brake TESLA MODEL S 2020 Owner's Manual

Overview
Interior Overview
1. Interior door handles ( Opening Doors from the Interior on page 12)
2. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control ( Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on page 88) and Autosteer
( Autosteer on page 95)
3. High beams ( High Beam Headlights on page 56), Turn signals ( Turn Signals on page 57),
Wipers and washers ( Wipers and Washers on page 64)
4. Steering wheel buttons - left ( Using Left Steering Wheel Buttons on page 44)
5. Instrument panel ( Instrument Panel on page 58)
6. Steering wheel buttons - right ( Using Right Steering Wheel Buttons on page 45)
7. Gear selector ( Shifting Gears on page 52)
8. Touchscreen ( Touchscreen Overview on page 4)
9. Glovebox button ( Glove Box on page 21)
10. Cabin climate control ( Climate Controls on page 128)
11. Power window switches ( Opening and Closing on page 15)
12. Exterior mirror adjustment switches ( Mirrors on page 48)
13. Seats ( Front and Rear Seats on page 25)
14. Steering column adjuster (hidden from view in the above image) ( Steering Wheel on page
44)
15. Horn ( Horn on page 46)
16. Brakes ( Braking and Stopping on page 66)
17. Accelerator pedal ( Acceleration Modes on page 74)
18. Hazard warning lights ( Hazard Warning Flashers on page 57)
19. Cup holders ( Cup Holders on page 23)
Interior Overview
2Model S Owner

Starting and Powering
Off
Starting When you open a door, Model S powers on
the instrument panel and touchscreen and you
can operate all controls.
To drive Model S:
1. PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL - Model S
powers on and is ready to drive.
2. SELECT A GEAR - Move the gear lever all
the way down for Drive and all the way up
for Reverse. See Shifting Gears on page
52.
Note: If the PIN to Drive feature is enabled
(see PIN to Drive on page 149), you must also
enter a valid PIN on the touchscreen before
you can drive Model S.
Note: If Passive Entry is off and you do not
press the brake pedal to start Model S within
approximately five minutes, a message
displays on the instrument panel and you must
use the key to lock then unlock Model S again
before starting the vehicle.
Everything you need to know when driving
Model S displays on the instrument panel.
Key Not Inside
If Model S does not detect a key when you
press the brake, the instrument panel displays
a message telling you that a key is not inside.
If you receive this message, place the key in
the center console cup holder where Model S
can best detect it.
If Model S still does not detect the key, try holding it against the center console,
immediately below the 12V power socket (see
12V Power Socket on page 22). Or try using
another key. If another key does not work, contact Tesla.
A number of factors can affect whether
Model S can detect the key. These include a
low battery in the key, interference from other
devices using radio signals, and objects
between the key and receiver.
Always keep the key with you. After driving,
the key is needed to restart Model S after it
powers off. And when you leave Model S, you
must bring the key with you to lock Model S, either manually or automatically.
Powering Off
When you finish driving, shift into Park by
pressing the button on the end of the gear selector. The parking brake automatically
engages and all systems keep operating.
When you leave Model S with the key, it
powers off automatically, turning off the
instrument panel and touchscreen.
Model S also powers off automatically after
being in Park for 15 minutes, even if you are
sitting in the driver

2.Hold down both scroll buttons on the
steering wheel until the touchscreen turns
black.
3. After a few seconds, the Tesla logo
appears. Wait approximately 30 seconds
for the touchscreen to restart. If the
touchscreen is still unresponsive or
demonstrating unusual behavior after a
few minutes, try power cycling the vehicle.
See Power Cycling the Vehicle on page
51.
Note: Restarting the touchscreen using the
scroll buttons does not power Model S off and
on.
Power Cycling the Vehicle
If your vehicle demonstrates unusual behavior or a nondescript alert is present, you can try
power cycling the vehicle to potentially
resolve the issue.
1. Shift into Park.
2. On the touchscreen, touch Controls >
Safety & Security > Power Off.
3. Wait for at least two minutes without
interacting with the vehicle. Do not open
the doors, touch the brake pedal, touch the touchscreen, etc.
4. After two minutes have passed, press the
brake pedal or open the door to wake the
vehicle.
Starting and Powering Off
Driving51

