2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS weight

74 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 75indicator lamp is
located in the center console.
1Passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp
The 75indicator lamp1 will
be illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed or in starter switch position0.
If you place a child in a forward-facing
child restraint on the passenger seat,
move the seat as far back as possible,
use the proper child restraint recom-
mended for the age, size and weight of
the child, and secure 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 passenger front
air bag may or may not be activated
(
page 72).
iDeployment of the driver front air bag does
not mean that the passenger front air bag also
should have deployed.
The Occupant Classification System (
page 71)
may have determined:

that the seat was empty or occupied by the
weight up to or less than that of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint – both instances where the
system suppresses deployment of the
passenger front air bag even though the
impact met the criteria and was of sufficient
severity to deploy the driver front air bag.

that the seat was occupied by a small individ-
ual (such as a young teenager or a small
adult) or a child weighing more than the
weight of a typical 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint – instances where
the system may suppress deployment of the
passenger front air bag even though the
impact met the criteria and was of sufficient
severity to deploy the driver front air bag.


75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification
System
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2, the
75 indicator lamp located in
the center console illuminates. If an adult
occupant is properly sitting on the passen-
ger seat and the system senses the occu-
pant as being an adult, the 75
indicator lamp will illuminate and go out
after approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the passenger seat as being empty,
the 75 indicator lamp will
illuminate and not go out. More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 354).
Warning!G
If the 1indicator lamp and the
75indicator lamp are lit at the
same time, there is a malfunction in the
Occupant Classification System. The pas-
senger front air bag will be deactivated in
this case.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:

Have the system checked as soon as
possible by qualified technicians.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.

Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.

Only have the seat repaired or replaced
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
Warning!G
If the 75 indicator lamp should
not illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center before seating any
child on the passenger seat.
Warning!G
Never place anything between seat
cushion and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it
reduces the effectiveness of the Occupant
Classification 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 protection for the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.

81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
A statement by the child restraint manu-
facturer of compliance with these stan-
dards 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 inside of the vehicle and to infant
or child restraints.
Warning!G
Children 12 years old and under must be
seated and properly secured in an appropri-
ate infant or child restraint recommended
for the size and weight of the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt fully
in accordance with the child seat manufac-
turer’s instructions.
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 triggered. Always sit
as upright as possible, properly use the seat
belt and use an appropriately sized infant
restraint, 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
important information when you place a
child in the passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the pas-
senger 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 appropriate
child restraint on the front passenger
seat.

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the passenger seat will be seriously
injured or even killed if the passenger
front air bag inflates in a collision which
could occur under some circumstances,
even with the air bag technology
installed in your vehicle.

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


82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

If you place a child in a forward-facing
child restraint on the passenger seat,
move the seat as far back as possible,
use the proper child restraint recom-
mended for the age, size and weight of
the child, and secure 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 passenger front
air bag may or may not be activated
(
page 72).
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.
Warning!G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts.
Position the shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck. A booster seat
may be necessary to achieve proper seat
belt positioning for children over 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
accident and/or serious personal injury.


307 Operation
Tires and wheels
Direction of rotation
Unidirectional tires offer added advan-
tages, such as better hydroplaning perfor-
mance. To benefit, however, you must
make sure the tires rotate in the direction
specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the
intended direction of rotation (spinning) of
the tire.Loading the vehicle
Two labels on your vehicle show how much
weight it may properly carry.
1) The Tire and Loading Information
placard can be found on the driver’s
door B-pillar. This placard tells you im-
portant information about the number
of people that can be in the vehicle and
the total weight that can be carried in
the vehicle. It also contains information
on the proper size and recommended
tire inflation pressures for the original
equipment tires on your vehicle.
2) The certification label, also found on
the driver’s door B-pillar. It tells you
about the gross weight capacity of your
vehicle, called the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The GVWR
includes the weight of the vehicle, all
occupants, fuel and cargo. The certifi-
cation label also tells you about the
front and rear axle weight capacity,
called the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR). The GAWR is the total allow-able weight that can be carried by a
single axle (front or rear). Never exceed
the GVWR or GAWR for either the front
axle or rear axle.
1Driver’s door B-pillar
Following is a discussion on how to work
with the information contained on the Tire
and Loading Information placard with
regards to loading your vehicle.
iSpare wheels may be mounted against the
direction of rotation (spinning) even with a unidi-
rectional tire for temporary use only until the reg-
ular drive wheel has been repaired or replaced.
Always observe and follow applicable temporary
use restrictions and speed limitations indicated
on the spare wheel.

308 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire and Loading Information
Tire and Loading Information placard1Load limit information on the Tire and
Loading Information placard
The Tire and Loading Information placard
showing the load limit information is
located on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 307).
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX
lbs.” on the Tire and Loading
Information placard.
The combined weight of all occupants,
cargo/luggage and trailer tongue load
(if applicable) should never exceed the
weight referenced in that statement.Seating capacity
The seating capacity gives you important
information on the number of occupants
that can be in the vehicle. The Tire and
Loading Information placard showing the
seating capacity is located on the driver’s
door B-pillar (
page 307).
Warning!G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iData shown on Tire and Loading Information
placard example are for illustration purposes
only. Load limit data are specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in the illustration
below. Refer to Tire and Loading Information
placard on vehicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.
iData shown on Tire and Loading Information
placard example are for illustration purposes
only. Seating data are specific to each vehicle
and may vary from data shown in the illustration
below. Refer to Tire and Loading Information
placard on vehicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.

309 Operation
Tires and wheels
1Seating capacity information on the
Tire and Loading Information placard
Steps for determining correct load limit
The following steps have been developed
as required of all manufacturers under Title
49, Code of U.S. Federal Regulations, Part
575 pursuant to the “National Traffic and
Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966”.
Step 1
Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs.” on
your vehicle’s Tire and Loading
Information placard.Step 2
Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passenger that will be riding
in your vehicle.
Step 3
Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passenger from
XXX kilograms or XXX lbs.
Step 4
The resulting figure equals the avail-
able amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the “XXX”
amount equals 1 400 lbs and there will
be five 150 lbs passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs
(1 400-750 (5 x150) = 650 lbs).
Step 5
Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in step 4.Step 6 (if applicable)
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be trans-
ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle (
page 311).
The following table shows examples on
how to calculate total and cargo load
capacities with varying seating configura-
tions and number and size of occupants.
The following examples use a load limit
of 1 500 lbs. This is for illustration
purposes only. Make sure you are
using the actual load limit for your vehicle
stated on the vehicle’s Tire and Loading
Information placard (
page 308).

310 Operation
Tires and wheels
The higher the weight of all occupants, the
less cargo and luggage load capacity is
available.
For more information, see “Trailer tongue
load” (
page 311).
ExampleCombined weight limit of
occupants and cargo
from Tire and Loading
Information placardNumber of
occupants
(driver and
passengers)Occupants weight Combined
weight of all
occupantsAvailable cargo/luggage and trailer
tongue weight (total load limit from
Tire and Loading Information
placard minus combined weight of
all occupants)
11500 lbs1Occupant 1: 175 lbs175 lbs1 500 lbs - 175 lbs = 1 325 lbs
21500 lbs2Occupant 1: 175 lbs
Occupant 2: 195 lbs370 lbs1 500 lbs - 370 lbs = 1 130 lbs