2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK CABRIOLET Owners Manual

46 Safety
Occupant safety
This section
will familiarise you with the
most important features of the restraint
systems inyour vehicle. In the event of an
accident, your vehicle may collide with
another object ,e.g. another vehicle. This
may result in rapid acceleration or deceler-
ation of your vehicle. During this acce lera-
tion or deceleration ,the vehicle occupants
will be moved in the opposite direction to
the force of the impact. Ther eis therefore
the risk of vehicle occupants injuring them-
selves on the vehicle interior or on parts of
the vehicle. The purpose of supplemental
restraint systems – first and foremost the
seat belts supplemen ted where necessary
by belt tensioners, belt force limiters and
airbags – is to minimise this ris kof injury.
However, seat belts and airbag sare gener-
ally unable to prevent injuries caused by
objects pe netrating the vehicle from the
outside. The most important restraint syst
ems are:
! Seat belts
! Restraint systems for children, since
they are the most effective means of
reducing the extent to which occu-
pants are moved in the event of an
accident
Additional protection isprovided by:
! The SRS (S upplementa
l R estraint
S yste
m)comprising:
! Belt tensioners
! Belt force limiters
! Airba gs
! Roll-over bars (Cabriolet)
i An air bag increases the degree ofprotection
for vehicle occupant swear ingas eat belt and is
therefore to be considered onl yas an additional
re strai ntsystem tothe seat be lt. Airbags are not
a substitute for wearing a seat belt correctl yat
all tim es. This is because, on the one hand, air-
bags are not triggered in all types of accid ent,as
in som esituations the irdeploy mentwould not
increase the protection enjoyed bythe vehicle
occ upants ,provided they are wearing their seat
be lts correct ly. i
And on the other hand, ai rbag deployment
only provid esincreased prote ction if the seat
bel tis worn co rrectly, because:
! theb elt helps to keep the vehicle occupant
in the best position inrelation to the airbag
! thebelt protects to a lar geextent the vehicle
oc cupant from bei ngpropelled towards the
force of impact, e.g. in the event of afrontal
collision, and is there fore better able to
reduce the risk ofinjury
In an accident in which anairbag is triggered, its
deployment will only enhanc ethe protectio npro-
vided by the seat belt, if the seat belt isworn cor-
rectly. Occupant safety
Restr
aint syste ms 209en_d2.boo Seite
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47
Safety
Occupant safety
Se at belts and restraint systems for chil-
dr en travelling in the vehicle are the most
important restraint systems. They are the
most effective means ofrestraining the
movement of vehicle occupants towards
the impact force and thus reduce the dan-
ger of them hitting parts ofthe vehicle inte-
rior. G
Risk ofinjury Mo
difications to or work incorrectly carried
out on a restrai ntsyste m(seat belt and seat
belt anchor ages, belt ten sioner, belt force
limiter or airbag) or its wiring, or tampering
with other network edelectronic systems,
could causet he res traint syste msto stop
worki ngcorrectl y.The airbags or belt ten-
si oners might, for example, be activated
inadvertently or fail to be triggered inan
accid ent eve nthough the dece leration
would be sufficient to trigger the airbag or
belt tensioner. Under no circumstances,
therefore, should you modify the restraint
sy stems yourself. Never tam per with elec-
tronic components or their software. G
Risk of injury Airb
ags do offer additional protection but
th ey are not a substitute for th eseat belts.
To reduce the risk of severe or eve nfatal
in jury, make sure that all occupants – in par-
ticular, pregnant women – always wear their
seat be lts correctly, are seated inan upright
positio nand have their seats positio ned
al mo st vertic ally. Seat
belts G
Risk of inju ry If you do not wear your
seat belt, or wear it
incorrectl y,or do not engage the belt tongue
in the buckle, the belt cannot fulfil its
intended protective function. It could even
cause severe or fatal injuries. For this rea-
son, make sure that all the occupants – in
particular, pregnant women – always wear
their sea tbelts correctly.
