2008 MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS HATCHBACK service

Occupant safety
36 Occupant safety
Notes on occupant safety
Seat belts, together with belt tensioners, belt
force limiters and airbags, are coordinated
restraint systems. They reduce the risk of
injury in defined accident situations and
thereby increase occupant safety. However,
seat belts and airbags generally do not pro-
tect against 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 63)
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 72)
R the airbags can inflate properly if they are
deployed (Y page 39)
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 69)
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, but
does 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 situations
airbag deployment would not increase the
protection afforded to vehicle occupants,
provided they are wearing their seat belt
correctly. On the other hand, airbag deploy-
ment only provides increased protection if
the seat belt is worn correctly because:
R
the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
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 propelled
towards the force of the impact, and is
thus better suited to prevent injury
Therefore, in accident situations where an
airbag is deployed, it only provides protec-
tion in addition to the seat belt if the seat
belt is being worn correctly. G
Risk of accident and injury
Always have maintenance work carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop which 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.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on
safety-related systems must be carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop. If this
work is not carried out correctly, the oper-
ating safety of your vehicle may be affec-
ted. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
G
Risk of injury
The restraint system may not work as inten-
ded if the following components have been
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 wiring
R networked electronic systems
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 Safety
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Occupant safety
39Comply with safety regulations when dis-
posing of belt tensioners. Any Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre can provide details of
these regulations.
Airbags Airbag deployment slows down and restricts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang and a small amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that escapes
does not generally constitute a health hazard.
The
1 warning lamp lights up.
The SRS/AIRBAG identification indicates the
location of the airbags. G
Risk of injury
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat
belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the
risk of serious or even fatal injury if an air-
bag is deployed:
R all vehicle occupants — in particular preg-
nant women — must wear their seat belt
correctly at all times and lean back against the backrest, which should be
positioned as close to the vertical as pos-
sible. The head restraint must support
the back of the head at about eye level.
R always secure children less than 1.50 m
tall or under 12 years of age in suitable
child restraint systems.
R all vehicle occupants must select a seat
position that is as far away from the air-
bag as possible. The driver's seat posi-
tion must allow the vehicle to be driven
safely. The driver's chest should be as far
away from the middle of the driver's front
airbag cover as possible.
R move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible, especially if a child is
secured in a child restraint system on the
seat.
R vehicle occupants – in particular, chil-
dren – must not lean their head on the
area of the window in which a sidebag or
head/thorax airbag* is deployed.
R Rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fitted to the front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger front air-
bag has been disabled. The front-
passenger front airbag of a vehicle fitted with automatic child seat recognition* is
only disabled when a child restraint sys-
tem with automatic child seat recogni-
tion is fitted to the front-passenger seat.
The 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
warning lamp must be constantly lit.
If the front-passenger seat of your vehicle
does not have automatic child seat rec-
ognition*, or your rearward-facing child
restraint system does not have such a
feature, children must be secured in a
child restraint system on a suitable seat
in the rear. If you secure a forward-facing
child restraint system to the front-
passenger seat, you must move the front-
passenger seat as far back as possible.
R make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in pockets of clothing.
R do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover
of the driver's front airbag, particularly
when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel by the rim.
This allows the airbag to inflate fully. You
could be injured if the airbag is deployed
and you are holding the inside of the
steering wheel. Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
41
Driver's front airbag
1deploys in front of the
steering wheel; front-passenger front airbag
2 deploys in front of and above the glove
compartment.
On vehicles with automatic child seat recog-
nition in the front-passenger seat*, front-
passenger front airbag 2is only deployed if
the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp in the centre console is not lit
(Y page 45). This means that there is not a
child restraint system with automatic child
seat recognition* fitted to the front-
passenger seat or that a child restraint sys-
tem with automatic child seat recognition*
has been fitted to the front-passenger seat
incorrectly.
Head/thorax airbags, rear sidebags*
i If you have specified windowbags* as
optional equipment, the front seats of the
vehicle will be equipped with sidebags
instead of head/thorax airbags. G
Risk of injury
If you wish to use seat covers, Mercedes-
Benz recommends that, for safety reasons,
you only use seat covers that have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The seat covers must have a special tear
seam for head/thorax airbags. Otherwise,
a head/thorax airbag cannot deploy cor-
rectly and would fail to provide the intended
protection in the event of an accident.
Appropriate seat covers can be obtained
from a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
The purpose of head/thorax airbag deploy-
ment is to enhance the level of protection for
the head and thorax (but not the arms) of the
vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs.
