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 minor impacts with narrow objects (such as posts or poles). 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.
Types of Airbags
Model 3 has the following types of airbags:
Passenger Front Airbag Status
The status of the passenger front airbag displays in the top corner of the touchscreen:
Before driving with a child seat
on the front passenger seat (if legally
permitted in your market region), always double-check the status of the
passenger front airbag to confirm that it is OFF. When the passenger
front airbag is OFF, it will not inflate when a collision occurs. This
indicator also displays when the seat is unoccupied.
To protect an adult occupying
the front passenger seat, ensure the
passenger front airbag is ON. When the passenger front airbag is ON, it
may inflate when a collision occurs.