2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK CABRIOLET Owners Manual

54 Safety
Occupant safety
Your vehicleisequipped with the follo wing
airbags:
! Driver's front airbag accommodated in
the steering wheel housing
! Front-passenger fron tairbag above the
glove compartment
! Sidebags (Coupé)
! in the middle of the doors
! in the rear sidewall
! Head /thorax airba gs(Cabriolet)
! in the outer sides of the front seats
! in the rear sidewall
! Windowbags (Coupé)
!along the roof frame betw een the
front and rear doors Airbag
deploym ent
The airbag inflates in milliseconds. The
1 warning lamp lights up. i
Ifth e airba gsare triggered, you will hear a
bang and asmall amount ofdust may also be
released. This bang will not damage your hearing
and the dust does not constitu te ahealth hazard.
Airbag inflation slows down and restricts
the mo vement of the vehicle occupant.
If a vehicle occupant comes into contact
with an airbag which has been triggered,
the airbag will release some hot gas. This
feature is designed to reduce the force act-
ing on the occupant's head and ch est.
These airbags are theref orein a depress u-
rised state follo wing the accident. !
Do not lean forwards , e.g. over the pad-
ded boss of the steering wheel, particu-
la rly while the vehicle is in motion.
! Do not put your feet on the dashboard.
! Only hold the steering wheel by the rim.
This allows the airbag to inflate fully.
If you hold the ins ideo f the steering
wheel, you could be injured if the airbag
is triggered.
! Do not lean on the doo rsfrom inside the
vehicle.
! Donot place any objects onthe airba gs
or between the airbags and the vehicle's
oc cupants.
! Donot ha nganyha rd obje cts, e.g. coat
hangers ,on the grab handles or coat
hook s.
Because of the high speed at which airbags
have to inflate, it is not possib leto rule out
entire lythe risk of injurie scaused by an
inflating airbag. 209en_d2.boo Seite
54Diens tag, 25 .Mai 2004 7:26 19

55
Safety
Occupant safety
Front airbags
The front airbags increase the protection
afforded to the driver and front passenger
against head and chest in juries. The
driver's front airbag and front-passenger
front airbag are triggered:
! inthe first stages of an accident with
high forces of vehicle deceleration or
acceleration in a longi tudinal direction
! ifthe system foresees that airbag
deployment can offer additional pro-
tection to that provided by the seat belt !
depending on the use of the seat belt
! independently of other airbags in the
vehicle
! rarely if the vehicle overturns, unless
high forces of vehicle deceleration in a
long itudinal direction are detected
The dri ver's front airbag is located inthe
steering wheel. The front-passenge rfront
airbag is fitted above the glove compart-
ment.
Front airbags
1 Driver's front airbag
2 Front-passenger front airbag G
Risk ofinjury Af
ter an airbag has bee ntriggered:
! airbag parts are hot. Do not touch them,
oth erwi se you could be burnt
! have the airbags replaced at a qualified
specialist workshop whic hhas the nec-
essary specialist knowledge and tools to
carry out the work required. Mercedes-
Ben zrecom mends that you use a
Mercedes -Benz Serv ice Centre for
this purpose. Inparticular, work rele-
vant to safety or on safety-relate dsys-
tems must be carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop G
Risk of injury A small
amount of finepowder is released as
an airbag inflates. Thi spowder does not
constitute a health hazard, nor does it imply
that fire has brok enout in the vehicle. This
po wder could cause short-term breathing
dif ficu lties for persons suffering from
as thma or oth errespiratory conditions. In
order to prev ent these breathing difficulties,
leave the vehicle immediately when you are
certain it is safe to do so or open the win-
do ws to allow fresh air to enter the ve hicle.
P91.60-2392-31 209en_d2.boo Seite
55Diens tag, 25 .Mai 2004 7:26 19

56 Safety
Occupant safety
The driver's front airbag
inflates in front of
the steering wheel and the front-passen ger
front airbag inflates infront of and above
the glove compartment.
Front-passenger front airbag 2ison ly
triggered if:
! the front-passenger seat is laden or
occupied
! the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF wa rning
lamp on the centre console is not lit
(= page 64).
This indicates that a child seat without
au tomatic child seat rec ognition is fit-
te d or that achild seat wit hautomatic
child seat recognition is fitte dincor-
rec tly.
! Do not place heavy objects onthe front-
pas seng er seat. Ifthe system assumes the seat
is occupied because there are objects placed on
it, the restr aint systems on the front-passe nger
si de could be triggered in the event of an acci-
dent and will then need to be replaced. Sidebags (Coupé) G
Risk of injury To reduce the risk of in
juryto occu pantsif a
sidebag is triggered, make sure that:
! there are no other persons ,animals or
ob jects between the vehic leoccu pants
and the deployment range of the side-
bags
! noacce ssories, e.g. cup holders, are
secure dto the doors
! only lig htitems of clothing are hun gon
the coat hooks in the vehicle
! no heavy or sharp objec tsare lef tin the
pockets in clo thing G
Risk ofinjury Ob
serve the following notes to reduce the
ris ko f serio usorfatal in jury if the sidebag is
triggered:
! Vehicle occupants – in particular, chil-
dren – must never lean their head into
the area of the window in which the
sidebag is triggered.
