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WARNING: Always pay attention to road and traffic conditions when driving. To minimize driver distraction and
ensure the safety of vehicle occupants as well as other road users, avoid using the touchscreen to adjust
settings while the vehicle is in motion.
Use the touchscreen to control many features that, in traditional cars, are controlled using physical buttons (for example, adjusting the cabin heating and air conditioning, headlights, etc.). You also use the touchscreen to control
media, navigate, use entertainment features, and customize
Model 3 to suit your preferences. For hands-free access
to common touchscreen controls, use voice commands (see
Voice Commands on page 125).
If the touchscreen is unresponsive or demonstrates unusual behavior, you can restart it (see Restarting the
Touchscreen on page 7).
NOTE: Illustrations are provided to improve conceptual understanding only. Depending on vehicle options, software
version, market region and regional and language settings, the details displayed on the screen will differ.
1.
Status bar: This area on the top of the touchscreen displays the time of day, the outside temperature, and the
following icons:
Touch to lock/unlock all doors and trunks.4:20 pmYour vehicle automatically updates the time. If the time is incorrect, confirm your vehicle has
internet and GPS connectivity with the latest software.
Touchscreen Overview
5Overview
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To use a key card to unlock or lock Model 3, position the
card as shown and tap it against the card reader located just below the Autopilot camera on the driver
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Using Exterior Door Handles
Use your thumb to push the wide part of the door
handle. The handle pivots toward you, and you can open
the door by pulling the handle or pulling the edge of the door.
The handle retracts automatically.
When a door or trunk is open, the
touchscreen displays the Door Open
indicator light.
NOTE: See Cold Weather Best Practices on page 74 to
ensure door handles function properly in cold weather.
WARNING: While using the door handle, take care
to avoid allowing fingers, jewelry, acrylic nails, etc.
from being pinched by the door or door handle
mechanism. Failure to do so may result in damage
or injury.
Opening Doors from the Interior
Model 3 doors are electrically powered. To open a door
while sitting inside, press the button located at the top of the interior door handle and push the door open.
NOTE: To prevent children from opening the rear doors,
turn on child locks (see
Child Locks on page 15).
You can also use the touchscreen popup to open and close doors when inside
Model 3 while the vehicle is in
Park.
To open a front door in the unlikely situation when
Model 3 has no power, pull up the manual door release
located in front of the window switches.
NOTE: Only the front doors are equipped with a manual
door release.
Doors
14MODEL 3 Owner
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CAUTION: Manual door releases are designed to
be used only in situations when Model 3 has no
power. When Model 3 has power, use the button
located at the top of the interior door handle.
Interior Locking and Unlocking
While sitting inside Model 3, you can lock and unlock all
doors and trunks by touching the lock icon
on the
touchscreen.
The icon changes to indicate whether
doors are locked or unlocked.
You can also unlock the doors by pressing the Park
button on the end of the drive stalk a second time.
Pressing this button once engages Park and pressing it again unlocks the doors.
Walk-Away Door Lock
Doors and trunks can automatically lock when you walk away carrying your phone key or paired key fob
(if
ordered after approximately October 1, 2019). To turn
this feature on or
off, touch Controls > Locks > Walk-
Away Door Lock.
When the doors lock, the exterior lights flash once and
the mirrors fold (if
Fold Mirrors is on). To also hear a
confirmation sound when Model 3 locks, touch Controls
> Locks > Lock Confirmation Sound.
Model 3 does not automatically lock if:
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Opening and Closing
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure windows are
closed after locking the vehicle.
Press down on a switch to lower the associated window.
Window switches operate at two levels:
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Interior Emergency Release
An illuminated interior release button inside the front
trunk allows a person locked inside to get out.
Press the interior release button to open the front trunk, then push up on the hood.
NOTE: The interior release button glows following a brief
exposure to ambient light.
WARNING: People should never climb inside the
front trunk. Never shut the front trunk when a
person is inside.
WARNING: Care should be taken to ensure that
objects inside the front trunk do not bump against
the release button, causing the hood to
accidentally open.
