2018 TESLA MODEL S Owner's Manual 

Opening Interior Doors with No
Power
If Model S has no electrical power, the front
doors open as usual using the interior door
handles. To open the rear doors, fold back the
edge of the carpet below the rear seats to expose the mechanical release cable. Pull themechanical release cable toward the center of
the vehicle.
Doors
8Model S Owner

Opening and Closing
Press down on a switch to lower the
associated window. Window switches operate
at two levels:

Opening
To open the rear trunk, do one of the following:

2.Press and hold the button on the
underside 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 rear 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.
Accessing the Cargo Area
To access the cargo area inside the rear trunk,
pull up the strap at the rear of the cargo cover.
You can then fold the cargo cover forward or
remove it from Model S.Caution: Never load more than 175 lbs
(80 kg) on the rear load floor (above the
lower trunk compartment) or more than
130 lbs (60 kg) in the lower trunk
compartment. Doing so can cause
damage.
Interior Emergency Trunk Release
An illuminated mechanical release located
inside the rear trunk allows you to open the
rear trunk from the inside if Model S has no
electrical power. This mechanical release also
allows a person locked inside to get out.
1. Remove the cover by pulling its lower
edge very firmly toward you.
2. Pull the cable to release the latch.
3. Push the rear trunk open.
Note: The button glows for several hours after
a brief exposure to ambient light.
Warning: Do not allow children to play
inside the trunk or become locked inside.
An unrestrained child could
suffer serious
injury or death in a crash. A child could
suffer heat exhaustion if trapped in the
vehicle, especially without climate control
on. If your Model S is equipped with Tesla
built-in rear facing child seats, see Tesla
Built-In Rear Facing Child Seats on page
Rear Trunk
Opening and Closing11

31 and ensure all restrictions,
instructions, and warnings are followed.
Rear Trunk
12Model S Owner

Opening
To open the front trunk:
1. Ensure that the area around the hood is
free of obstacles.
2. Touch Controls > Front Trunk on the
touchscreen, touch the front trunk button
on the mobile app, or double-click the front trunk button on the key.
3. Pull the hood up.When a door or trunk/liftgate is
open, the instrument panel displays
the Door Open indicator light. The
image of the Model S on the
touchscreen Controls window also
displays the open front trunk.Warning: Before opening or closing the
hood, it is important to check that the area around the hood is free of obstacles
(people and objects). Failure to do so
may result in damage or serious injury.
Note: The front trunk locks whenever closed
and you lock Model S using either the
touchscreen or externally using the key or
mobile app, you leave Model S carrying your key (if Walk-away Locking on page 7 is turned
on), or when Valet mode is active (see Valet
Mode on page 40).
Closing The Model S 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 properly close the hood:
1. Lower the hood until the striker touches
the latches.
2. Place both hands on the front of the hood
in the areas shown (in green), then press
down
firmly to engage the latches.
3. Carefully try to lift the front edge of the
hood to ensure that it is fully closed.
Caution: To prevent damage:

Note: The interior release button glows
following 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.Warning: Care should be taken to ensure
that objects inside the front trunk do not
bump against the release button, causing the trunk to accidentally open.
Front Trunk
14Model S Owner

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 inValet mode (see Valet Mode on page 40). 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
Opening and Closing15