Note: On RHD (Right Hand Drive) vehicles, the controls illustrated above are arranged similarly,but are mirrored on the right side of the vehicle.
1. Interior door handles ( Opening Doors from the Interior on page 6)
2.
Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on page 70) and Autosteer (see
Autosteer on page 76)
3. High beams ( High Beam Headlights on page 54), Turn signals ( Turn Signals on page 54),
Wipers and washers ( Wipers and Washers on page 56)
4. Steering wheel buttons - left ( Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons on page 39)
5. Instrument panel ( Instrument Panel on page 45)
6. Steering wheel buttons - right ( Using Right Steering Wheel Buttons on page 40)
7. Gear selector ( Shifting Gears on page 44)
8. Touchscreen ( Touchscreen Overview on page 93)
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 42)
12. Seats ( Front and Rear Seats on page 17)
13. Steering column adjuster (hidden from view in the above image) ( Steering Wheel on page
39)
14. Horn ( Horn on page 41)
15. Brakes ( Brakes on page 57)
16. Hazard warning lights ( Hazard Warning Flashers on page 55)
17. Cabin climate control ( Climate Controls on page 105)
18. Cup holders ( Cup Holders on page 16)
Interior Overview
2Model S Owner
2. Press and hold the button on theunderside of the liftgate for two seconds
until you hear a
confirmation chime.
3.Confirm that you have set it to the desired
height by closing the liftgate, then
reopening it.
Interior Release To 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 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.
Warning: People should never climb
inside the trunk. Never lock a trunk when
a person is inside.
Rear Trunk
Opening and Closing11
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.
Warning: People should never climb
inside the front trunk. Never shut the
front trunk when a person is inside.Opening with No Power
Note: The mechanical release lever describedbelow is not available on all versions of
Model S. For dual-motor vehicles and on some newer models, contact Tesla for assistance.
If Model S has no electrical power, or if you are
unable to open the front trunk using the touchscreen or key, pull the mechanicalrelease lever located below the glove box. Thisreleases the primary latch.
Then push down on the secondary latch lever
and lift the hood. You may need to push the hood down slightly to release the pressure
against the secondary latch.
Front Trunk
Opening and Closing13
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 37). 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
Airbag Warning IndicatorThe airbag indicator on the
instrument panel remains lit if the airbag system is malfunctioning. The
only time this indicator should light
up is
briefly when Model S firstpowers up, in which case it turns offwithin a few seconds. If it remains lit,
contact Tesla immediately and do
not drive.
Airbag Warnings
Warning: No objects should be placed
over or near the air bag on the instrument panel, because any such objects couldcause harm if the vehicle is in a crash
severe enough to cause the air bag to
inflate.
Warning: All occupants, including the driver, should always wear their seat belts,
whether or not an airbag is also provided
at their seating position, to minimize the
risk of severe injury or death in the event
of a collision.Warning: Front seat occupants should not
place their arms over the airbag module,
as an
inflating bag can cause fractures or
other injuries.
Warning: 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, if equipped.Warning: Airbags inflate with
considerable speed and force, which can
cause injury. To limit injuries, ensure that occupants are wearing seat belts and are
correctly seated, with the seat positioned as far back as possible.Warning: Do not use a child safety seat or
seat young children on a seat with an
operational airbag in front of it. Doing so
can cause injury or death if the airbag
inflates.
Warning: To ensure correct inflation of the
side airbags, maintain an unobstructed
gap between an occupant
5. If Model S is equipped with a coil suspension system, you can adjust the angle of theheadlights to accommodate the load you are carrying. You may need to lower the angle of theheadlights to avoid blinding oncoming drivers in situations when you are carrying a
significantamount of weight in the rear trunk. After touching LEVEL, drag the slider to the desiredposition:
0Headlights are not lowered. No change is needed when all front and rear seats are
occupied and only the front trunk is laden.1Headlights are lowered one level. Suitable when the front and rear seats are occupied and the rear trunk is laden.2Headlights are lowered two levels. Suitable when carrying heavy loads.
Note: Headlight adjustments are not available if Model S is equipped with Smart Air
Suspension because Model S levels automatically.
6. Exterior lights (headlights, tail lights, side marker lights, parking lights, and license plate lights) are set to AUTO each time you start Model S.
AUTOExterior lights automatically turn on when driving in low lighting
conditions. If you change to a different setting, lights always revert to this
AUTO setting on your next drive.
Touch one of these options to temporarily change the exterior light setting:
OFFExterior lights turn off until you manually turn them back on or until the
next time you drive Model S. If daytime running lights are required in your
region, the exterior lights used for this purpose do not turn
off.Only the side marker lights, parking lights, tail lights and license plate
lights turn on.Exterior lights turn on.
Note: Model S has a series of lights along the lower rim of the headlights, also referred to as
"signature" lights. These lights automatically turn on whenever Model S is powered on and a driving gear is engaged.
Warning: Always ensure that your headlamps are switched to AUTO or ON, as
appropriate, during all low visibility conditions. Failure to do so may result in a collision.
Lights
Driving53
High Beam HeadlightsPush the left-hand steering column lever away
from you. To cancel, pull the lever toward you.
If Model S is equipped with Driver Assistance
components (see About Driver Assistance on
page 68), and you have purchased the
optional Autopilot Tech Package, the high
beam headlights can automatically switch to low beam when there is light detected in front
of Model S (for example, from an oncoming vehicle or street lights). To turn this feature on,touch Controls > Auto High Beam .
Note: Your chosen setting is retained until you manually change it. It can also be saved in
your driver
profile.
In situations where high beams are turned offbecause Auto High Beam is turned on and light is detected in front of Model S, you can
temporarily turn on high beams by pulling the
lever all the way toward you.
The following indicator lights are visible on the
instrument panel when high beams are turned
on:
High beams are turned on and the
Auto High Beam setting is turned
off.
High beams are currently turned on,
and Auto High Beam is ready to turn
off the high beams if light is
detected in front of Model S.
High beams are temporarily turnedoff because Auto High Beam is on
and is detecting light in front of
Model S. When light is no longer
detected, the high beams will
automatically turn back on.
To flash the headlight high beams, pull the
lever fully toward you and release.
Warning: Auto High Beam is an aid only and is subject to limitations. It is the
driver
The turn signals stop operating when canceledby 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.Warning: If Model S is equipped with both
Autopilot hardware and the optional
Autopilot Tech Package, and
Traffic-
Aware Cruise Control is active, engaging
a turn signal can cause Model S to accelerate when using
Traffic-AwareCruise Control in specific situations (see
Overtake Acceleration on page 73).
Warning: If Model S is equipped with both
Autopilot hardware and the optional
Autopilot Tech Package, and Autosteer is active, engaging a turn signal can cause
Model S to change lanes (see Auto Lane
Change on page 79).
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
Driving55