TESLA MODEL 3 2023 Owner's Guide

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) feature that, by fully extracting 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 3 experiences a force
associated with hard acceleration, braking, cornering, or
an impact in a collision.
Seat Belt Reminders
The seat belt reminder on the touchscreen
alerts you if a seat belt for an occupied driver or passenger seat is unbuckled. If all
occupants are buckled up and the
reminder stays on, re-buckle seat belts to
ensure they are correctly latched. Also
remove any heavy objects (such as a
briefcase) from an unoccupied seat. If the
reminder light continues to stay on,
contact Tesla.
You can temporarily disable a seat belt reminder associated with a rear seating position. This is useful when you are carrying an object in a rear seat that
triggers the seat belt reminder alert. To disable the
reminder, touch the associated seat on the seat belt reminder popup message that displays on the touchscreen when a seat belt reminder is active. When a reminder is disabled, the seat belt reminder icon is replaced by a seat icon, for the current drive only. Touch the seat again to re-enable the reminder.
WARNING: Seat belts must be worn by passengers
in all seating positions. Do not disable a seat belt
reminder when the seating position is occupied by
a passenger.
To Fasten a Belt
1.
Ensure correct positioning of the seat (see Correct
Driving Position on page 25).
2.
Draw the belt out smoothly, ensuring the belt lays flat
across the pelvis, chest and mid-point of your collar
bone, between the neck and shoulder.
3. Insert the latch plate into the buckle and press
together until you hear a click indicating it is locked
in place.4.
Pull the belt to check that it is securely fastened.
5.
Pull the diagonal part of the belt toward the reel to
remove excess slack.
To Adjust the Shoulder Anchor
Height
Model 3 is equipped with an adjustable shoulder anchor
for each front seat to ensure that the seat belt is positioned correctly. The seat belt should lay
flat across
the mid-point of your collar bone while in the correct driving position
(see Correct Driving Position on page
25). Adjust the height of the shoulder anchor if the seat
belt is not positioned correctly:
1.
Press and hold the button on the shoulder anchor to release the locking mechanism.
2.
While holding the button, move the shoulder anchor up or down, as necessary, to correctly position the seat belt.
3.
Release the button on the shoulder anchor so that it
locks into position.
4.
Without pressing the button, pull on the seat belt webbing and attempt to move the shoulder anchor
downward to check that it is locked into position.
Seat Belts
29Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: Ensure that the seat belt is positioned
correctly and that the shoulder anchor is locked
into position before driving. Riding in a moving
vehicle with the seat belt positioned incorrectly or
with the shoulder anchor not locked into position
can reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt in a
collision.
To Release a Belt
Hold the belt near the buckle to prevent the belt from
retracting too quickly, then press the button on the
buckle. The belt retracts automatically. Ensure there is
no obstruction that prevents the belt from fully
retracting. The belt should not hang loose. If a seat belt
does not fully retract, contact Tesla.
Wearing Seat Belts When Pregnant
Do not put the lap or shoulder sections of the seat belt over the abdominal area. Wear the lap section of the
belt as low as possible across the hips, not the waist. Position the shoulder portion of the belt between the
breasts and to the side of the abdomen. Consult your doctor for
specific guidance.
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

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 185.
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

Guidelines for Seating Children
Your Model 3 seat belts are designed for adults and larger children. You must restrain infants and small children in
the second row seats only, and you must use a suitable child safety seat appropriate for the child

Choosing a Child Safety Seat
All children age 12 and under should ride in the second and third row seats. Always use a child safety seat suitable
for a young child

Seating Larger Children
If a child is too large to fit into a child safety seat, but
too small to safely
fit into the standard seat belts, use a
booster seat appropriate for the child

In the second row, install LATCH child safety seats in the
outboard seating positions only. Use only a seat belt
retained seat in the center position.
To install a LATCH child safety seat, slide the safety seat
latches onto the anchor bars until they click into place. Carefully read and follow the instructions provided by
the child safety seat manufacturer.
Once installed, test the security of the installation before
seating a child. Attempt to twist the child safety seat from side to side and try to pull it away from the seat, then check to ensure the anchors remain securely in
place.
NOTE: Lower LATCH anchors should not be used with
child seats or booster seats that have an integrated safety belt in situations where the combined weight of
the child plus the child restraint is more than
65 lbs (29.5
kg). In these situations, use the safety belt instead.
Attaching Upper Tether Straps
If an upper tether strap is provided, attach its hook to the anchor point located on the shelf behind the rear
seats.
WARNING: Tighten upper tether straps according
to the instructions provided by the manufacturer
of the child safety seat.
WARNING: USE ONLY SEAT BELT RETAINED
CHILD SAFETY SEATS IN THE CENTER SEATING
POSITION.
To access an anchor point, press down on the back of its
cover.
Child Safety Seats
35Seating and Safety Restraints

For dual-strap tethers, position a strap on each side of
the head support.
For single-strap tethers at the outboard seating positions, run the strap over the outside-facing side of the head support (same side of the head support as the
seat belt retraction mechanism).
If running the strap over the outside-facing side of the head support is not possible (such as there is not
enough slack in the strap), raise the head support
(see
Head Supports on page 26) and run the strap under the
head support.
For a single-strap tether in the center seating position, fully lower the head support
(see Head Supports on
page 26) and run the strap over the top center of the
head support.
Child Safety Seats
36MODEL 3 Owner

Testing a Child Safety Seat
Before seating a child, always make sure the child safety seat is not loose:
1.
Hold the child safety seat by the belt path and try to slide the safety seat from side to side and front to back.
2.
If the seat moves more than one inch (2.5 cm), it is
too loose. Tighten the belt or reconnect the
LATCH
retained child safety seat.
3.
If you are unable to reduce slack, try a different seat
location or try another child safety seat.
Child Safety Seat Warnings
WARNING: Extreme hazard! Do not seat a child on
the front passenger seat even if you are using a
child safety seat. This seat has an airbag in front of
it. Although this airbag is disabled when Model 3
detects a lightweight passenger, do not rely on
technology to protect your child.
WARNING: Child restraint systems are designed to
be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap
belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt. Children could
be endangered in a crash if their child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle.
WARNING: According to collision statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seating
positions.
WARNING: Do not use a forward facing child
safety seat until your child weighs over 20 lbs (9
kg) and can sit independently. Up to the age of
two, a child

Location of Airbags
Airbags are located in the approximate areas shown below. Airbag warning information is printed on the sun visors.
Model 3 is equipped with an airbag and lap/shoulder belt at both front seating positions. The airbag is a
supplemental restraint at those seating positions. All occupants, including the driver, should always wear their seat belts whether or not an airbag is also provided at their seating position to minimize the risk of severe injury or death
in the event of a crash.
1.
Knee airbag
2.
Front airbags
3.
Seat-mounted side airbags
4.
Curtain airbags
Airbags
38MODEL 3 Owner