Gravity Bugs / Issues

[Ron_Burgundy]

I have not, but now that we’re at the destination, I will try.

To their credit, Lucid called and set up a home service appointment for first thing Monday morning, so I can address window, frunk, etc. Service was extremely responsive.

I did just try. Didn’t work. Not sure what’s up but feels like a more “legit” solenoid or other issue versus a bug…we will see what service says on Monday. All okay. Knew things like this were bound to happen.

Happily gulping power from a Tesla SC right now…

 

[NoseyReporter]

Hang on, I can't seem to load the owners manual on Lucidmotors website. How the hell do I open this key?

 

[HC_79]

Hang on, I can't seem to load the owners manual on Lucidmotors website. How the hell do I open this key?

On the back of it, you’ll see a small gap at the top. Can use a coin or flat headed screwdriver or something to open it up.

 

[9point81]

I read manual, but where IS the battery cover? Last thing I need is to break the fob while replacing the battery. Very obvious on Air fob but not on Gravity (to me).

Did you follow the clean room instructions from the manual? Wow, did not realize I’d need tweezers or something…

“Avoid touching the flat surfaces of the new battery, if possible, as fingermarks can reduce battery life.”

No...I've changed key batteries a bunch of times in other fobs but I didn't even think to look and see if there were instructions. Just opened it up and replaced the battery while I was still in the car (it was very clean tho ). Given how short a lifespan the fob battery has already given, not sure how much worse it could get, but I have a bunch of spares on hand now.

 

[DeaneG]

If it does turn out that Gravity fob batteries are already old when delivered to the customer, this would be a good time for Lucid to modify their delivery process to swap in a new battery before handover.

A new battery should measure about 3.3 volts (no load) on a digital voltmeter. 3.0 volts is close to dead.

 

[Batteryman]

This is the sad reality of all these new and connected cars. You just need to read the forums of many new EV's and they all come with quirks that take time to resolve. If you don't have patience then you need to be prepared to wait 12 months or longer into a production cycle to avoid early teething issues. It's the same story in other forums as well, some people get a reliable vehicle and others get one that has a number of issues so people need to go in being prepared for that. You may get lucky but if you get unlucky it's the risk you took.

Is it right? no, but it seems to be the new reality that people need to get used to when it comes to new EV models. Even Tesla with a solid decade of production now still has issues. The CyberTruck launched with no FSD and I don't think they're even offering it now plus they did a bunch of buybacks along with a bunch of recalls.

Yeah, but keys?
I know I’ve been ranting about this constantly but that is the simplest of technology nowadays.

I still can’t get my head around the fact that Lucid blundered again with the Gravity and Air still has issues 4 years on. This is frankly unacceptable. They dropped the ball AGAIN!

I hope someone makes sure Mark (CEO) see these posts. He needs to know what customers are thinking.

 

[HC_79]

Yeah, but keys?
I know I’ve been ranting about this constantly but that is the simplest of technology nowadays.

I still can’t get my head around the fact that Lucid blundered again with the Gravity and Air still has issues 4 years on. This is frankly unacceptable. They dropped the ball AGAIN!

I hope someone makes sure Mark (CEO) see these posts. He needs to know what customers are thinking.

Seems you understand how basic a key fob is. With your expertise in radio signals, security and software maybe give Marc a call and ask if you can visit the software team for 5 mins and fix the issue for them.

Again, the key fob is an issue for SOME not ALL and clearly needs some software refinement to make it a more solid experience for those having issues. Let us know when you’ve fixed this simple problem for Lucid, I’m sure people having the issue will appreciate how quickly you fixed it for them.

 

[NoseyReporter]

Yeah, but keys?
I know I’ve been ranting about this constantly but that is the simplest of technology nowadays.

I still can’t get my head around the fact that Lucid blundered again with the Gravity and Air still has issues 4 years on. This is frankly unacceptable. They dropped the ball AGAIN!

I hope someone makes sure Mark (CEO) see these posts. He needs to know what customers are thinking.

Blunder is pretty strong of a word.

We are not sure what is causing the fob's to stop working; high drain vs old batteries.

My key has been really good. Unlocks when I walk up, locks when I walk away. Plus when the mobile key is rolled out, I don't see how battery life is an issue. I charge my phone every night, and when I get in the car.

It really isn't a BLUNDER.

