TESLA MODEL S 2015 Owner's Guide

(94 cm) tall and weighing between 35and 77 lbs (16.2 to 35.2 kg).Warning: Do not use supplemental child
restraint systems, including booster seats,
in the Tesla built-in rear facing child seats.Warning: Always ensure that the top of
the child’s head cannot touch the vehicle and that the child is seated comfortablywith the seat belts correctly fastened.Warning: Follow all instructions and heed
all warnings related to the Tesla built-in
rear facing child seats. Failure to do so
can compromise occupant safety.Warning: Read all safety warnings and
labels attached to the seats.Warning: Do not leave children
unattended in Model S, even if the child is secured in a child safety seat or a Tesla
built-in rear facing child seat. In hot
weather, the interior temperature can reach dangerous levels that can result in
dehydration, serious injury or death.Warning: Do not remove or replace the
fabric on a Tesla built-in rear facing child
seat. The covers are an integral part of the restraint’s performance and shouldnot be removed or replaced with any
other type than those supplied by Tesla.Warning: If the Tesla built-in rear facing
child seats have been worn in an
accident, they must be inspected or
replaced by Tesla, even if damage is not
obvious.Warning: Before allowing a child to ride in
the Tesla built-in rear facing child seats, check that the seat is securely held in theupright position by trying to pull the seat
back toward you.Warning: Do not remove the built-in rear
facing child seats for any reason,
including cleaning. To ensure safety of
occupants, removal and installation must
be performed by qualified Tesla service
technicians.Warning: Do not make modifications or
additions that can interfere with the
operation of the Tesla built-in rear facing
child seats.Warning: To prevent injury, ensure all
loose items (bags, luggage, etc.) are
secured. In an accident, or during hard
braking and sharp turns, loose items
could cause injury.
Tesla Built-In Rear Facing Child Seats
Seating and Safety Restraints31

Location of Airbags
Airbags are located in the approximate areas shown here. Airbag warning information is printed
on the sun visors.
1. Passenger knee airbag
2. Passenger front airbag
3. Side airbags
4. Curtain airbags
5. Driver’s knee airbag
6. Driver’s front airbag
Airbags
32Model S Owner's Manual

How the Airbags WorkInflation of airbags depends on the rate at
which the vehicle’s cabin changes speed in a collision. The rate of deceleration determineswhether airbags inflate.
Airbags inflate instantly with considerable force accompanied by a loud noise. The
inflated bag, together with the seat belts,
limits movement of occupants to reduce the
risk of injury.
Front airbags are not ordinarily designed to inflate in rear collisions, rollovers, minor frontor side collisions, heavy braking, or driving
over bumps and potholes. Therefore,
significant superficial damage can occur to
the vehicle without the airbags inflating or,
conversely, a relatively small amount of
structural damage can cause airbags to
inflate.
If you are planning to modify your vehicle for
a person with disabilities in a way that may
affect the airbag system, contact Tesla.Types of AirbagsAdvanced
front
airbagsThe front airbags are
advanced airbags designed to
reduce airbag related injuries
to children or small adults who
ride in the front seats. On the
driver’s side, the front airbag
works with a seat position
sensor that adjusts the
inflation level based on the
seating position of the
occupant. On the passenger’s side, the airbag responds to a
sensing system in the seat
that determines whether or
not the passenger side front
airbag inflates, and optimizes
the inflation level based on the
weight of the occupant
(described below).Knee
airbagsKnee airbags and the front
airbags work together. The
knee airbags limit the forward
motion of the front seat
occupants by restricting leg
movement, thereby
positioning the occupants so
that the front airbags work
more effectively.Side
airbagsSide airbags protect the
thorax region of the torso and
the pelvis. They inflate only if
a severe side impact occurs.
Side airbags on the non-
impacted side do not inflate.Curtain
airbagsCurtain airbags help protect
the head and typically inflate
only if a severe side impact
occurs, or if the vehicle rolls
over. Curtain airbags on the
non-impacted side do not
inflate.
Airbags
Seating and Safety Restraints33

