Contents
Overview............................................................. 2
Interior Overview.........................................................................2
Exterior Overview....................................................................... 3
Touchscreen Overview..............................................................4
Opening and Closing..................................... 9
Doors............................................................................................... 9 Windows....................................................................................... 14Rear Trunk.................................................................................... 15 Front Trunk.................................................................................. 18Interior Storage and Electronics........................................ 20Sunroof......................................................................................... 23
Seating and Safety Restraints..................24 Front and Rear Seats.............................................................. 24Seat Belts..................................................................................... 27 Child Safety Seats.................................................................... 30Tesla Built-In Rear Facing Child Seats.............................. 37
Airbags.......................................................................................... 41
Driving...............................................................45 Driver Profiles ............................................................................ 45
Steering Wheel.......................................................................... 47
Mirrors.......................................................................................... 50 Starting and Powering Off.................................................... 52
Gears............................................................................................. 54 Lights.............................................................................................55Instrument Panel.......................................................................59 Wipers and Washers............................................................... 65Brakes........................................................................................... 67Traction Control........................................................................ 70 Park Assist.................................................................................... 71Vehicle Hold................................................................................ 73Acceleration Modes................................................................. 74Active Hood................................................................................ 76
Trip Information.........................................................................77 Getting Maximum Range....................................................... 78Rear View Camera................................................................... 80
Dashcam....................................................................................... 81
Autopilot.......................................................... 82 About Autopilot........................................................................ 82Traffic-Aware Cruise Control................................................ 85
Autosteer...................................................................................... 91 Autopark...................................................................................... 98 Summon..................................................................................... 100Lane Assist................................................................................ 102Collision Avoidance Assist.................................................. 104Speed Assist............................................................................. 107
Using the Touchscreen..............................109 Controls...................................................................................... 109Climate Controls....................................................................... 119 Maps and Navigation............................................................. 125Media and Audio..................................................................... 130Phone........................................................................................... 133Air Suspension......................................................................... 135Calendar......................................................................................137
Security Settings..................................................................... 138 HomeLink
Overview
Interior Overview
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 11)
2. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control ( Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on page 85) and Autosteer
( Autosteer on page 91)
3. High beams ( High Beam Headlights on page 57), Turn signals ( Turn Signals on page 58),
Wipers and washers ( Wipers and Washers on page 65)
4. Steering wheel buttons - left ( Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons on page 47)
5. Instrument panel ( Instrument Panel on page 59)
6. Steering wheel buttons - right ( Using Right Steering Wheel Buttons on page 48)
7. Gear selector ( Shifting Gears on page 54)
8. Touchscreen ( Touchscreen Overview on page 4)
9. Glovebox button ( Glove Box on page 20)
10. Cabin climate control ( Climate Controls on page 119)
11. Power window switches ( Opening and Closing on page 14)
12. Exterior mirror adjustment switches ( Mirrors on page 50)
13. Seats ( Front and Rear Seats on page 24)
14. Steering column adjuster (hidden from view in the above image) ( Steering Wheel on page
47)
15. Horn ( Horn on page 49)
16. Brakes ( Brakes on page 67)
17. Accelerator pedal ( Acceleration Modes on page 74)
18. Hazard warning lights ( Hazard Warning Flashers on page 58)
19. Cup holders ( Cup Holders on page 22)
Interior Overview
2Model S Owner
Starting and Powering
Off
Starting When you open a door, Model S powers on
the instrument panel and touchscreen and you
can operate all controls.
To drive Model S:
1. PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL - Model S
powers on and is ready to drive.
2. SELECT A GEAR - Move the gear lever all
the way down for Drive and all the way up
for Reverse. See Shifting Gears on page
54.
Note: If the PIN to Drive feature is enabled
(see PIN to Drive on page 138), you must also
enter a valid PIN on the touchscreen before
you can drive Model S.
Note: If Passive Entry is off and you do not
press the brake pedal to start Model S within
approximately five minutes, a message
displays on the instrument panel and you must
use the key to lock then unlock Model S again before starting the vehicle.
Everything you need to know when driving
Model S displays on the instrument panel.
Key Not Inside
If Model S does not detect a key when you
press the brake, the instrument panel displays
a message telling you that a key is not inside.
If you receive this message, place the key in
the center console cup holder where Model S
can best detect it.
