2007 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON tow

Occupant safet
y46 Occupant safet
y
Seat belts, together with belt tensioners, belt
force limiters and airbags, are coordinate d
restraint systems. They reduce the risk of
injury in critical driving situations and thereby
increase your driving safety. However, seat
belts and airbags are generally unable to pre-
vent injuries caused by objects penetrating
the vehicle from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection, you
should ensure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 86)
R the seat belt has been fastened properl y
( Y page 98)
R the airbags can inflate properly if they ar e
deployed (Y page 49)
R the steering wheel is adjusted properl y
( Y page 92)
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied
i An airbag increases the protection of
vehicle occupants wearing a seat belt.
However, airbags are only an additional
restraint system which complements, bu tdoes not replace, the seat belt. All vehicle
occupants must wear their seat belt cor-
rectly at all times, even if the vehicle is
equipped with airbags. This is because – on
the one hand – airbags are not deployed in
all types of accident, as in some situation
s
airbag deployment would not increase th e
protection afforded to vehicle occupants,
provided they are wearing their seat belt
correctly.
On the other hand, airbag deployment only
provides increased protection if the seat
belt is worn correctly, because:
R the seat belt helps to keep the vehicl e
occupant in the best position in relation
to the airbag
R for example, in a head-on collision, the
seat belt can more adequately prevent
the occupant from being propelle d
towards the force of the impact, and is
thus better suited to prevent injury
Thus, in accident situations where an air-
bag is deployed, it only provides protection
in addition to the seat belt if the seat belt
is being worn correctly. G
Risk of injury
The restraint system may not work as inten-
ded if the following components have bee n
modified or work on these components has
not been performed correctly:
R restraint system, consisting of the seat
belts and anchorages, belt tensioners,
belt force limiters, airbags
R wirin g
R networked electronic system s
Airbags or belt tensioners could then fail ,
e.g. in the event of an accident in which the
deceleration force would normally be high
enough to trigger the systems, or they
could be triggered unintentionally. Never
carry out any modifications on the restraint
systems. Never tamper with electronic
components and their software. G
Risk of accident and injury
Always have maintenance work carried ou t
at a qualified specialist workshop whic h
has the necessary specialist knowledge
and tools to carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use
a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this
purpose. Safety
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Occupant safet
y48
must be deployed during – and not at the end
of – the collision
.
i Airbags are not deployed in all types of
accident. They are controlled by comple x
sensor technology and evaluation logic.
This process is pre-emptive in nature as
airbag deployment must take place during
the impact and must be adapted to provide
calculated, additional protection for the
vehicle occupants. Not all airbags are
deployed in an accident.
The different airbag systems work inde-
pendently of each other. However, the
deployment of each individual system will
depend on the type of accident determined
by the control system in the first stages of
the collision (head-on collision, side impact
and overturn) and the extent of the acci-
dent (in particular, the vehicle's rate of
deceleration or acceleration).
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are basi-
cally determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli -
sion
R the collision angle R
the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided, e.g. the other vehi-
cle
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after the collision has taken place do not play
a decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of it.
The vehicle may be considerably deformed
without an airbag being deployed if, for exam-
ple, only relatively easily deformable parts
such as the bonnet or wings have been hit and
the required rate of deceleration has not been
reached. It is also possible that airbags ma y
be deployed even though the vehicle is only
slightly deformed if, for example, very rigid
vehicle parts such as the longitudinal mem-
bers are hit in an accident and the rate of
deceleration is sufficient .
Belt tensioners, belt force limiters The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with belt tensioners.
! Do not engage the seat belt tongue in the
buckle on the front-passenger seat if the
seat is not occupied. Otherwise the belt tensioner could be activated in an emer-
gency.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a belt
force limiter, the force exerted by the sea t
belt on the seat occupant is reduced.
Belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in an
accident, pulling them close against the body.
i Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect
seat positions or incorrectly fastened sea t
belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull occupants back
towards the backrest.
The front belt force limiters are synchronised
with the front airbags, which spread the
forces exerted by the belt force limiters on
the occupant over a greater area.
When the ignition is switched on, the belt ten -
sioner is triggered:
R only if the restraint systems are operational
(the = warning lamp lights up after th e
ignition is switched on and goes out onc e
the engine is running)( Ypage 47)
R for each three-point seat belt in the front of
the vehicle when the belt tongue is
engaged in the buckle
R in the event of a head-on or rear-end colli-
sion if the vehicle decelerates or acceler- Safety
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Occupant safet
y66
X
Slide side head restraints 6to the centr e
on both head restraint rods until they
engage.