Passenger Front Airbag
Model S has an occupancy sensor in the front passenger seat that controls the status of theairbags based on the weight of the occupant.Passenger airbag status displays in the top
right corner of the touchscreen to indicate
whether the airbag will inflate (on) or not
inflate (off) if a collision occurs.
Note: The occupancy sensor system meets the
regulatory requirement of FMVSS 208 and automatically detects when inflating the
passenger front airbags would be unnecessary or potentially harmful.
Front passenger seat
occupancy*Passenger airbag
statusEmptyOFFInfant in child safety
seat (up to 20 lbs/
9kg)OFFChild or small
occupant
(20-100 lbs/9-45 kg)ON or OFFHeavy object/
occupantON*Values are approximate. Occupants whose
weight is close to the low weight threshold
can cause the status to occasionally turn on and off depending on seating position and
physique.
If the status shows the airbag as permanently
on, even when the seat is empty and the seat
belt is unbuckled, contact Tesla immediately.
To make sure the sensing system can
correctly detect occupancy status, eliminate
the following:
• Objects lodged under the seat.
• Heavy objects sitting on the seat (briefcase, large purse).
• Objects wedged between the seat back and seat cushion.
• Cargo interfering with the seat.
• After market items attached to, or sitting on, the seat (covers, mats, blankets, etc.).
These conditions can interfere with the
occupancy sensor. If you have eliminated the above possibilities, and the airbag status is
still incorrect, ask passengers to ride in the rear seats and contact Tesla to have the
airbag system checked.
Note: The front passenger seat’s sensing
system affects the operation of the passenger front and side airbags only. Other passengercurtain airbag is not affected.Warning: Never seat a child in a child
safety seat or a booster seat on the front
passenger seat when the airbags are
activated.Warning: Do not use seat covers on
Model S. Doing so could restrict
deployment of the side air bags if an
accident occurs. It can also reduce the
accuracy of the occupant detection
system.
Airbags
34Model S Owner's Manual

Inflation Effects
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’s forward vision is notobscured.
If airbags have inflated, or if your vehicle has been in an accident, always have the airbags,
seat belt pre-tensioners and any associated
components checked and, if necessary,
replaced by Tesla.
In a collision, in addition to the airbags
inflating:
• Doors unlock and the door handles extend.
• Hazard warning lights turn on.
• Interior lights turn on.
• High voltage is disabled.
To restore Battery power, use the touchscreen
to manually power off Model S, then press the
brake to power it back on again.
Airbag Warning IndicatorThe airbag indicator on the
instrument panel remains lit if the
airbag system is malfunctioning. The
only time this indicator should light
up is briefly when Model S first starts
up, in which case it turns off within a few seconds. If it remains lit, contact
Tesla immediately and do not drive.
Airbag Warnings
Warning: 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 collision.Warning: Front seat occupants should
not place their arms over the airbag
module, as an inflating bag can cause
fractures or other injuries.Warning: Do not use seat covers on
Model S. Doing so could restrict
deployment of the side air bags if an
accident occurs. It can also reduce theaccuracy of the occupant detection
system.Warning: Airbags inflate with
considerable speed and force, which can
cause injury. To limit injuries, ensure that
occupants are wearing seat belts and are
correctly seated, with the seat positioned
as far back as possible. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends a minimum
distance of 10" (25 cm) between an occupant’s chest and an airbag.Warning: Do not use a child safety seat or
seat young children on a seat with an operational airbag in front of it. Doing socan cause injury or death if the airbaginflates.Warning: To ensure correct inflation of
the side airbags, maintain an
unobstructed gap between an occupant’s
torso and the side of Model S.Warning: Passengers should not lean their
heads against the doors. Doing so can cause injury if a curtain airbag inflates.Warning: Do not allow passengers to
obstruct the operation of an airbag by
placing feet, knees or any other part of the body on or near an airbag.Warning: Do not attach or place objects
on or near the front airbags, the side of
the front seats, the headliner at the side of the vehicle, or any other airbag coverthat could interfere with inflation of an
airbag. Objects can cause serious injury if the vehicle is in a collision severe enoughto cause the airbag to inflate.Warning: Following inflation, some airbag
components are hot. Do not touch until
they have cooled.
Airbags
Seating and Safety Restraints35

