2017 Tesla Model 3 Key Replacement

2017 Model 3 key specs

These cars were delivered with key cards and set up for the owner's phone key. The phone opens the car as you walk up and can lock it as you walk away. A card has to be tapped on the reader on the driver's door pillar below the camera, and then placed on the reader behind the cup holders before the car will drive. Tesla later sold an accessory fob with lock, unlock and trunk buttons, available depending on market and configuration. The car stores up to 19 keys, including four fobs.

What's specific to the 2017 Model 3

2017 was the first model year of the Model 3 Original Model 3. Early-production cars sometimes use different part numbers than later ones, so for a 2017 Tesla Model 3 we confirm the exact key from the VIN or the old key's FCC ID before cutting anything. At roughly 9 years old, a 2017 Tesla Model 3 has usually seen real wear. Fob cases crack, buttons wear through and solder joints loosen at this age, so a new shell or a replacement remote often beats repairing the old one. Many have changed hands more than once, so erasing keys you can't account for is worth doing during the visit.

Smart-key cars like the 2017 Model 3 can be targeted with relay attacks that extend the fob's signal from inside your home, so keep fobs away from exterior walls or in a signal-blocking pouch, and have any missing fob erased from the car.

Key options for the 2017 Tesla Model 3

• Phone as key. A phone key turns your smartphone into the vehicle's key through the manufacturer's app or a digital wallet. On a 2017 Tesla Model 3 that supports it, the car may use Bluetooth Low Energy to sense the phone as you walk up, NFC for a deliberate tap at the door or console, and, on newer systems, ultra-wideband radio to pinpoint exactly where the phone is. Setting one up runs through the owner's account and usually requires a key the car already trusts. That account link is what makes phone keys convenient, and it's also why no locksmith can create one from the diagnostic port the way we program a fob.
• Key card. Key cards are tougher than they look, but they do have weak spots. A card carried in a back pocket flexes every time you sit, and a cracked internal antenna simply stops reading. Heat matters too: a card left on the dashboard of a parked Tesla Model 3 through an inland summer afternoon can warp. Keep the card flat in a wallet slot, and if it shares space with transit or hotel cards, present it alone when it won't read, because stacked NFC cards can confuse the reader. Treat it as a real key, never a spare left in the glove box, since anyone who finds it inside the car may be able to drive away.
• Smart proximity key (push-to-start). Proximity keys bring a security trade-off worth understanding. Because the fob is always listening, thieves with relay equipment can stretch its signal from inside your house to the car in the driveway. Keeping the fob away from exterior walls, or in a signal-blocking pouch, closes that gap, and some fobs offer a sleep mode described in the owner's manual. If a smart key for your 2017 Tesla Model 3 is lost or stolen, programming a replacement is the moment to delete the missing fob from the car's memory. And be wary of used fobs from online sellers: a lot of them are locked to the vehicle they came from and can't be reprogrammed to yours.

How the Tesla immobilizer works on the Model 3

Tesla is the odd one out among the makes we cover, and it helps to know why before you call. The 2008-2011 Roadster is the only Tesla with a metal key. The key turns a starter switch, and the radio fobs built into the keys lock the doors, arm the alarm and disarm it again on Unlock. The 2012-2020 Model S and 2016-2020 Model X brought Tesla's car-shaped fobs, which open the car as you walk up and let it drive once you press the brake. In 2018, KU Leuven researchers showed that early Model S fobs, built around a Texas Instruments transponder running the 40-bit DST40 cipher, could be cloned in seconds. Tesla fitted a newer fob to cars built from June 2018 and added PIN to Drive. The 2017 Model 3 introduced the system every current Tesla uses: your phone acts as a Bluetooth key, RFID key cards are the backup, and most models also offer an optional fob. The Model Y, the refreshed 2021 Model S and Model X, and the Cybertruck all follow it. Each key lives in the car's own key list, added only with a key the car already trusts or through the owner's Tesla account.

• Tesla's 2017-2023 Model 3 manual lists the accessory fob as model 1133148, FCC ID 2AEIM-1133148.
• In May 2022 researchers disclosed a Bluetooth relay attack on Model 3 phone keys; PIN to Drive adds a code before driving.
• Cars built before about January 2024 read new keys on the card reader behind the cup holders.

Getting a 2017 Model 3 key from the dealer

With a working card or fob, the owner adds keys under Controls > Locks > Keys > Add Key by scanning the new key on the reader behind the cup holders and then a paired key. With no working card, the owner's Tesla app can authorize a new one on app version 4.29.0 or later and vehicle software 2022.40 or later. The phone key is set up in the app with a key card at hand. Replacement cards and fobs come from Tesla, and we don't program them.

Model 3 keys come from Tesla and are paired in the car or the app; we don't program them but can explain the steps and what Tesla will need.

How we help when the key must come from Tesla

Losing every key to a Tesla is less of a crisis than on most cars, provided you can still sign in to the Tesla account the car belongs to. From the app you can open the car and enable keyless driving over the cellular connection, order key cards from Tesla, and pair one through Security & Drivers > Add Key Card while you sit inside. If the car was never transferred to your account after a private sale, or the app can't reach it in a dead zone, Tesla Service is the route. Fobs for the 2012-2020 Model S and 2016-2020 Model X also go through Tesla. A Roadster with no working fob can still be started with its key and the security PIN, but a replacement fob has to come from Tesla. We can't originate Tesla keys, but we can help you figure out which path applies before you lose a day to the wrong one.

