trapped multiple people inside while they slowly roasted to death. I will never drive one of those crapboxes.

Tesla is by far not the only company that can do this, remote unlock through the internet is a feature on most modern cars in some form.

Keep in mind, the only reason it works that way is because Tesla made it to work that way. The system protects you from rogue Tesla employees, not from Tesla.

Reminded me of a scene from a movie: "In a memorable scene, numerous Tesla Model 3 vehicles, operating on Autopilot mode, are hijacked as part of a larger cyberattack. They are deliberately crashed into one another on a highway entrance ramp, creating a massive pileup that blocks the road and traps the main characters" - **"Leave the World Behind"** (2023), directed by Sam Esmail and available on Netflix.

Yep. Similar scenario in Little Brother. Except Cory Doctorow tends to write stuff that is technically accurate and is a member of the EFF among many other things. In the book, a branch of government used remote control of EVs to create a terror attack in San Francisco against privacy activists.

Funnily enough he wouldn’t be where he is today (Trump .. men like them etc ) if he hadn’t been exactly all of what you described him lol

Thats crazy? I read somewhere a guy said he was 2 months behind on his Tesla car payment amd they prevented the car from starting until he made the payment.