Creating a Driver ProfileIf Model S is equipped with the optional tech
package, you only need to adjust Model S once. When you first adjust the driver’s seat,steering wheel, or driver’s side mirror, thetouchscreen prompts you to create a driver
profile to save these adjustments. Your profile also saves several other preferences you make
using the touchscreen’s Settings window.
A new driver can also add a driver profile by
touching Controls > Settings > Driver Profiles
(or by touching the driver icon on the
touchscreen's status bar, and touching Create
Driver Profile ). Enter the driver name and
touch Create Profile.
If you change the position of the steering
wheel, driver’s seat, or driver’s side mirror
after you have saved a profile, the touchscreen prompts you to save the new
position or restore the previously saved
position (other preferences are automatically
saved). To use a setting without saving or
restoring, just ignore the prompt.
Restoring a Driver’s ProfileTo adjust Model S based on a
driver’s profile, touch the driver
profile icon, located to the left side
of the Tesla “T” on the touchscreen’s
status bar. Then choose the driver
and the saved adjustments are
automatically made.
Saved Driver Settings
To see what settings are associated with your
driver profile, touch Controls > Settings >
Driver Profiles . Then touch See what’s saved .
A popup window lists the settings that are
associated with a driver profile. These settings
vary depending on the version of software currently running in Model S.
Driver Profiles
36Model S Owner's Manual

Adjusting Position
Adjust the steering wheel to the desired driving position by moving the control on the
left side of the steering column.Warning: Do not make adjustments while
driving.
Adjusting Sensitivity
You can adjust the feel and sensitivity of the
steering system to suit your personal preference:
1. On the touchscreen, touch Controls.
2. Choose a steering option:
• Comfort - reduces the effort required to turn the wheel. In town, Model S
feels easier to drive and park.
• Standard - Tesla believes that this setting offers the best handling andresponse in all conditions.
• Sport - Increases the effort required to turn the wheel. When driving athigher speeds, Model S feels more
responsive.
The only way to really know which option you
like best is to try them.
Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons
Use the buttons on the left side of the steering
wheel to change radio stations, control the
media player’s volume, and control what
displays on the left side of the instrument panel (whenever the Navigation app is not
displaying instructions).
Note: The volume control on the steering
wheel does not adjust spoken navigation instructions. To control the volume of
navigation instructions, use the navigation
window on the touchscreen (see Using Maps
on page 90).
1. Next
If you are listening to local or satellite
radio and you have defined more than one
radio preset, press to play the next preset in the radio band that is currently playing.
If you have not defined more than one
preset, press to go to the next available
frequency.
If you are listening to Internet radio, or to
an audio file on a connected Bluetooth or USB device, press to skip to the next song
or station.
2. Scroll Wheel
• To adjust the media volume, roll up or down.
• To mute the media volume, or to pause/play an audio file, tap the
wheel.
• To choose what displays on the left side of the instrument panel, press
and hold the scroll wheel to display
the available options. Then roll the
scroll wheel to browse through the
options. Tap the scroll wheel when the option you want is highlighted.
3. Previous
Same as described above for Next, except
it skips to the previous song or station.
Note: Regardless of how you customize the
left side of the instrument panel, it
automatically changes to display navigation instructions (if applicable), or to let you knowif a door or trunk is open when Model S is in a
driving gear.
Steering Wheel
Driving37

Using Right Steering Wheel Buttons
Use the buttons on the right side of the steering wheel to access call options while ona phone call, to browse the phonebook of aBluetooth-connected phone, to choose and
control a Model S feature, and to use voice commands.
Note: Whenever you receive or make a phone
call, the right side of the instrument panel
automatically displays call options to help you
easily handle phone calls on your Bluetooth-
connected phone.
1. Phone Menu or Voice Commands
During a phone call, press to display the phone menu, which gives you the option
to mute, hold, or end the call.
Press and hold to use voice commands to
call a contact, navigate, or listen to
Internet music. When you hear the tone,
speak your command. Release the button
when you finish speaking. For details, see Using Voice Commands on page 38.
2. Scroll Wheel
• To choose what displays on the right side of the instrument panel, press
and hold the scroll wheel to display
the available options. Then roll the
scroll wheel to browse through the options. Tap the scroll wheel when the
option you want is highlighted.
• When the right side of the instrument panel displays a menu, rolling the
wheel highlights the next item in a
menu and tapping the wheel selects
the highlighted item. When a menu is
not displayed, rolling the wheel
adjusts your chosen controllable
feature (see Item 3 below).
Note: The option you choose to display
using the right scroll wheel is retained
until you manually change it. It can also be
saved in your driver profile.
3. Customize the Scroll Wheel/Exit a Menu
Press, then use the scroll wheel to select
Phone to browse through and select
contacts and recent calls.
Press, then use the scroll wheel to select
Customize to choose the Model S feature
that you want to control whenever you
roll the wheel when a menu is not
displayed. You can choose from:
• All. Allows you to roll the wheel and
choose from all available functions
(listed next).
• Climate Temps . Roll the wheel to
change the temperature, or press the
wheel to turn the climate control
system on and off.
• Fan Speed . Roll the wheel to adjust
the speed of the fan used to cool or heat the cabin.
• Display Brightness . Roll the wheel to
change the brightness level of the
displays, or press the wheel to restore default settings.
• Sunroof (if equipped). Roll the wheel
to adjust the position of the sunroof.
• Media Source . Roll the wheel to
control what Media Player is playing,
or press the wheel to add/remove the
currently playing station or audio track as a Favorite.
Press the lower right button at any time to either exit a menu, or go back one level in the
menu structure.
Using Voice Commands
You can use voice commands to call a
contact, navigate, or listen to Internet music.
Press and hold the voice button on the upper
right side of the steering wheel. When you
hear the tone, speak your command while
continuing to hold down the voice button.
Release the button when you finish speaking.
• To call a contact on your Bluetooth- connected phone, say “Call” or “Dial,”
followed by the contact’s first and/or last name(s). For example, “Call Eric” or “Call
Mike Phillips.”
Steering Wheel
38Model S Owner's Manual