Make sure that the be lt:
! isrouted across your pelvic area as low
do wn as possible, i.e. across your hip
joints and not your abd omen
! fits clo sely
! isnot twisted
! is rout edacross the middle ofyour
shoulder
! isnot routed across your neck or under
you rarm
! ispulled tight over your hip joints by
pu lling the shoulder se ction of the belt
upwards ==209en_d2.boo Seite
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48 Safety
Occupant safety Do not se
cure any object s with a seat belt if
it is also being used by one of the vehi cle's
occupa nts.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
Do not rout ethe seat belt strap over sharp-
edged or fragile objects, especially if these
ar e on orinyour cl othing, e.g. spectac les,
pencils or keys.
The belt strap could otherwise tear and you
or other vehicl eoccupa nts could be injured
as aresult.
Onl yone person should use each seat belt
at anyo ne time.
On no account should chil dren travel sitting
on the lap of anotheroccupa nt. It wou ldnot
be possible to restrain the children and they
and other vehicle occupan tscou ldbe seri-
ously injured in the event of abrupt braking
or fatally injured in th eevent of an accident. Persons less than 1.50 m
tall or children
un der twelve years of agecannot wear their
seat belts properly. The yth ere fore require
additio nal restraint systems installed on
suitable vehicle seats for protection in an
accident. Always observe the installation
instructions issued by the manufactu rer of
the child re straint systems. G
Risk of injury The seat belt onl
yprovides its intended
degree of protection if the seat bac krest is
positioned as close to the vertical as possi-
ble, allowing the occupant to sit upright.
Avoid seat positions that do not allow the
seat belt to be routed correctly. To do so,
position the backrest as close to th evertical
as possible. Never drive with the backrest
recli ned too far back. You could otherwise
be serio uslyor even fatally injured in the
event of an accident or abrupt bra king. G
Risk ofinjury The seat belt cannot perform its protective
function
correctly if the seat belt strap or
buckle are dirty or damaged. For this rea-
son, keep the seat belt strap and buckle
clean, otherwise the belt tongu eca nnot
engage correctly.
Chec kthe seat belts regularly that they:
! arenot damag ed
! are not routed over sharp edges
! are not trapped
The seat belt strap could oth erwi se tear in
an accident.
Yo u or ot hers could be seriously or fatally
injured.
Have seat belts replaced and their anchor-
ages checked if the belts have been dam-
age dors ubjected to a heavyloa din an
accid ent.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use seat belts which
have been specially approved for your vehi-
cl e by Mercedes-Be nz.209en_d2.boo Seite
48Diens tag, 25 .Mai 2004 7:26 19

49
Safety
Occupant safety i
Inma nycountries, there are legal regula-
tions concerning th euse of seat belts and child
restraint sys tems.
Lap-shoulder seat belt 1 Belt tongue
2 Release button
3 Buc kle Fastening the lap-shoulder seat belt
6 Pull bel ttongue 1out of the seat belt
extender.
6 Guide the strap towards buckle 3
using belt tongue 1.
6 Click belt tongue 1into buckle 3.
Rel easing the lap-shoulder seat belt
6 Press release button 2on buck le3 . The
SRS (S upplemental R estraint S ystem)
comprises:
! 1 warning lamp
! Belt tensioners*
! Belt force limiters*
! Airbag system
with
! Airbag control unit
! Airbag 1
warning lamp
The SRS performs a sel f-test at regular
intervals when the ignition is switched on
and the engine is runn ing. Malfunctions
can therefore be detected in good time.
The 1 warning lamp in the instrume nt
cluster ( =page 12) comes on when you
switch onthe ignition and goes out after a
delay of no more than a few seconds after
the engine is started.
P91.40-2307-31 SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System)209en_d2.boo Seite
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50 Safety
Occupant safety
Triggering ofbelt tensioners, belt force limiters and
airbags
In the event ofa collision, the sensor in the
airbag contro lunit evaluates important
physical data, such as duration, direction
and rate of veh icle deceleration or acceler-
ation. Based on this evaluation and pre-
emptively, the belt tensioners are the first
to be triggered by the airb agcontrol unit in
a collis ion with longi tudinal deceleration as
a function of the rate of vehicle decelera-
tion.
