warning TESLA MODEL Y 2023 User Guide

NOTE: To return the seat backs to the upright position,
pull the seat back upward until it latches into place. Try pulling the backrest forward to
confirm that it is securely
latched in the upright position.
NOTE: Before folding the seat backs, remove any items
from the seats and the footwell. To allow the backrests
to fold completely
flat, you may need to move the
second row seats forward.
NOTE: Driving with the third row backrests folded
forward may result in increased perceivable noise and/or vibration coming from the rear of the vehicle (trunk,
suspension, etc.).
WARNING: Always ensure the seat backrests are
locked in their upright position before travel.
Failure to do so increases the risk of injury.
Head Supports
The front seats include integrated head supports that you can not adjust.
The second row outboard seats include an adjustable head support that you can raise, lower, or remove. When
either of these seats is occupied by a passenger that is not in a child safety seat, the corresponding head support should be adjusted (align the center of the head support with the center of the occupant

WARNING: To minimize the risk of severe injury or
death in the event of a collision, ensure that head
supports are positioned correctly before driving.
Removing/Installing a Head Support
All head supports in the second and third row (if
equipped) seating positions can be removed. To remove
a head support:
1.
Fully raise the head support by pulling it upward.
2.
Press and hold the button located at the base of one of the posts.
3.
Insert a short, flat object (such as a small flat-head
screwdriver) into the opening in the base of the
opposite post and pull the head support upward.
To re-install the head support:
1.
With the front of the head support facing forward, insert both posts into the corresponding holes on the
seat back.
2.
Press downward on the head support until it clicks into place.
3.
Pull upward on the head support to ensure that it is secure.
WARNING: Ensure that the head support is
correctly installed before seating an occupant.
Failure to do so increases the risk of injury or
death if a collision occurs.
Seat Heaters
The front and second row seats contain heating pads
that operate at three levels from 3 (highest) to 1 (lowest).
To operate the seat heaters, see Climate
Controls on page 127.
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 Y.
Doing so could restrict deployment of the seat-
mounted side air bags if a collision occurs. Also, if
the vehicle is equipped with an occupant detection
system that is used to determine the status of the
passenger front airbag, seat covers may interfere
with this system.
Front and Rear Seats
32MODEL Y Owner

Wearing Seat Belts
Using seat belts and child safety seats is the most
effective way to protect occupants if a collision occurs.
Therefore, wearing a seat belt is required by law in most jurisdictions.
Both the driver and passenger seats are equipped with three-point inertia reel seat belts. Inertia reel belts are automatically tensioned to allow occupants to move
comfortably during normal driving conditions.
To
securely hold child safety seats, all passenger seating
positions are equipped with an automatic locking
retractor (ALR) feature that, by fully extracting the seat
belt (beyond the length needed for a typical adult
occupant), locks the belt into place until the seat belt is
unbuckled.
The seat belt reel automatically locks to prevent
movement of occupants if
Model Y experiences a force
associated with hard acceleration, braking, cornering, or
an impact in a collision.
Seat Belt Reminders
The seat belt reminder on the touchscreen
alerts you if a seat belt for an occupied driver or passenger seat is unbuckled. If all
occupants are buckled up and the
reminder stays on, re-buckle seat belts to
ensure they are correctly latched. Also
remove any heavy objects (such as a
briefcase) from an unoccupied seat. If the
reminder light continues to stay on,
contact Tesla.
You can temporarily disable a seat belt reminder associated with a rear seating position. This is useful when you are carrying an object in a rear seat that
triggers the seat belt reminder alert. To disable the
reminder, touch the associated seat on the seat belt reminder popup message that displays on the touchscreen when a seat belt reminder is active. When a reminder is disabled, the seat belt reminder icon is replaced by a seat icon, for the current drive only. Touch the seat again to re-enable the reminder.
WARNING: Seat belts must be worn by passengers
in all seating positions. Do not disable a seat belt
reminder when the seating position is occupied by
a passenger.
To Fasten a Belt
1.
Ensure correct positioning of the seat (see Correct
Driving Position on page 27).
2.
Draw the belt out smoothly, ensuring the belt lays flat
across the pelvis, chest and mid-point of your collar
bone, between the neck and shoulder.
3. Insert the latch plate into the buckle and press
together until you hear a click indicating it is locked
in place.4.
Pull the belt to check that it is securely fastened.
5.
Pull the diagonal part of the belt toward the reel to
remove excess slack.
To Adjust the Shoulder Anchor
Height
Model Y is equipped with an adjustable shoulder anchor
for each front seat to ensure that the seat belt is positioned correctly. The seat belt should lay
flat across
the mid-point of your collar bone while in the correct driving position
(see Correct Driving Position on page
27). Adjust the height of the shoulder anchor if the seat
belt is not positioned correctly:
1.
Press and hold the button on the shoulder anchor to release the locking mechanism.
2.
While holding the button, move the shoulder anchor up or down, as necessary, to correctly position the seat belt.
3.
Release the button on the shoulder anchor so that it
locks into position.
4.
Without pressing the button, pull on the seat belt webbing and attempt to move the shoulder anchor
downward to check that it is locked into position.
Seat Belts
33Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: Ensure that the seat belt is positioned
correctly and that the shoulder anchor is locked
into position before driving. Riding in a moving
vehicle with the seat belt positioned incorrectly or
with the shoulder anchor not locked into position
can reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt in a
collision.
To Release a Belt
Hold the belt near the buckle to prevent the belt from
retracting too quickly, then press the button on the
buckle. The belt retracts automatically. Ensure there is
no obstruction that prevents the belt from fully
retracting. The belt should not hang loose. If a seat belt
does not fully retract, contact Tesla.
Wearing Seat Belts When Pregnant
Do not put the lap or shoulder sections of the seat belt over the abdominal area. Wear the lap section of the
belt as low as possible across the hips, not the waist. Position the shoulder portion of the belt between the
breasts and to the side of the abdomen. Consult your doctor for
specific guidance.
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