! Vehicle occupants must wear their seat
belt correctly at all times and lean back
against the backrest, which should be
positioned almost vertically.
! Always secure children less than 1.50 m
tall and under twelve years of age insuit-
able child restraint systems. 209en_d2.boo Seite
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57
Safety
Occupant safety
The purpose of triggering sidebags is to
increase the level of protection for the tho-
rax (but not the head, neck or arms) of
occupants affected by the impact. The
sidebags are installed in the middle of the
doors and in the sidewa llin the rear. The
locations in which the sidebags in your
ve hicle are fitted are identified by the
SRS /AIRBAG label on each of these areas.
1 Front sidebag
2 Rea rsidebag
3 Windowbag The sid
ebag inflates in the door area below
the window.
The sidebags are triggered:
! on the side on which an impact occurs
! inthe first stages of an accident with
high lateral forces of vehicle decelera-
tion or acceleration, e.g. a side impact
! ifthe system foresees that airbag
deployment can offer additional pro-
tection to that provided by the seat belt
! depending on the use of the seat belt
! independently of the front airbags
! independently of the belt tensioners
! rarely if the vehicle overturns, unless
high forces of vehicle deceleration ina
lo ngitudinal direction are detected and
it is predi cted that airbag inflation will
prov ide additional protection to that of
the seat belt i
Inthe eve ntofan imp act on the front-pas-
senger side, the front-passenger sidebag is only
triggered if:
! the front -pas se nger seat occupancy sensor
ha s detecte dthat the seat is occ upied
The rear sidebag on the driver's side is triggered
in conjun ction wit hthe driver's sidebag.
i You will find further information about air-
bag depl oyment on ( =
page 54).
You will find furt herin formation about the trig-
gering of belt tensioners and belt force limiters
on ( =
page 50).
Win dowbags (Coupé)
P91.40-2393-31 G
Risk of inju ry In ord
erfor the windowbag to provide its
intended level of prot ection, you must make
sure that there are no other persons, ani-
mals or objects between the vehic leoccu-
pants and the inflation range of the window-
bags. 209en_d2.boo Seite
57Diens tag, 25 .Mai 2004 7:26 19

58 Safety
Occupant safety
The purpose of windowbag deployment is
to enhance protection for the head (but not
the chest or arms) of thevehicle occupants
on the side of the vehicle on which the
impact occurs. The windowbags are fitted
in the side of the roof frame and run from
the front door (A-pillar )to the rear door (C-
pillar).
1 Front sidebag
2 Rea rsidebag
3 Windowbag
The windowbags are triggered:
! in the first stages of an accident with
high lateral vehicle deceleration or
acceleration !
on the side on which an impact occurs
! if the system foresees that airbag
deployment can offer additional pro-
tection to that provid edby the seat belt
! independent lyof the front airbags
! regardless ofwh ether the front-pas-
senger seat is occupied or not
i You will find further information abo utair-
bag inflation on ( =
page 54).
You will find fur ther information about the trig-
gering of belt tensioners and bel tforce limiters
on ( =
pag e50).
Head /tho rax airbags (Cabriolet) G
Risk of inju ry Observe th
efollowing notes to reduce the
risk ofserio us or fatal injury if the window-
bag istriggered:
! Vehicle occupants – in particular, chil-
dren – must never lean their head into
the area of the window in wh ich the win-
do wbag is triggered.
! Vehicle occupantsmust wear their seat
be lt correctly at all times.
! Secure chi ldren less than 1. 50m tall
an d under twelve years of agein suitable
child restraint systems. P91.40-2393-31 G
Risk ofinjury In order for the head/thorax airbag to pro-
vide its intended level of protection, you
must make
sure that:
! there are no other persons, animals or
obje cts between the vehicle occupan ts
and the inflation range of the head /tho-
rax airbags
! noheavy or sharp objects are left in the
pockets in clothing 209en_d2.boo Seite
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59
Safety
Occupant safety
The purpose of head/thorax airbag deploy-
ment is to enhance the protection for the
he ad and chest (but not the arms)of the
ve hicle occupants on the side of the vehi-
cle on whi chthe impact occurs. The head /
thorax airbags are fitte din the outer sides
of the front seat backrests and in the side-
wall in the rear. Th
e hea d/thor ax airbags are trigger ed:
! inthe first stages of an accident with
high lateral forces of vehicle decelera-
tion or acceleration
! on the side on which an impact occurs
! ifthe system foresees that airbag
deployment can offer additional pro-
tection to that provided by the seat belt
! ifthe seat belt is fas tened
! independently of the front airbags
The front-passenger head /thorax airbag
wi ll only be triggered ifthe front-passenger
seat has objects placed onit or if it is actu-
ally occupied.
On vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat, the
front-passenger head /tho rax airbag will
only be triggered if the PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF warning lamp on the centre
console is lit, i.e. a child seat with auto-
matic child seat recognition transponder
is installed on th isseat. In an accident, the head
/thorax airbag
inflates in the area of the front side win-
dow.
i You will find further information about air-
bag inflation on ( =
page 54).