The front airbags are not triggered unless a
second activation threshold is reached, i.e.
an even higher rate of vehicle deceleration
in the longitudinal direction is exceeded. i
Thefront airbag on the front-passenger side
is only tri ggered if:
! the front-passenger seat oc cupancy sensor
has detected that the seat is occupied
! the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp
onthe centre console is not lit (
=page 64)
The belt tensioners are only activated if the seat
belt buck le tongue is correctl yengaged in the
se at belt buckle.
Criteria for the activation of belt
tensioners and airbags
To determine whether it is necessary to
activ ate a belt tensioner or airbag, the air-
bag control unit evaluates the duration and
direction of vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration during the initial phase of the colli-
sion.
The activation thresholds for the belt ten-
sioners and the airbags are variable and
are adapted in accordance with the rate of
ve hicle deceleration. This process ispre-
emptive in nature as airbag deployment
must take place during the impact and not
at the end of the collision. G
Risk of inju ry A malfu
nction has occurred if the 1
warning lamp:
! doesnot com eon when yousw itchon
th eignition
! does not go out after a few seconds
when the engine is running
! comes on again
Individ ual systems could beactivated inad-
verte ntly or may not be triggered at all in the
event of an accident with a high rate of vehi-
cle deceleration. Ifthis happens, have the
SRS system checked and repaired immedi-
ately at a qualified specialist wor kshop
wh ich has the necessary specialist know-
ledg eand tools to carry out the work
require d.
Mercedes-Benz recomme nds that youuse a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this pur-
pose. In particular, work relevant to safety
or on safety-re lated systems must be car-
ried out at a qualified specialist workshop. 209en_d2.boo Seite
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51
Safety
Occupant safety i
Airbags ar enot activat edin all types of acci-
dent .The yare controlled by complex sensor
technology and evaluation logic .This ispre-emp-
tiv einnature since theairbag must beactivat ed
as the accident occurs and must be adap ted to
provide the cal culated, additional protection for
the vehicle occupants. Not all the airbags are
act ivated in an accident.
The various airbag sy stems operate independ-
ently .However, each sy stem is dependent on
the type of accident (frontal /side /rear impact
and overturning) and severity of th eaccident
(mainly vehicle deceleration or acc eler ation)
predicted during the initial phase of the accident.
Vehicle deceleration or acceleration and
force direction are essentially determined
by:
! the distribution of forces during the
collision
! the collision angle !
the deformation characteristics of the
vehicle
! the characteristi csofthe other object
in volved in the collision, e.g. the other
ve hicle
Factors which can only be seen and meas-
ured after the collision has taken place do
not play a dec isive role in the deployment
of an airbag, nor do they provide an indica-
tion of it.
The vehicle may be substantia lly deformed
wi thout an airbag being triggered, e.g. if
only relatively easi ly-deformable vehicle
parts such as the bonnet or wings are
affected by the collision and the required
deceleration threshold isnot reached. On
the other hand, airbags may be triggered
even though the vehicle only displays
minor deformation, if rigid vehicle parts,
for example, longitud inal membe rs, are
af fe cted by theimpact, causing vehicle
deceleration to exceed the pre-determined
threshold. Belt tensioners, belt force limiters
The front seat belts are equipped with:
!
Belt tensioners
! Belt force limiters
! An autom atic comf ort-fit feature
The rear seat belts are equipped with: ! Belt tensioners
! Belt force limiters
! Do not insert the belt tongue into the front-
passenger seat belt buckle if the front-passenger
seat is unocc upied. The belt tensioner could oth-
erw ise be trigg ered in theevent ofan accident.
Be lttensioners tension the seat belts inan
accident, pull ing them tight against the
bod y. 209en_d2.boo Seite
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52 Safety
Occupant safetyi
Belt tensioners do not correct:
! inco rrect sitting positions
! incorrectly worn seat belts
Belt tensioners do not pull occ upants back
towar dsthe backrests.
