2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E550 4MATIC child seat

82 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
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 fas-
tened whenever the vehicle is in motion.
For more information, see “Fastening the
seat belts” (
page 49).
Warning!
G
When using a BabySmart
TM compatible child
seat on the front passenger seat, the front
passenger front air bag will not deploy only
if the 75indicator lamp re-
mains illuminated.
Please be sure to check the indicator every
time you use the special system child seat.
Should the indicator lamp go out while the
restraint is installed, please check installa-
tion. If the indicator lamp remains out, do
not use the BabySmart
TM restraint to trans-
port children on the front passenger seat un-
til the system has been repaired.
Warning!
G
Do not place powered-on laptops, cell
phones, electronic tags such as those used
in ski passes and like electronic devices on
the front passenger seat. Signals from such
devices may interfere with the BabySmart
TM
system. Such signal interference may cause
the 75indicator lamp not to
come on during self-test or be continuously
lit, indicating that the system is not function-
ing.
i
For 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 88).

85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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.
If you and/or your passenger release
the seat belt during driving, the seat
belt telltale< starts flashing and
the warning chime sounds.


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
intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until the driver’s and the front pas-
senger’s seat belt are fastened.
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 front passenger’s
seat belt (with the front passenger seat oc-
cupied) are fastened, or the vehicle is
standing still and a front door is opened.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 388).
Emergency Tensioning Device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency ten-
sioning devices and seat belt force limit-
ers.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases:


in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing the system deployment threshold


in certain vehicle rollovers


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 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.


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

88 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFor information on resetting the activated
active head restraints, see “Resetting acti-
vated head restraints” (
page 440).
You cannot remove the active head re-
straint on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seats.
For removal of the active head restraints
we recommend that you contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 41).
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.

Make sure that the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
Infant and child restraint seats and
information on choosing an appropriate
restraint system can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model. Us-
ing other seat or head restraint covers may
interfere with or prevent the activation of
the active head restraints. Contact your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center for availabil-
ity.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that the center
of the head restraint supports the back of
the head at eye level. This will reduce the po-
tential 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 acci-
dent.
Warning!
G
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if they are secured in a child re-
straint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle


be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold.

89 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
Canada only:
Use only a BabySmart
TM compatible child
restraint for the front passenger seat in
this vehicle.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The seat belt is now locked. Push
down on child restraint to take up any
slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual man-
ner.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 properly secured in
accordance with the manufacturer’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.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons


get out of the vehicle and injure them-
selves or be injured by following traffic.
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment or trunk unless
they are firmly secured in place. For more in-
formation, see “Loading” (
page 273) and
“Useful features” (
page 282).
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of:


strong braking maneuvers


sudden changes of direction


an accident
Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.i
Information on child seats with mounting fit-
tings for tether anchorages (
page 92).
For information on LATCH-type child seat an-
chors (
page 94).

90 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyA statement by the child restraint
manufacturer 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 child restraint
system, 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
Canada only: Children 12 years old and un-
der must never ride in the front seat, except
in a Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM compatible child seat, which
operates with the BabySmart
TM system in-
stalled in the vehicle to deactivate the front
passenger front air bag when it is properly
installed. Otherwise they will be struck by
the air bag when it inflates in a crash. If this
happens, serious or fatal injury will result.
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.
Always sit nearly upright, properly use the
seat belts and for children 12 years old and
under, use an appropriately sized infant re-
straint, toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of the
child.
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances re-
quire you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

USA only: Your vehicle is equipped with
air bag technology designed to turn off
the front passenger front air bag in your
vehicle when the OCS senses the weight
of a typical 12-month-old child or less
along with the weight of a standard ap-
propriate child restraint on the front
passenger seat.

91 Safety and Security
Occupant safety


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.


If you must install a rear-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the
75indicator lamp is illumi-
nated, indicating that the front passen-
ger front air bag is deactivated. Should
the indicator lamp not illuminate or go
out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. Periodically
check the indicator lamp while driving to
make sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
75indicator lamp goes out
or remains out, do not transport a child
on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured
or even killed if the front passenger front
air bag inflates.


If you have to place a child in a
forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat, move the seat as
far back as possible, use the proper
child restraint recommended for the
age, size and weight of the child, and se-
cure child restraint with the vehicle’s
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. For
children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
front air bag may or may not be activat-
ed (
page 77).

92 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
This vehicle is equipped with tether an-
chorages for a top tether strap at each of
the rear seating positions.Not foldable rear seat backrest
1Cover

Remove cover1 from anchorage
ring3 (
page 93).

Store cover1 in a convenient place
(e.g. glove box).

Guide tether strap between head re-
straint and top of the seat back.
Head restraint must be installed (if re-
movable) and positioned such that the
top tether strap can pass freely be-
tween the head restraint and the top of
the seat back.
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
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 seat belt posi-
tioning for children over 41 lb until they
reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use, re-
move 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 ac-
cident.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised chil-
dren in a child restraint system may use ve-
hicle equipment and may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

93 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

Make sure the tether strap is not twist-
ed.
2Hook
3Anchorage ring

Securely fasten the hook2, which is
part of the tether strap, to the anchor-
age ring3.
Once the top tether anchorage hook is at-
tached, the child restraint itself can be se-
cured.

Install the child restraint system and
tighten the top tether strap according
to the child restraint manufacturer’s in-
structions.
Foldable rear seat backrest*

Fold rear seat backrest slightly forward
(page 277).

Remove cover from anchorage ring3.

Guide tether strap between head re-
straint and top of the seat back.
Head restraint must be positioned such
that the top tether strap can pass freely
between the head restraint and the top
of the seat back.

Make sure the tether strap is not twist-
ed.2Hook
3Anchorage ring

Securely fasten the hook2, which is
part of the tether strap, to the anchor-
age ring3.
i
For safety, make sure the hook2 has at-
tached to the anchorage ring3 beyond the
safety catch, as illustrated.
i
For safety, make sure the hook2 has at-
tached to the anchorage ring3 beyond the
safety catch, as illustrated.