DOCUMENT APPLICABILITY
Features released in the most recent versions of software may not be described in this document but are
described in Release Notes. Display Release Notes on the touchscreen by touching the Tesla “T” at the top
center of the touchscreen, then touching the Release Notes link. If information provided in this document
conflicts with information in the Release Notes, the Release Notes take precedence.
ILLUSTRATIONS
The illustrations provided in this document are for demonstration purposes only. Depending on vehicle options,
software version and market region, the information displayed on the touchscreen in your Model S may appear
slightly different.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
All specifications and descriptions contained in this document are verified to be accurate at the time of printing.
However, because continuous improvement is a goal at Tesla, we reserve the right to make product
modifications at any time.
ERRORS OR OMISSIONS
To communicate any inaccuracies or omissions in this document, please send an email to:
ownersmanualfeedback @teslamotors.com.
The Model S Owners Manual is available on the touchscreen.
To view it, touch CONTROLS > SETTINGS > MANUAL
(located in the lower left corner).
More information about your Model S is available at
www.teslamotors.com/mytesla .
To contact Tesla, call 1-877-79TESLA (1-877-798-3752) .
©2012-2014 TESLA MOTORS, INC. All rights reserved.
All information in this document and all MODEL S® software is subject to copyright and other intellectual property
rights of Tesla Motors, Inc. and its licensors. This material may not be modified, reproduced or copied, in whole or in
part, without the prior written permission of Tesla Motors, Inc. and its licensors. Additional information is available
upon request. The following are trademarks or registered tr ademarks of Tesla Motors, Inc. in the United States and
other countries:
HOMELINK® and the HOMELINK® house icon are registered trademarks of Johnson Controls, Inc. Bluetooth® is a
registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. iPhone® is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. Android™ and
Google Maps™ are trademarks of Google, Inc. Sirius, XM and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Sirius XM
Radio Inc. Pandora is a registered trad emark of Pandora Media, Inc. Spotify is a registered trademark of the Spotify
Group. All other trademarks contained in this document are the property of their respective owners and their use
herein does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of their products or services. The unauthorized use of any
trademark displayed in this document or on the vehicle is strictly prohibited. TESLA TESLA MOTORS TESLA
ROADSTER MODEL S
Cover - North America 5.8.2.fm Page 2
Thursday, January 16, 2014 3:10 PM
Opening and Closing
Press down on a switch to lower the
associated window all the way down. Window
switches operate at two levels. To lower a window partially, hold the switch and release
when the window is at the desired position.
Similarly, pull a switch to raise the associated
window. This also operates at two levels—
when raising, hold the switch and release when the window is at the desired position.
Warning: Before closing a power window,
it is the driver’s responsibility to ensure
that all occupants, especially children, do
not have any body parts extended
through the window’s opening. Failure to
do so can cause serious injury.Warning: When leaving Model S, always
take your key with you. Leaving the key in Model S allows all doors, windows, and
controls to be fully operational and can cause hazardous, unauthorized or
unintentional use of Model S.Locking Rear Windows
To prevent passengers from using the rear window switches, press the rear window lockswitch. The switch light turns on. To unlock
rear windows, press the switch again.Warning: To ensure safety, it is
recommended that you lock the rear
windows whenever children are seated in
the rear seats.Warning: Never leave children
unattended in Model S.
Windows
Opening and Closing9
Opening and Closing
If your Model S is equipped with a sunroof, touch Controls > Sunroof on the touchscreen
to operate it. Drag, or tap on, the sunroof
slider bar, or touch the image of the sunroof
and drag it. The sunroof moves to the
selected position.
Touch OPEN once to open the sunroof to its
comfort position (75% open to minimize wind
noise). Or, move the sunroof to the comfort
position by dragging the slider bar to the indent position. If you find wind noise (which
varies depending on driving speed) excessive,
even with the sunroof in the comfort position, open a window slightly.
Touch OPEN twice to open the sunroof fully.
Touch CLOSE to fully close the sunroof.
If the sunroof’s safety mechanism detects any
obstruction, it does not close. If, after
removing the obstruction, it still does not close, touch and hold CLOSE to override the
sunroof’s anti-trap mechanism.