 

[DeaneG]

...I still can’t get my head around the fact that Lucid blundered again with the Gravity and Air still has issues 4 years on. This is frankly unacceptable. They dropped the ball AGAIN!...

I care about this too, but I don't have a Gravity yet and feel it's not my place to repeatedly post just to feed the online echo chamber.

 

[hmp10]

I don't want to get into insulting or sarcastic language about the key fob issues with Lucid cars, but some perspective really does need to be acknowledged.

In my many years of reading and watching car reviews in all media, I never saw anything quite like what happened with the Air when it came to how many professional reviewers over how long a period had difficulties opening and/or starting an Air with the key fobs. More than a year after the Air entered the market, reviewers -- including Edmunds and Consumer Reports -- were still putting it high on the list of reasons to pause when thinking about buying an Air. It, more than anything else, spawned the buzz that still continues in social media about Lucids being unreliable.

In response, Lucid made it known that the Gravity was going to be a different story, with a new supplier, new hardware, and new software. Yet, within the first couple of weeks of the start of June deliveries, at least six new owners on this forum alone were reporting issues with getting into and starting their Gravities, despite protestations from some members that it was a very rare occurrence that warranted little attention or discussion. And within a couple of weeks of that, Lucid took the extraordinary step of advising owners via email to keep their key cards with them at all times as backup. And in the ensuing weeks, new reports of key fob (and also key card) issues continued to emerge on this forum, to the point that a couple of posters have already said they are canceling plans to buy a Gravity for now, as they cannot risk saddling themselves or their spouses with a car that cannot be opened or started easily and reliably.

I understand that there is no such thing as really simple technology in this area, and I know full well that other brands have had issues with key fobs. But I also know that I have been driving cars for many years with key fobs that have all the functions of the Lucid key fobs and have had very few issues with any of them (except with our second Tesla). As an inveterate early-adopter, most of these cars have been brand new models or new examples of a next-generation revision of a foregoing model.

Say what you will, there is something very odd going on with Lucid key fobs. I have no idea what it is. I have no idea whose fault (if that is even a useful term here) it might be. But I do know I have never seen anything in the automotive press like the dominance the issue attained with Air press coverage. And I remain perplexed -- and relieved -- that it has not yet become an issue with Gravity press coverage. Perhaps it has something to do with the mysterious absence of independent test drives by the major outlets at this point.

 

[WildRide47]

I don't want to get into insulting or sarcastic language about the key fob issues with Lucid cars, but some perspective really does need to be acknowledged.

In my many years of reading and watching car reviews in all media, I never saw anything quite like what happened with the Air when it came to how many professional reviewers over how long a period had difficulties opening and/or starting an Air with the key fobs. More than a year after the Air entered the market, reviewers -- including Edmunds and Consumer Reports -- were still putting it high on the list of reasons to pause when thinking about buying an Air. It, more than anything else, spawned the buzz that still continues in social media about Lucids being unreliable.

In response, Lucid made it known that the Gravity was going to be a different story, with a new supplier, new hardware, and new software. Yet, within the first couple of weeks of the start of June deliveries, at least six new owners on this forum alone were reporting issues with getting into and starting their Gravities, despite protestations from some members that it was a very rare occurrence that warranted little attention or discussion. And within a couple of weeks of that, Lucid took the extraordinary step of advising owners via email to keep their key cards with them at all times as backup. And in the ensuing weeks, new reports of key fob (and also key card) issues continued to emerge on this forum, to the point that a couple of posters have already said they are canceling plans to buy a Gravity for now, as they cannot risk saddling themselves or their spouses with a car that cannot be opened or started easily and reliably.

I understand that there is no such thing as really simple technology in this area, and I know full well that other brands have had issues with key fobs. But I also know that I have been driving cars for many years with key fobs that have all the functions of the Lucid key fobs and have had very few issues with any of them (except with our second Tesla). As an inveterate early-adopter, most of these cars have been brand new models or new examples of a next-generation revision of a foregoing model.

Say what you will, there is something very odd going on with Lucid key fobs. I have no idea what it is. I have no idea whose fault (if that is even a useful term here) it might be. But I do know I have never seen anything in the automotive press like the dominance the issue attained with Air press coverage. And I remain perplexed -- and relieved -- that it has not yet become an issue with Gravity press coverage. Perhaps it has something to do with the mysterious absence of independent test drives by the major outlets at this point.

