2023 TESLA MODEL 3 Owners Manual

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

Front Passenger Occupant Detection
Model 3 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 restraint system 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 restraint
system designed for children
up to a year oldOFFPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF20 lbs (9 kg) or lessForward facing child restraint
systemOFFPASSENGER 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 3 for the occupant classification system (OCS)
to report accurate status of the front passenger airbag. As a result, when you
first power on Model 3, even in
situations when it should be OFF because the seat is occupied by a weight of
20 lbs (9 kg) or less, it will take the
touchscreen approximately six seconds to display the status, PASS AIRBAG OFF. 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:

WARNING: If seating a child in the front passenger seat is legally permissible in your market region, it is the
driver

Ensuring Accurate Occupant Detection
To help ensure an occupant in the front passenger seat can be accurately classified, the passenger must:

Examples of Correct and Incorrect
Seating Positions
Correct seating position:
Incorrect seating position - the passenger

Inflation EffectsWARNING: When airbags inflate, a fine powder is
released. This powder can irritate the skin and
should be thoroughly flushed from the eyes and
from any cuts or abrasions.
After inflation, the airbags deflate to provide a gradual
cushioning
effect for the occupants and to ensure the
driver

When you first adjust the driver

NOTE: Model 3 supports up to 10 driver profiles. You can
link multiple keys to a driver
profile, but you cannot link
multiple driver
profiles to a single key.
Easy Entry
You can define an Easy Entry setting that moves the
steering wheel and driver