TESLA MODEL S 2016 Service Manual

StartingWhen you open a door, Model S powers on
the instrument panel and touchscreen. The
center circle on the instrument panel displays the status of doors and the charge level, and
you can operate all controls.
To drive:

Shifting GearsWhen Model S is in Park, you must press the
brake to shift to another gear.
Move the lever up or down to change gears.
If you try to shift into a gear that the current
driving speed prohibits, you will hear a chime
and the gear does not change.
Reverse
Push the lever all the way up and release. You
can only shift into Reverse when Model S is
stopped or moving less than 5 mph (8 km/h).
If moving less than 1 mph (1.6 km/h), you must
press the brake.
Neutral
Push the lever up or down to the
first position
and release to shift into Neutral. Neutral allows
Model S to roll freely.
If Model S is in Park and you use the
touchscreen to release the parking brake
(Controls > E-Brake & Power
Off), Model S
shifts into Neutral (see Parking Brake on page
55).
Model S automatically shifts into Park when
you exit. To leave Model S in Neutral, use the touchscreen to engage Tow mode (see
Keeping Your Vehicle in Neutral (Tow Mode)
on page 42).
Drive
Push the lever all the way down and release.
You can shift into Drive when Model S is stopped or moving less than 5 mph (8 km/h)in Reverse. If Model S is moving less than
1 mph (1.6 km/h), you must press the brake to shift into Drive.
Park
With Model S stopped, press the end of the
gear selector. Whenever Model S is in Park, the
parking brake is applied.
Model S automatically shifts into Park
whenever you:

Instrument Panel Overview
The instrument panel changes depending on whether Model S is:

IndicatorDescriptionParking lights (side marker lights, tail lights, and license plate lights) are on.
See Lights on page 48.Front fog lights (optional). See Lights on page 48.
Electronic stability control systems are actively minimizing wheel spin by by
controlling brake pressure and motor power (indicator flashes). See Traction
Control on page 56. If this indicator stays illuminated, a fault is detected
(contact Tesla immediately).Smart Air Suspension

IndicatorDescriptionTire pressure warning. The pressure of a tire is out of range. If a fault with the
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is detected, the indicator flashes.For a TPMS fault, contact Tesla. See Tire Care and Maintenance on page 135.A door or trunk is open. See Door handles.A seat belt for an occupied seat is not fastened. Note: Depending on the
date of manufacture, rear seating positions may not be equipped with a seat
belt reminder.See Seat Belts on page 19.Electronic stability control systems are no longer minimizing wheel spin (i.e.
on a single motor vehicle, the traction control system has been turned off, or
on a dual motor vehicle, Slip Start has been enabled). See Traction Control
on page 56.Model S is in Tow mode and can roll freely. It does not automatically shift
into Park when you exit. See Instructions for Transporters on page 175.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.Instrument Panel
Driving45

Instrument Panel - DrivingWhen Model S is driving (or ready to drive), the instrument panel shows your current drivingstatus and a real-time visualization of the road as detected by Model S

8. Use the right steering wheel buttons to change what displays on the right side of theinstrument panel whenever a phone call is not active (see Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons
on page 37).
9. Total estimated driving distance (or energy) available. Instead of driving distance, you can display the percentage of battery energy remaining. To do so, touch Controls > Settings >
Units & Format > Energy & Charging (see Settings on page 99).
Note: When anticipating when you need to charge, use range estimates as a general guideline only.
Note: In cold weather, some of the stored energy in the Battery may not be available on your drive because the Battery is too cold. When this happens, a portion of the Battery meter isblue and the driving distance value has a
snowflake image next to it. If Model S is plugged in,
you can heat your Battery using wall power by turning on climate control using the mobile app. When the Battery warms up, the blue portion on the meter and the
snowflake image are
no longer displayed.
10. The speed limit (if available) that is currently being detected by Speed Assist (see Speed
Assist on page 88).
11. The car in front of you (if applicable).
12. Pay attention to important driving-related messages that appear at the bottom center of the instrument panel.
13. Your Model S.
14. When Autosteer is active, the driving lane is highlighted in blue (see Autosteer on page 74).
The lane may highlight in red If a front wheel passes over a lane marking and the associated
turn signal is
off (see Lane Assist on page 83).
15. The following distance that Traffic-Aware Cruise Control will maintain from the car in front of
you. You can adjust the following distance as appropriate for driving conditions (see Traffic-
Aware Cruise Control on page 68).
16. Currently selected gear: Park, Reverse, Neutral, or Drive.
Instrument Panel
Driving47

Controlling LightsTouch Controls on the bottom corner of the touchscreen to control most of the lights.In addition to the lights that you can control from the touchscreen, Model S has convenience lightsthat turn on and
off automatically based on what you are doing. For example, you will notice
interior lights, marker lights, tail lights, door handle lights, and puddle lights that turn on when you
unlock Model S, when you open a door, and when you shift into Park. They turn
off automatically
after a minute or two or when you shift into a driving gear or lock Model S.
Lights
48Model S Owner

1. If you turn on DOME lights, all interior dome (map) lights turn on when you unlock Model S,open a door upon exiting, or shift into P (Park). They turn off after 60 seconds, when you lock
Model S, or when you shift into a driving gear. If set to AUTO, dome lights turn on only when
little or no light is detected.
You can also manually turn an individual dome light on or
off by pressing its lens. If you
manually turn a dome light on, it turns off when Model S powers off. If Model S was already
powered off when you manually turned the light on, it turns off after 60 minutes.
2. If you turn on AMBIENT lights, the lights on the door armrests turn on whenever the headlights are on.
3. If you turn on AUTO HIGH BEAM, high beam headlights turn on and
off automatically based
on whether or not light is detected in front of Model S (see High Beam Headlights on page
51). This feature is available only if Model S is equipped with the optional Autopilot Tech Package.
4. DRL (Daytime Running Lights) operate only when driving with the headlights
off. In
jurisdictions where required by law (Canada), daytime running lights can not be turned off.5. If Model S is equipped with optional front fog lights, touch to turn them on or off.
The Front Fog indicator displays on the instrument panel whenever the
optional front fog lights are on.
The fog lights operate only when low beam headlights are on. Whenever headlights are
turned off, fog lights also turn off.
Lights
Driving49

6. Exterior lights are set to AUTO each time you start Model S. Touch these options totemporarily change the exterior light setting:OFFAll exterior lights (headlights, tail lights, side marker lights,parking lights, and license plate lights) turn off until you
manually turn them back on or until the next time you drive
Model S.PARKINGOnly the side marker lights, parking lights, tail lights and
license plate lights turn on.ONAll exterior lights (headlights, tail lights, side marker lights,
parking lights, and license plate lights) turn on.AUTOAll exterior lights (headlights, tail lights, side marker lights,
parking lights, and license plate lights) turn on automatically when driving in low lighting conditions. If you change to a
different setting, lights always revert to this AUTO setting on
your next drive.
Note: Optional fog lights operate automatically whenever the low beam headlights are on.
When headlights are off or high beam headlights are on, fog lights are also off.
Lights
50Model S Owner