Tesla S Owner's Manual page 42

How the Airbags Work
Airbags inflate when sensors detect an impact
that exceeds deployment thresholds. These
thresholds are designed to predict the severity
of a crash in time for the airbags to help
protect the vehicle's occupants.
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, side
collisions and when braking heavily or driving
over bumps and potholes. Likewise, front
airbags may not inflate in all frontal collisions,
such as minor front collisions, underride
collisions, or impacts with narrow objects
(such as poles or trees). Significant superficial
damage can occur to the vehicle without the
airbags inflating and, conversely, a relatively
small amount of structural damage can cause
airbags to inflate. Therefore, the external
appearance of the vehicle after a collision
does not represent whether or not the front
airbags should have inflated.
Warning: Before modifying your vehicle
to accommodate a person with
disabilities in a way that may affect the
airbag system, contact Tesla.
Seating and Safety Restraints
Types of Airbags
Model S has the following types of airbags:
• Advanced front airbags: The front airbags
are designed to reduce airbag related
injuries if children or small adults are
riding 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. Follow all
warnings related to seating a child on the
front passenger seat.
• Knee airbags: Knee 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 airbags: Side 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 of the vehicle do not inflate.
• Curtain airbags: Curtain airbags help
protect the head. Curtain airbags on both
the impacted and non-impacted side of
the vehicle will inflate only if a severe side
impact occurs, or if the vehicle rolls over.
Airbags
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