2. With the belt unfastened, unreel the webbing to its limit. Check that unreeling is free from snags, and
visually check the webbing for wear. Allow the webbing to retract, checking that retraction is
smooth and complete.3.
With the webbing half unreeled, hold the tongue plate and pull forward quickly. The mechanism should lock automatically and prevent further unreeling.
If a seat belt fails any of these tests, contact Tesla immediately.
For information about cleaning seat belts, see Seat Belts
on page 193.
Seat Belt Warnings
WARNING: Seat belts should be worn by all
occupants at all times, even if driving for a very
short distance. Failure to do so increases the risk
of injury or death if a collision occurs.
WARNING: Secure small children in a suitable child
safety seat as described in the Child Safety Seat
topic. Always follow the child safety seat
manufacturer

For dual-strap tethers, position a strap on each side of
the head support.
For dual-strap tethers in the third row (if equipped), position both straps over the head support.
WARNING: Before running a tether strap OVER a
head support, you MUST LOWER the head support
(see Head Supports on page 31).
For single-strap tethers at the outboard seating
positions, run the strap over the outside-facing side of
the head support (same side of the head support as the
seat belt retraction mechanism).
If running the strap over the outside-facing side of the head support is not possible (such as there is not
enough slack in the strap), raise the head support
(see
#unique_133 on page ) and run the strap under the
head support.
Child Safety Seats
40MODEL Y Owner

For a single-strap tether in the third row (if equipped),
position the strap over 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 Y
detects a lightweight passenger, do not rely on
technology to protect your child.
WARNING: Seat belt retained child safety seats are
designed to be secured in the vehicle using lap
seat belts or the lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder
seat belt. Children could be endangered in a crash
if their child safety seat is not properly secured.
WARNING: According to collision statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in the
second row seating positions than in the front
passenger seat.
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

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 Airbags
Airbags are located in the approximate areas shown below. Airbag warning information is printed on the sun visors.
Model Y is equipped with an airbag and lap/shoulder belt at both front 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 airbag
2.
Front airbags
3.
Seat-mounted side airbags
NOTE: The following vehicles are equipped with a seat-mounted airbag on the inside portion of the driver

Front Passenger Occupant Detection
Model Y has an occupancy sensor in the front passenger seat that controls the status of the front airbag.
NOTE: The occupancy classification system (OCS) meets the regulatory requirement of FMVSS 208 and
automatically detects when
inflating the passenger front airbag would be unnecessary or potentially harmful.
WARNING: Seating an infant in a rear facing child restraint system on a seat equipped with an operational
airbag can cause serious injury or death.
Object ClassificationOCS Passenger
Airbag Status*Indicator statusNotesEmptyOFFPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF ObjectOFF or ONPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
or PASSENGER AIRBAG ONDepends on material/
contents.Rear-facing child restraint
system designed for children
up to a year oldOFFPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF20 lbs (9 kg) or lessForward facing child restraint
systemOFFPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF35 lbs (16 kg) or lessChild in a booster seatOFF or ONPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
or PASSENGER AIRBAG ON20-100 lbs (9-45 kg)*Large childOFF or ONPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
or PASSENGER AIRBAG ON 5th percentile female or
larger (by weight)ONPASSENGER AIRBAG ONOver approximately 100 lbs
(45 kg)
*If the passenger airbag status indicator does not match the situation, do not use the seat. The passenger must
ride in a
different seat. Contact Tesla Service.
NOTE: It takes approximately six seconds after you power on Model Y for the occupant classification system (OCS)
to report accurate status of the front passenger airbag. As a result, when you
first power on Model Y, even in
situations when it should be OFF because the seat is occupied by a weight of
20 lbs (9 kg) or less, it will take the
touchscreen approximately six seconds to display the status, PASS AIRBAG OFF. If it fails to do so, contact Tesla
Service and do not seat a child in the front passenger seating position.
To make sure the sensing system can correctly detect occupancy status, eliminate the following: