Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Important!
Airbags are designed to activate only in certain
frontal (front airbags) impacts, or side (side impact
airbags) impacts which exceed preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of sufficient
severity to meet the deployment thresholds, will
they provide their supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear their
seat belts, otherwise it is not possible for the airbags
to provide their intended supplemental protection.
In cases of other frontal impacts, angled impacts,
roll-overs, other side impacts, rear collisions, or
other accidents in which the airbags are not
designed to deploy, the airbags will not be activated.
The driver and passenger will then be protected by
the fastened seat belts.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
airbags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
Warning!
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential of
injury in certain frontal (front airbags) impacts,
and side (side impact airbags) impacts which may
cause significant injuries, however, no system
available today can totally eliminate injuries and
fatalities.The activation of the “SRS” temporarily releases a
small amount of dust from the airbags. This dust,
however, is neither injurious to your health, nor
does i t indi cate a fire in th e vehi cle. Th e du st migh t
cause some temporary breathing difficulty for
people with asthma or other breathing trouble. To
avoid this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any breathing
difficulty but cannot get out of the vehicle after the
airbag inflates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or door.
The service life of the airbags extends to the date
indicated on the label located on the driver-side door
latch post. To provide continued reliability after date,
they should be inspected by an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center at that time and replaced when necessary.
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Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Your vehicle was originally equipped with airbags
which are designed to activate in certain impacts
exceeding a preset threshold to reduce the potential
and severity of injury. It is important to your safety
and that of your passengers that you replace
deployed airbags and repair any malfunctioning
airbags to ensure the vehicle will continue to
provide crash protection for occupants.
Wa r n i n g !
To reduce the risk of injury when the front airbags
inflate, it is very important for the driver and front
passenger to always be in a properly seated
position and to wear their seat belts.For maximum protection in the event of a collision
always be in normal seated position with your back
against the backrest. Fasten your seat belt and
ensure that it is properly positioned on your body.Since the airbag inflates with considerable speed
and force, a proper seating and hands on steering
wheel position will help to keep you at a safe
distance from the airbag. Occupants who are
unbelted, out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured by an airbag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:
• Sit properly belted in an upright position with
your back against the backrest.• Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper operation of
vehicle controls. The distance from the center
of the driver’s breastbone to the center of the
airbag cover on the steering wheel must be at
least ten inches (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combination of
adjustments to the seat and steering wheel. If
you have any problems, please see your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.• Do not lean with your head or chest close to the
steering wheel or dashboard.• Keep hands on the outside of steering wheel
rim. Placing hands and arms inside the rim
can increase the risk and potential severity of
hand/arm injury when the driver front airbag
inflates.• Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard when
the seat is occupied.
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Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
• Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat, which operates with the
BabySmart
TM system installed in the vehicle to
deactivate the passenger front airbag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will be
struck by the airbag when it inflates in a crash.
If this happens, serious or fatal injury can
result.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in
severe or fatal injuries to you or other occupants.
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning retractor and airbag
Wa r n i n g !
• Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced and
their anchoring points must also be checked.
Use only belts installed or supplied by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
• Do not pass belts over sharp edges.• Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.
• Airbags and ETR’s are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An airbag or emergency
tensioning retractor (ETR) that was activated
must be replaced.• No modifications of any kind may be made to
any components or wiring of the “SRS”. This
includes changing or removing any component
or part of the “SRS”, the installation of
additional trim material, badges etc. over the
steering wheel hub, front passenger airbag
cover, or front door trim panels, and
installation of additional electrical/electronic
equipment on or near “SRS” components and
wiring. Keep area between airbags and
occupants free of objects (e.g. packages,
purses, umbrellas, etc.).• An airbag system component within the
steering wheel gets hot after the airbag has
inflated. Do not touch.• Improper work on the system, including
incorrect installation and removal, can lead to
possible injury through an unintended
activation of the “SRS”.
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Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index When you sell the vehicle we strongly urge you to give
notice to the subsequent owner that it is equipped with
an “SRS” by alerting him to the applicable section in the
Operator’s Manual.
• In addition, through improper work there is
the risk of rendering the “SRS” inoperative or
causing unintended airbag deployment. Work
on the “SRS” must therefore only be performed
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.• For your protection and the protection of
others, when scrapping the airbag unit or
emergency tensioning retractor, our safety
instructions must be followed. These
instructions are available at your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.• Given the considerable deployment speed and
the textile structure of the airbags, there is the
possibility of abrasions or other injuries
resulting from airbag deployment.Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be properly re-
strained at all times while the vehicle is in motion. All
lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s seat belt have
special seat belt retractors for secure fastening of child
restraints.
