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 (front airbags) impacts,
or side (side impact airbags) impacts
which exceed preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of
sufficient severity to meet the deploy-
ment thresholds, will they provide their
supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should al-
ways wear their seat belts. Otherwise it
is not possible for the airbags to pro-
vide their supplemental protection.
In cases of other frontal impacts, an-
gled impacts, roll-overs, other side im-
pacts, rear collisions, or other
accidents the airbags will not be acti-
vated. The driver and passengers will
then be protected by the fastened seat
belts.
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 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 the vehicle will continue to
provide supplemental crash protection
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. Use only belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Airbags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (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 airbag cover, door
trim panels, or door frame trims, and in-
stallation of additional electrical/elec-
tronic equipment on or near SRS
components and wiring. Keep area be-
tween airbags and occupants free from
objects (e.g. packages, purses, umbrel-
las, etc.).
Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.
168 OperationDriving instructionsStanding water
Passenger compartmentDriving abroad
Abroad, there is a widely-spread
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.Control and operation of radio trans-
mitter
Radio and telephone*
!Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth. Never accel-
erate before driving into water. The
wave could force water into the engine
and auxiliary equipment, thus damag-
ing 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 dam-
age is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly 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 trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. Only op-
erate the radio or telephone
1 if road, traffic
and weather conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
1Observe all legal requirements
