60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt, 
emergency tensioning device and 
airbag In cases of other frontal impacts, 
angled impacts, roll-overs, other side 
impacts, rear collisions, or other acci-
dents, the airbags will not be activated. 
The driver and passengers 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 that are designed to acti-
vate 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-
gers 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 emergency tensioning 
devices (ETDs) are designed to function 
on a one-time only basis. An airbag or 
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, passenger front airbag 
cover, 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.
Do not hang items such as coat hangers 
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. 
245 Operation
Driving instructions
Standing water
Passenger compartment
Driving abroad
Abroad, there is an extensive 
Mercedes-Benz service network at your 
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas 
which are not listed in the index of your 
Mercedes-Benz Center directory, you 
should request pertinent information from 
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!Do not drive through flooded areas or 
water of unknown depth. Before driving 
through water, determine its depth. 
Never accelerate before driving into 
water. The bow wave could force water 
into the engine and auxiliary equip-
ment, thus damaging them.
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.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as 
securely as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown 
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury 
to vehicle occupants unless the items are 
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The cargo compartment is the preferred 
place to carry objects. Always use partition 
net when transporting cargo. Partition net 
cannot secure hard or heavy objects.