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1. Interior door handles (Opening Doors from the Interior on page 6)
2.Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on page 68) and Autosteer (see
Autosteer on page 74)
3. High beams ( High Beam Headlights on page 51), Turn signals ( Turn Signals on page 51),
Wipers and washers ( Wiper Blades and Washer Jets on page 147)
4. Steering wheel buttons - left ( Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons on page 37)
5. Instrument panel ( Instrument Panel on page 43)
6. Steering wheel buttons - right ( Using Right Steering Wheel Buttons on page 38)
7. Gear selector ( Shifting Gears on page 42)
8. Touchscreen ( Touchscreen Overview on page 90)
9. Glove box button ( Glove Box on page 14)
10. Power window switches ( Opening and Closing on page 9)
11. Exterior mirror adjustment switches ( Mirrors on page 40)
12. Seats ( Front and Rear Seats on page 17)
13. Steering column adjuster (hidden from view in the above image) ( Steering Wheel on page
37)
14. Horn ( Horn on page 39)
15. Brakes ( Brakes on page 54)
16. Hazard warning lights ( Hazard Warning Flashers on page 52)
17. Cabin climate control ( Climate Controls on page 104)
18. Cup holders ( Cup Holders on page 16)
Interior Overview
2Model S Owner
Page 17 of 190
Correct Driving PositionThe seat, head support, seat belt and airbagswork together to maximize your safety. Using
these correctly ensures greater protection.
Position the seat so you can wear the seat belt correctly, while being as far away from the
front airbag as possible:
1. Sit upright with both feet on the
floor and
the seat back reclined no more than 30
degrees.
2. Make sure you can easily reach the pedals and that your arms are slightly bent whenholding the steering wheel. Your chest
should be at least 10 inches (25 cm) from
the center of the airbag cover.
3. Place the shoulder section of the seat belt mid-way between your neck and your
shoulder. Fit the lap section of the belt tightly across your hips, not across your
stomach.
Model S seats include integrated head
supports that cannot be adjusted or removed.
Adjusting the Driver
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Adjusting PositionAdjust the steering wheel to the desireddriving position by moving the control on the
left side of the steering column. Using this
control, you can move the steering wheel forward and backward and up and down.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:
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automatically changes to display navigation
instructions (if applicable), or to let you know
if a door or trunk is open when Model S is in a driving gear.
Using Right Steering Wheel Buttons Use the buttons on the right side of thesteering wheel to access call options while on
a phone call, to browse the phonebook of a
Bluetooth-connected phone, to choose what
displays on the right side of the instrument
panel, to adjust Model S features, and to use
voice commands.
Note: Whenever you receive or make a phone call, the right side of the instrument panelautomatically displays call options to help you
easily handle phone calls on your Bluetooth-
connected phone.
1. Touch to browse the phonebook of a
Bluetooth-connected phone and touch
again to close it.
Press and hold to use voice commands to
call a contact, navigate, or listen to Internet music. When you hear the tone,
speak your command. Release the button
when you
finish speaking. For details, see
Using Voice Commands on page 39.
2. Scroll Wheel
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Using Voice Commands
You can use voice commands to call a contact, navigate, or listen to Internet music. Press and
hold the voice button on the upper right side of the steering wheel. When you hear the
tone, speak your command while continuing
to hold down the voice button. Release the
button when you
finish speaking.
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8. Use the right steering wheel buttons to change what displays on the right side of theinstrument panel whenever a phone call is not active (see Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons
on page 37).
9. Total estimated driving distance (or energy) available. Instead of driving distance, you can display the percentage of battery energy remaining. To do so, touch Controls > Settings >
Units & Format > Energy & Charging (see Settings on page 99).
Note: When anticipating when you need to charge, use range estimates as a general guideline only.
Note: In cold weather, some of the stored energy in the Battery may not be available on your drive because the Battery is too cold. When this happens, a portion of the Battery meter isblue and the driving distance value has a
snowflake image next to it. If Model S is plugged in,
you can heat your Battery using wall power by turning on climate control using the mobile app. When the Battery warms up, the blue portion on the meter and the
snowflake image are
no longer displayed.
10. The speed limit (if available) that is currently being detected by Speed Assist (see Speed
Assist on page 88).
11. The car in front of you (if applicable).
12. Pay attention to important driving-related messages that appear at the bottom center of the instrument panel.
13. Your Model S.
14. When Autosteer is active, the driving lane is highlighted in blue (see Autosteer on page 74).
The lane may highlight in red If a front wheel passes over a lane marking and the associated
turn signal is
off (see Lane Assist on page 83).
15. The following distance that Traffic-Aware Cruise Control will maintain from the car in front of
you. You can adjust the following distance as appropriate for driving conditions (see Traffic-
Aware Cruise Control on page 68).
16. Currently selected gear: Park, Reverse, Neutral, or Drive.
Instrument Panel
Driving47
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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 button 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
52Model S Owner
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