2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 ECU

54 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

Occupants, especially children, should
never lean their heads in the area of the
door where the head-thorax airbag in-
flates. This could result in serious inju-
ries or death should the airbag be
triggered. Always sit upright, properly
use the seat belts and appropriate size
infant or child restraint system.


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 deacti-
vate 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, seri-
ous or fatal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle you are responsible
to make the buyer aware of these points. Be
sure to give the buyer this Operator’s Manu-
al.
Warning!
G
Should you choose to place a child 12 years
old or under in the passenger seat of your
vehicle, you must properly use a
BabySmart
TM child restraint which will turn
off the passenger side front airbag
(
page 62). BabySmart
TM will not, howev-
er, turn off any side impact airbag.
It should be noted, however, that there is a
possibility for a head-thorax airbag related
injury if occupants, especially children, are
not properly seated or restrained when next
to a head-thorax airbag which needs to de-
ploy rapidly in a side impact in order to do its
job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
head-thorax airbag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the head-thorax airbag be activated.
(2) Always sit upright, properly use the seat
belts and use an appropriately sized in-
fant or child restraint system for all chil-
dren 12 years old or under.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
passenger seat occupants to have the pas-
senger side head-thorax airbag deactivated,
then deactivation can be accomplished
upon your written election to do so at your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center at an ad-
ditional cost. Please contact your local au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call our
Customer Assistance Center at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (1-800-367-6372)
for details.

55 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
airbag
iAirbags are designed to activate only in
certain frontal impacts (front air bags,
driver-side kneebag), side impacts
(head-thorax airbags) which exceed
preset thresholds. Only during these
types of impacts, if of sufficient severi-
ty to meet the deployment threshold,
will they provide their supplemental
protection.
The driver and passengers should al-
ways wear their seat belts. Otherwise it
is not possible for the airbags to pro-
vide their intended supplemental pro-
tection.
In cases of other frontal impacts, an-
gled impacts, roll-overs, other side im-
pacts, rear collisions, or other
accidents and impacts below air bag
deployment thresholds, the airbags will
not be activated. The driver and pas-
senger will then be protected to the ex-
tent possible by a properly fastened
seat belt.
We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the airbags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.
Your vehicle was originally equipped
with airbags which are designed to ac-
tivate in certain impacts exceeding a
preset threshold to reduce the poten-
tial and severity of injury. It is important
to your safety and that of your passen-
ger that you replace deployed airbags
and repair any malfunctioning airbags
to ensure that the vehicle will continue
to provide supplemental crash protec-
tion for occupants.
Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Airbags and ETDs (Emergency Tension-
ing Devices) are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An airbag or ETD
that was activated must be replaced.

56 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.


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, passenger front airbag cov-
er, or door trim panels, and installation
of additional electrical /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.


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.
Warning!
G
In the event that the SRS malfunction indica-
tor lamp lights up while driving, the SRS may
not be operational. For your safety, we
strongly recommend that you visit an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center 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.

57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When an airbag deploys, a small amount of
dust is released while inflating. This dust is
neither injurious to your health, nor does it
indicate a fire in the vehicle.
The textile texture of the airbags can cause
light skin abrasions due to the speed of in-
flation.
Front airbags
Driver and passenger airbags are de-
ployed:

in the event of a frontal impact


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the head-thorax air-
bags
The airbags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.The passenger airbag will only be deployed
if:


the passenger seat is occupied


the
7
indicator lamp on the glove
box is not lit (
page 64)
1Driver airbag
2Passenger airbag
3KneebagKneebag
The kneebag is located on the driver-side
lower instrument panel. It is designed to
operate together with the driver airbag in
certain frontal impacts exceeding a preset
threshold. The kneebag operates best in
conjunction with a properly positioned and
fastened seat belt.
!Do not place objects heavier than 20
lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger seat.
This could cause the front or side im-
pact airbag on the front passenger side
to deploy in a crash which exceeds the
system's deployment threshold.

58 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyHead-thorax airbags
The head-thorax airbags are deployed:

on the impacted side of the vehicle


in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold


independently of the front airbags
The head-thorax airbags are not deployed
in impacts which do not exceed the sys-
tem’s deployment threshold.
The passenger head-thorax airbag will only
deploy if the system senses that the pas-
senger seat is occupied.
1Head-thorax airbag
Seat belts
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, the
U.S. territories, and all Canadian provinc-
es. Even where this is not the case, all ve-
hicle occupants should have their seat
belts fastened whenever the vehicle is in
motion.
Information on fastening seat belts is
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 37).iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see Children in the vehicle
(page 62).
Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passengers are
properly restrained, even pregnant women.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passenger should al-
ways wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. Airbags can only protect as
they are designed if the occupants are prop-
erly wearing their seat belts (
page 53).

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
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. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The seat
backrest and seat belt provide the best re-
straint when the wearer is in an upright po-
sition and the belt is properly positioned on
the body.
Keep door storage compartments closed
while vehicle is in motion. Failure to do so
may cause the seat belt to catch at the rear
and prevent proper positioning of the seat
belt.
Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt.Warning!
G
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced
and their anchoring points must also be
checked.
Only use seat belts which have been ap-
proved by Mercedes-Benz.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended activation
or to failure.
Have all work carried out only by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
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 sec-
tion, as that could result in serious inju-
ries 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, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver airbag, driv-
er-side kneebag, passenger airbag,
head-thorax airbags) and ETD (seat belt
emergency tensioning device). The sys-
tem is designed to enhance the protec-
tion offered to properly belted
occupants in certain frontal (front air-
bags, driver-side kneebag) and side
(head-thorax airbags) impacts which ex-
ceed preset deployment thresholds.

60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts are equipped with emergen-
cy tensioning devices, belt force limiters,
and automatic comfort-fit.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases when the seat belts are fas-
tened:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing a preset severity level


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
1
in-
dicator lamp (
page 52).
In an impact, emergency tensioning devic-
es remove slack from the belts in such a
way that the seat belts fit more snugly
against the body. Belt force limiters reduce
the force exerted by the seat belts on oc-
cupants during a crash.
The automatic comfort-fit feature reduces
the retracting force of the seat belts when
they are in normal use.


Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. 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 se-
verely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.


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 abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son 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 pres-
sure 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.

61 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Roll barThe roll bar raises automatically in an acci-
dent or in a critical driving situation. You
can also raise and lower the roll bar manu-
ally using the buttons provided.
The buttons for the roll bar are on the cen-
ter console under the roof switch.
1Lower roll bar
2Raise roll bar
The roll bar can be moved manually when
the ignition is turned on.
Warning!
G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When scrapping the emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These are available at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.!Do not place objects heavier than 20
lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger seat.
This could cause the front or side im-
pact airbag on the front passenger side
to deploy in a crash which exceeds the
system's deployment threshold.
Warning!
G
This vehicle is a two occupant vehicle. The
rear storage area is not intended for use by
occupants and is not equipped for properly
seating or restraining occupants. Thus this
area should never be used by any persons.
Before operating the roll bar switch make
sure that the roll bar’s path is clear and no
persons are injured by the moving roll bar
due to inattention. Raising or lowering of the
roll bar could injure someone inadvertently
occupying the rear storage area.
For your own safety we recommend to drive
with the roll bar raised if the outside temper-
ature is below +5°F (-15°C).!If the outside temperature falls below
+5°F (-15°C), the roll bar must be
raised manually using the buttons pro-
vided to avoid damaging the hydraulics.
iWhen the roll bar is raised automatical-
ly, you will hear a ratcheting sound.