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One of the worst experiences I had was when I lost my Tesla key card. At the time, I had no idea what to do and couldn’t determine the right solution to the problem. Fortunately, after numerous hours of searching, I got all the answers to my questions.
I put together this guide to help others find a solution to solve their lost key card problem. You can continue reading if you’re eager to find a solution and don’t have hours of free time to search trusted sources. Our reputable guide has everything you need to know.
What Is A Tesla Key Card? – The Three Types
There are three different types of Tesla keys. Below we have briefly detailed each type so that you’d better understand them. Knowing more about these key options will help you learn which section of our guide you need to read.
Key card: The Tesla key cards are designed using RFID signal technology, known as radio frequency identification. This key card is used to authenticate phone keys and add or remove key cards, phone keys, and key fobs. This key card is handy when your phone’s battery is dead, and you can’t use it to start your Tesla. However, you should note that the key card doesn’t support automatic locking and unlocking.
Phone key: As its name indicates, you can set up your phone to become a key for your Tesla. Phone keys communicate with your vehicle via Bluetooth. You will have automatic locking and unlocking access if you choose a phone key.
Key fob: With a key fob, you can lock and unlock a Tesla’s rear trunk and doors and start the vehicle. Your key fob can be used as a backup for a phone key and is compatible with automatic locking and unlocking.
Can You Track A Lost Or Misplaced, Tesla Key Card
No! At present there isn’t any way to track a Tesla key card that’s been lost or misplaced.
Can You Duplicate A Tesla Key Card?
The short answer is no. You cannot duplicate (clone) a Tesla key card. These key cards feature RFID technology, making them physically unclonable.
How Do You Deactivate Your Lost Tesla Key Card In Your Vehicle?
Despite what you might have been told, there is a way for you to deactivate your lost Tesla key card when you’re inside your vehicle. You must follow the following steps.
1.Navigate to your Tesla’s central touchscreen, open ‘controls’, and then the ‘locks’ feature.
2.Go through your keys and choose the one you need to deactivate and delete. Once you’ve found the key you don’t want to use, you must press the ‘trash’ icon.
3.You must have a spare handy when deactivating your lost Tesla key card. Once you’ve deactivated and ‘trashed’ the old one, scan your Tesla’s spare key card on the key reader when the system prompts you to do so.
You will need a spare key handy because it’s a confirmation step that proves you’re deactivating a lost key card, not someone else.
What Should You Do If You Don’t Have Your Tesla Key Card Or Phone?
The first thing you should do if you don’t have a Tesla key card or phone key is not available. There is a way to resolve this situation.
It’s highly unlikely that you lose your key card and have a flat phone that stops you from accessing your phone key. Yet there are two steps you can follow if you’ve wound up in this situation:
1.You will need to call an individual ( a spouse or other family member) with access to your vehicle on Tesla’s app. To do this, you will need to borrow someone’s phone. If this doesn’t work, you must borrow someone’s phone, download the Tesla app, and access your phone key.
2.Once the person is in the app, they can unlock your vehicle remotely, and you can drive it home, where you can take care of the lost key card problem.
What Should You Do If You Lost Both Tesla Key Cards?
Don’t be too hard on yourself if you have lost both of your Tesla key cards, as there is a solution to this dilemma. Have a quick look below to learn the steps you must follow if you’ve lost both key cards:
1.Go to the Tesla app on your smartphone phone and open it.
2.Use the app to unlock your vehicle and drive it home.
3.Once you’re home, you need to book an appointment with your nearest Tesla dealership. This is the only way you’ll be able to obtain a new set of Tesla key cards if you’ve lost both.
On average, you should expect a set of new Tesla key cards to cost you about $35 each.
How To Get A Key Replacement
After deactivating your Tesla key card, you’ll need to get a replacement. How you go about getting a replacement will depend on whether or not you have enough time.
When You Have Enough Time
If you still have time, you can buy a new set of key cards from Tesla via their company website. Unfortunately, they aren’t sold separately, so you have to buy a set.
If you have no Tesla key cards and you want to get a replacement, this is the process you must follow:
When You Have No Spare Keys
Unfortunately, if you have no authenticated spare keys, it can be incredibly difficult to get a replacement. This is because if you have no authenticated key cards on hand, you’ll have no way to confirm a new one and program it.
As we mentioned above, the best thing to do in this scenario is to make an appointment at a Tesla dealership’s Service Center to buy new key cards. A Tesla employee will help you program the keys as only they can.
When you head to the dealership, ensure you have a valid form of ID on you, as you will have to prove your identity when getting new key cards programmed.
How To Activate The Key Card
After your new cards arrive, you’ll need to follow the following easy steps to activate and program them:
1.On your Tesla control screen in your vehicle, you need to go to ‘Controls’ and then ‘Locks’ and select the (+) sign in the control panels keys section to add key cards.
2.After you’ve done this, you must put the new Tesla key card on the reader, which is found at the top of your vehicle’s center console. This console will automatically recognize the new key card so you can take it off after a few minutes.
3.Now place your spare Tesla key card on this reader. Once done, the new key card will be authenticated and show up on your Teslas control display as your ‘New Key Card’.
4.When it appears on the control screen, you can click the edit button feature to rename it so that it’s easily identifiable on your list.
The above activation process only works if you already have a spare key card and have purchased a new one to add.
Tips To Manage Your Key Cards
Losing a Tesla key card is never a pleasant experience. Luckily, a few tips can help you manage your key cards so that this doesn’t happen. See below to learn these tips:
Label Your Cards
If you don’t want to lose your key cards, you should consider labeling them. For example, have one for ‘home’ and one for ‘work’.
Carry One Key Card Only
It’s never a good idea to carry more than one key card with you at a time for your Tesla.
If you do this, there’s a greater chance of you losing both key cards and having to head over to the dealership. So to stay on the safe side, keep one key card at home and one in your bag or on your keys.
Add Different Color Protective Sleeves
If you add different colored protective sleeves to your Tesla key cards, you’ll be able to better find them if they are lost.
Don’t Put The Cards In Loose Clothing
If you put your key card in the top hip pockets of your pants, in a suit jacket pocket, or hoodie pocket, they are likely to fall out or be crushed. Instead, keep the key on a keychain, in a bag, or in a drawer.
Consider the Watch App For Tesla Or The Stats App
These apps allow you to manage your vehicle from its interface.
Our Verdict
Hopefully, this guide has given you all the information you need to get out of a tricky lost key situation. How you resolve it will depend on if you have other keys available, like the phone key or fob, and if you have a spare.
No matter you’re lost key card situation, you can see that it’s fairly simple to resolve, so no need to panic if you follow our tips.
Losing a Tesla Key Card is a unique situation. I’m sure there are people who lose keys, ID/credit/debit cards etc… I’m not one of those. Yet when forced (it stopped working automatically from my phone) to use a Telsa key card I’ve lost two in less than a week. (Once two years ago when the car was new, and yesterday after three days.) I suspect it might be under the pivoting console door, but it’s difficult to check (I’ve even probed it with wire. I’d have to dissemble the console. Tesla phone support mentioned that this has happened.) For this to happen the card placed on the console would have to slide over the cup holders, then you’d have to inadvertently open that door (which I did yesterday). A black card in a black interior is just a stupid combination.