Page 1 of 190
Overview............................................................. 2
Interior Overview.........................................................................2
Exterior Overview....................................................................... 3
Opening and Closing..................................... 4 Doors............................................................................................... 4
Keyless Locking and Unlocking 4Using the Key 4Using Exterior Door Handles 6Opening Doors from the Interior 6Interior Locking and Unlocking 6Door Unlock Mode 7Child-protection Lock 7Drive-away Locking 7Walk-away Locking 7Unlocking When the Key Doesn
Page 4 of 190
Keyless Locking and UnlockingLocking and unlocking Model S is convenient.
Although you must be carrying a valid key,
there is no need to use it. Model S has sensors that can recognize the presence of a key
within a range of approximately three feet
(one meter). So you can keep your key in your
pocket or purse and Model S detects it.
When you walk up to Model S carrying your
key, doors automatically unlock. If a door
handle is retracted, press it and it extends. If
the Auto-Present Handles setting is turned on
(see Using Exterior Door Handles on page
6), you do not need to touch the door
handle. Instead, door handles extends
automatically as you approach Model S. To
open the rear trunk, press the switch located
under the trunk
Page 7 of 190
Door Unlock ModeYou can choose whether you want all doors, or
just the driver
Page 11 of 190

Interior ReleaseTo open the trunk from inside a Model S
equipped with the Tesla Built-In Rear Facing
Child Seats, press the interior release switch located inside the rear trunk and push the
liftgate up. If Model S is locked and is equipped with a power liftgate, the
first press
unlocks the rear trunk and the second press
opens it.
Note: If Model S is not equipped with the the
Tesla Rear Facing Child Seats, the switch may
appear to exist, but it will be inactive and
pressing it does not release the liftgate.
If Model S is equipped with the power liftgate,
you do not need to push it up. When you
press the release switch, it opens, and when you pull the switch, it closes.
Note: The interior release switch is disabled if
child-protection locks are turned on (see
Child-protection Lock on page 7), or if
Model S is moving.
Opening with No Power
If Model S has no electrical power, you can
open the rear trunk from inside. Use the
mechanical release cable located on the underside of the liftgate, next to the interior
light.
1. Remove the cover by pulling its lower edge very firmly toward you.
2. Pull the cable to release the latch.
3. Push the liftgate open.
Rear Trunk
Opening and Closing11
Page 12 of 190
Opening
To open the front trunk: Touch ControlsFront Trunk on the
touchscreen, or double-click the front
trunk button on the key.
Pull the hood up.The door open indicator displays on
the instrument panel when the front
trunk is open. The image of the
Model S on the touchscreen Controls window also displays the open trunk.
The front trunk locks whenever Model S is
locked using the touchscreen, externally using
the key or walk-away locking, or when Valet
mode is active (see Valet Mode).
To open the front trunk in the unlikely
situation in which Model S has no electrical
power, see Opening with No Power .
Closing
The Model S body is made of lightweight aluminum. Therefore, the hood is not heavy
enough to latch under its own weight and
applying pressure on the front edge or center of the hood can cause damage. To close the
hood:
Page 13 of 190
Interior Emergency ReleaseAn interior release button inside the front
trunk allows a person locked inside to get out.
This release button is active whenever Model S
is stationary.
Press the interior release button to open the
front trunk, then push up on the hood.
Note: The button glows for several hours after
a brief exposure to ambient light.
Opening with No Power
If Model S has no electrical power, or if you are
unable to open the front trunk using the
touchscreen or key, pull the mechanical release lever located below the glove box. Thisreleases the primary catch.
Note: The mechanical release lever is notavailable on all versions of Model S. For dualmotor vehicles and some newer models,
contact Tesla for assistance.
Then push down on the secondary catch lever
and lift the hood. You may need to push the hood down slightly to release the pressure
against the secondary catch.
Front Trunk
Opening and Closing13
Page 14 of 190
Opening and Closing
To open the glove box, press the switch located on the side of the touchscreen. If you
leave the glove box open for
five minutes, its
light automatically turns off.
Note: The glove box locks whenever Model S is locked externally, using the key or walk-
away locking. It also locks when Model S is in Valet mode (see Valet Mode on page 35). It
does not lock when Model S is locked using the touchscreen.
Warning: When driving, keep the glove
box closed to prevent injury to a
passenger if a collision or sudden stop
occurs.
Glove Box
14Model S Owner
Page 18 of 190

Folding Rear Seats
Model S has a split rear seat that can fold
forward.
Note: If Model S is equipped with the optional
executive rear seats, these seats do not 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 that
cannot be adjusted or removed.
Seat Heaters
The front seats are equipped with heating
pads that operate at three levels from 3
(highest) to 1 (lowest). To operate the seat
heaters, see Climate Controls on page 104.
If Model S is equipped with the optional cold weather package, you can also control seat
heaters in all rear seating positions, as well as
heated wipers and washer nozzles by by
touching Controls > Cold Weather (see
Controls on page 94).
Seat Covers Do not use seat covers on Model S. Doing so
could restrict deployment of the side air bags
if an accident occurs. It can also reduce the
accuracy of the occupant detection system.
Front and Rear Seats
18Model S Owner