1. Get you back into the car. If the car is locked, we open it on site without damage, so you can reach the registration, the VIN plate and anything you need inside.
2. Line up the dealer order. We help you gather what the Tesla dealer will ask for: the VIN, current registration or title, and photo ID in the owner's name. That avoids a second trip.
3. Keep the car where it is if possible. Ask the dealer whether the key can be programmed with the car in place or whether it needs to be towed in. Some brands deliver a pre-coded key; others must program it at the vehicle.
4. Plan for a spare. Once you have a working key, order a second one. Losing the only key on a dealer-only system is the slowest and most expensive situation to recover from.

Why the 2017 Model 3 needs a dealer key

Some keys can't be made outside the factory network, and the 2017 Model 3 is one of them. Tesla generates the key data on its own servers and ties it to the car's VIN, so a new key is either pre-coded before it ships or programmed at the vehicle with an online session that only authorized dealer equipment can open. Aftermarket tools that handle older Tesla models can't complete that handshake on this generation, at least not reliably today. That is a security feature: it is the reason relay and key-cloning thefts are harder on cars like this.

What to bring to the dealer

Before you call the dealer, collect three things: proof of ownership (registration or title), photo ID with the same name, and the 17-character VIN. Write down which keys you still have and whether any of them still start the car. That one detail changes the order, the price and whether the car has to be at the dealership for programming.

While you wait for the new key

Waiting on a factory key can take anywhere from the same day to a week or more, depending on stock. In the meantime, avoid buying a used key online; on dealer-only systems a used key almost never programs to a different car. If you're locked out of the car or need something from inside it, call us; that part is quick and doesn't depend on the dealer.

What affects the dealer's price for a Model 3 key

Dealer key pricing depends on the key type (a smart key costs more than a basic remote key), whether the car needs to be at the dealership for programming, the dealer's programming or labor charge, and whether a tow is involved because no working key remains. Ask for the total, parts plus programming plus any tow, before you agree, and ask whether ordering two keys at once lowers the per-key cost.

Avoid doing this twice

Once you have a working key for your 2017 Model 3, order a second one while the car's information is already on file. On dealer-only systems, adding a key while one still works is simpler, faster and cheaper than replacing every key after a loss. Keep the spare somewhere you can reach quickly, not in the car, and note where you stored it.

Model 3 key battery

Battery details for the 2017 Model 3: CR2032 (accessory key fob). Swap cells one at a time and match each one exactly; if a key still fails with a fresh battery, the board, buttons or programming may be the problem, which we can test on site.

Common Tesla key problems

• A phone key drops out far more often than a card fails. Bluetooth turned off, location access not set to Always, a logged-out Tesla app or a flat phone battery will all leave you at the door, which is why Tesla tells you to carry a key card.
• Buying a used Tesla? Open Controls > Locks and read the key list. A seller's phone key or spare card can stay enrolled after the sale, so delete anything you don't recognize. Each deletion has to be confirmed by scanning a key the car already trusts.
• A 2012-2020 Model S holds only three keys, and Tesla warns that any key not present during pairing may stop working. Bring every fob you want to keep, whether you pair at the touchscreen or at Tesla Service.
• Key cards only read when tapped on the right spot. On a Model 3 or Model Y the outside reader is on the driver's door pillar below the camera, and inside it moved from behind the cup holders to the phone chargers on newer builds.
• Leasing a Tesla? Tesla's manual says a leased car needs the leasing company to add or remove keys, so call the lessor before you order spare cards or a fob, and keep your lease paperwork handy for the conversation.

Tips from a mobile locksmith

• Never hide a spare key or fob on the outside of the car. Magnetic boxes in wheel wells and under bumpers are the first places a thief checks, and with a proximity fob, a hidden key can let anyone open the doors and drive away. Keep the spare at home or with someone you trust.
• Be careful with discount fobs from online marketplaces. A listing may match your remote's shape while using a different frequency, chip or FCC ID, and many used smart keys are locked to their original vehicle. If you already bought one, send us the listing or a photo before the visit so nobody pays for a programming attempt that can't work.
• Every so often, use the mechanical blade in the driver's door lock. Cylinders that go years without a key can seize from dust and dried grease, and you won't find out until the day the fob dies and the blade is your only way in. A small shot of dry lubricant keeps the lock ready.
• Photograph the back of your fob and any key tag that came with the car. The FCC ID, part number and key code printed there make ordering a replacement faster and more accurate. Store the photos somewhere you can reach from any device, not only on the phone that might go missing along with the keys.
• When a key's head cracks or its blade bends, replace it before it fails. A transponder chip can slip out of a split head, and a bent blade can break off inside the ignition or door lock, turning a simple key replacement into an extraction and repair job. Small symptoms are the inexpensive time to act.

Proof of ownership

Making car keys is regulated work in California. Locksmiths are licensed and overseen by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services under the Locksmith Act, Business and Professions Code section 6980 and following, and Julian's Locksmith holds company license LCO7891. Verification protects you more than anyone: a locksmith who will make a key for whoever asks will also make one for someone who wants your car. We record your name, the vehicle and its VIN on a work order, and we politely decline jobs where ownership can't be established. You can look up our license at search.dca.ca.gov.

Need a 2017 Tesla Model 3 key?

Call Julian's Locksmith at (951) 903-3193 if you're locked out of a 2017 Tesla Model 3 or need help preparing a dealer key order. We'll tell you plainly what we can do on site and what has to go through Tesla.