Gears
Shifting Gears When 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, a chime sounds 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 when you are not
pressing the brake pedal.
If Model S is in Park and you use the
touchscreen to release the parking brake
( Controls > Safety & Security ), Model S shifts
into Neutral (see Parking Brake on page 68).
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
Press the end of the gear selector while
Model S is stopped. Whenever Model S is in Park, the parking brake is applied.
Model S automatically shifts into Park
whenever you connect a charge cable or if
two or more of the following conditions are
met simultaneously while traveling slower than
approximately 1.5 mph (2 km/h):

When Tow mode is active, Model S
displays this indicator light on the
instrument panel, along with a
message telling you that Model S will
roll freely.
Note: In Tow mode, Model S does not shift into
a driving gear. To cancel Tow mode, shift into
Park or touch Tow mode again. Tow mode also
cancels if you use the touchscreen to apply
the parking brake ( Controls > Safety &
Security > Parking Brake ).
Gears
Driving53

IndicatorDescriptionHigh beam headlights are temporarily turned off because Auto High Beam is on
and is detecting light in front of Model S. When light is no longer detected, the
high beams automatically turn back on. See High Beam Headlights on page 56.Parking lights (side marker lights, tail lights, and license plate lights) are on. See
Lights on page 54.Front fog lights, if equipped. See Lights on page 54.Adaptive Front Lighting, if equipped. See Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS)
on page 56.Electronic stability control systems are actively minimizing wheel spin by
controlling brake pressure and motor power (indicator

IndicatorDescription
An ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) fault is detected. See Braking and Stopping on
page 66. Contact Tesla immediately.The parking brake is manually applied. See Parking Brake on page 68.A parking brake fault is detected. Contact Tesla. See Parking Brake on page 68.Vehicle Hold is actively applying the brakes. See Vehicle Hold on page 73.Tire 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

Braking and Stopping
Braking Systems
Warning: 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 S braking system, contact Tesla
immediately.
Model S 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 brie

Caution: If the brakes are not functioning
properly, stop the vehicle as soon as safety permits and contact Tesla Service.
See Park on page 52 for information on
using the Park button to stop the vehicle
in case of emergency.Warning: Always maintain a safe driving
distance from the vehicle in front of you
and be cautious in hazardous driving
conditions. Do not rely on brake disc
wiping or hydraulic fade compensation to act as a substitute for adequate braking.
Regenerative Braking
Whenever Model S is moving and your foot is
off the accelerator, regenerative braking slows
down Model S 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 S (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 S may experience traction loss
during regenerative braking, particularly
when in the Standard setting and/or not
using winter tires. Tesla recommends
using the Low setting (see To Set the
Regenerative Braking Level on page 67)
in snowy or icy conditions to help maintain vehicle stability.
The Energy app displays real-time feedback
on the amount of energy being gained by
regenerative braking. You can also display the
power meter on either side of the instrument
panel by choosing Energy using the scroll
button on the steering wheel (see Steering
Wheel on page 44).
The amount of energy fed back to the Battery using regenerative braking can depend on the
current state of the Battery and the charge
level setting that you are using. For example,
regenerative braking may be limited if the Battery is already fully charged or if the
ambient temperature is too cold.
Note: If regenerative braking is limited, a
dashed yellow line displays on the power
meter.
To Set the Regenerative Braking Level
You can use the touchscreen to change the
level of regenerative braking:
1. Touch Controls > Driving > Regenerative
Braking .
2. Choose from two levels:

Use the touchscreen to manually release the
parking brake (which also shifts Model S into Neutral):
1. Touch Controls > Safety & Security .
2. Press the brake pedal, then touch Parking
Brake . If Model S was previously in Park, it
shifts into Neutral.When you use the touchscreen to
manually apply the parking brake,
the red parking brake indicator lights
up on the instrument panel.If the parking brake experiences an
electrical issue, the amber parking brake indicator lights up and a fault
message displays at the top of the
instrument panel.Caution: In the unlikely event that Model S
loses electrical power, you cannot access
the touchscreen and are therefore unable to release the parking brake. Contact
Tesla.
Brake Wear
Model S 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.
Brakes must be periodically inspected visually by removing the tire and wheel. For detailed
specifications and service limits for rotors and
brake pads, see Subsystems on page 194.
Additionally, Tesla recommends cleaning and
lubricating the brake calipers every year or
12,500 miles (20,000 km) if in an area where
roads are salted during winter months.
Warning: Neglecting to replace worn
brake pads damages the braking system
and can result in a braking hazard.
Braking and Stopping
Driving69