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Child-Protection Lock
Model S has child-protection locks on the rear
doors and liftgate to prevent them from being
opened using interior handles. Use the
touchscreen to turn child-protection locks on
or off. Touch Controls > Vehicle > Child-
Protection Lock .
Note: It is recommended that you turn child-
protection locks on whenever children are
seated in the rear seats.
Drive Away Locking
Model S automatically locks all doors
(including the trunks) whenever your driving
speed exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h).
Walk-Away Locking
Doors and trunks automatically lock whenever
you walk away carrying the key or if the key is
otherwise not detected by your vehicle (not
present, dead battery, etc.).
To turn this feature on or off, touch Controls >
Vehicle > Walk-Away Door Lock .
Note: Depending on date of manufacture and
options selected at time of purchase, some Model S vehicles are not equipped with the
Walk-Away Locking.
Note: If Model S detects an authenticated key
for five minutes after you exit the vehicle and
close all doors, Walk-Away Lock disables and will not lock when you leave with the key. You
will need to manually lock your vehicle until after your next drive.
Note: If all doors are closed and you use the
key to unlock Model S, walk away locking is temporarily suspended for one minute. If you
open a door within this minute, it does not re-
lock until after all the doors are closed and
you have walked away with the key.
Note: If your vehicle was unlocked using the
mobile app, it automatically locks after a short
period of time with all doors closed. If parking
in an area without cellular service, such as an
indoor parking garage, ensure that you have a
functional key fob readily available.Unlocking When the Key Doesn
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Adjusting Liftgate Opening HeightIf Model S is equipped with a powered liftgate,
you can adjust its opening height to make it
easier to reach or to avoid low-hanging
ceilings or objects (for example, a garage door
or light):
1. Open the liftgate, then manually lower or
raise it to the desired opening height.
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 theliftgate 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 13), 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
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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.
Rear Trunk
18Model S Owner
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Seat Belts
Wearing Seat Belts
Using seat belts and child safety seats is the
most effective way to protect occupants if a
collision occurs. Therefore, wearing a seat belt is required by law in most jurisdictions.
Both the driver and passenger seats are
equipped with three-point inertia reel seat
belts. Inertia reel belts are automatically
tensioned to allow occupants to move
comfortably during normal driving conditions.
To securely hold child safety seats, all
passenger seating positions are equipped with
an automatic locking retractor (ALR) that, by
pulling the seat belt beyond the length
needed for a typical adult occupant, locks the
belt into place until the seat belt is unbuckled.
The seat belt reel automatically locks to prevent movement of occupants if Model S
experiences a force associated with hard acceleration, braking, cornering, or an impact
in a collision.
Seat Belt Reminders
The seat belt reminder on the
instrument panel alerts you if a seat
belt for an occupied driver or
passenger seat is unbuckled. If the
belt remains unbuckled, the
reminder
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Warning: Never place anything between
you and the seat belt to cushion the
impact in the event of a collision.
Seat Belt Pre-tensioners
The front seat belts are equipped with
pre )tensioners that work in conjunction with
the airbags in a severe frontal collision. The
pre )tensioners automatically retract both the
seat belt anchor and the seat belt webbing,
reducing slack in both the lap and diagonal
portions of the belts, resulting in reduced
forward movement of the occupant.
The outboard seats are equipped with
shoulder pre-tensioners to retract the seat
belt webbing to reduce forward movement of
the occupant.
If the pre-tensioners and airbags did not
activate in an impact, this does not mean they
malfunctioned. It usually means that the strength or type of force needed to activate
them was not present.
Warning: Once the seat belt pre-
tensioners have been activated, they must
be replaced. After any collision, have the
airbags, seat belt pre-tensioners and any
associated components checked and, if
necessary, replaced.
Testing Seat Belts
To confirm that seat belts are operating
correctly, perform these three simple checks
on each seat belt.
1. With the seat belt fastened, give the
webbing nearest the buckle a quick pull.
The buckle should remain securely locked.
2. With the belt unfastened, unreel the
webbing to its limit. Check that unreeling
is free from snags, and visually check the
webbing for wear. Allow the webbing to retract, checking that retraction is smooth
and complete.
3. With the webbing half unreeled, hold the
tongue plate and pull forward quickly. The
mechanism should lock automatically and
prevent further unreeling.
If a seat belt fails any of these tests, contact
Tesla immediately.
For information about cleaning seat belts, see
Seat Belts on page 181.
Seat Belt Warnings
Warning: Seat belts should be worn by all
occupants at all times, even if driving for
a very short distance. Failure to do so
increases the risk of injury or death if a collision occurs.Warning: Secure small children in a
suitable child safety seat as described in
the Child Safety Seat topic. Always follow
the child safety seat manufacturer
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child protectiondisabling rear window switches 15child seatscleaning 181
installing and using 30child-protectiondisabling liftgate and rear door handles
13
Chill acceleration 74
cleaning 180
climate controls 128
cold weather driving 83
collision avoidance assist 113
connecting to Wi-Fi 156
console12V power socket 22
cup holders 23
USB ports 21
consumption chart 77
contact informationroadside assistance 205
Tesla 215
copyrights 211
Creep 67
cruise control 88
cup holders 23
D dashboard overview 2
Dashcam 80
data recording 213
data sharing 213
declarations of conformity 216
delivery mileage 214
devicesBluetooth, playing audio files 142
connecting 21
playing audio files from 142
dimensions 192
dome (map) lights 54
door handles 12
door labels 190
Door Unlock Mode 12
doors 10
doors, opening 10
drive away locking 13
Drive gear 52
driverprofiles 42
seat adjustment 25drivingseating position 25
starting 50
tips to maximize range 77E
Easter Eggs 209
easy entry, driver profile 42
EDR (event data recorder) 213
electric parking brake 68
emergency braking 113
emergency
Page 225 of 226
trunk, front 19trunk, rearchild-protection lock 13
disabling interior handle 13
turn signals 57
U ultrasonic sensors 85
uniform tire quality grading 201
Unlock on Park 10
unlocking when key doesn