Opening Hood with No Power
In the unlikely event that Model 3 has no low voltage
power, you will be unable to open the front trunk using the touchscreen, key fob, or mobile app. To open the front trunk in this situation:
NOTE: The following steps do not open the front trunk if
Model 3 is locked and has low voltage power.
1.
Locate an external low voltage power supply (such as
a portable jump starter).
2.
Release the tow eye cover by pressing firmly on the
top right perimeter of the cover until it pivots inward, then gently pulling the raised section toward you.
NOTE: Depending on production date, either the
positive or negative terminal may be attached to the tow eye cover.
3.
Pull the two wires out of the tow eye opening to
expose both terminals.
4.
Connect the low voltage power supply
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Center Console
In addition to housing an RFID transmitter that reads key fobs and key cards (see
Key Card on page 10), the
center console includes cup holders, two storage
compartments, and
a wireless phone charger.
To open the main storage compartment, pull its cover upward. Open the front storage compartment by sliding its cover forward.
Second Row Console
Your Model 3 has a rear console integrated in the center
of the second row seat back. Pull the console down to
access the rear cup holders, or use it as an armrest.
Glovebox
To open the glovebox, touch Controls > Glovebox. The
glovebox automatically opens and its light turns on.
To close the glovebox, push it upward until it clicks into its closed position.
For additional glovebox security, touch Controls >
Safety > Glovebox PIN to set a 4-digit PIN (see
Glovebox PIN on page 127).
NOTE: If you leave the glovebox open, its light
eventually turns
off.
NOTE: The glovebox locks whenever closed and you
lock
Model 3 using the mobile app, key card, you leave
Model 3 carrying your phone key (if Walk-Away Door
Lock is turned on), or if Valet mode is active (see
Valet
Mode on page 46). It does not lock when Model 3 is
locked by touching the lock icon on the touchscreen.
WARNING: When driving, keep the glovebox
closed to prevent injury to a passenger if a
collision or sudden stop occurs.
Wireless Phone Charger
A wireless phone charger (if equipped), is integrated
into the front console to provide up to 15W of power to charge a Qi-enabled phone. Simply place your phone on
the charger. Your device may feel warm while charging, but this is a normal
effect of inductive charging.
When placed on the wireless charger, your phone
charges whenever the vehicle is powered on (the
touchscreen is on and you are inside the vehicle). Your
phone will not charge after exiting the vehicle
unless a
feature (such as Sentry mode) is enabled and providing
power to the USB ports. Model 3 will also not charge a
phone if the vehicle
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WARNING: Riding in a moving vehicle with the
seat back reclined can result in serious injuries in a
collision, as you could slide under the lap belt or
be propelled into the seat belt. Ensure your seat
back is reclined no more than 30 degrees when
the vehicle is moving.
Calibrating Seats
(If equipped) You can calibrate the driver seat. This is useful if you
find your seat range limited or your driver
profile does not automatically adjust the seat for you.
Navigate to
Controls > Service > Driver Seat, Steering &
Mirrors Calibration and follow the instructions on the
touchscreen.
WARNING: Ensure nothing is behind or
underneath the driver seat during calibration.
Failure to do so may cause serious injury.
Folding Rear Seats
Model 3 has a split rear seat that can fold forward.
NOTE: Driving with the rear seats folded forward can
increase the amount of perceived noise and/or vibration
coming from the rear of the vehicle (trunk, suspension, etc.).
Before folding, remove items from the seats and the rear footwell. To allow the rear seat backs to fold completely
flat, you may need to move the front seats forward.
To fold a rear seat, pull the corresponding lever and fold the seat forward.
Raising Rear Seats
Before raising a rear seat, make sure that the seat belts are not trapped behind the backrest.
Pull the seat back upward until it locks into place.
To confirm that the seat back is locked in the upright
position, try pulling it forward.
WARNING: Always ensure the seat backs are
locked in their upright position by pushing it
forward or rearward. Failure to do so increases the
risk of injury.
Head Supports
The front seats and the second row outboard seats
include integrated head supports that are not adjustable.
The rear center seat includes an adjustable head support
that can be raised, lowered, or removed. When occupied
by a passenger that is not seated in a child safety seat, the head support should always be raised and locked into position (so that the center is aligned with the
center of the occupant