• To search for, or navigate to, a location,say “Where is,” “Drive,” or “Navigate,”
followed by an address, business name,
business category, or landmark. For
example, “Drive to Tesla in Menlo Park,”
“Drive to Starbucks on Homestead in
Cupertino,” or “Where is Stanford
University?” If you have defined a navigation address for your home or work
locations, you can use a voice command to "Navigate home" or "Navigate to work."
• To listen to an Internet music service, say “Listen to,” or “Play,” followed by the
name of the song, album, artist or
combination. To improve voice
recognition accuracy, provide multiple
cues in your command, such as artist plus
song (for example, “Play Honky Chateau
by Elton John” or “Listen to Boogie
Wonderland”).
Note: You can also use voice commands to
provide feedback to Tesla. Say "Note", "Report", "Bug note", or "Bug report" followed
by your brief comments. Model S takes a snapshot of its systems, including screen
captures of the touchscreen and instrument
panel. Tesla periodically reviews these notes
and uses them to continue improving Model S.
Heated Steering Wheel If Model S is equipped with the optional cold
weather package, you can also control a
heater in the steering wheel by touching Controls > Cold Weather > . When turned on,
a heater in the steering wheel keeps it at a
comfortable temperature.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the center pad on
the steering wheel.
Steering Wheel
Driving39

Adjusting Exterior Side MirrorsPress the button associated with the mirror
you want to adjust (left or right). The button's
light turns on and you can then press the dial
to move the mirror to the desired position.
Repeat for the other side mirror. If Model S is
equipped with the optional tech package, you
may need to touch Save on the touchscreen
to save the mirror adjustment in your driver
profile.
To fold exterior mirrors, press the center
button. To set the mirrors to fold
automatically whenever you walk away from Model S, touch Controls > Settings > Vehicle >
Mirror Auto-Fold > ON .
If Model S is equipped with the optional tech
package, the driver’s side mirror automatically
dims at night, in proportion to the level of
glare from the headlights of a vehicle behind
you (except when in Reverse gear). Also, both
exterior side mirrors have heaters that turn on and off with the rear window heater.
Mirror Auto-tilt When Reversing
If Model S is equipped with the optional tech
package, both exterior mirrors can
automatically tilt downward when backing up.
To adjust the auto-tilt position, shift into
Reverse, then adjust the mirrors as described above (press the button associated with themirror you want to adjust, then press the dial
to move the mirror to the desired position). Touch Save on the touchscreen to save the
mirror adjustment in your driver profile.
When you shift back into Drive, the mirrors tilt back to their normal (upward) position. But
now that you have adjusted them for backing
up, they automatically tilt to the selected
downward position whenever you shift into
Reverse.
You can turn the auto-tilt feature on or off using the touchscreen, Touch Controls >
Settings > Vehicle > Mirror Auto-Tilt .
Rear View Mirror
Except when in Reverse gear, the rear view mirror automatically dims in proportion to thelevel of glare from the headlights of a vehiclebehind you.
Mirrors
40Model S Owner's Manual