60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
When you sell your vehicle we strongly 
urge you to give notice to the subsequent 
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by 
alerting them to the applicable section in 
the Operator’s Manual.
Front airbags
1Driver airbag
2Passenger airbag
or emergency tensioning device (ETD) 
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 re-
moving any component or part of the 
SRS, the installation of additional trim 
material, badges etc. over the steering 
wheel hub, front passenger airbag cov-
er, door trim panels, or door frame 
trims, and installation of additional elec-
trical/electronic equipment on or near 
SRS components and wiring. Keep area 
between airbags and occupants free 
from objects (e.g. packages, purses, 
umbrellas, etc.).
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. 
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could 
change the effectiveness of the belts.
D o  no t h a ng i te ms  su ch  a s c o at  ha n ger s  
from the coat hooks or handles over the 
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries 
when curtain airbag is deployed.
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 unin-
tended activation of the SRS.
In addition, through improper work 
there is a risk of rendering the SRS inop-
erative or causing unintended airbag de-
ployment. Work on the SRS must 
therefore only be performed by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For your protection and the protection 
of others, when scrapping the airbag 
unit or emergency tensioning device, 
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available 
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz 
Center.
Given the considerable deployment 
speed and the textile structure of the 
airbags, there is the possibility of abra-
sions or other injuries resulting from air-
bag deployment. 
229 Operation
Driving instructions
Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal 
force may become necessary to produce 
the normal braking effect.
We therefore recommend depressing the 
brake pedal periodically when traveling at 
length on salt-strewn roads. 
This can bring road salt impaired braking 
efficiency back to normal. Be very careful 
that you carry out these braking maneu-
vers without endangering any other road 
users.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven 
on salt treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the 
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
For more information, see “Winter driving” 
(
page 245).
Standing water
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make 
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust 
pipe and from around the vehicle with the 
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon 
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and 
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, 
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the windWarning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d  t o  s e r v e  a s  a n  i c e - w a r n i n g  d e v i c e  a n d  
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road 
surface is free of ice.
!Do not drive through flooded areas or 
water of unknown depth.
If you must drive through standing wa-
ter, drive slowly to prevent water from 
entering the passenger compartment 
or the engine compartment. Water in 
these areas could cause damage to 
electrical components or wiring of the 
engine or transmission, or could result 
in water being ingested by the engine 
through the air intake causing severe 
internal engine damage. Any such 
damage is not covered by the 
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.