Photo: Tesla
Tesla cars are the ultimate gadgets, filled to the brim with useful technologies but also duds, mere gimmicks that are probably good to show off around friends and nothing more. Tesla Summon and Smart Summon blur the lines between the two. They can be useful but can lead to expensive repairs when malfunctioning.
A Tesla Model X owner discovered this the hard way after trying the Summon function, also known as “dumb summon” to distinguish it from the Smart Summon function that Tesla also offers. According to their experience shared on the Tesla Motors Club forum, this owner had several attempts to use both functionalities, although they quickly gave up on the Smart Summon. Both previous attempts ended in disaster, although no details were given.
We don’t think they had more luck with the dumb Summon, based on what they told the Tesla Motors Club community. On one of their first attempts, the car stopped only a couple of seconds after they released the button in the Tesla app. It was close to hitting the curb in front of the vehicle in a public parking lot, so they swore not to use the app again, thinking that was the problem.
Model X owners who recently bought their cars know that Tesla no longer includes a key fob unless paid extra. Sure enough, after receiving their key fob through the mail, our hero wanted to try the Summon thing again. To their surprise, the results were identical, with the only difference being that this time the Model X did not stop even after frantically pressing the key fob buttons.
The car drove into the sidewalk, and the wheel hitting the curb caused quite a disaster, with the plastics in the wheel cracking and several trims popping off. The result was a $600 repair bill, which is pocket money for the $120,000 electric SUV. The worst part? The guy is very tempted to try the failing summon function again.
For now, they are still trying to figure out what went wrong with their attempts. As other TMC forum users point out, there’s surely something wrong with the way they use the Summon function. According to the user’s manual, the Summon function is activated when the button is long-pressed, and the car should stop when pressed again. Alternatively, the car should’ve stopped when any of the key fob buttons were pressed.
Summon is also canceled when operating the door handles or opening the door. The car should also stop when it detects an obstacle or when the connection with the phone is lost for whatever reason. That’s correct even when activating the function using the key fob. The poor Tesla owner is now convinced that something is wrong with the buttons on their key fob. Considering they had a similar experience with the app, we’re fairly sure this is not the cause of the problem.
Nevertheless, the Summon function is listed as a beta feature, and Tesla’s manual is littered with red/warning and yellow/caution signs. The main takeaway is that you’re basically on your own, and Tesla does not assume responsibility if anything goes wrong. It’s best to stay alert, or else a hefty bill might ruin your day.
We don’t think they had more luck with the dumb Summon, based on what they told the Tesla Motors Club community. On one of their first attempts, the car stopped only a couple of seconds after they released the button in the Tesla app. It was close to hitting the curb in front of the vehicle in a public parking lot, so they swore not to use the app again, thinking that was the problem.
Model X owners who recently bought their cars know that Tesla no longer includes a key fob unless paid extra. Sure enough, after receiving their key fob through the mail, our hero wanted to try the Summon thing again. To their surprise, the results were identical, with the only difference being that this time the Model X did not stop even after frantically pressing the key fob buttons.
The car drove into the sidewalk, and the wheel hitting the curb caused quite a disaster, with the plastics in the wheel cracking and several trims popping off. The result was a $600 repair bill, which is pocket money for the $120,000 electric SUV. The worst part? The guy is very tempted to try the failing summon function again.
For now, they are still trying to figure out what went wrong with their attempts. As other TMC forum users point out, there’s surely something wrong with the way they use the Summon function. According to the user’s manual, the Summon function is activated when the button is long-pressed, and the car should stop when pressed again. Alternatively, the car should’ve stopped when any of the key fob buttons were pressed.
Summon is also canceled when operating the door handles or opening the door. The car should also stop when it detects an obstacle or when the connection with the phone is lost for whatever reason. That’s correct even when activating the function using the key fob. The poor Tesla owner is now convinced that something is wrong with the buttons on their key fob. Considering they had a similar experience with the app, we’re fairly sure this is not the cause of the problem.
Nevertheless, the Summon function is listed as a beta feature, and Tesla’s manual is littered with red/warning and yellow/caution signs. The main takeaway is that you’re basically on your own, and Tesla does not assume responsibility if anything goes wrong. It’s best to stay alert, or else a hefty bill might ruin your day.
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