warning TESLA MODEL 3 2018 User Guide

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 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 seating positions.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
Seating and Safety Restraints27

For dual-strap tethers, position a strap oneach 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 (i.e.
same side of the head support as the seat belt
retraction mechanism).
For a single-strap tether in the center seating
position, fully lower the head support (see Raising/Lowering the Rear Center HeadSupport on page 19) and run the strap over
the top center of the head support.
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

face and neck, and the lap portion must
not be over the stomach.Warning: Never attach two child safety
seats to one anchor point. In a collision, one anchor point may be incapable of
securing both seats.Warning: Child restraint anchors are
designed to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly
fitted child
restraints. Under no circumstances are
they to be used for adult seat belts,
harnesses, or for attaching other items or
equipment to the vehicle.
Warning: Always check harnesses and
tether straps for damage and wear.Warning: Never leave a child unattended,
even if the child is secured in a child
safety seat.Warning: Never use a child safety seat
that has been involved in a collision. Have
the seat inspected or replaced as
described in the child safety seat
manufacturer

Location of AirbagsAirbags are located in the approximate areas shown here. Airbag warning information is printed
on the sun visors.
Model 3 is equipped with an airbag and lap/shoulder belt at both front outboard 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 airbags
2. Front airbags
3. Seat-mounted side airbags
4. Curtain airbags
Airbags
30Model 3 Owner

Electronic stability control systems are
actively minimizing wheel spin by
controlling brake pressure and motor
power (indicator
flashes). See Traction
Control on page 51. If this indicator
stays illuminated, a fault is detected
(contact Tesla immediately).
Electronic stability control systems are
no longer minimizing wheel spin. See
Traction Control on page 51.Vehicle Hold is actively applying the
brakes. See Vehicle Hold on page
54.A door or trunk is open. See Doors on
page 9, Rear Trunk on page 12, or
Front Trunk on page 14.Flashes green when the left turn
signal is operating. Both turn signal
indicators
flash green when the
hazard warning flashers are operating.
Flashes green when the right turn
signal is operating. Both turn signal
indicators
flash green when the
hazard warning flashers are operating.
Driving Status
When Model 3 is driving (or ready to drive),
the touchscreen shows your current driving
status and a real-time visualization of the road
as detected by the Autopilot components (see About Autopilot on page 58).
Note: The following illustration is provided for
demonstration purposes only. Depending on vehicle options, software version, and market
region, the information displayed may be
slightly
different.
1. Driving speed.
2. On the energy bar, black (or white in night
brightness) represents energy being used
during acceleration and green indicates
energy being gained through regenerative
braking. A dashed line appears on the
energy bar when power available for
acceleration or power that can be gained
by regenerative braking is being limited. Model 3 limits power for many reasons.
Here are just a few examples:

To briefly flash the high beam headlights, pull
the lever towards you and release.
The following indicator lights are visible on the
touchscreen to show the status of the
headlights:
Low beam headlights are on.High beam headlights are on.
Headlights After Exit
When you stop driving and park Model 3 in
low lighting conditions, the exterior lights
automatically turn on. They automatically turn
off after one minute or when you lock Model 3.
To turn this feature on or
off, touch Controls >
Lights > Settings > Headlights after Exit .
When Headlights After Exit is turned
off,headlights turn off when you engage the Park
gear.
Headlight Adjustments You can adjust the angle of the headlights toaccommodate the load you are carrying. For
example, in situations when you are carrying a
significant amount of weight in the rear trunk,
you may need to lower the angle of the
headlights to avoid creating glare for other
drivers. To adjust the headlights, touch
Controls > Service > Adjust Headlights , then
follow the onscreen instructions. You can
choose which headlight you would like to adjust by selecting it on the touchscreen.
Warning: Proceed with caution when
adjusting headlights. Tesla has carefully
calibrated the position of the headlights
to be in an optimum position for most
driving scenarios. Tesla recommends that
you do not adjust headlights unless you
are familiar with how headlights should
be adjusted. Once adjusted, you will be
unable to automatically restore them to their originally calibrated position.
Contact Tesla for assistance when
adjusting headlights.
Turn Signals
The turn signals
flash three times or
continuously, depending on how far up or
down you move the lever. Lightly push the
turn signal lever up or down for a
three-flashsequence. For a continuous signal, push the lever fully up or down.
The turn signals stop operating when canceled
by the steering wheel or after moving the
lever in the opposite direction.
The corresponding turn signal
indicator lights up on the
touchscreen when a turn signal is
operating. You also hear a clicking
sound.Warning: If you have purchased the
optional Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-
Driving Capability packages and
Traffic-
Aware Cruise Control is active, engaging
a turn signal can cause Model 3 to accelerate when using
Traffic-AwareCruise Control in specific situations (see
Overtake Acceleration on page 64). If is
active, engaging a turn signal may cause
Lights
46Model 3 Owner