The purpose of rear sidebag deployment is to
enhance the level of protection for the thorax
(but not the head, neck or arms) of the vehicle
occupants on the side of the vehicle on which
the impact occurs. 1
Front head/thorax airbag
2 Rear sidebag in the side trim next to the
backrest
The front head/thorax airbags or rear side-
bags inflate next to the outer seat cushion.
Front head/thorax airbag 1or rear sidebags
2 are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in a side impact
R independently of the seat belt use
R independently of the front airbags
R independently of the belt tensioners Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
42
Windowbags*
The purpose of the windowbags is to enhance
the level of protection for the head (but not
chest or arms) of the vehicle occupants on
the side of the vehicle on which the impact
occurs.
The windowbags are integrated into the side
of the roof frame and run from the front door
(A-pillar) to the rear door (C-pillar).
i If you have specified windowbags* as
optional equipment, the front seats of the
vehicle will be equipped with sidebags
instead of head/thorax airbags. 1
Windowbag Windowbags
1are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of vehicle acceleration or deceleration in a
lateral direction
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R independently of the front airbags
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied Active head restraints
The active head restraints are designed to
increase protection to the driver's and front-
passenger's head and neck. In the event of a
rear-end collision the force exerted by the
driver's or front-passenger's chest causes
the head restraints on the driver's and front-
passenger seats to be moved forwards. This
provides better head support. G
Risk of injury
Do not secure any objects (e.g. coat hang-
ers) on the head restraint rods. Otherwise,
the active head restraints may not function
correctly and could fail to provide the inten-
ded protection in the event of an accident. Children in the vehicle
If a child is travelling in your vehicle, secure
the child using a child restraint system which
is appropriate to the size and age of the child
and recommended for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles. You should fit the restraint system to a
suitable rear seat. Make sure that the child is
secured in a child restraint system through-
out the trip.
You can obtain information about the correct
child restraint system from any Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre.
i It is advisable to use Mercedes-Benz care
products to clean child restraint systems.
Information about this can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. G
Risk of injury
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. Children could injure
themselves on parts of the vehicle. They
could also be seriously or even fatally
injured by prolonged exposure to extreme
heat or cold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Parts of the child restraint Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
44 approved for use in Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles.
Vehicles with a through-loading feature* in
the rear seat backrest: do not fit a rear-
ward-facing child restraint system on the
centre rear seat.
Child seat on the front-passenger seat Warning on the front-passenger sun visor Warning symbol for a rearward-facing child
restraint system
G
Risk of injury
If the front-passenger front airbag is not
disabled:
R a child secured in a child restraint system
on the front-passenger seat could be
seriously and even fatally injured by the
front-passenger front airbag deploying.
This is especially a risk if the child is in
the immediate vicinity of the front-
passenger front airbag when it deploys.
R a child must never be secured on the
front-passenger seat in a rearward-facing
child restraint system. Only secure a rearward-facing child restraint system on
a suitable rear seat.
R always move the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secure a
child in a forward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger front airbag is not dis-
abled:
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger
seat*.
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat*, if
there is no child restraint system with
automatic child seat recognition fitted to
the front-passenger seat.
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat* if
the 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warn-
ing lamp is not lit.
To draw attention to this danger, a corre-
sponding warning sticker on the dashboard
and on both sides of the sun visor on the
front-passenger side.
Information about recommended child
restraint systems is available at any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
50Make sure you do not route the belt across
luggage compartment cover
3.
X Swing back rear seat backrest 2until it
engages.
The red lock verification indicator is no lon-
ger visible (Y page 150). G
Risk of injury
Make sure that the rear seat backrest is
fully locked. The red lock verification indi-
cators on the left and right should no longer
be visible. If they are, the rear seat backr-
ests are not locked. If this is the case, occu-
pants could be injured in the event of an
accident, e.g. by objects being thrown for-
wards from the luggage compartment.
X Move head restraint 1back down again
slightly if necessary (Y page 66). Make
sure that you do not interfere with the cor-
rect routing of TopTether belt* 6.
X Install the ISOFIX child restraint system
with TopTether*. Comply with the manu-
facturer's installation instructions.
Integrated child seat* The child seats are integrated into the right
and left-hand sides of the seats of the rear bench seat. They comply with the legal
requirements of ECE Regulation 44.03.
Mercedes-Benz recommends the integrated
child seat for children from approximately
two to twelve years of age or with a body
weight of 12.5 kg to 36 kg.
For children between approximately two and
four years of age or weighing between
approximately 12.5 kg and 22 kg, you must
also use a padded table* which has been spe-
cially approved for the integrated child seat
(Y page 51). G
Risk of injury
To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal
injury to the child in the event of a sudden
change in direction, braking or an accident:
R Do not modify the integrated child seat.