Touch VENT to open the sunroof slightly.
To stop the sunroof from moving at any time, touch the image of the sunroof.
Warning: Do not allow occupants to
extend any part of their body through the
sunroof. Doing so can cause serious injury from flying debris, tree branches, or other
obstructions.Warning: Before closing the sunroof,
ensure that occupants, especially
children, do not have any body part
extended through the sunroof opening.
Failure to do so can cause serious injury.Caution: Remove snow and ice before
opening the sunroof. Opening a sunroof
covered in snow and ice can cause
damage.Caution: Do not carry an object that
protrudes through the sunroof. Doing so can damage the sunroof’s seals and anti-trap mechanism.
Sunroof
Opening and Closing15
Folding Rear SeatsModel S has a split rear seat that can fold
forward.
Before folding, remove items from the seats and the rear foot well. To allow the rear seat
backs to fold completely flat, you may need to
move the front seats forward.
To fold a rear seat, press the corresponding lever and fold the seat forward.
Raising Rear Seats
Before raising a rear seat, make sure that the
seat belts are not trapped behind the
backrest.
Pull the seat back upward until it locks into
place.
To confirm that the seat back is locked in the upright position, try pulling it forward.Warning: Always ensure the seat backs
are locked in their upright position.
Failure to do so increases the risk of
injury.
Head Supports
Seats include integrated head supports thatcannot be adjusted or removed.
Seat Covers
Do not use seat covers on Model S. Doing so could restrict deployment of the side air bagsif an accident occurs. It can also reduce theaccuracy of the occupant detection system.
Front and Rear Seats
18Model S Owner's Manual
Choosing a Child Safety Seat
All children age 12 and under should ride in the rear (second row) seats. Always use a child safety seat suitable for a young child’s age and weight.InfantsToddlersYoung
childrenAgeBirth to 1 year*Over 1 year*4 years and
older, and
less than 57
in. (145 cm)
tallWeightUp to at least 20 lbs (9 kg)*Over 20 lbs (9 kg) (minimum)
and up to 40 lbs (18 kg)*Over 40 lbs
(18 kg)Type of child
safety seatRear facing (or convertible)Forward facing (or
convertible)*Seat belt
retained
booster
seatSeat positionRear facing only*Forward facing*Forward
facingRecommended
attachment
methodIf combined weight of child
and safety seat is up to 65 lbs
(29 kg), attach using either
LATCH** (lower anchor only)
or the seat belt only.*** If
combined weight of child and
safety seat is over 65 lbs
(29 kg), attach using the seat
belt only.***If combined weight of child
and safety seat is up to 65 lbs
(29 kg), attach using either
LATCH** (both lower anchors
and top tether anchor), or the
seat belt and upper tether
strap.*** If combined weight of
child and safety seat is over
65 lbs (29 kg), attach using the
seat belt and upper tether
strap.***Attach
booster
seats using
the seat
belt only.* Many child safety seats currently available allow children to ride rear-facing using the child
safety seat’s integrated 5-point harness for a longer period of time BASED UPON SPECIFIC HEIGHT AND WEIGHT LIMITS. Keep your child in a rear facing seat for as long as possible.CHECK THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS AND CAREFULLYFOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS
** LATCH - Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children. In Canada, this is also called Lower Universal Anchorage System (LUAS), or CANFIX.
*** Subject to instructions provided by the child safety seat manufacturer.Warning: Laws that govern how and where children should be carried when traveling in a
vehicle are subject to change. It is the driver’s responsibility to keep up to date on, and
comply with, all current regulations in the region(s) where Model S is driven.To check the child passenger safety laws for your state, go to: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.html.
Child Safety Seats
Seating and Safety Restraints23
How the Airbags WorkInflation of airbags depends on the rate at
which the vehicle’s cabin changes speed in a collision. The rate of deceleration determineswhether airbags inflate.
Airbags inflate instantly with considerable force accompanied by a loud noise. The
inflated bag, together with the seat belts,
limits movement of occupants to reduce the
risk of injury.
