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How Airbags Work
Airbags inflate when sensors detect an
impact that exceeds deployment thresholds. These thresholds are designed to predict the
severity of a crash in time for the airbags to help protect the vehicle
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Controlling the Passenger Front Airbag
Model S has an occupancy sensor in the front passenger seat that controls the status of the
front airbag.
NOTE: The occupancy classification system (OCS) meets the regulatory requirement of
FMVSS 208 and automatically detects when inflating the passenger front airbag would be
unnecessary or potentially harmful.
WARNING: Seating an infant in a rear facing child safety seat on a seat equipped with an operational airbag can cause serious injury or death.Object ClassificationOCS Passenger
Airbag Status*Indicator statusNotesEmptyOFFPASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF ObjectOFF or ONPASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF or PASSENGER
AIRBAG ONDepends on material/
contents.Rear facing child seat
designed for children
up to a year oldOFFPASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF20 lbs (9 kg) or lessForward facing child
seatOFFPASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF35 lbs (16 kg) or lessChild in a booster seatOFF or ONPASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF or PASSENGER
AIRBAG ON20-100 lbs (9-45 kg)*Large childOFF or ONPASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF or PASSENGER
AIRBAG ON 5th percentile female
or larger (by weight)ONPASSENGER AIRBAG
ONOver approximately 100 lbs (45 kg)*If the passenger airbag status indicator does not match the situation, do not use the seat. The passenger must ride in a different seat. Contact Tesla Service.
NOTE: It takes approximately six seconds after you power on Model S for the occupant classification system (OCS) to report accurate status of the front passenger airbag. As a result,
when you first power on Model S, even in situations when it should be OFF because the seat is
occupied by a weight of 20 lbs (9 kg) or less, a delay of approximately six seconds can occur
before the touchscreen displays the PASS AIRBAG OFF status. If it fails to do so, contact Tesla
Service and do not seat a child in the front passenger seating position.
To make sure the sensing system can correctly detect occupancy status, eliminate the following:
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WARNING: If the front passenger airbag is not turning on or off as expected, do not seat a passenger in the front passenger seat. Contact Tesla Service.
WARNING: To ensure accuracy of the occupant detection system, do not make any modifications to the front passenger seat.
WARNING: Do not use seat covers on Model S. Doing so could restrict deployment of the seat-mounted side air bags if a collision occurs. It can also reduce the accuracy of the occupant classification system.
Examples of Correct and
Incorrect Seating Positions
Correct seating position:
Incorrect seating position - the passenger
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Creating a Driver Profile
When you first adjust the driver
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Linking a Driver Profile to a Key
Fob
You can link a driver profile to a specific key
fob to allow Model S to automatically select
the correct driver profile when the linked key
fob is detected as you approach the vehicle
and open the driver
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When you cancel Valet mode, all settings associated with the most recently used driver
profile and climate control settings are
restored, and all features are available.
NOTE: You do not need to enter a PIN to
cancel Valet mode from the mobile app.
Driver Profiles
46MODEL S Owner