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.

All 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 (see Installing Seat Belt Retained Child Seats).

The seat belt reel automatically tightens or locks to prevent movement of occupants if Model S experiences a force associated with hard acceleration, braking, cornering, or an impact in a collision.

1. Ensure correct positioning of the seat. See (see Correct Driving Position) for details on the correct position of the driver's seat.
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. Ensure the belt is routed correctly and is not twisted. Never sit on the seat belt or any seat belt component.
   Warning

   A twisted or incorrectly routed seat belt can cause damage and interfere with the functionality of the seat belt system.
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.

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.

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.

The front seat belts are equipped with pre‑tensioners that work in conjunction with the airbags in a collision. The pre‑tensioners automatically retract both the seat belt lower anchor and the upper shoulder webbing, reducing slack in both the lap and diagonal portions of the belts, resulting in reduced forward movement of the occupant.

If the pre-tensioners and airbags did not activate in an impact, this does not mean they malfunctioned. It usually means that the strength or type of force needed to activate them was not present.

The rear outboard seats are equipped with shoulder pre-tensioners to retract the seat belt webbing to reduce forward movement of the occupant.

To confirm that seat belts are operating correctly, perform these checks on each seat belt.

1. With the seat belt fastened, give the webbing nearest the buckle a quick and forceful pull. The buckle should remain securely locked.
2. With the seat belt fastened, give the webbing closest to the door a quick and forceful pull. The permanent seat belt attachment should remain securely locked. Never attempt to remove this attachment.
3. 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.
4. 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, repair immediately. Do not allow occupants to sit in a seat with a failed seat belt.

For information about cleaning seat belts, see Seat Belts.