2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 4MATIC WAGON Owner's Manual

62 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Unfastening of seat belts
Push the release button (3) in the belt buckle (2).
Allow t he retractor to completely rewind t he seat belt by
guiding the latch plate (1).
Operation
The inertia reel stops the belt from unwinding during
sudden vehicle stops or when quickly pulling on the
belt. The locking function of the reel may be checked by
quickly pulling out the belt.
Wa r n i n g !
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY.• Seat belts can only work when used properly.
Never wear seat belts in any other way than as
described in this section, as that could result
in serious injuries in case of an accident.• 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, front passenger airbag, front
and rear door mounted side impact airbags,
head protection window curtain airbags for
side windows), ETD (seat belt Emergency
Tensioning Device ), 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 and window curtain airbags) impacts
which exceed preset deployment thresholds.

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• 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 could cause
serious injuries in a crash.• Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm,
against your 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 should 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 any possible 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.

64 Restraint systems
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Wa r n i n g !
USE CHILD RESTRAINTS PROPERLY.
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 will 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 and top tether strap, 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.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.

65 Restraint systems
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cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system
Special BabySmart
TM compatible child seats, designed
for use with the Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center are required for
use with the BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system.
With the special child seat properly installed, the
passenger front airbag will not deploy. The 7
indicator lamp located on the center console will be
illuminated, except with electronic key removed or in
steering lock position 0. The system does not deactivate
the door mounted side impact airbag and the window
airbag.
Self-test BabySmart
TM
without special child seat installed
After turning electronic key in steering lock to position
1 or 2, the 7 indicator lamp located on the center
console comes on for approximately 6 seconds and then
extinguishes.
If the indicator lamp should not come on or is
continuously lit, the system is not functioning. You must
see an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center before seating
any child on the front passenger seat.BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens Automotive Corp.
Wa r n i n g !
The BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system will
ONLY work with a special child seat designed to
operate with it. It will not work with child seats
which are not BabySmart
TM compatible.
Never place anything between seat cushion and
child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces the
effectiveness of the deactivation system.The bottom
of the child seat must make full contact with the
passenger seat cushion. An incorrectly mounted
child seat could cause injuries to the child in case
of ar accident instead of protecting the child.Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of special child seats.When using a BabySmart
TM compatible child seat
on the front passenger seat, the front passenger
airbag will not deploy only if the 7 indicator
lamp remains illuminated.
Please be sure to check the indicator every time
you use the special system child seat.
Should the light go out while the restraint is
installed, please check installation. If the light
remains out, do not use the BabySmart
TM restraint
to transport children on the front passenger seat
until the system has been repaired.

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Supplemental restraint system (SRS)
Airbags are intended as a supplement to seat belts.
Airbags alone cannot protect as well as airbags plus
seat belts in impacts for which the airbags were
designed to operate, and do not afford any protection
whatsoever in crashes for which the airbags are not
designed to deploy.
The SRS uses two crash severity levels (thresholds) to
activate either the Emergency Tensioning Device (ETD)
or front airbag or both. Activation depends on the
direction and severity of the impact exceeding the
preset thresholds and whether the seat belt is fastened.Seat belt fastened
•first threshold exceeded:
ETD activates
•second threshold exceeded:
airbag also activates
Seat belt not fastened
Front seats:
•first threshold exceeded:
airbag activates, but not ETD
Rear outer seats:
•first threshold exceeded:
ETD activates
Driver, front passenger and rear outer seat systems
operate independently of each other.

67 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
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cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Emergency tensioning device (ETD)
The seat belts for the front and outer rear seats are
equipped with emergency tensioning devices. These
tensioning devices are located in each belt’s inertia reel
and become operationally ready with the electronic key
in steering lock position 1 or 2.
The ETDs for the driver and front seat passenger are
designed to activate only when the seat belts are
fastened and during certain frontal impacts exceeding
the first threshold of the SRS and in rear impacts
exceeding a preset severity level. They remove slack
from the belts in such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body restricting its forward
movement as much as possible.
The rear seat belt ETDs will deploy in the same
circumstances whether or not the seat belts are
fastened.In cases of other frontal impacts, angled impacts, roll-
overs, certain side impacts, or other accidents without
sufficient frontal or rear forces, the emergency
tensioning devices will not be activated. The driver and
passengers will then be protected by the fastened seat
belts and inertia reel in the usual manner.
For seat belt and emergency tensioning device safety
guidelines, see page 75.
Note:
The front ETD activates only if the front seat is occupied
and the seat belt is fastened.
Objects heavier than 20 lbs (9 kg) on the front
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 and the ETD to activate
in a crash exceeding the appropriate threshold.

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Airbags
1Driver airbag
2Front passenger airbagThe 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 front passenger airbags can provide increased
protection for the driver and front passenger in certain
frontal impacts exceeding preset thresholds.
Door mounted side impact and head protection window
curtain airbags can provide increased protection to
belted outboard occupants on the impacted side of the
vehicle in side impacts exceeding its preset threshold.
The operational readiness of the airbag system is
verified by the indicator lamp SRS in the instrument
cluster when turning the electronic key in steering lock
to position 1 or 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
come on at all or if it fails to extinguish after
approximately 4 seconds or if it comes on thereafter, a
malfunction in the system has been detected.
2
1
P91.60-2248-27

69 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index The following system components are monitored or
undergo a selfcheck: crash-sensor(s), airbag ignition
circuits, front seat belt buckles, emergency tensioning
devices, seat sensor.
Initially, when the electronic key is turned from steering
lock position 0 to position 1 or 2, malfunctions in the
crash-sensors are detected and indicated (the SRS
indicator lamp stays on longer than 4 seconds or does
not come on).
Have the system checked at your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
In the operational mode, after the indicator lamp has
gone out following the initial check, interruptions or
short circuits in the airbag ignition circuit and in the
driver and front passenger seat belt buckle harnesses,
and low voltage in the entire system are detected and
indicated.Note:
See page 246 for information on the Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) indicator lamp.
Wa r n i n g !
In the event a malfunction of the SRS is indicated
as outlined above, the SRS may not be operational.
For your safety, we strongly recommend that you
visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer
immediately to have the system checked; otherwise
the SRS may not be activated when needed in an
accident, which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could also result in injury.