Model 3 to change lanes (see Auto Lane
Change on page 70).
Hazard Warning Flashers
To turn on the hazard warning
flashers, press
the button located above the rear view mirror.
All turn signals
flash. Press the button again to
turn off the hazard warning flashers.
Note: Hazard warning flashers operate even
when Model 3 cannot detect a key
(authenticated phone or key card).
Lights
Driving47

Braking SystemsWarning: Properly functioning braking
systems are critical to ensure safety. If you experience a problem with the brake
pedal, brake caliper, or any component of
a Model 3 braking system, contact Tesla
immediately.
Model 3 has an anti-lock braking system (ABS)
that prevents the wheels from locking when
you apply maximum brake pressure. This improves steering control during heavy
braking in most road conditions.
During emergency braking conditions, the
ABS constantly monitors the speed of each
wheel and varies the brake pressure according to the grip available.
The alteration of brake pressure can be felt as
a pulsing sensation through the brake pedal.
This demonstrates that the ABS is operating
and is not a cause for concern. Keep
firm and
steady pressure on the brake pedal while
experiencing the pulsing.
The ABS indicator flashes briefly on
the touchscreen when you first start
Model 3. If this indicator lights up at
any other time, an ABS fault has
occurred and the ABS is not
operating. Contact Tesla. The braking system remains fully operational and
is not
affected by an ABS failure.
However, braking distances may increase.
If the touchscreen displays this
indicator at any time other than
displaying
briefly when you first start
Model 3, a brake system fault is
detected or the brake
fluid level is
low. Contact Tesla immediately.
Emergency Braking
In an emergency, fully press the brake pedal and maintain
firm pressure, even on low
traction surfaces. The ABS varies the braking
pressure to each wheel according to the
amount of traction available. This prevents
wheels from locking and ensures that you stop
as safely as possible.
Warning: Do not pump the brake pedal.
Doing so interrupts operation of the ABS
and can increase braking distance.Warning: Always maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front of you and beaware of hazardous driving conditions.
While the ABS can improve stopping
distance, it cannot overcome the laws of physics. It also does not prevent the
danger of hydroplaning (where a layer of
water prevents direct contact between the tires and the road).
Automatic Emergency Braking automatically
applies full braking in situations where a
collision is considered imminent (see Automatic Emergency Braking on page 77).
Warning: Automatic Emergency Braking
is not designed to prevent a collision. At best, it can minimize the impact of a
frontal collision by attempting to reduce
your driving speed. Depending on Automatic Emergency Braking to avoid a
collision can result in serious injury or death.
Brake Wear
Model 3 brake pads are equipped with wear
indicators. A wear indicator is a thin metal
strip attached to the brake pad that squeals as
it rubs against the rotor when the pad wears
down. This squealing sound indicates that the
brake pads have reached the end of their service life and require replacement. To
replace the brake pads, contact Tesla Service.
Warning: Neglecting to replace worn
brake pads damages the braking system
and can result in a braking hazard.
Regenerative Braking
Whenever Model 3 is moving and your foot is
off the accelerator, regenerative braking slows
down Model 3 and feeds any surplus energy back to the Battery.
By anticipating your stops and reducing or
removing pressure from the accelerator pedal
to slow down, you can take advantage of regenerative braking to increase driving range.
Of course, this is no substitute for regular
braking when needed for safety.
Note: If regenerative braking is aggressively
slowing Model 3 (such as when your foot is
completely
off the accelerator pedal at
highway speeds), the brake lights turn on to
alert others that you are slowing down.
Warning: In snowy or icy conditions
Model 3 may experience traction loss
during regenerative braking, particularly
when in the Standard setting and/or not
using winter tires. Tesla recommends
Brakes
Driving49

