2001 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class CCU

Our company and staff congratulate you on the purchase of your new Mercedes-Benz.
Your selection of our product is a demonstration of your trust in our company name. Further, it exemplifies your desire
to own an automobile that will be as easy as possible to operate and provide years of service.
Your Mercedes-Benz represents the efforts of many skilled engineers and craftsmen. To ensure your pleasure of
ownership, and for your safety and that of your passengers, we ask you to make a small investment of your time:
• Please read this manual carefully before putting it aside. Then return it to your vehicle where it will be handy for
your reference.
• Please abide by the recommendations contained in this manual. They are designed to acquaint you with the
operation of your Mercedes-Benz.
• Please abide by the warnings and cautions contained in this manual. They are designed to help improve the safety
of the vehicle operator and occupants.
We extend our best wishes for many miles of safe, pleasurable driving.
DaimlerChrysler AG

45 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index 5Head restraint
(with shoulder belt height adjustment)
Adjust the head restraint so that the upper portion
of the shoulder belt is located as close as possible to
the middle of the shoulder. The head restraint can
be tilted forward by hand.
Note:
To prevent the backrest from touching the soft top
storage compartment cover when the seat is moved
back, the backrest will automatically move to a more
upright position.
When reclining the backrest, the seat will automatically
move forward to prevent the backrest from touching the
soft top storage compartment cover.
Wa r n i n g !
When leaving the vehicle always remove the key
from the steering lock, and lock the vehicle.The power seats can also be operated with a door
open. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may cause
serious personal injury.
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.Never ride in a moving vehicle with the backrest
reclined.
Sitting in an excessively reclined position can be
dangerous. You could slide under the seat belt in a
collision. If you slide under it, the belt would apply
force at the abdomen or neck. That could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The backrest and seat
belt provide the best restraint when the wearer is
in an upright position and the belt is properly
positioned on the body.The rear storage area should never be occupied by
passengers since the vehicle is a 2 seater.
Furthermore, there is a risk of injury in the rear by
adjusting the power assisted front seats.Never place hands under seat or near any moving
parts while a seat is being adjusted.

51 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Note:
When in operation, the seat heater consumes a large
amount of electrical power. It is not advisable to use the
seat heater longer than necessary.
The seat heaters may automatically switch off if too
many power consumers are switched on at the same
time, or if the battery charge is low. When this occurs,
the indicator lamp in the switch will blink (both
indicator lamps blink during rapid seat heating mode).
The seat heaters will switch on again automatically as
soon as sufficient voltage is available.
If the blinking of the indicator lamps is distracting to
you, the seat heaters can be switched off.

56 Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Caution!
For safety reasons, avoid adjusting the seat or backrest
into positions which could affect the correct seat belt
positioning.
Unfastening of seat belts
Push the release button (3) in the belt buckle (2).
Allow the retractor to completely rewind the seat belt by
guiding the latch plate (1).
Wa r n i n g !
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY.• Each occupant should wear their seat belt at all
times, because seat belts help reduce the
likelihood of and potential severity of injuries
in accidents, including rollovers. The
integrated restraint system includes “SRS”
(driver airbag, passenger airbag, door mounted
side impact airbags), “ETR” (seat belt
emergency tensioning retractors), and front
seat knee bolsters. The system is designed to
enhance the protection offered to properly
belted occupants in certain frontal (front
airbags) and side (side impact airbags) impacts
which exceed preset deployment thresholds.• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys etc., as these might
cause injuries.• Position the lap belt as low as possible on your
hips and not across the abdomen. If the belt is
positioned across your abdomen, it can cause
serious injuries in a crash.

57 Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
• Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm,
against you neck or off your shoulder. In a
crash, your body would move too far forward.
That would increase the chance of head and
neck injuries. The belt would also apply too
much force to the ribs or abdomen, which
could severely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.• Each seat belt must never be used for more
than one person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another person or
other objects.• Belts should not be worn twisted. In a crash,
you wouldn’t have the full width of the belt to
manage impact forces. The twisted belt against
your body could cause injuries.• Pregnant women should also use a lap-
shoulder belt. The lap belt portion should be
positioned as low as possible on the hips to
avoid pressure on the abdomen.• Never place your feet on the instrument panel
or on the seat. Always keep both feet on the
floor in front of the seat.
Wa r n i n g !
USE CHILD RESTRAINTS PROPERLY.
Children 12 years old and under must never ride in
this vehicle, 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 side 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 will
result.
Infants and small children must 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.A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints are
not properly secured in the vehicle and the child is
not properly secured in the child restraint.Adjust the passenger seat as far as possible
rearward from the dashboard when the seat is
occupied.

60 Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Airbags 1Driver airbag
2Passenger front airbag
3Side impact airbags
The most effective occupant restraint system yet
developed for use in production vehicles is the seat belt.
In some cases, however, the protective effect of a seat
belt can be further enhanced by an airbag.
In conjunction with wearing the seat belts, the driver
and passenger airbags can provide increased protection
for the driver and passenger in certain frontal impacts
exceeding preset thresholds. Door mounted side impact
airbags can provide increased protection to belted
occupants on the impacted side of the vehicle in side
impacts exceeding its preset thresholds.
The operational readiness of the airbag system is
verified by the indicator lamp "SRS" in the instrument
cluster when turning the key in steering lock to
position 2. If no fault is detected, the lamp will go out
after approximately 4 seconds: after the lamp goes out,
the system continues to monitor the components and
circuitry of the airbag system and will indicate a
malfunction by coming on again. If the lamp does not

62 Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Front airbags
The driver and passenger front airbags are designed to
activate only in certain frontal impacts exceeding a
preset threshold.
The passenger front airbag deploys only if the front
passenger seat is occupied, and the 7 indicator lamp
in the dashboard is not illuminated.
Note:
Heavy objects on the passenger seat can appear to the
“SRS” to indicate the presence of an occupant in that
seat which causes the passenger front airbag to deploy
in a crash exceeding the appropriate threshold.Side impact airbags
The side impact airbags are designed to activate only in
certain side impacts exceeding a preset threshold. Only
the side impact airbag on the impacted side of the
vehicle deploy.
The passenger side impact airbag deploys only if the
passenger seat is occupied.
Side impact airbags operate best in conjunction with a
properly positioned and fastened seat belt.
Note:
Heavy objects on passenger seat can cause the
passenger door side impact airbag to deploy in a crash.
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 must always wear their
seat belts, otherwise it is not possible for the airbags
to provide their intended supplemental protection.

63 Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index 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.
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 passenger that you replace deployed
airbags and repair any malfunctioning airbags to
ensure the vehicle will continue to provide crash
protections for occupants.
Wa r n i n g !
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 it indicate a fire in the vehicle. The dust might
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 driverside
door latch post. To provide continued reliability
after that date, they should be inspected by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center at that time and
replaced when necessary.