2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS Owners Manual

65 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. 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
TM1
child restraint which will turn
off the passenger front air bag.
BabySmart
TM will not, however, turn off any
head-thorax air bag.
It should be noted, however, that there is a
possibility of a head-thorax air bag related
injury if occupants, especially children, are
not properly seated or restrained when next
to a head-thorax air bag which needs to de-
ploy rapidly in a side impact in order to do its
job.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
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 air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the head-thorax air bag be activated.
(2) Always sit nearly upright, properly use
the seat belts and use an appropriately
sized infant or child restraint system for
all children 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 head-thorax air bag deactivated,
then deactivation can be accomplished
upon your written request to do so at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center at an addi-
tional cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
iAir bags are designed to activate only
in certain frontal impacts (front
air bags, kneebags), or side impacts
(head-thorax air bags) 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 air bags 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 air bags will not be acti-
vated. The driver and the passenger will
then be protected by the fastened seat
belts.
We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the air bags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.
Your vehicle was originally equipped
with air bags 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 air bags
and repair any malfunctioning air bags
to make sure 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.


Air bags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on
a one-time only basis. An air bag 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 air bag cover,
door trim panels, or door frame trims,

67 Safety and Security
Occupant 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.
and installation of additional electri-
cal/electronic equipment on or near
SRS components and wiring. Keep area
between air bags 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 bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the floor in front of the seat.


Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.


In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended
air bag deployment. Work on the SRS
must therefore only be performed by
qualified technicians. Contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.


For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
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
air bags, there is the possibility of abra-
sions or other injuries resulting from
air bag deployment.
Warning!
G
Only use seat covers which have been test-
ed and approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle model. Using other seat covers may
interfere with or prevent the deployment of
the front side impact airbags. Contact your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for avail-
ability.

68 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFront air bags
1Driver’s air bag
2Passenger air bag
3Kneebag (passenger side)
4Kneebag (driver’s side)Driver and passenger air bags are de-
ployed


in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the head-thorax
air bags
The air bags 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 air bag will only be de-
ployed if


the passenger seat is occupied


the 75indicator lamp in the
center console is not lit (
page 75)


the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment thresholdKneebags
The driver-side kneebag is located on the
driver’s side lower instrument panel. The
passenger-side kneebag is located on the
passenger side below the glove box. They
are designed to operate together with the
air bags in certain frontal impacts exceed-
ing a preset threshold. The kneebags oper-
ate best in conjunction with properly
positioned and fastened seat belts.
!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the passenger seat.
This could cause the front air bag or
head-thorax air bag on the passenger
side to deploy in a crash which exceeds
the system’s deployment threshold.

69 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Head-thorax air bags
1Head-thorax air bag
The head-thorax air bags are deployed

on the impacted side of the vehicle


in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold


independently of the front air bags
The passenger-side head-thorax air bag
will only deploy if the system senses that
the passenger seat is occupied.
The head-thorax air bags are not deployed
in impacts which do not exceed the sys-
tem’s deployment threshold.
Seat belts
When the engine is started, the red seat
belt telltale< comes on to remind you
and your passenger to fasten your seat
belts. If the driver’s seat belt is not fas-
tened before the engine is started, the seat
belt telltale< comes on and a warning
chime sounds for approximately
six seconds when the engine is started.
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 provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts fas-
tened whenever the vehicle is in motion.For more information on fastening seat
belts, see “Fastening the seat belts”
(
page 44).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 73).

70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passenger is
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. Air bags can only protect as
they are designed if the occupants are prop-
erly wearing their seat belts.
Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this 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 ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.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. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.
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
of the ETDs or to failure.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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 his or her
seat belt at all times, because seat belts
help reduce the likelihood and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver air bag,
passenger air bag, kneebags,
head-thorax air bags) and ETD (seat belt
emergency tensioning device).
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to properly belted oc-
cupants in certain frontal (front air bags,
kneebags, and EDT) and side (head-tho-
rax air bags and EDT) impacts which ex-
ceed preset deployment thresholds.


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, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyEmergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts are equipped with
emergency tensioning devices (ETDs) and
seat belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases:

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


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
“1indicator lamp” (
page 62).In an impact emergency tensioning
devices 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 occupants during a crash.
iThe ETDs for the seats will only activate
if the respective seat belt is fastened
(latch plate properly inserted into buck-
le).
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 passenger seat.
This could cause the front air bag or
head-thorax air bag on the passenger
side and, with the seat belt fastened to
secure the object, the ETD to deploy in
a crash which exceeds the system’s
deployment threshold.