How It WorksThe traction control system constantly
monitors the speed of the front and rear
wheels. If Model 3 experiences a loss of
traction, the system minimizes wheel spin by
controlling brake pressure and motor power.
By default, the traction control system is on.
Under normal conditions, it should remain on
to ensure maximum safety.This indicator flashes on the
touchscreen whenever the traction
control system is actively controlling
brake pressure and motor power to
minimize wheel spin. If the indicator
stays on, a fault is detected with the
traction control system. Contact
Tesla Service.Warning: If the above indicator remains
illuminated in situations in which you have
not enabled Slip Start (described next), the traction control system may not be
operating correctly. Contact Tesla Service immediately.Warning: Traction control cannot prevent
collisions caused by driving dangerously
or turning too sharply at high speeds.
Allowing Wheel Slip
To allow the wheels to spin at a limited speed,
you can enable Slip Start. Slip Start can be
enabled at any speed, however it is less
effective at higher speeds.
Under normal conditions, Slip Start should not
be enabled. Enable it only in circumstances where you deliberately want the wheels tospin, such as:

How Park Assist WorksModel 3 has several sensors designed to
detect the presence of objects. When driving slowly in Drive or Reverse (for example, when
parking), the sensors alert you if an object is
detected in close proximity of your Model 3.
Objects are only detected in the direction of
the gear you selected; front objects in Drive,
rear objects in Reverse.Warning: You may not be alerted if Model
3 rolls freely in the opposite direction of
the gear you selected (for example, you
will not receive an alert if Model 3 rolls
backwards down a hill while in Drive).
The sensors are activated when driving slower
than 5 mph (8 km/h).
Warning: Never depend on Park Assist to
inform you if an area you are approaching is free of objects and/or people. Several
external factors can reduce theperformance of Park Assist, causing
either no readings or false readings (see
Limitations and False Warnings on page
53). Therefore, depending on Park Assist
to determine if Model 3 is approaching an
obstruction can result in damage to the vehicle and/or objects, and can
potentially cause serious injury. Always
inspect the area with your own eyes.
When reversing, perform shoulder checks and use all mirrors. Park assist does not
detect children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
animals, or objects that are moving, protruding, located too far above or
below the sensors, or too close or too far
from the sensors. Park Assist is for
guidance purposes only and is not intended to replace your own direct visual
checks. It is not a substitute for careful
driving.
Visual and Audio Feedback
When you shift to Reverse, the Park Assist
view displays on the touchscreen, showing objects that are in close proximity to the front
and rear of Model 3. This view closes when you shift into Drive unless an object is
detected close to the front of Model 3, in
which case the Park Assist view closes automatically when your driving speed
exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h). When reversing,
visual feedback also displays on the touchscreen, immediately below the camera
view (see Rear View Camera on page 56).
You can manually close the park assist view on
the touchscreen by touching the X in the
upper left corner.
When driving with the Camera app displayed
on the touchscreen, you can switch to the
Park Assist view when driving at speeds below
5 mph (8 km/h). Touch the button located in the upper left corner of the Camera app
window. This is useful if you need assistance with parallel parking.
If chimes are turned on (see Controlling
Audible Feedback on page 53), an audible
beep sounds as you approach an object. You
can temporarily mute the chime by pressing
the scroll button on the left side of the steering wheel or by touching the mute buttonlocated on the bottom left corner of the Park
Assist view.
Note: If a sensor is unable to provide
feedback, the touchscreen displays an alert message.
Park Assist
52Model 3 Owner