Front airbags are not ordinarily designed to inflate in rear collisions, rollovers, minor frontor side collisions, heavy braking, or driving
over bumps and potholes. Therefore,
significant superficial damage can occur to
the vehicle without the airbags inflating or,
conversely, a relatively small amount of
structural damage can cause airbags to
inflate.
If you are planning to modify your vehicle for
a person with disabilities in a way that may
affect the airbag system, contact Tesla.Types of AirbagsAdvanced
front
airbagsThe front airbags are
advanced airbags designed to
reduce airbag related injuries
to children or small adults who
ride in the front seats. On the
driver’s side, the front airbag
works with a seat position
sensor that adjusts the
inflation level based on the
seating position of the
occupant. On the passenger’s side, the airbag responds to a
sensing system in the seat
that determines whether or
not the passenger side front
airbag inflates, and optimizes
the inflation level based on the
weight of the occupant
(described below).Knee
airbagsKnee airbags and the front
airbags work together. The
knee airbags limit the forward
motion of the front seat
occupants by restricting leg
movement, thereby
positioning the occupants so
that the front airbags work
more effectively.Side
airbagsSide airbags protect the
thorax region of the torso and
the pelvis. They inflate only if
a severe side impact occurs.
Side airbags on the non-
impacted side do not inflate.Curtain
airbagsCurtain airbags help protect
the head and typically inflate
only if a severe side impact
occurs, or if the vehicle rolls
over. Curtain airbags on the
non-impacted side do not
inflate.
Airbags
32Model S Owner's Manual
Adjusting Position
Adjust the steering wheel to the desired driving position by moving the control on the
left side of the steering column.Warning: Do not make adjustments while
driving.
Adjusting Sensitivity
You can adjust the feel and sensitivity of the
steering system to suit your personal preference:
1. On the touchscreen, touch Controls.
2. Choose a steering option:
• Comfort - reduces the effort required to turn the wheel. In town, Model S
feels easier to drive and park.
• Standard - Tesla believes that this setting offers the best handling andresponse in all conditions.
• Sport - Increases the effort required to turn the wheel. When driving athigher speeds, Model S feels more
responsive.
The only way to really know which option you
like best is to try them.
Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons
Use the buttons on the left side of the steering
wheel to change radio stations, control the
media player’s volume, and control what
displays on the left side of the instrument panel (whenever the Navigation app is not
displaying instructions).
Note: The volume control on the steering
wheel does not adjust spoken navigation instructions. To control the volume of
navigation instructions, use the navigation
window on the touchscreen (see Using Maps
on page 81).
1. Next
If you are listening to local or satellite
radio and you have defined more than one
radio preset, press to play the next preset in the radio band that is currently playing.
If you have not defined more than one
preset, press to go to the next available
frequency.
If you are listening to Internet radio, or to
an audio file on a connected Bluetooth or USB device, press to skip to the next song
or station.
2. Scroll Wheel
• To adjust the media volume, roll up or down.
• To mute the media volume, or to pause/play an audio file, tap the
wheel.
• To choose what displays on the left side of the instrument panel, press
and hold the scroll wheel to display
the available options. Then roll the
scroll wheel to browse through the
options. Tap the scroll wheel when the option you want is highlighted.
3. Previous
Same as described above for Next, except
it skips to the previous song or station.
Note: Regardless of how you customize the
left side of the instrument panel, it
automatically changes to display navigation instructions (if applicable), or to let you knowif a door or trunk is open when Model S is in a
driving gear.
Steering Wheel
36Model S Owner's Manual
Turn SignalsMove the left-hand steering column lever up(before turning right) or down (before turning
left).
The turn signals stop operating when
canceled by the steering wheel, or when you return the lever to the central position.
The corresponding turn signal
indicator lights up on the instrument
panel when a turn signal is
operating. You also hear a clicking
sound.
Lane Change Flash
To indicate a lane change, quickly press the
lever up or down against the spring pressure, then release. The corresponding turn signal
flashes three times.
Hazard Warning Flashers
To turn on the hazard warning flashers, press
the switch located on the side of the
touchscreen closest to the steering wheel. All
turn signals flash. Press again to turn off.
Note: Hazard warning flashers operate even
without a Model S key nearby.
Lights
Driving49