To activate, pull shoulder belt out completely and let it
retract. During the seat belt retraction a ratcheting
sound can be heard to indicate that the special seat belt
retractor is activated. The belt is now locked.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and let seat belt
retract completely. The seat belt can again be used in
the usual manner.
Warning!
Never release the seat belt buckle while vehicle is
in motion, since the special seat belt retractor will
be deactivated.
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Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Important!
The use of infant or child restraints is required by law in
all 50 states and all Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system properly
secured by a lap-shoulder belt, and that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 and
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
A statement by the child restraint manufacturer of
compliance with this standard can be found on the
instruction label on the restraint and in the instruction
manual provided with the restraint.
When using any infant or child restraint system, be sure
to carefully read and follow all manufacturer’s
instructions for installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels affixed to inside
of vehicle and to infant or child restraints.
Warning!
Children 12 years old and under must never ride in
the front seat, except in a Mercedes-Benz
authorized BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM system
installed in the vehicle to deactivate the passenger
front airbag when it is properly installed.
Otherwise they will be struck by the airbag when it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or fatal
injury can result.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
Infants and small children must ride in back seats
and be seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system, which is properly secured with
the vehicle’s seat belt, fully in accordance with the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.Infants and small children should never share a
seat belt with another occupant. During an
accident, they could be crushed between the
occupant and seat belt.
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Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Installation of infant and child restraint systems
This vehicle is provided with tether anchorages for a top
tether strap at each of the rear seats.
To secure a tether strap to the anchorage, securely
fasten the hook (3), which is part of the tether strap, to
the anchorage ring (2).
Children too big for child restraint systems must
ride in back seats using regular seat belts. Position
shoulder belt across chest and shoulder, not face or
neck. A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper belt positioning for children from 41 lbs. to
the point where a lap/shoulder belt fits properly
without one.When the child restraint is not in use, remove it
from the vehicle or secure it with the seat belt to
prevent the child restraint from becoming a
projectile in the event of an accident.
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Instrument cluster
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
High beam
ABS malfunction, see page 211
Brake fluid low (except Canada),
Parking brake engaged, see page 217
Brake fluid low (Canada only),
Parking brake engaged, see page 217
BAS malfunction, see page 196
ESP malfunction, see page200
ESP. Adjust driving to road condition,
see page200
Fasten seat belts, see page56Telescoping steering column not locked,
see page212
SRS malfunction, see page 210
If the “CHECK ENGINE” malfunction
indicator lamp comes on when the engine is
running, it indicates a malfunction of the
fuel management system, emission control
system, systems which impact emissions, or
the fuel cap is not closed tight. In all cases,
we recommend that you have the
malfunction checked as soon as possible,
see page 210
Function indicator lamp on the center console
Front passenger airbag automatically
switched off, see page 62.
ABSBRAKEBAS
ESP
SRSCHECK
ENGINE
80
Instrument cluster display
BRAKE FLUID 217
PARKING BRAKE 218
Malfunction and indicator lamps in the
instrument cluster 208ENGINE FAN 218
On-board diagnostic system
Check engine malfunction indicator lamp
208COOLANT (coolant level) 219
Brake warning lamp 209 COOLANT (coolant temp.) 220
Supplemental restraint system STEER. WHEEL ADJUST. 221
(SRS) indicator lamp 210 LIGHT SENSOR 221
Fuel reserve and fuel cap LIGHTING SYSTEM 222
placement warning 210 WASHER FLUID 223
Electronic stability program(ESP) OIL TEMP. (engine oil temperature) 224
warning lamp 211 ENGINE OIL LEVEL 224
BAS/ESP malfunction indicator lamp 211 ELEC. STABIL. PROG. (Electronic
ABS malfunction indicator lamp 211 stability program) 226
Telescoping steering column –
indicator lamp 212
Seat belt warning lamp 212
Malfunction and indicator lamps in the
center console 212
AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp 212
Roll bar warning lamp 221
Malfunction and warning messages in
the multifunction display 213
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE 214
BATTERY/ALTERNATOR 215
ABS-SYSTEM 216
BRAKE ASSIST 216
BRAKE LINING WEAR 217
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