66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetySafety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bagWe caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the air bags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of
your passengers that you replace de-
ployed air bags and repair any malfunc-
tioning air bags to make sure that the
vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental 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. 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 is deployed must be replaced.
Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.
No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, seat covers, badges, etc. over
the steering wheel hub, front passenger
front air bag cover, outboard sides of the
front seat backrests, door frame trims,
or rear side trim panels, and installation
of additional electrical/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 bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.
Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.
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.
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 authorized
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.