The right and left lock verification indica-
tors 3must be folded in. The red surfaces
are no longer visible.
X Slide head restraints 2downwards
( Y page 89) until they rest on the upper
edge of side head restraints 6.
X Route the seat belt through seat belt guide
5 .
Removing the side head restraints
X Take the seat belt out of seat belt guide
5 .
X Move head restraint 2upwards.
X Press left and right release buttons 4and
pull forward side head restraints 6to
remove them.
The left and right lock verification indica -
tors 1fold out briefly .
X Adjust head restraints 2(Y page 89).
i On vehicles with TIREFIT kit, you can store
the side head restraints in the stowage
compartment under the boot/luggage compartment floor
(Y page 184)/
( Y page 184).
Child-proof locks If children are travelling in the vehicle, you can
activate the child-proof locks for the rear.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors
The child-proof locks on the rear doors enable
you to secure each door individually. You can-
not open a locked door from the inside. You
can open the door from the outside if the
vehicle is unlocked. G
Risk of injury
Activate the child-proof locks on the rea r
doors and deactivate the rear-compart -
ment window controls when children are
travelling in the vehicle. The children could
otherwise open doors or windows while the
vehicle is in motion, injuring themselve s
and others. Saloon shown as an example
1
To activat e
2 To deactivate
X To activate :press locking lever upwards
1 .
X Check the function of the child-proof locks .
X To deactivate :press locking lever down-
wards 2.
Child-proof locks for the rear windows G
Risk of injury
Activate the child-proof locks on the rea r
doors and deactivate the rear-compart -
ment window controls when children are
travelling in the vehicle. The children could
otherwise open doors or windows while the Safety
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Driving safety sys
tems 69ESP
®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot overrid e
the laws of physics .
! If the vehicle is to be towed with the front
or rear axle raised, the ignition must be
switched off (key in position 0or 1in the
ignition lock). Application of the brakes by
ESP ®
could otherwise destroy the brake
system on the front or rear axle.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC* may not be towe d
with the front or rear axle raised .
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly .
ESP ®
trailer stabilisin g If your trailer begins to lurch, you can only
stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly .
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and detect s
if the trailer begins to snake. ES P®
slows the
vehicle down by braking and limiting the
engine output until the vehicle/trailer com-
bination has stabilised. Trailer stabilising is active from about
65 km/h. G
Risk of accident
If the road and weather conditions are bad,
trailer stabilising will not be able to prevent
the trailer from lurching or reduce the ris k
of accident. Trailers with a high centre of
gravity can tip over before ESP ®
can detect
this .
Trailer stabilising does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or switched off because of a mal-
function .
ETS (Electronic Traction Support) Traction control is part of ES
P®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active when you
deactivate ESP ®
. G
Risk of accident
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of
an accident if you drive too fast. Traction
control cannot override the laws of physics .Deactivating/activating ESP
® ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate ES P®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chain s
R in deep sno w
R on sand or gravel G
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the reason for
deactivation is longer present. ES P®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehi -
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R The engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R Traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake. Safety
* optional
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Anti-theft syste
ms 71ATA* (anti-theft alarm system)
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is primed and you open:
R a door
R a door or the boot lid with the emergenc y
key element
R the boot lid/tailgate
R the bonnet
The alarm is not switched off even if you close
a door again. 1
Indicator lamp X
To activate :lock the vehicle with the key
or, if the vehicle has KEYLESS GO*, by
touching the outside door handle .
Indicator lamp 1flashes. The alarm sys -
tem is primed after approximately 15 sec-
onds.
X To deactivate :unlock the vehicle using th e
key or, on vehicles with KEYLESS GO*, by
opening the door/boot lid/tailgate.
Switching off the alarm X
With the key: insert the key into the igni-
tion lock.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the Œor‹ button on the key.
The alarm is switched off.
X With KEYLESS GO*: grasp the outside
door handle. The key must be outside the
vehicle.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the KEYLESS GO button on the dash-
board. The key must be inside the vehicle.
The alarm is switched off. Tow-away protection*
An audible and visual alarm is triggered if your
vehicle's angle of inclination is altered while
tow-away protection is primed.
i The tow-away protection alarm is trig-
gered if the vehicle is jacked up on one side,
for example.