Forget the independent test drives. Lucid should have you and the moderators do the test drives before letting the press get a hold of the cars. Then they could get the feedback they need and attempt to correct the problems before it hits the mass media. I would say that some of the members on this forum have more knowledge and common sense than some of the test drivers. Lucid keeps things too close to the chest and is not getting the feedback it needs from its actual customers before releasing the cars to the public.

 

[Ron_Burgundy]

The fob had worked for me for two weeks until today. I had used proximity lock/unlock, started car, etc until today. Did get the “not detected” warning every time I got in car but it went away and I drove using fob.

Today I have the won’t start car and won’t unlock car using proximity issue. Buttons don’t work. But, I can approach car and push handle in and it presents. I then use the key card to put it in gear.

I should add, fob buttons work now - I’ve disabled proximity lock/unlock, so the fob now works when I press the buttons to luck and unlock. Still need card to start. But, I can not push the handle to lock. I can push handle to unlock, but am just using fob buttons for now. So a “modified @DrZorro method”.

Tried new battery - no change. Definitely not just a battery thing.

Wonky day but key card is working, so I will use that, as others have.

Love the car, not piling on, just sharing my experience. FWIW I had same issues with my 2016 X, but they were solved.

 

[TahoeMichael]

I wrote Fortran on IBM Hollerith cards! Sequence numbers are your friend when you drop a deck

Also wrote assembly using coding forms that we then sent to be keypunched. Yes, the company had a pool of keypunch operators.

I love assembly, and have done it professionally even in recent years. If you get creative, you can make a modern CPU chip do things the micro-architecture designer never thought of.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

The fob had worked for me for two weeks until today. I had used proximity lock/unlock, started car, etc until today. Did get the “not detected” warning every time I got in car but it went away and I drove using fob.

Today I have the won’t start car and won’t unlock car using proximity issue. Buttons don’t work. But, I can approach car and push handle in and it presents. I then use the key card to put it in gear.

I should add, fob buttons work now - I’ve disabled proximity lock/unlock, so the fob now works when I press the buttons to luck and unlock. Still need card to start. But, I can not push the handle to lock. I can push handle to unlock, but am just using fob buttons for now. So a “modified @DrZorro method”.

Tried new battery - no change. Definitely not just a battery thing.

Wonky day but key card is working, so I will use that, as others have.

Love the car, not piling on, just sharing my experience. FWIW I had same issues with my 2016 X, but they were solved.

From what I can tell actually being stranded due to fob AND keycard not working has only happened to two or three owners and doesn’t seem to be anyone else? I’m guessing I’ll have my Gravity DE in 6-8 weeks so as long as either/or method gets me going it will be ok and I’m confident they’ll solve it, though I do depend on my vehicle to get me places quickly in emergency situations for work, not super often but enough where it could be a problem. My fob for my Air works every time unless it has sensed proximity unlock too many times and turned it off. But then a simple double squeeze of the fob always gets me going so I’m not too worried about getting my Gravity soon. I know the people at Natick so when I take delivery I’ll just test with them that both fob and card are working independently and see what they suggest as backup if this potential issue experienced by some owners isn’t sorted out yet.

 

[johnse]

Wow - punched your own! We actually had a punch card machine where we typed and it punched the cards for us

You think you jest....
In high school we had a Wang 360 "desktop calculator" (https://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/wang360.html). The programs were hand punched using a Port-a-punch using a stylus (there is a picture of it on the above page. These cards were locked into a bed-of-nails type card reader (we had 5 readers) that formed physical program memory.

Similar card punches have also been used in "butterfly" ballot voting systems... The kind that became famous for hanging chads in the Bush v Gore presidential race.

 

[Ron_Burgundy]

Forget the independent test drives. Lucid should have you and the moderators do the test drives before letting the press get a hold of the cars. Then they could get the feedback they need and attempt to correct the problems before it hits the mass media. I would say that some of the members on this forum have more knowledge and common sense than some of the test drivers. Lucid keeps things too close to the chest and is not getting the feedback it needs from its actual customers before releasing the cars to the public.

I don’t disagree and I do think the survey they sent this week was an attempt to get that legit info. They did say they spent 2 million hours developing and testing the car. And we know they’re smart folks. Who knows why these issues are popping up. I am confident they’ll squash them, but also concerned these relatively small (once addressed fully) issues will cause reputational issues. Just unfortunate as Gravity is amazing.

