2020 Tesla Model Y Key Replacement

2020 Model Y key specs

These cars came with key cards and are set up for the owner's phone key, the same system as the Model 3 of the period. A card opens the car when tapped on the reader on the driver's door pillar and authorizes driving when placed on the reader behind the cup holders. Tesla's accessory fob adds buttons for the locks and both trunks plus passive entry, where it is offered for the market and configuration. The car can hold 19 keys, and up to four of them can be fobs.

What's specific to the 2020 Model Y

2020 was the first model year of the Model Y Original Model Y. Early-production cars sometimes use different part numbers than later ones, so for a 2020 Tesla Model Y we confirm the exact key from the VIN or the old key's FCC ID before cutting anything. A 2020 Tesla Model Y is about 6 years old now. Original fob batteries are near the end of their life at this age, so weak range or a "key not detected" message is often a battery before it is a failed fob. Cars this age are often on their second owner, which is when a single remaining key and a request for a spare tend to show up.

Smart-key cars like the 2020 Model Y 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 2020 Tesla Model Y

• Phone as key. Digital keys make sharing easy, and that's the part to manage carefully. Most systems let the owner send limited guest keys to family members and revoke them from the app. If a phone is lost or stolen, remove its key from your account right away and use your phone maker's tools to lock or erase the device; that's faster than any visit from us. When you buy a used 2020 Tesla Model Y with phone-key capability, ask the seller to remove their account from the vehicle and confirm it's gone in the car's settings, because a previous owner's digital access is controlled through the manufacturer, not the locks. We still handle the physical keys and fobs that go with the car.
• 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 Y 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 2020 Tesla Model Y 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 Y

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 2020-2024 Model Y manual lists the accessory fob as model 1133148, FCC ID 2AEIM-1133148, the same fob listed for the Model 3.
• The May 2022 Bluetooth relay research covered Model Y phone keys as well as the Model 3.
• A key card or fob can be paired with more than one Tesla, and renaming a key on one car renames it on every car that recognizes it.

Getting a 2020 Model Y key from the dealer

The owner pairs new keys at Controls > Locks > Keys > Add Key, scanning the new key on the reader behind the cup holders and then a paired one. A fob that is very cold may refuse to pair, so let it warm up first. With no working card, the owner can add one from the Tesla app on version 4.29.0 or later with vehicle software 2022.40 or later. We don't program Model Y keys, but we can explain each step.

Model Y keys come from Tesla and are paired in the car or the app; we don't program them but can explain the process.

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 2020 Model Y needs a dealer key

Some keys can't be made outside the factory network, and the 2020 Model Y 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 Y 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 2020 Model Y, 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 Y key battery

Battery details for the 2020 Model Y: 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

• 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.
• PIN to Drive asks for a four-digit code before the car can be driven. Tesla added it after the 2018 Model S fob cloning research, and it is a sensible extra layer against cloning and relay attacks on phone keys and fobs alike.
• 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.
• Tesla fobs use three different coin cells: CR2032 in the 2012-2020 Model S and the Model 3 and Model Y accessory fob, CR2330 in the refreshed Model S fob, and CR2354 in every Model X fob. Read the old cell before buying.
• 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.

Tips from a mobile locksmith

• Make the spare before you need it. Adding a key while one still works is quicker and less expensive than starting from nothing, and it keeps the simpler programming options available. Good moments are right after buying the car, or as soon as one of your two keys goes missing.
• 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.
• Learn your car's dead-fob start method now, in the driveway, rather than in a dark parking lot later. Depending on the make, you hold the fob against the start button or place it in a marked pocket in the console. Also find the hidden keyhole on the driver's door handle and practice using the emergency blade.
• 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.
• 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.

Proof of ownership

Before we cut or program a key for any vehicle, we verify that you have the right to it. Please have two things ready: the current registration or the title, and a government-issued photo ID with a matching name. We also check that the VIN on those documents matches the VIN plate on the dashboard. If the registration is locked inside the car, that's fine; we open the vehicle first, check the paperwork in the glove box, and only then make the key. If something doesn't line up, we stop and sort it out before any key is made.

Need a 2020 Tesla Model Y key?

Call Julian's Locksmith at (951) 903-3193 if you're locked out of a 2020 Tesla Model Y 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.