2007 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 seats

66 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
If the 56indicator lamp is
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 56indicator lamp is not
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is activated and will be deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts

if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold

independently of the front side impact
air bags and/or rear side impact air
bags*.
If the front passenger front air bag is
deployed, the rate of inflation will be
influenced by:

the rate of vehicle deceleration as as-
sessed by the air bag control unit

front passenger’s weight category as
identified by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS).
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or child restraint recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following
important information when circumstances
require you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the system senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropri-
ate child restraint on the front passen-
ger seat.

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates in a collision
which could occur under some circum-
stances, even with the air bag technolo-
gy installed in your vehicle. The only
means to completely eliminate this risk
is to never place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


69 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 332).
Seat belts
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
fastened whenever the vehicle is in
motion.
For more information, see “Fastening the
seat belt” (
page 43).
Warning!G
If the 56indicator lamp should not
illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must see an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center before seating any child on the front
passenger seat.
Warning!G
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the Occupant Classifi-
cation System. The bottom of the child seat
must make full contact with the passenger
seat cushion. An incorrectly mounted child
seat could cause injuries to the child in case
of an accident, instead of increasing protec-
tion for the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.
iFor information on infants and children trav-
eling with you in the vehicle and restraint sys-
tems for infants and children, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 74).
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained, including those sit-
ting in the rear.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always 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
properly wearing their seat belts.

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate
for 6 seconds to remind you and your pas-
sengers to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a maxi-
mum of 6 seconds or until the driver’ s
seat belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds the driver’s or the
front passenger’s seat belt (with the front
passenger seat occupied) is not fastened
with front doors closed,

the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the driv-
er’s or front passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.

and if the vehicle speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing
and side (front side impact air bags, rear
side impact air bags*, window curtain
air bags and ETD) impacts which exceed
preset deployment thresholds.

Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal 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 severely injure internal or-
gans 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-
m e n . I f t h e b e l t i s p o s i t i o n e d a c r o s s y o u r
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
person or other objects.

Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to distribute impact forces.
The twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure 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.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.

72 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until the driver’s and the front pas-
senger’s seat belt are fastened.
If you and/or your passenger release
the seat belt during driving, the seat
belt telltale < starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds as described be-
fore.
If the driver’s or the front passenger’s
seat belt remains unfastened after
60 seconds, the warning chime stops
sounding, the seat belt telltale<
stops flashing but continues to be illu-
minated.
After a vehicle standstill the warning
chime is reactivated and the seat belt
telltale < is flashing again if the ve-
hicle speed once exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h).
The seat belt telltale< will only go out
if both the driver’s and the front passen-
ger’s seat belt (with the front passenger
seat occupied) are fastened, or the vehicle
is standing still and a front door is opened.For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 328).
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency
tensioning devices and belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the
following cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts
exceeding the system deployment
threshold.

if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
1indicator lamp (
page 58).When activated, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the belts. Belt
force limiters reduce the force exerted by
the seat belts on occupants during a crash.
iThe ETDs for the front seats will only acti-
vate if the respective front seat belt is fastened
(latch plate properly inserted into buckle).
The ETDs for the rear outer seats will activate
with or without the respective seat belt fastened.
Warning!G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When disposing the emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Active head restraint
The active front seat head restraints are in-
tended to offer the driver and front passen-
ger increased protection from whiplash
type injuries in rear-end collisions. In the
event of a rear-end collision exceeding the
systems’ deployment threshold, the active
head restraints on the driver’s and front
passenger’s seats are designed to move
forward in the direction of travel, providing
the head with increased support earlier on
in the collision sequence. The active head
restraints activate whether the seat is oc-
cupied or not.You cannot remove the active head re-
straints on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seat.
For removal of the active head restraints
we recommend that you contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 34).
For information on resetting the activated
active head restraints, see “Resetting acti-
vated head restraints” (
page 365).
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the center
of the head restraint supports the back of
the head at eye level. This will reduce the
potential for injury to the head and neck in
the event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
Warning!G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraints. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
availability.
Do not attach any objects (e.g. hangers) to
the head restraint posts. Otherwise, the ac-
tive head restraints may not be able to func-
tion properly or offer the intended degree of
protection in the event of an accident.

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.
iInformation on child seats with anchor fit-
tings for tether anchorages (
page 77).
For information on LATCH-type child seat an-
chors (
page 79).
!The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, the U.S. territories, and all Canadian
provinces.
Infants and small children should be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system prop-
erly secured in accordance with the manufactur-
er's instructions for the child restraint, that
complies with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 210.2.
!A statement by the child restraint manufac-
turer of compliance with these standards can be
found on the instruction label on the restraint
and in the instruction manual provided with the
restraint.
When using any infant, or toddler restraint, or
booster seat, be sure to carefully read and follow
all manufacturer’s instructions for installation
and use.
Please read and observe warning labels affixed
to the inside of the vehicle and to infant or child
restraints.Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or child restraint recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Occupants, especially children, should nev-
er place their bodies or lean their heads in
the area of the door where the front side im-
pact air bag and/or the rear side impact
air bag* inflates. This could result in serious
injuries or


77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
This vehicle is equipped with tether
anchorages for a top tether strap at each
of the rear seating positions.
1Cover of top anchorage ring
Make sure the rear backrest is locked
in its upright position (
page 235).
Warning!G
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper belt positioning
for children from 41 lbs until they reach a
height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised
children in a child restraint system may use
vehicle equipment and may cause an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.


79 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Child seat anchors – LATCH-type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH-
(L
ower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren)
type anchors (at each of the outer rear
seats) for the installation of a LATCH-type
child seat with the matching mounting
fittings.LATCH-type anchors
The LATCH-type anchors are located be-
tween the seat cushion and the backrest.
1Anchors
Install child seat according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Warning!G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts.
Position shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck.
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper belt positioning for children over
41 lbs until they reach a height where a
lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
The child seat must be firmly attached to the
right and left side anchors1.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident which could result
in serious injury or death to the child.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat anchor fittings must be replaced.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
iWith a child seat installed in the left rear
seat, the seat belt for the center seat occupied
by a passenger must operate freely. Guide seat
belt between its seat cushion mount and back-
rest mount along outside of right side child seat
anchor.
iNon-LATCH-type child seats may also be
used and can be installed using the vehicle’s
seat belt system. Install child seat according to
the manufacturer’s instructions.