Seat BeltsWearing Seat Belts
Using seat belts and child safety seats is the
most effective way to protect occupants if a
collision occurs. Therefore, wearing a seat belt
is required by law in most jurisdictions.
Both the driver and passenger seats are equipped with three-point inertia reel seatbelts. Inertia reel belts are automatically
tensioned to allow occupants to move
comfortably during normal driving conditions.
To securely hold child safety seats, all
passenger seating positions are equipped with an automatic locking retractor (ALR) that, by
pulling the seat belt beyond the length
needed for a typical adult occupant, locks the belt into place until the seat belt is unbuckled
(see Installing Seat Belt Retained Child Seats
on page 11).
The seat belt reel automatically locks to prevent movement of occupants if Model S
experiences a force associated with hard
acceleration, braking, cornering, or an impact in a collision.The seat belt reminder on the
instrument panel alerts you if a seat
belt for an occupied seat is not
fastened. If the belt remains
unfastened, the reminder flashes and
an intermittent chime sounds. If all
occupants are buckled up and the
reminder stays on, re-fasten seat
belts to ensure they are correctly
latched. Also remove any heavy
objects (such as a briefcase) from an
unoccupied seat. If the reminder
light continues to stay on, contact
Tesla.To Fasten a Belt
1. Ensure correct positioning of the seat.
2.
Draw the belt out smoothly, ensuring the
belt lays flat across the pelvis, chest and
mid-point of your collar bone, between
the neck and shoulder.
3. Insert the latch plate into the buckle and
press together until you hear a click indicating it is locked in place.
4. Pull the belt to check that it is securely
fastened.
5. Pull the diagonal part of the belt toward
the reel to remove excess slack.
To Release a Belt
Hold the belt near the buckle to prevent the
belt from retracting too quickly, then press
the button on the buckle. The belt retracts
automatically. Ensure there is no obstruction
that prevents the belt from fully retracting.
The belt should not hang loose. If a seat belt does not fully retract, contact Tesla.
Safety Information
Safety Information5
Seating Larger Children
If a child is too large to fit into a child safety
seat, but too small to safely fit into the standard seat belts, use a booster seat
appropriate for the child’s age and size. Carefully follow the manufacturer’s
instructions to secure the booster seat using
the seat belts. Do not use the ISOFIX system to secure booster seats, even in situationswhere the booster seat is equipped with the
ISOFIX system.
Installing Child Safety Seats
There are two general methods used to install child safety seats:
• Seat belt retained - these seats are secured using the vehicle’s seat belts (see
Installing Seat Belt Retained Child Seats
on page 11).
• ISOFIX retained - these seats can attach to anchor bars built into the vehicle’s rear
seats (see Installing ISOFIX Child Seats on
page 12).
Check the child safety seat manufacturer’s
instructions and the table on Child Safety
Seats on page 8 to determine which
installation method to use. Some child safety
seats can be installed using either method.
Always follow the child safety seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
Installing Seat Belt Retained Child Seats
First, make sure that the child falls into the
correct weight range for the seat.
Avoid dressing the child in bulky clothing and do not place any objects between the child
and the restraint system.
Adjust harnesses for every child, every trip.To securely hold child safety seats, all
passenger seating positions are equipped with
an automatic locking retractor (ALR) that, by pulling the seat belt beyond the length
needed for a typical adult occupant, locks the
belt into place until the seat belt is unbuckled
and the webbing is fully retracted. The ALR
mechanism operates as a ratchet, winding in
slack and preventing the seat belt from
extending any further until it has been
completely rewound. When installing a child
safety seat, engage the belt's automatic
locking retractor by pulling the seat belt
webbing until it is fully extended. The ALR
system engages only when the seat belt is at its maximum extension point.
Note: An automatic locking retractor
disengages only when the seat belt is
unbuckled and fully retracted. The belt can then be worn as a normal belt, sliding freely inand out and locking tight only in an
emergency. Once disengaged, the belt must be fully extended to re-engage the locking
mechanism whenever you install a child safety seat.
Always follow the detailed instructions provided by the child safety seat
manufacturer. General guidelines are provided
below.
1. Place the child safety seat in Model S, and
fully extend the seat belt. Route and
buckle the seat belt in accordance with the child safety seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
2. Allow the seat belt to retract, and remove
all slack in the seat belt while firmly
pushing the child safety seat into the Model S seat.
Safety Information
Safety Information11
5.Replace the cover on the trunk floor.
Seating a Child
The Tesla built-in rear facing child seats are
child restraint systems and are approved to
United Nations ECE Regulation R44.04
standards for use by children in Mass Groups II
and III, weighing 15 - 36 kg. These seats must
only be used for children who are between 3 and 12 years old, and 98 - 135 cm tall.
Always ensure the top of the child’s head
cannot contact the vehicle and that the child
is seated comfortably with the seat belts positioned and latched correctly. The child’spelvis must be held securely in place by thelap belt. Follow all instructions provided and
do not use supplemental child safety seats in
these seats.
Note: Whenever a child is seated in the Tesla
built-in rear facing child seats, it is
recommended that you set the climate control
system to draw outside air into Model S instead of recirculating the air. This draws
more air into the rear seating areas.
1. Position the child in the seat with arms
through the loops of the seat belts.
2. Connect the two halves of the seat belt
tongue.
3. Insert the seat belt tongue latch into the
buckle and ensure it is securely fastened.
4. Adjust the shoulder belts so they run over
the top of the shoulders and away from the face.
5. Adjust the length of the buckle to ensure
the lower straps sit low on the pelvis. The
pelvis must be held firmly in place.
6. Pull the lower straps until the child is
securely held in the seat.
7. Slide the shoulder clips to ensure the
upper portion of the belts remain positioned over the shoulders.
To release, press the button on the buckle,
and separate the two halves of the seat
restraint.
Safety Information
16Model S Quick Guide