5 Reasons Your Tesla Bluetooth is Not Working!

Last updated on April 18th, 2023 at 11:16 pm

The importance of having functional Bluetooth in your car is undebatable. That goes beyond just having to play music from your phone hands-free.

A working Bluetooth will give you the advantage of receiving and making calls while driving your Tesla.

So, issues begin when you find it difficult to synchronize your Bluetooth to your Tesla.

Some factors can make the Bluetooth feature of your Tesla fail, and when that happens, it’s right to get your facts right. The first thing you’ll have to consider checking out is the Tesla App. Most times, your smartphone doesn’t support the App, or you need to turn on the feature.

Either way, the only way to remedy such a situation is to get the right information so you can know what to do as a solution.

Therefore, I’m happy you found this guide because, in the end, you’ll know how to bring that Bluetooth into working again.

Why Is My Tesla Bluetooth Not Working?

Many reasons can make your Tesla Bluetooth stop or not work; these factors are inexhaustible, but in this section, I’ll enumerate the commonly-encountered ones.

#1. App Issues 

App connection problems are common issues that can cause your Tesla Bluetooth to malfunction. 

If you don’t properly connect to your Tesla App, getting the Bluetooth to work will be tricky. It’s right to check that you’re properly connected and that the App is working appropriately.

Also, there’ll be difficulty connecting to the Tesla App if you’re using an outdated version; you’ll only connect with ease if you update the App to a current version.

#2. Tesla Issues 

This case only happens sometimes, but you’ll want to rule out when your Bluetooth malfunctions.

Like every car, Tesla comes with salient issues, so discovering that its Bluetooth feature has a malfunctioning setup won’t be strange.

Hence, you can either fix it yourself or take it to a dealer shop; all you need is how to go about it on their website.

#3. Improper Connection 

Sometimes, all it takes is to ensure that you’re properly connected to use the Bluetooth feature. 

A simple way of alleviating this issue is to confirm the connection before using the Bluetooth feature.

#4. Music Factor 

Sometimes the reason why your Bluetooth isn’t connecting is the nature of the song playing. 

For example, if you’re playing a corrupt song, you won’t hear it play even after you’ve ensured the right connection. 

Also, if the song is from an App that glitches, you’ll have issues getting it to play.

#5. Low Bluetooth Volume 

As funny and as little as that sounds, a low volume can cause you to think the Bluetooth isn’t working. So, ensure that the Bluetooth is high enough.

How Do I Fix the Bluetooth Pairing Problem in My Tesla?

Fixing the Bluetooth pairing problem in your Tesla depends on the cause of the malfunctioning Bluetooth connection.

In this section, I’ll take you through getting that Bluetooth to pair correctly with your Tesla, but I’ll do that depending on the underlying cause.

Now, let’s see how to fix the Bluetooth pairing problem depending on the factors I outlined in the previous section.

#1. Keep Your Tesla App Running In the Background 

For an App to run efficiently and uninterruptedly, you must leave it running in the background. If you erase the App from the background of your smartphone, it’s as good as shutting it off.

Check that the App runs in the background while you’re performing other tasks on the smartphone; that’ll maintain the connection and keep the Bluetooth functional.

#2. Try Logging Out and In 

After ensuring that the App is running in the background and the Bluetooth fails to connect, log out. Then, wait a few minutes, and log back in to see if the feature connects back.

Most times, that suffice, and you wouldn’t need to go any further with other solutions.

But if that doesn’t help, we’ll head on to the next option.

#3. Clear Cache 

Check and ensure that you clear all caches on the Tesla App because that gives room for bugs to carry out their activities. 

With the advent of bugs, your App will malfunction, giving way to Bluetooth pairing problems.

#4. Update Tesla App 

As I stated in the previous section, an old Tesla App version could cause the Bluetooth pairing to malfunction or not work.

In this case, you must delete the previous version and download a new one. Alternatively, you can update the current version directly to a newer one.

#5. Maintain Close Proximity 

Ensure your smartphone is close to the source because if it’s far away, it’ll have issues connecting in time and appropriately.

So, keep the device close enough to achieve and maintain connection, and in doing that, please remove all sources of blockage.

How Do I Turn on Bluetooth in My Tesla?

You may have failed to turn on the feature if you need help achieving a proper Bluetooth connection.

This section will help you know the right and easy way to turn the Bluetooth on and appropriately connect it to your Tesla.

Please, follow these few steps to turn on the Bluetooth in your Tesla.

• Turn on the infotainment screen of your car.
• Keep your smartphone on and close to the infotainment as possible.
• Turn on your Bluetooth and ensure it’s discoverable to other devices.
• Switch on the Bluetooth of the Tesla screen by tapping on the Bluetooth icon.
• After that, tap on the “Search Device” icon; when you find your smartphone amongst others, tap and see that the connection is complete.

How Do I Reset the Bluetooth in My Tesla?    

Resetting the Bluetooth in your Tesla is one of the simple things you can do when having connection issues. 

But before attempting to reset your Tesla, I’ll advise you to know what resetting your Tesla entails.

Hence, before going on to teach you how to reset the Bluetooth in your Tesla, here are a few things to note;

• Resetting your Tesla Touchscreen is synonymous with resetting Bluetooth.
• Resetting your Tesla involves two methods of reset; the soft and the hard reset.
• The best place to reset your Tesla is while you’re sitting in your driveway.
• It doesn’t take so much to perform a reset; you only need the right information and how to achieve the best results.

Now, let’s talk about how to reset our Tesla touchscreen to achieve Bluetooth reset;

#1. Performing a Soft Reset 

Here, I’ll show you how to perform the soft reset in your Tesla;

• Park your vehicle.
• Disconnect all USB connections, including the sentry/dash camera. 
• Press the scroll wheel button on your Tesla infotainment screen till it goes blank/dark.
• Reboot it by pressing the button until you see the Tesla logo popping up.
• Once the screen is entirely on, try switching on the Bluetooth.

That should ease every Bluetooth connection you were facing, but if not, head on to do a hard reset.

#2. Performing a Hard Reset 

The steps to rebooting your Tesla using the hard reset aren’t as complex as the word, hard, sounds. That’s because the steps are similar to that of a soft reset.

Below are the steps to rebooting your Tesla via the hard reset method;

• Park your Tesla.
• Disconnect all USB devices.
• Press and hold down your brake.
• Hold down the scroll button and wait for it to turn off and on.
• Once the screen is back on, check if the Bluetooth works fine.

This table illustrates the differences between a soft and a hard reset for a clearer picture.

Soft Reset	Hard Reset
Here, you use a single to turn off and on your device.	A hard reset will restore your device to its original factory setting.
Important data won’t get missing.	Here, you stand a chance of losing some data.
A soft reset tackles minor problems like Bluetooth pairing difficulty	A hard reset will solve soft reset-resistant problems.

Hence, before doing a hard reset while you risk losing valuable data, consider a soft reboot first.