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WARNING: Do not rely on regenerative braking
and your chosen Stopping Mode to keep you and
your vehicle safe. Various factors such as driving
with a heavy vehicle load, on a steep hill, or on wet
or icy roads affect deceleration rate and the
distance at which Model 3 will come to a stop.
Drive attentively and always stay prepared to use
the brake pedal to stop as appropriate based on
traffic and road conditions.
WARNING: Forward Collision Warning and
Automatic Emergency Braking (if equipped) do
not operate when driving at very low speeds (see
Collision Avoidance Assist on page 112). Do not
rely on these features to warn you, or to prevent or
reduce the impact of a collision.
NOTE: Your chosen setting is retained in your Driver
Profile until you manually change it.
Parking Brake
To engage the parking brake, touch Controls > Safety &
Security > Parking Brake. Follow the onscreen
instructions.
You can also engage the parking brake by
pressing and holding the button on the end of the drive
stalk while in Park.
NOTE: The parking brake operates on the rear wheels
only, and is independent of the pedal-operated brake
system.
WARNING: In snowy or icy conditions the rear
wheels may not have sufficient traction to prevent
Model 3 from sliding down a slope, particularly if
not using winter tires. Avoid parking on hills in
snowy or icy conditions. You are always
responsible for parking safely.
WARNING: Your Model 3 may display an alert if
the road is too steep to safely park on, or if the
parking brakes are not properly engaged. These
alerts are for guidance purposes only and are not a
substitute for the driver
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How It Works
The traction control system constantly monitors the speed of the front and rear wheels. If
Model 3
experiences a loss of traction, the system minimizes wheel spin by controlling brake pressure and motor power. By default, the traction control system is on. Under normal conditions, it should remain on to ensure
maximum safety.
This yellow indicator flashes on the
touchscreen whenever the traction control
system is actively controlling brake
pressure and motor power to minimize wheel spin. If the indicator stays on, a fault is detected with the traction control system. Contact Tesla Service.
WARNING: Traction control cannot prevent
collisions caused by driving dangerously or turning
too sharply at high speeds.
Allowing Wheel Slip
To allow the wheels to spin at a limited speed, you can
enable Slip Start.
Slip Start can be enabled at any speed,
however it is less effective at higher speeds.
Under normal conditions, Slip Start should not be enabled. Enable it only in circumstances where you deliberately want the wheels to spin, such as:
Page 66 of 248

When Model 3 is stopped, Vehicle Hold can continue to
apply the brakes even after you remove your foot from
the brake pedal. When driving on a hill or on a
flat
surface, brake as you normally would. After coming to a
complete stop, simply press the brake pedal again (until
the
touchscreen displays the Vehicle Hold indicator
light) to enable Vehicle Hold. You can then release the
brake pedal and remain stopped, even on a hill.
This indicator displays on the touchscreen
whenever Vehicle Hold is actively braking
Model 3.
To disengage Vehicle Hold, press the accelerator pedal or press and release the brake pedal.
NOTE: Shifting into Neutral also disengages Vehicle
Hold.
NOTE: After actively braking Model 3 for approximately
ten minutes,
Model 3 shifts into Park and Vehicle Hold
cancels.
Model 3 also shifts into Park if it detects that
the driver has left the vehicle.
NOTE: When Stopping Mode is set to Hold (see
Stopping Mode on page 59), Vehicle Hold engages
automatically whenever
Model 3 stops while in a driving
gear. There is no need to press the brake to engage it.
Vehicle Hold
64MODEL 3 Owner
Page 84 of 248
3. To cancel Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, push the drive
stalk up once or press the brake pedal. See
Canceling
and Resuming on page 84 for more information.
Changing the Cruising Speed
Roll the right scroll wheel up to increase, or down to decrease, the set speed. Slowly rolling the scroll wheel changes the set speed in
1 mph (1 km/h) increments and
quickly rolling the scroll wheel changes the set speed to
the closest
5 mph (5 km/h) increment.
You can also use the touchscreen and drive stalk to change the set cruising speed:
Page 91 of 248

