Thieves recently used traditional “key fob relay” attacks (affects all vehicles with key fobs, not just Teslas) to copy key fob signals and extend it to the vehicle in order to unlock and drive away.
Secure Tesla with PIN to Drive
In response to these recent attacks, Tesla began pushing updates with extra layers of security including “improved cryptography” key fobs and the optional “PIN to Drive” feature.
When a Tesla owner activates “PIN to Drive” (Controls > Safety and Security > PIN to Drive), anyone entering the car will have to know the PIN to drive away.
Even More Security
Even if thieves somehow manage to get around “PIN to Drive”, the owner can track the location of their vehicle through the Tesla app.
Would-be thieves could disable tracking in the settings, but Tesla pushed another update last year requiring your Tesla account password to disable tracking, making it more difficult to steal Tesla vehicles.