R When the child seat is occupied, adjust
the head restraint to a position at which
the back of the child's head is supported
by the centre of the head restraint at
about eye level.
R Replace an integrated child seat that has
been damaged or subjected to a heavy
load as the result of an accident.
R Be aware that children under two years
of age require a different child restraint system. Information about other child
restraint systems is available from any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
R The rear seat backrest in the vehicle
must be securely locked in position.
Folding out the child seat 1
Release catch
2 Hook
X Press release catch 1.
The child seat folds upwards.
X Push the child seat back to the stop so that
it engages. Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
51
Fastening a child's seat belt G
Risk of injury
To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal
injury to the child in the event of a sudden
change in direction, braking or an accident:
R The shoulder belt section of the seat belt
must be routed across the middle of the
child's shoulder – never across the
child's neck – and be pulled tight against
the child's chest. The lap section of the
seat belt must be routed across the
child's pelvis – not across the abdomen
– and be pulled tight against the child's
body; retighten the belt strap if neces-
sary.
R Never secure more than one child at a
time in the child restraint system.
R The belt must be routed through the
hook.
R The belt strap must not be trapped or
twisted, nor rub against any sharp edges.
X Pull the belt smoothly from the inertia reel.
X Guide the lower lap section of the belt
through hook 2.
X Engage the seat belt tongue in the belt
buckle. X
Make sure that the belt:
R
is routed as low as possible across the
pelvic area, in front of the hips
R is tightened across the lap by pulling
upwards on the child's shoulder belt
R is tight and is routed across the middle
of the child's shoulder
R is not twisted and does not pass across
the child's neck or under the child's arm
X Adjust the head restraint (Y page 66)
Folding in the child seat 1
Release catch X
Press release catch 1.
X Push the child seat back into the seat until
it engages.
Padded table*for the integrated child
seat* For children between approximately two and
four years of age or weighing between
approximately 12.5 kg and 22 kg, you must
also use a padded table which has been spe-
cially approved for the integrated child seat.
You can obtain the approved padded table
with ECE approval number 03301101 from a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre under the
order number B6 687 0096.
You must not use the integrated child seat
with padded table directly attached to a baby
car seat on which a body weight of up to
10 kg is permitted.
G
Risk of injury
If the padded table is not installed correctly
on the integrated child seat, it cannot pro-
vide the intended protection. It would then
not be possible to restrain the child in the
event of an accident, sudden braking or
abrupt change in direction and this could
result in serious or even fatal injury to the Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
52 child. For this reason, observe the following
description when fitting the padded table.
The padded table is only suitable for use
together with the folded-out integrated
child seat.
On the rear seats, only use the padded table
which is recommended for Mercedes-Benz
vehicles.
An incorrectly fitted padded table could
come loose and seriously or even fatally
injure the child or other vehicle occupants.
Fit the padded table and ensure that it is
correctly secured. G
Risk of injury
If the padded table is damaged or subjected
to a load in an accident, it cannot provide
the intended protection. It would then not
be possible to restrain the child in the event
of an accident, sudden braking or abrupt
change in direction and this could result in
serious or even fatal injury to the child.
You must therefore have padded tables
that are damaged or have been subjected
to a heavy load in an accident checked
immediately along with their mountings at
a qualified specialist workshop and
replaced if necessary. G
Risk of injury
To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal
injury to the child in the event of a sudden
change in direction, braking or an accident:
R observe the following description when
fitting the padded table.
R do not modify the padded table.
R When the child seat is occupied, adjust
the head restraint to a position at which
the back of the child's head is supported
by the centre of the head restraint at
about eye level.
R replace a damaged padded table or one
that has been subjected to a load in an
accident.
R be aware that children under two years
of age or children weighing less than
12.5 kg require a different child restraint
system. Information about other child
restraint systems is available from any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. G
Risk of injury
Do not modify the padded table, integrated
child seat or seat belts. The padded table
must not be used without a cover. The
cover must not be removed from the pad- ded table or replaced with a cover from
another manufacturer. Otherwise, the offi-
cial approval becomes invalid and its pro-
tective function could be restricted.
Do not subject the padded table to unnec-
essary heat nor expose it to direct sunlight.
Parts of the padded table could heat up and
the child could be burnt by the hot parts.
! Make sure that the padded table is not
trapped or damaged, for example when
you:
R close the doors
R adjust the seat
R store the padded table or transport
heavy objects Safety
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