Priming tow-away protection X
Lock the vehicle with the key or, if the vehi-
cle has KEYLESS GO*, by touching the out-
side door handle .
Tow-away protection is primed after
approximately 30 seconds .
Deactivating tow-away protection When you unlock your vehicle using the ke
y
or KEYLESS GO*, tow-away protection is
automatically deactivated. Safety
* optional
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Anti-theft syste
ms72
Deactivate tow-away protection manually if
your vehicle:
R is being transported
R is being loaded, e.g. onto a ferry or car
transporter
R is being parked on a movable surface, e.g.
split-level garages
This will prevent false alarms. 1
To deactivate tow-away protection
2 Indicator lamp
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up briefly. X
Lock the vehicle with the key or, if the vehi-
cle has KEYLESS GO*, by touching the out-
side door handle .
i Tow-away protection remains deactiva-
ted until you unlock and lock the vehicle
again. Interior motion sensor*
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if your
vehicle is locked and a movement is detected
in the vehicle interior, e.g. if someone breaks
your vehicle's side windows or reaches into
the vehicle interior.
Priming the interior motion sensor X
Make sure that the side windows and the
sliding/tilting sunroof*/panorama slid-
ing/tilting sunroof* are closed.
This will prevent false alarms.
X Lock the vehicle with the key or, if the vehi-
cle has KEYLESS GO*, by touching the out-
side door handle .
The interior motion sensor is primed after
approximately 30 seconds. i
Do not leave anything, e.g. mascots,
hanging on the rear-view mirror or on the
grasp handles on the roof lining. Thes e
could otherwise trigger false alarms.
Deactivating the interior motion senso r Deactivate the interior motion sensor if yo
u
lock your vehicle and:
R people or animals remain in the vehicle
R the windows remain open
R the sliding/tilting sunroof*/panorama
sliding/tilting sunroof* remains open
This will prevent false alarms. 1
To deactivate the interior motion sensor
2 Indicator lamp Safety
* optional
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75
Opening and closing
...........................76
Key positions ...................................... .85
Seats .................................................... 86
Steering wheel .................................... 92
Mirrors ................................................. 93
Memory functions* .............................96
Seat belts ............................................ .98
Lights ................................................. 102
Windscreen wipers ...........................108
Side windows .................................... 110
Driving and parking ..........................113
Transmission ..................................... 117Instrument cluster
............................123
On-board computer (vehicles with
multi-function steering wheel, 4
buttons) ............................................. 125
On-board computer (vehicles with
the luxury multi-function steering
wheel*, 12 buttons) ..........................129
Driving systems ................................ 145
Air vents ............................................ 156
Thermatic .......................................... 158
Thermotronic* ................................... 165
Rear window heating ........................173
Sliding sunroof .................................. 173
Loading and stowing ........................179
Features ............................................. 195 Controls
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Seat belts
100
X
Click belt tongue 2into buckle3 .
X If necessary, adjust the belt to the appro-
priate height (Y page 100).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the belt to tighten the belt across
your body.
Routing the belt X
Press release button 4and guide belt
tongue 2back towards belt sash guide
1 . Belt warning for driver and fron
t
passenge r
The < seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster reminds you that all occupants
should fasten their seat belts. The belt warning lamp may light up continuously
or it may flash. Additionally there may be a
warning tone.
The < seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases when the driver and
the front passenger have fastened their seat
belt.
For certain countries only: independent of
whether the driver or the front passenger are already secured, the
lamp lights up for six seconds after the engine
has been started. The lamp goes out when both the driver and the
front passenger have fastened their seat belt.
i Further information about the belt warning lamp (Y page 283). Belt height adjustment
You can adjust the seat belt height on the
driver's seat and front-passenger seat.
Adjust the belt to a height that allows it to be
routed across the middle of your shoulder. 1
Release catch X
To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards .
The belt sash guide engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: press and hold release button
1 .
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards .
X Let go of release button 1and make sure
that the belt sash guide has engaged . Rear seat belt status indicator
i The status indicator for the rear seat belts
is only available for certain countries.
The status indicator for the rear seat belts
tells you how many of the belt tongues are
inserted into the seat belt buckles. This ena-
bles you to see whether the occupants have
fastened their seat belts.
You can see the following messages in the
multi-function display :
Vehicles with multi-function steering wheel (4
buttons)
R < No rr.st.belt engaged
R < 1 rr.st.belt engaged Controls
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