If Model S still does not detect the key, try holding it against the center console,
immediately below the 12V power socket (see
12V Power Socket on page 20). Or try using
another key. If another key does not work, contact Tesla.
A number of factors can affect whether
Model S can detect the key. These include a
low battery in the key, interference from other
devices using radio signals, and objects
between the key and receiver.
Always keep the key with you. After driving,
the key is needed to restart Model S after it
powers off. And when you leave Model S, you
must bring the key with you to lock Model S, either manually or automatically.
Powering Off
When you finish driving, shift into Park by
pressing the button on the end of the gear selector. The parking brake automatically
engages and all systems keep operating.
When you leave Model S with the key, it
powers off automatically, turning off the
instrument panel and touchscreen.
Model S also powers off automatically after
being in Park for 15 minutes, even if you are
sitting in the driver
Gears
Shifting Gears When Model S is in Park, you must press the
brake to shift to another gear.
Move the lever up or down to change gears.
If you try to shift into a gear that the current
driving speed prohibits, a chime sounds and
the gear does not change.
Reverse
Push the lever all the way up and release. You
can only shift into Reverse when Model S is
stopped or moving less than 8 km/h. If moving
less than 1.6 km/h, you must press the brake.
Neutral
Push the lever up or down to the first position
and release to shift into Neutral. Neutral allows
Model S to roll freely when you are not
pressing the brake pedal.
If Model S is in Park and you use the
touchscreen to release the parking brake
( Controls > Safety & Security ), Model S shifts
into Neutral (see Parking Brake on page 68).
Drive
Push the lever all the way down and release.
You can shift into Drive when Model S is stopped or moving less than 8 km/h inReverse. If Model S is moving less than
1.6 km/h, you must press the brake to shift into Drive.
Park
Press the end of the gear selector while Model S is stopped. Whenever Model S is in Park, the parking brake is applied.
Model S automatically shifts into Park
whenever you connect a charge cable or if
two or more of the following conditions are
met simultaneously:
IndicatorDescriptionHigh beam headlights are temporarily turned off because Auto High Beam is on
and is detecting light in front of Model S. When light is no longer detected, the
high beams automatically turn back on. See High Beam Headlights on page 57.Parking lights (side marker lights, tail lights, and license plate lights) are on. See
Lights on page 55.Front fog lights, if equipped. See Lights on page 55.Rear fog lights, if equipped. See Lights on page 55.Adaptive Front Lighting, if equipped. See Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
on page 57.Electronic stability control systems are actively minimizing wheel spin by
controlling brake pressure and motor power (indicator
Brakes
Braking Systems
Warning: Properly functioning braking
systems are critical to ensure safety. If you experience a problem with the brake
pedal, brake caliper, or any component of
a Model S braking system, contact Tesla
immediately.
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 brie
Note: If regenerative braking is aggressively
slowing Model S (such as when your foot is
completely off the accelerator pedal at
highway speeds), the brake lights turn on to
alert others that you are slowing down.Warning: In snowy or icy conditions
Model S may experience traction loss
during regenerative braking, particularly
when in the Standard setting and/or not
using winter tires. Tesla recommends
using the Low setting (see To Set the
Regenerative Braking Level on page 68)
in snowy or icy conditions to help
maintain vehicle stability.
The Energy app displays real-time feedback
on the amount of energy being gained by
regenerative braking. You can also display the
power meter on either side of the instrument
panel by choosing Energy using the scroll
button on the steering wheel (see Steering
Wheel on page 47).
The amount of energy fed back to the Battery using regenerative braking can depend on thecurrent state of the Battery and the charge
level setting that you are using. For example,
regenerative braking may be limited if the Battery is already fully charged or if the
ambient temperature is too cold.
Note: If regenerative braking is limited, a
dashed yellow line displays on the power
meter.
To Set the Regenerative Braking Level
You can use the touchscreen to change the
level of regenerative braking:
1. Touch Controls > Driving > Regenerative
Braking .
2. Choose from two levels:
When you use the touchscreen to
manually apply the parking brake,
the red parking brake indicator lights
up on the instrument panel .If the parking brake experiences an
electrical issue, the amber parking brake indicator lights up and a fault
message displays at the top of the
instrument panel.Caution: In the unlikely event that Model S
loses electrical power, you cannot access
the touchscreen and are therefore unable to release the parking brake. Contact
Tesla.
Brakes
Driving69