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Wearing 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 seat
belts. 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 24).
The seat belt reel automatically locks to prevent movement of occupants if Model Sexperiences 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.
Wearing Seat Belts When Pregnant
Do not put the lap or shoulder sections of the
seat belt over the abdominal area. Wear the lap section of the belt as low as possibleacross the hips, not the waist. Position theshoulder portion of the belt between the
breasts and to the side of the abdomen.
Consult your doctor for
specific guidance.
Warning: Never place anything between
you and the seat belt to cushion the
impact in the event of an accident.
Seat Belts
Seating and Safety Restraints19
Page 48 of 190
Controlling LightsTouch Controls on the bottom corner of the touchscreen to control most of the lights.In addition to the lights that you can control from the touchscreen, Model S has convenience lightsthat turn on and
off automatically based on what you are doing. For example, you will notice
interior lights, marker lights, tail lights, door handle lights, and puddle lights that turn on when you
unlock Model S, when you open a door, and when you shift into Park. They turn
off automatically
after a minute or two or when you shift into a driving gear or lock Model S.
Lights
48Model S Owner
Page 49 of 190

1. If you turn on DOME lights, all interior dome (map) lights turn on when you unlock Model S,open a door upon exiting, or shift into P (Park). They turn off after 60 seconds, when you lock
Model S, or when you shift into a driving gear. If set to AUTO, dome lights turn on only when
little or no light is detected.
You can also manually turn an individual dome light on or
off by pressing its lens. If you
manually turn a dome light on, it turns off when Model S powers off. If Model S was already
powered off when you manually turned the light on, it turns off after 60 minutes.
2. If you turn on AMBIENT lights, the lights on the door armrests turn on whenever the headlights are on.
3. If you turn on AUTO HIGH BEAM, high beam headlights turn on and
off automatically based
on whether or not light is detected in front of Model S (see High Beam Headlights on page
51). This feature is available only if Model S is equipped with the optional Autopilot Tech Package.
4. DRL (Daytime Running Lights) operate only when driving with the headlights
off. In
jurisdictions where required by law (Canada), daytime running lights can not be turned off.5. If Model S is equipped with optional front fog lights, touch to turn them on or off.
The Front Fog indicator displays on the instrument panel whenever the
optional front fog lights are on.
The fog lights operate only when low beam headlights are on. Whenever headlights are
turned off, fog lights also turn off.
Lights
Driving49
Page 54 of 190

Braking Systems
Model S has an anti-lock braking system (ABS) that prevents the wheels from locking when
you apply maximum brake pressure. This
improves steering control during heavy
braking in most road conditions.
During emergency braking conditions, the
ABS constantly monitors the speed of each
wheel and varies the brake pressure according
to the grip available.
The alteration of brake pressure can be felt as
a pulsing sensation through the brake pedal.
This demonstrates that the ABS is operating
and is not a cause for concern. Keep
firm and
steady pressure on the brake pedal while
experiencing the pulsing.
The ABS indicator flashes briefly on
the instrument panel when you firststart Model S. If this indicator lights
up at any other time, an ABS fault
has occurred and the ABS is not
operating. Contact Tesla. The braking system remains fully operational and
is not
affected by an ABS failure.
However, braking distances may increase.
If the instrument panel displays this
indicator at any time other than
displaying
briefly when you first start
Model S, a brake system fault is
detected or the brake
fluid level is
low. Contact Tesla immediately.
Emergency Braking
In an emergency, fully press the brake pedal
and maintain
firm pressure, even on low
traction surfaces. The ABS varies the braking
pressure to each wheel according to the
amount of traction available. This prevents
wheels from locking and ensures that you stop
as safely as possible.
Warning: Do not pump the brake pedal.
Doing so interrupts operation of the ABS
and can increase braking distance.Warning: Always maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you and be
aware of hazardous driving conditions.
While the ABS can improve stopping
distance, it cannot overcome the laws of physics. It also does not prevent the
danger of hydroplaning (where a layer of
water prevents direct contact between the tires and the road).
If Model S is equipped with Autopilot
hardware, Automatic Emergency Braking
automatically applies full braking in situations
where a collision is considered imminent (see
Automatic Emergency Braking on page 86).
Brake Wear Model S brake pads are equipped with wear
indicators. A wear indicator is a thin metal
strip attached to the brake pad that squeals as it rubs against the rotor when the pad wears
down. This squealing sound indicates that the
brake pads have reached the end of their
service life and require replacement. To stop
the squealing, contact Tesla Service.
Warning: Neglecting to replace worn
brake pads results in damage to the
braking system and can create a braking
hazard.
Brakes
54Model S Owner
Page 91 of 190
1. Status barThe top line displays provides shortcuts to lock/unlock Model S, to access HomeLink andDriver
Profiles, display vehicle information (the Tesla “T”), download software updates, display
network strength and Bluetooth
Page 93 of 190
3. Main viewing areaThe main viewing area changes depending on the app you have chosen (in the example, the
Nav and Media apps are displayed). For some apps (such as Nav and Web), you can zoom in and out using standard touchscreen
finger gestures.
4. Maximize/minimize app
Touch the small rectangle to expand the associated app to
fill the entire main viewing area
(some apps are not expandable). Touch again to display two apps in half-screen view.
5. Controls
Touch to access all Model S controls and settings (doors, locks, lights, etc).
6. Climate controls (see Climate Controls on page 104).
7. Volume control
Touch the up and down arrows to increase or decrease the volume of the speakers. You can
also adjust the volume using the scroll wheel on the left side of the steering wheel.
8. Reverse the position of the two currently displayed apps.
Warning: Paying attention to road and traffic conditions must always be the driver
Page 121 of 190
About the Security System
If Model S does not detect a key nearby and a
locked door or trunk is opened, an alarm sounds and headlights and turn signals
flash.To deactivate the alarm, press any button on the key.
To manually enable or disable the alarm
system, touch Controls > Settings > Safety &
Security > Alarm. When set to on, Model S
activates its alarm one minute after the doors
lock and a recognized key is no longer
detected nearby.
Security Settings
Using the Touchscreen121
Page 125 of 190
Loading New Software
Model S updates its software wirelessly,
providing new features throughout your term of ownership. The
first time you enter Model S
after an update is made available, a scheduling
window displays on the touchscreen.
Note: Some software updates can take from
two to three hours to complete. Model S must be in P (Park) when the new software is being
installed. To ensure the fastest and most
reliable delivery of software updates, leave the
Wi-Fi turned on and connected whenever
possible (see Connecting to Wi-Fi on page
124).
When a software update is available, a yellow
clock icon appears on the touchscreen