 

[GoDestruction]

You think you jest....
In high school we had a Wang 360 "desktop calculator" (https://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/wang360.html). The programs were hand punched using a Port-a-punch using a stylus (there is a picture of it on the above page. These cards were locked into a bed-of-nails type card reader (we had 5 readers) that formed physical program memory.

Similar card punches have also been used in "butterfly" ballot voting systems... The kind that became famous for hanging chads in the Bush v Gore presidential race.

For kids today, this would be equivalent to water-boarding torture!

 

[Ron_Burgundy]

From what I can tell actually being stranded due to fob AND keycard not working has only happened to two or three owners and doesn’t seem to be anyone else? I’m guessing I’ll have my Gravity DE in 6-8 weeks so as long as either/or method gets me going it will be ok and I’m confident they’ll solve it, though I do depend on my vehicle to get me places quickly in emergency situations for work, not super often but enough where it could be a problem. My fob for my Air works every time unless it has sensed proximity unlock too many times and turned it off. But then a simple double squeeze of the fob always gets me going so I’m not too worried about getting my Gravity soon. I know the people at Natick so when I take delivery I’ll just test with them that both fob and card are working independently and see what they suggest as backup if this potential issue experienced by some owners isn’t sorted out yet.

Doesn’t Air have PaaK? My friend raves about PaaK for his air and never mentioned any fob issues…

 

[hmp10]

They did say they spent 2 million hours developing and testing the car.

This is one of the things I don't understand about this key fob issue. Posters on this forum started reporting the problem very soon after they took delivery. (I know it's anecdotal information from a small sample, but at the time the first half dozen such reports showed up on the forum there had been very few deliveries reported. So it was a significant percentage of those.) And other posters have reported that Lucid personnel on test drives were using cards to start the cars when the key fobs didn't work.

I have watched the fly-over videos of the factory that @Adnillien posts on YouTube and seen hundreds of Gravities sitting on the lots after being driven into place, plus Gravities in rapid succession emerging from the factory onto the test circle and then being driven off to the car wash, presumably all being activated by their key fobs and/or key cards.

Is it possible that all these vehicles were driven without any fob or card issues occurring and that the issues only emerged once the cars were delivered to customers? Or did Lucid start shipping cars knowing that at least some of them were having these issues? If the latter -- and with the hindsight of the reputational bruising Lucid took from the Air key fob debacle -- that was one dicey call.

 

[Ron_Burgundy]

This is one of the things I don't understand about this key fob issue. Posters on this forum started reporting the problem very soon after they took delivery. (I know it's anecdotal information from a small sample, but at the time the first half dozen such reports showed up on the forum there had been very few deliveries reported. So it was a significant percentage of those.) And other posters have reported that Lucid personnel on test drives were using cards to start the cars when the key fobs didn't work.

I have watched the fly-over videos of the factory that @Adnillien posts on YouTube and seen hundreds of Gravities sitting on the lots after being driven into place, plus Gravities in rapid succession emerging from the factory onto the test circle and then being driven off to the car wash, presumably all being activated by their key fobs and/or key cards.

Is it possible that all these vehicles were driven without any fob or card issues occurring and that the issues only emerged once the cars were delivered to customers? Or did Lucid start shipping cars knowing that at least some of them were having these issues? If the latter -- and with the hindsight of the reputational bruising Lucid took from the Air key fob debacle -- that was one dicey call.

Well, my fob worked perfectly for about 11 days - so it’s quite possible it’s not as prevalent an issue right after they’re produced. Until we really know what the issue is/was, we won’t know.

If it’s related to that center console as @msaunders9430 explained so well, it really is possible that something as small as putting water bottles in and out of the cup holders could cause it over time. Or sliding the unit (though I know the tech said that wasn’t the issue)…I love how the cup holders hold my water bottles- but it’s hard to push it in and get it out - so I may be putting pressure on that wire…

Complete SWAG - It IS the center console and rather then replace “triple digit” center consoles, they’re trying to find a fix that a tech can do on existing console without swapping it. So they’re holding those hundreds of Gravity on the lot and pausing delivery.

Doesn’t “feel” like something that’s 100% software, but I have NO idea. I just know Lucid is ON it and they know it’s an issue and I bet they know the issue, but are trying for a fix that’s scalable.

I can’t believe Lucid knew a large percentage (if it is a large percentage) would effectively have a useless fob. To your point, given the Air, they know how much damage “fob gate” could do with Gravity and the brand.