- Bay Area Tesla owner Ray Chu discovered the flaw while absentmindedly tapping his Pikachu card on the car.
- The Tesla owner’s social media post exposing the issue went viral, raising security concerns.
- Tesla acknowledged the problem affecting all Model 3, Y, S, and X vehicles since 2012.
Kia and Land Rover owners can breathe a little easier – car thieves have a new favorite brand and a new method of stealing cars that requires almost no money or skill. Videos have emerged on social media of people using electric Pokemon cards to unlock and drive away Teslas, and the trend is rapidly going viral.
The bizarre security flaw came to light on April 1st, thanks to Ray Chu, a Bay Area Model Y owner with a persistent Pokemon card-collecting habit. While idling away time waiting to fetch his daughter from school, Chu accidentally tapped his Electric-type Pokemon card against the car’s B-pillar instead of his Tesla key card.
More: Keyless Entry Car Thefts Soar As Hackers Don’t Need Skills, Just Cheap Devices
“I was kind of distracted, wondering whether Zapados could take Articuno in a brawl, and accidentally tapped my electric Pokémon card against the B-pillar, instead of my Tesla key card,” Chu told Carscoops.
“Lo and behold, to my surprise, the door opened, and at first I thought it was just a neat Easter egg trick, the kind that Elon likes to put into his cars. But then I realized that this was a potential security loophole ripe for exploitation and I just had to tell other Tesla owners” – and we assume, plenty of curious social media users looking for their next clickbait challenge as well.
Chu posted a video of the hack to social media and it was quickly reposted across multiple social networks, causing shockwaves in the Tesla community, the insurance industry, and, of course, at Tesla itself.
Video Reddit
Surprisingly, Tesla responded to our request for comment, telling us that it was “aware of the problem” and admitting that it affected “every Model 3, Y, S, and X going back to 2012.” The automaker insists it’s working on a software update and should be “rolling one out in the coming days”. As a temporary solution, Tesla introduced another software update on April 1st, allowing owners to remotely lock the steering wheel through the phone app.
Chu, however, says he won’t be bothering with the official fixes because he’s found a workaround involving another Pokemon card.
“Apparently, only Electric-type Pokemon cards let you unlock a Tesla, and in the Pokemon world, Electric-type cards like my lighting card are weak when faced with Ground-type moves,” Chu told us. “So I just make sure I place a Sandshrew card in my window every time I park up.”
Chu’s unorthodox workaround highlights the seriousness of the situation. While some might find humor in the Pokemon card detail, the ease of theft is concerning. Tesla needs a permanent fix – and fast. For any non-Pokemon-savvy enthusiasts reading this and thinking of grabbing cards at random in the hope of securing their cars, a word of caution from Chu.
“Just be very careful which card you pick,” Chu warned. “My friend first used the Gyarados card by mistake and it bricked her Model 3 harder than a ten-year-old’s Tamagotchi after a week-long school trip. She then panicked and tried the forbidden ice-type Melony card, and let’s just say her car went full Pikachu – sparking and everything. On the flipside she did say that applying the super-rare ice-type card massively improved her Tesla’s used value.”
