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Glenn Howerton said his Tesla was stuck in a parking lot for over 24 hours after his key fob broke.
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The actor detailed his frustrating experience with Tesla support not helping him start his car.
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It’s unclear how much of the problem was user error compared to Tesla’s actual problems.
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “AP Bio” star Glenn Howerton detailed the frustrating experience of having his Tesla car stuck in a parking lot for over 24 hours. podcast on monday.
Howerton told co-stars on “The Always Sunny Podcast” that he was locked out of Tesla on Friday night after his key fob broke. The actor also said he was unable to connect to his Wi-Fi at an electric car manufacturer on the bottom floor of a parking lot in Los Angeles. App to access the vehicle — Failsafe against key fob issues.in addition website Tesla says of the Model X, “Both the phone and the vehicle must be actively connected to cellular service in order for the mobile app to communicate with the vehicle.”
“Tesla recommends having a functioning physical key readily available at all times when parking in areas where cellular service is limited or non-existent, such as indoor parking lots.” the site says.
tesla first introduced The company’s keyless entry system in 2017 and other automakers have followed suit, using Bluetooth technology to enable keyless entry, but unlike other automakers, Tesla doesn’t offer a traditional key that can be inserted into a vehicle. is not provided to the driver. However, car manufacturers can provide owners with multiple key fobs. It’s unclear which Tesla model Howerton owns. Tesla’s newer models don’t require an internet connection to use the app to open and start the car.We have the latest vehicles key cardFor the past few years, Tesla has backup key card Can be used to get in and start the car.
It’s unclear how much of the problem was user error compared to Tesla’s actual problems. Howerton said he didn’t discover until the next day that he could unlock the car by swiping the key fob over the car keys. designated area to the vehicle.
“It infuriated me,” Howerton said of his strong reactions to frustrating situations, joking in the past on the podcast. “It didn’t go well,” he added.
Spokespeople for Howerton and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment from Insider prior to publication.
Howerton said he was forced to leave the car in the parking lot overnight because replacing the battery in the key didn’t fix the problem. The next morning, after looking into the problem, he was able to get in the car by leaving the key in the designated spot in the car, but Howerton said he still couldn’t start the car because the key fob wasn’t working. I said I couldn’t. car. “
The actor said even early attempts to tow the car were unsuccessful because the garage had a low ceiling and couldn’t get the car in. transport modewhich Tesla requires to avoid “severe damage and overheating,” possibly even a fire.
Struggling to get Tesla support over the phone
Howerton said he spent more than eight hours on Saturday camping out in the parking lot to try and fix the problem.
He also found it nearly impossible to get in touch with Tesla’s support team.
“We had a very difficult time getting in touch with these people,” Howerton said, noting that he was unable to contact Tesla’s roadside assistance and vehicle support teams.
As a last resort to contact Tesla support, he decided to call Tesla’s sales department. It worked, and he began to “lace” members of the company’s sales team.
“I thought, ‘You guys lost a customer today. I’ve been a Tesla customer for 10 years,'” he said.
The actor described a situation that took him back and forth between two divisions of Tesla as he tried to troubleshoot the issue.
“We go to the end of the call and they go: ‘I don’t think there’s anything we can do,'” Howerton told his castmate. What do you mean by nothing?’
Howerton said he had finally come to terms with the absurdity of the situation, saying it was outdated human ingenuity that solved the problem, not technology or Tesla’s support staff.
With the help of the parking lot staff, he eventually found a tow truck that was not only small enough to get into the parking lot, but could jack up the car so the wheels didn’t have to touch the ground.
He said the key fob hasn’t been fixed since then and he relies solely on Tesla’s app to drive. That means we take great care to avoid garages and parking zones without WiFi.
The actor’s experience with Tesla is not unprecedented.Earlier this year, Tesla owners told an insider He was locked out of the electric car after the battery died. He says it will cost him over $20,000 to fix the problem. In August, Vox reported Owners have filed thousands of complaints about Tesla’s service centers. last year, reported by an insider Drivers took to social media to report problems with the new Tesla, such as paint defects and misaligned car panels.
Read the original article at business insider