5 Reasons Your Tesla is Not Locking!

Last updated on April 18th, 2023 at 11:17 pm

Your Tesla must keep you safe anywhere you go. That is why Tesla has various safety features, including the auto lock function. This feature makes it easier to lock your car remotely.

But when your Tesla fails to lock, it makes you feel unsafe and frustrated, especially in haste. Therefore, what are the reasons your Tesla fails to lock?

There are many reasons your Tesla might not lock. For example, your features or settings must be in the correct position. It might also be a result of user error with your auto software. When this happens, your Tesla will fail to lock. 

Read on as I walk you through the various reasons why your Tesla is not locking and some solutions. Also, you will know how you can lock your car automatically.

5 Reasons Tesla Is Not Locking

The Tesla lock problem occurs mainly because of specific problems with your EV software.

These user errors mostly happen when you upgrade your user software or change the settings.

Here are the common source of Tesla locking issues.

#1. Doors Not Shut Appropriately

One of the most popular reasons your Tesla models will only lock is when you don’t shut the doors properly. It may be because the lock is faulty or there is an issue with your door. 

Also, if you don’t close your Tesla trunk well, your door will not lock. However, when you shut your car doors and trunk and are still experiencing locking issues, it’s likely a software problem.

Solution

• Open all the car doors and trunk.
• Then ensure you shut them tightly for the car to lock. Many Tesla owners have testified that their vehicles will lock after they close their doors and trunk.

#2. When You Are in Your Excluded Location

The Tesla company designed your car so that you can exclude some areas from the auto-lock setting. One of the locations omitted by default is your home.

Therefore, once you enable the features and are in any locations you excluded, your car door will not lock even if you shut all the doors.

Solution

Once you exclude any location on your auto lock, your car will not lock in that vicinity. So it’s best to double-check where you are, and if you are in that area, you must lock your car manually.

The most common issue you might face as a Tesla owner is that your car does not auto-lock at home. 

However, it’s simple to fix: go through your settings and ensure you don’t enable the exclude Auto lock at the home button.

#3. The Tesla App Is Not Connected

Another possible reason for lock issues is when there is no connection between your app and your car. As a result, your car will not know when to lock automatically and when not.

Solution 

Ensure your app and car are connected before you lock your vehicle.

#4. Software or Hardware Issues

Another valid reason for lock issues is when a bug has invaded the hardware or software of your Tesla. 

Since Tesla is an electric vehicle, its technology design can sometimes cause problems, especially with how certain features like charging work. 

Also, when you update your vehicle’s software, you may experience issues with your lock.

Solution 

If you have tried all the solutions above, but your Tesla refuses to lock, it might be an issue with your hardware or software. Then it’s best to reach out to Tesla customer service. 

They will provide the assistance you need to fix your car. They can even book you an appointment at any Tesla center near you.

#5. Tesla Detects a Key

When your EV sensors detect a key inside your vehicle while you are trying to lock it automatically, your locking features will not work.

Solution 

Before leaving your car, ensure you take your keys with you. If your sensor detects a key, it will think someone is still in the car. Therefore it will not lock.

Why Won’t Tesla Lock Automatically?

There are a lot of reasons your Tesla will not auto-lock. 

• One of the reasons is that when it detects a phone or fob key in the car, your Tesla will not lock even if you are at the appropriate distance.
• Another reason your automatic lock won’t function is that your market region does not support Tesla auto-lock features. 
• You might also have yet to reach the appropriate distance from which your EV will detect your keys. 

That is why you need to understand how your Tesla model works to get the auto lock function to work correctly. 

How to Lock Tesla Automatically?

Tesla will automatically lock when you are at the appropriate distance from your vehicle with your mobile or fob key. To turn on this feature, go to Controls and click on the Lock. 

Then select the Walk-away door lock. If you want to turn off this feature, you will follow the same steps.

Tesla supports three keys: a phone key, a fob key, and a key card. However, the auto-lock features only work with a phone and fob keys, and you have to pair these keys properly. 

The key fobs and phone keys differ a little. 

The table below shows the difference.

Key Fobs	Phone Key
The key fobs do not lock the door automatically until you walk away.	It automatically locks your Tesla door.
It operates even with a dead battery.	Once your phone dies, your phone key can’t work again.

#1. How to Use Phone Key? 

You need the Tesla app to use a phone key for your electric vehicle. Just download and install it on your mobile device and log in with your Tesla login details (username and password). 

It’s best to make sure you connect your phone to your vehicle correctly and enable all the necessary settings.

Then pair your device Bluetooth with your car and keep it on always to enable your phone’s essential function. 

Another vital thing to note is that your car’s access to the location is always on by setting the mobile app territory authorization as Always.

Then on your Tesla screen, go to Controls and scroll to Safety. Then click on Allow mobile access. Then you can use your phone key to lock your car automatically.

#2. How to Use Key Fob?

You can use a key fob instead of a phone key—different region control different areas on your Tesla. 

You can unlock and lock your car. Although it won’t automatically lock your doors by pressing the fob when you walk away from your car, it will lock your auto. 

However, you must purchase the fob key compatible with your Tesla model to function correctly. 

Whether you use the fob key or the phone key to activate the auto-lock function, it’s advisable to double-check your doors each time.

Your Tesla auto-locks when you carry the key fob or your paired device, but you may wonder how you will know whether it is locked or not. 

Here are the two things you should look out for?

• Once you are around 30 feet from your car, you will hear a beeping sound from it.
• Also, your car’s side mirrors will fold when it locks.

So with these two features, you will confirm the state of your vehicle. But if you still need to confirm, check your mobile app.

Tesla Walkway Lock Is Not Working

There are situations where your Tesla walkway lock might not function, don’t just assume it has gone wrong. 

The door may not lock for simple reasons like your key distance to your car, your Bluetooth connectivity, and memory, or it might even be that you need to close your trunk correctly. 

You can disable the feature and turn it on later to fix this issue. It’s best to always check your car parts before leaving or auto-locking.