The belt force limiter reduces the belt
force on the occupant when a belt ten-
sioner is activated.
The belt force limiter is fine-tuned to the
front airbag, which takes over from the
seat belt a part of its restraining forces,
thus spreading the forces exerted on the
occupant over a greater area.
The automatic comfort-fit feature on the
front seats reduces the retraction force of
the seat belts.
When the igniti onisswit ched on, the belt
tensioner will be triggered:
! only if the res traint systems are opera-
tional (the 1warning lamp lights up
after the ignition is switched on and
goes out when the engine is running)
( = page 12) !
forea ch lap- shou lder sea tbe lt, pro-
vided the belt tongue is engaged inthe
seat belt buckle
! if a head-on or rear-end col lision occurs
and the veh icle decelerates or acceler-
ates rapidly ina longitudinal direction
during the initial stages ofthe collision
! on the front-passenger side only ifthe
front-passenger seat is occupied and
the belt tongue is engaged in the seat
belt buckle
! in the event of a severe fronta limpact
if the vehicle decelerates rapidly in a
longitudinal direction during the ini tial
stages of the collision
If the be lttensioners are tri ggered, you will
hear a bang that is genera lly harmless to
your hearing. A small amount of dust may
also be released. The 1warning lamp
lights up.
An indication that a belt tensioner in there ar has
been trigger edisthat the seat belt buckle is
pu lled down and is almost flush with the topof
the seat. G
Risk ofinjury The
belt tensioners in the rear only function
correctly ifthe buckl escan be pulled down
unimpeded.
Since this downwards movementmust not
be restricted:
! Do not grasp the buckles.
! Do not pl ace any obj ects un derneath
the buckles.
Ot he rwi se, the action of the belt tensioners
will beimpaired or completely ineffective.
You will then have no additional prot ection. 209en_d2.boo Seite
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53
Safety
Occupant safety Ai
rb ag syst em G
Risk ofinjury If the belt tensi
onersha ve bee ntriggered,
have them replaced ata qualified specialist
workshop which has th eneces sary special-
ist knowledge and tools to carry out the
work required. Mercedes -Benz recommends
that you use a Mercedes-Be nzService
Centre for this purpose.
In particular, work rele vant to safety or on
safe ty-re lated systems mustbe carried out
at a qualified spec ialist workshop.
Ob serve the safety regulations for th edis-
posal of belt tensioners. Any Mercedes-B enz
Service Centre can provide detail sof these
regulations. G
Risk of injury To reduce the risk of serious or fata
linjury in
an accident with a high rate of deceleration,
e.g. injuries caused by an airbaginflating
within milliseconds or in the ev ent of abrupt
br aking, please observe the following
inst ructions:
! Allve hicle occupants must select a seat
position in which it is possible to wear
the seat belt correctl ybut which is as far
back from the airba gas possible. The
position of the driver's seat must allow
the driver to drive th evehicle safely. The
driver's arms shou ldbe slightly bent
when holding the steering wheel. The
distance from th edriver's seat to the
pedals must be such that the dr iver can
fully depress the pedals.
! Vehicle occupants should wear their
seat belt correctly at all times and lean
back against the bac krest, which should
be positioned almost vertically. The
head restraint should support the back
of yo urhead at abo uteye level. !
Move the front- passenger seat as far to
the rear as possible, especially if a child
is secured in a restraint system installed
on this sea t.
! Never secure a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-pass enger
seat if the front-passenger front airbag
is not deactivate d.In the CLK-Class, the
fr ont-passen ger fro ntairbag is deacti-
vated if a child restraint system with
automatic child seat recognition is
secured to a front-passenger seat and
the AIRBAG OFF lamp is lit. If the auto-
matic child seat rec ognition is defective,
children must be secured in a child
restraint system ins talled on a suitable
re ar seat. If you are using aforward-f ac-
in g child seat on the fro nt-pa ssen ger
seat, the front-passenger seat must be
moved as far to the rear as possibl e. 209en_d2.boo Seite
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