Don’t Forget Your Keys: Tesla Owner Stranded When “Start By Phone” Doesn’t Work

Buying a Tesla means you’re buying a whole lot of technology, including the ability to unlock, start, and drive your vehicle through the company’s app. While that’s convenient, one owner recently found that you still shouldn’t leave home without your keys. 

A Las Vegas resident says he was stranded on the side of the road in the desert over the weekend when he couldn’t restart his car using the Tesla app, Mashable reports.

The man shared his plight on Instagram, noting that he was just six miles from his home when he stopped the car to adjust a dog seat.

When he went to restart the car via his app, it wouldn’t work, as there was no cell service.

“Need to restart the car now, but, with no cell service, my phone can’t connect to the car to unlock it. Even with cell service, the car would also need cell service to receive the signal to unlock,” the man said.

In the end, the man’s wife walked two miles down the road until she had service. She then called a friend to pick her up and drive her to the house to retrieve the keys.

While the man tells Mashable that the incident was his fault — he was aware the mobile app won’t start the car without cell signal, he just forgot that the reception was poor on that area of the road — he suggested that Tesla could come up with another secure way to start vehicles with the mobile app.

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