2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR CLASS Owners Manual

72 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passenger is
properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and po-
sition your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident. You and your passenger 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 wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(
page 71).
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the
abdomen or neck. That could cause serious
or even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly
restrained with a separate seat belt. Never
use a seat belt for more than one person at
a time.
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 seat belts which have been
approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended activation
of the ETDs or to their failure to activate
when necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this
section, as that could result in serious
injuries in case of an accident.

Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver air bag,
passenger air bag, knee air bags,
head-thorax air bags) and ETD (seat belt
emergency tensioning device). The sys-
tem is designed to enhance the protec-
tion offered to properly belted
occupants in certain frontal (front air
bags, knee air bags and ETD) and side
(head-thorax 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 in-
crease the chance of head and neck in-
juries. The belt would also apply too
much force to the ribs or abdomen,
which could severely injure internal
organs 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-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious person-
al 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 per-
son or other objects.

Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to manage 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.

74 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
passenger 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
passenger’s seat belt (with the passenger
seat occupied) are not fastened with all
doors closed,

the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the
driver’s or 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
intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until the driver’s and passenger’s
seat belts are fastened.
If the driver’s or the passenger’s seat
belt remain unfastened after
60 seconds, the warning chime stops
sounding. The seat belt telltale<
stops flashing but continues to be
illuminated.
The seat belt telltale< will only go out
if both the driver’s and the passenger’s
seat belt (with the passenger seat
occupied) are fastened, or the vehicle is
standing still and a door is opened.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 308).Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts 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 exceed-
ing the system deployment threshold

if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see 1 in-
dicator lamp (
page 60)

in certain vehicle rollovers if the
system determines an additional
degree of protection
iThe ETDs will only activate if the seat belts
are fastened (latch plate properly inserted into
buckle).

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When activated, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Belt force limiters
reduce the force exerted by the seat belts
on occupants during a crash.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 the infant or child is proper-
ly 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
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When disposing of the emergency tension-
ing device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold
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 car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment unless they are
firmly secured in place.
For more information, please refer to the
“Useful features” section (
page 206)
through (
page 207).
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

76 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.
The passenger lap-shoulder belt has a
special seat belt retractor 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 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 manner.The use of infant or child restraints is re-
quired 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 and properly secured in
accordance with the manufacturer’s in-
structions for the child restraint that com-
plies 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 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.
The infant or child restraint are applicable
only to the standard passenger seat. Any
individualization of this seat may restrict
correct fitment of the infant or child
restraint.
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.
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
manufacturer’s instructions.

77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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 personal injuries or death
should the head-thorax air bag be triggered.
Always sit nearly upright, properly use the
seat belt and use an appropriately sized in-
fant or toddler restraint or booster seat rec-
ommended 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 and the passenger
knee 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 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 PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the
passenger front air bag and the passen-
ger knee air bag are deactivated. Should
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp not illuminate or go out while the
restraint is installed, please check in-
stallation. Periodically check the PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
while driving to make sure the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
illuminated. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp goes out or remains
out, do not transport a child on the pas-
senger 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 and/or the
passenger knee air bag inflate.

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 68).

78 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
This vehicle is equipped with a tether an-
chorage for a top tether strap behind the
passenger seat.
1Cover of anchorage ring
To have better access to the anchorage
ring, move the passenger seat forward
(
page 42).
Remove cover1 in direction of the
arrow from anchorage ring3.
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 belt
positioning 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,
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.

79 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Guide tether strap according to the
child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions.
Make sure the tether strap is not
twisted.
2Hook
3Anchorage ring
Securely fasten hook2, which is part
of the tether strap, to anchorage
ring3.
Move the passenger seat as far as
possible rearward.
Once the top tether anchorage hook is
attached, the child restraint itself can be
secured.
Properly secure the child restraint us-
ing the passenger seat lap/shoulder
belt (
page 76) and tether anchorage
for top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions.
Tighten the top tether strap according
to the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions.
Reinstall cover1 after removing the
tether strap.
iFor safety, make sure the hook has attached
to the ring beyond the safety catch, as
illustrated.