warning TESLA MODEL S 2018 Owner's Manual 

Page 3 of 195

1.Interior door handles ( Opening Doors from the Interior on page 6)
2.Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on page 76) and Autosteer
( Autosteer on page 82)
3. High beams ( High Beam Headlights on page 56), Turn signals ( Turn Signals on page 56),
Wipers and washers ( Wipers and Washers on page 58)
4. Steering wheel buttons - left ( Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons on page 41)
5. Instrument panel ( Instrument Panel on page 47)
6. Steering wheel buttons - right ( Using Right Steering Wheel Buttons on page 42)
7. Gear selector ( Shifting Gears on page 46)
8. Touchscreen ( Touchscreen Overview on page 99)
9. Glovebox button ( Glove Box on page 15)
10. Power window switches ( Opening and Closing on page 9)
11. Exterior mirror adjustment switches ( Mirrors on page 44)
12. Seats ( Front and Rear Seats on page 18)
13. Steering column adjuster (hidden from view in the above image) ( Steering Wheel on page
41)
14. Horn ( Horn on page 43)
15. Brakes ( Brakes on page 60)
16. Hazard warning lights ( Hazard Warning Flashers on page 57)
17. Cabin climate control ( Climate Controls on page 111)
18. Cup holders ( Cup Holders on page 17)
Interior Overview
2Model S Owner

Page 12 of 195

2.Press and hold the button on the
underside of the liftgate for two seconds
until you hear a
confirmation chime.
3.Confirm that you have set it to the desired
height by closing the liftgate, then
reopening it.
Interior Release To open the rear trunk from inside a Model S
equipped with the Tesla Built-In Rear Facing
Child Seats, press the interior release switch
located inside the rear trunk and push the liftgate up. If Model S is locked and is
equipped with a power liftgate, the
first press
unlocks the rear trunk and the second press
opens it.
Note: If Model S is not equipped with the Tesla
Rear Facing Child Seats, the switch may
appear to exist, but it will be inactive and
pressing it does not release the liftgate.
If Model S is equipped with the power liftgate,
you do not need to push it up. When you
press the release switch, it opens, and when you pull the switch, it closes.
Note: The interior release switch is disabled if
child-protection locks are turned on (see
Child-protection Lock on page 7), or if
Model S is moving.
Accessing the Cargo Area
To access the cargo area inside the rear trunk,
pull up the strap at the rear of the cargo cover.
You can then fold the cargo cover forward or
remove it from Model S.Caution: Never load more than 175 lbs
(80 kg) on the rear load floor (above the
lower trunk compartment) or more than
130 lbs (60 kg) in the lower trunk
compartment. Doing so can cause
damage.
Interior Emergency Trunk Release
An illuminated mechanical release located
inside the rear trunk allows you to open the
rear trunk from the inside if Model S has no
electrical power. This mechanical release also
allows a person locked inside to get out.
1. Remove the cover by pulling its lower
edge very firmly toward you.
2. Pull the cable to release the latch.
3. Push the rear trunk open.
Note: The button glows for several hours after
a brief exposure to ambient light.
Warning: Do not allow children to play
inside the trunk or become locked inside.
An unrestrained child could
suffer serious
injury or death in a crash. A child could
suffer heat exhaustion if trapped in the
vehicle, especially without climate control
on. If your Model S is equipped with Tesla
built-in rear facing child seats, see Tesla
Built-In Rear Facing Child Seats on page
Rear Trunk
Opening and Closing11

Page 13 of 195

31 and ensure all restrictions,
instructions, and warnings are followed.
Rear Trunk
12Model S Owner

Page 14 of 195

Opening
To open the front trunk:
1. Ensure that the area around the hood is
free of obstacles.
2. Touch Controls > Front Trunk on the
touchscreen, touch the front trunk button
on the mobile app, or double-click the front trunk button on the key.
3. Pull the hood up.When a door or trunk/liftgate is
open, the instrument panel displays
the Door Open indicator light. The
image of the Model S on the
touchscreen Controls window also
displays the open front trunk.Warning: Before opening or closing the
hood, it is important to check that the area around the hood is free of obstacles
(people and objects). Failure to do so
may result in damage or serious injury.
Note: The front trunk locks whenever closed
and you lock Model S using either the
touchscreen or externally using the key or
mobile app, you leave Model S carrying your key (if Walk-away Locking on page 7 is turned
on), or when Valet mode is active (see Valet
Mode on page 40).
Closing The Model S hood is not heavy enough to
latch under its own weight and applying
pressure on the front edge or center of the
hood can cause damage.
To properly close the hood:
1. Lower the hood until the striker touches
the latches.
2. Place both hands on the front of the hood
in the areas shown (in green), then press
down
firmly to engage the latches.
3. Carefully try to lift the front edge of the
hood to ensure that it is fully closed.
Caution: To prevent damage:

Page 15 of 195

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 trunk to accidentally open.
Front Trunk
14Model S Owner

Page 16 of 195

Opening and Closing
To open the glove box, press the switch located on the side of the touchscreen. If you
leave the glove box open for
five minutes, its
light automatically turns off.
Note: The glove box locks whenever Model S
is locked externally, using the key or walk- away locking. It also locks when Model S is inValet mode (see Valet Mode on page 40). It
does not lock when Model S is locked using the touchscreen.
Warning: When driving, keep the glove
box closed to prevent injury to a
passenger if a collision or sudden stop occurs.
Glove Box
Opening and Closing15

Page 20 of 195

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.
Folding Rear Seats
Model S has a split rear seat that can fold
forward.
Note: If Model S is equipped with the optional
executive rear seats, these seats do not fold
forward.
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.
Failure to do so increases the risk of injury.
Head Supports/Restraints
If your Model S is equipped with adjustable
head supports, use the round button on the seat to move the headrest up/down. The same
button is used to adjust the seat

Page 21 of 195

The second row seats have integrated non-
removable head supports that can not be
adjusted.
Seat Heaters The front seats are equipped with heating
pads that operate at three levels from 3
(highest) to 1 (lowest). To operate the seat heaters, see Climate Controls on page 111.
If Model S is equipped with the optional cold
weather package, you can also control seat
heaters in all rear seating positions, as well as
heated wipers and washer nozzles by
touching Controls > Cold Weather (see
Controls on page 104).Warning: To avoid burns resulting from
prolonged use, individuals who have
peripheral neuropathy, or whose capacity
to feel pain is limited because of diabetes,
age, neurological injury, or some other
condition, should exercise caution when
using the climate control system and seat heaters.
Seat Covers
Warning: Do not use seat covers in
Model S. Doing so could restrict
deployment of the seat-mounted side air
bags if a collision occurs.
Front and Rear Seats
20Model S Owner

Page 23 of 195

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 

Page 30 of 195

Always position single-strap tethers to run
over the top of the head support.
Note: To prevent the single-strap tether from
moving side to side, the top of the head support deforms.
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 2.5 cm, it is
too loose. Tighten the belt or reconnect
the ISOFIX 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: Never seat a child in a child
safety seat or a booster seat on the front
passenger seat when the airbag is
activated. Doing so can cause serious injury or death.Warning: Never use a rearward facing
child restraint on a seat protected by an
active airbag. Doing so can cause serious
injury or death. Refer to the warning label
located on the sun visor.Warning: Child restraint systems are
designed to be secured in vehicle seatsby 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 9 kg and can sit independently. Up
to the age of two, a child

Page:   1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 ... 70 next >