When using Auto Lane Change, it is important to monitor its performance by watching the driving path in front of you and the surrounding area. Stay prepared to take over steering at any time. As you are crossing over into the adjacent lane, the
touchscreen displays the
location in the lane that
Model 3 is moving into.
In situations where Auto Lane Change is unable to operate at optimal performance, or cannot operate due to inadequate data, the
touchscreen displays a series of
warnings. Therefore, when using Auto Lane Change,
always pay attention to the
touchscreen and be
prepared to manually steer
Model 3.
Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning
NOTE: Depending on market region, vehicle
configuration, options purchased, and software version,
your vehicle may not be equipped with Stop Light and
Stop Sign Warning, or the feature may not operate
exactly as described.
While Autosteer is in use, Model 3 displays a warning on
the
touchscreen and sounds a chime if it detects that
you are likely to run through a red stop light or stop sign. If this happens,
TAKE IMMEDIATE CORRECTIVE
ACTION!
The visual and audible warnings cancel after a few seconds, or when you press the brake pedal, whichever
comes
first.
Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning provides warnings
only. It makes no attempt to slow down or stop
Model 3
at red traffic lights, stop signs, road markings, etc. If your
vehicle is equipped with Traffic Light and Stop Sign
Control, you can enable this feature to automatically
stop Model 3 at traffic lights and stop signs (see Traffic
Light and Stop Sign Control on page 94).
NOTE: Touch Controls > Autopilot > Full Self-Driving
Visualization Preview (if equipped) to display more
details about the roadway and its surroundings, such as road markings, stop lights, objects (such as trash cans
and poles), etc.
CAUTION: Stop Light and Stop Sign Warning
requires the vehicle
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WARNING: Forward Collision Warning may
provide a warning in situations where the
likelihood of collision may not exist. Stay alert and
always pay attention to the area in front of Model 3
so you can anticipate whether any action is
required.
Forward Collision Warning operates only when driving between approximately
3 mph (5 km/h) and 90 mph
(150 km/h).
WARNING: Forward Collision Warning does not
provide a warning when the driver is already
applying the brake.
Automatic Emergency Braking
Model 3 is designed to determine the distance from a
detected object traveling in front of it. When a frontal collision is considered unavoidable, Automatic Emergency Braking is designed to apply the brakes to
reduce the vehicle
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NOTE: When Chill is selected, Chill displays on the
touchscreen above the driving speed.
NOTE: If equipped with the Acceleration Upgrade
package, the modes of acceleration are
Chill and Sport.
Steering Mode: Adjust the amount of effort required to
turn the steering wheel.
Sport feels more responsive
whereas
Comfort feels easier to drive and park (see
Adjusting Steering Effort on page 45).
Stopping Mode: Choose how you want Model 3 to
behave once regenerative braking has reduced the driving speed to a very low speed, a driving gear is still
engaged, and both the accelerator and brake pedals are
released. See
Stopping Mode on page 59. You can adjust
this setting only when
Model 3 is in Park.
Track Mode: (available on Performance vehicles only)
when enabled, this mode
modifies the vehicle
Page 169 of 248

Cleaning the Exterior
To prevent damage to the paint, immediately remove
corrosive substances (bird droppings, tree resin, dead insects, tar spots, road salt, industrial fallout, etc.). Do not wait until
Model 3 is due for a complete wash. If
necessary, use denatured alcohol to remove tar spots
and stubborn grease stains, then immediately wash the area with water and a mild, non-detergent soap to remove the alcohol.
Keep the exterior cameras free of dirt, condensation, or obstructions. These substances can cause unclear pictures or Autopilot and safety features to stop working (see
Cleaning a Camera on page 167).
Follow these steps when washing the exterior of Model
3:
1.
Rinse Thoroughly
Before washing, flush grime and grit from the vehicle
using a hose. Flush away accumulations of mud in areas where debris easily collects (such as wheel wells and panel seams). If salt has been used on the highways (such as during winter months), thoroughly
rinse all traces of road salt from the underside of the
vehicle, wheel wells, and brakes.
2.
Hand Wash
Hand wash Model 3 using a clean soft cloth and cold
or lukewarm water containing a mild, high-quality car shampoo.
CAUTION: Some cleaners and car shampoos
contain chemicals that can cause damage or
discoloration, especially to plastic trim pieces,
lamps, or camera lenses. For example, some car
cleaning formulas contain hydroxide or other
highly alkaline or caustic ingredients that can
damage exterior components. Damage or
discoloration resulting from cleaning products
is not covered by the warranty.
3.
Rinse with Clean Water
After washing, rinse with clean water to prevent soap from drying on the surfaces.
4.
Dry Thoroughly and Clean Exterior Glass
After washing and rinsing, dry thoroughly with a chamois. If necessary, dry the brakes by going on a
short drive and applying the brakes multiple times.
Clean windows and mirrors using an automotive glass cleaner. Do not scrape, or use any abrasive cleaning
fluid on glass or mirrored surfaces.
Car Wash Mode
When taking Model 3 to a car wash, Car Wash Mode
closes all windows, locks the charge port door, and disables windshield wipers, Sentry Mode, walk-away door locking, and parking sensor chimes. To enable, touch
Controls > Service > Car Wash Mode. Your vehicle
must be in Park and not actively charging.
If using an automatic car wash, Enable Free Roll keeps
your vehicle in Neutral and prevents
Model 3 from
applying the Parking brake if you leave the driver