You will find furt herin formation about the trig-
gering of belt tensioners and belt force limiters
on ( =
page 50). G
Risk ofinjury Ob
serve the following notes to reduce the
ris kof serious or fatal injury if the hea d/
thorax airbag is triggered:
! Vehicle occupants – in particular, chil-
dren – must never lean their head into
the area of the window in which the
head /thorax airbag is trigg ered.
! Vehicle occupants must wear their seat
belt corr ectly at all times.
! Always secure children less than 1.50 m
tall and under twelve years of age insuit-
able child restraint systems. G
Risk of inju ry For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
me
nds that you use seat cove rs that have
been approv edfor Mercedes-Be nzvehicle s.
Otherwise, a head /thorax airbag may not
inflate correctly and could fail to provide its
intended pro tective function in the event of
an accident. These co vers can be obtained
from a Mercedes-Benz Servi ceCentre, for
example. 209en_d2.
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60 Safety
Occupant safety
The roll-over bars are deployed automati-
cally if it is detected that there is a risk of
the vehicle overturning.
The roll-over bars are located below the
rear head restrain ts. You may ret ract the
extended roll-o ver bars manually when the
soft top is open ( =page 344).
i You cannot lower the rear head restrai nts if
the roll-over bars are deplo yed.
If the roll-over bars deplo yau tomatically, you will
hear a ra ttling noise and the rear head restraints
ma y als obe ex tended. If a child
istravelling in the vehicle:
! secure the child us ing a child restraint
system which is appropriate to its age
and size and which has been approved
for Mercedes-Be nz, preferably on a
suitable rear seat
! make sure thatthe child is secured
throughout the trip
You can obtain child seats and informat ion
about the correct child restraint system
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Roll-over
bars (Cabriol et) G
Risk of inju ry Mak
esure that the range of movement of
the roll-over bars is not obstructed, other-
wise persons could be injured when the roll-
over bars are extended.
For this reason, always pu ll the rear seat
head restraints out to the st opif passengers
are travelling in the rear. G
Risk of injury If the
\ warning lamp inthe rev counter
remains lit for a long time after the engine
has been started, th ere is a fault.
The roll-over bars will then fail to deploy
automatically in the event ofan accident
even if the systemdetects that there is a
danger of the vehic leov erturning. Thi scould
result in serious or fata lin ju ry to yourself or
ot her vehicle occupan ts.For safety reasons,
therefore, alwa ysdrive with the roll-over
bars extend edmanually until the mal func-
tion has been rectified.
Have your vehicle checked at aqualified
specialist workshop which has the neces-
sa ry special ist knowledge and too lsto carry
out the work required. Mercedes-Benz rec-
om mends that you use a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre for this purpose. In particu-
lar, work rel evant to safety or on safety-
related syste msmustbe carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. Childre
n inthev ehicle 209en_d2.boo Seite
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61
Safety
Occupant safety Child restraint syst
ems
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use the child restraint systems listed
on ( =page 63). G
Riskof injury Do not leave children unsupervi
sedin the
vehicle, eve nif the yare secured in a child
restra int system. The children could:
! injure themselv es on parts of the vehicle
! press the central locking switch, thereby
releasing the child-pr ooflo ck s, and then
open the doors. This could result in
injury to themselves and other persons.
Or they could get out of the vehicle,
injuring themselves as they do so or
they could be injured by passing vehi-
cl es
! beser iously or even fatally harmed by
prolonged exposure to heat G
Risk of injury To reduce the risk of serio
us orfatal inj uryto
the child in the event of an accident, braking
or a sudden cha nge in direction:
! Always secure children less than 1.50 m
tall and under twelve years of age in spe-
cial child restraint systems installed on
a suitable vehicle seat, since they can-
not wear the seat belts correctly
! Do not secure children unde rtwelve
years ofage on the fro nt-passenger seat
unless the child is secured in a child
restraint system equipped wit hauto-
matic child seat rec ognition
! Onnoaccount should children travel sit-
tin gon the lap ofanother occupa nt. It
would not be possible torestrain the
children as a result of the forces acting
in the event of an accident, sudden
braking or abru ptchanges in direction.
They would be thrown ag ainst parts of
the vehic leinterior and be seriously or
fatally injured
! All vehic leoc cupants must wear their
seat belt correctly at all times G
Risk of inju ry If the child restraint system has not
been fit-
ted correctly to a suitable vehicle seat, the
child cannot be restrained in the event of an
accident or sudden braking and could there-
fore be seriously or fatally injured.
For this reason, observe the installation
instructions issued by the child restraint
syst em manufactu rer when fitting the child
restraint system.
It is preferable to fit the child restraint sys-
tem to the rear seats. The child is generally
better protected there.
For this reason, donot place objects (e.g. a
cushion) underneath the child restraint sys-
tem. The entir ebase of the child restraint
system must be in contact with the seat sur-
fa ce at all times. 209en_d2.boo Seite
61Diens tag, 25 .Mai 2004 7:26 19