2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 page 92

61 Getting started
Parking and locking
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 49).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
LockingExit the vehicle, take the SmartKey or
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with
you, and close all doors and the trunk
lid.iIf you hear a warning signal, you have tried
to turn off the engine while the gear selector le-
ver was not inP.
In addition, the message
Selector Lever In
Park
appears in the multifunction display.
Place the gear selector lever inP.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim pan-
el. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limit Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iIf you hear a warning signal you have
forgotten to switch off the low beam headlamps
or the parking lamps before opening the driver’s
door.
In addition the message
Switch Off Lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message
Switch Off Lights or Re-
move Key
appears in the multifunction display
remove the SmartKey from the starter switch or
switch off the automatic headlamp mode.
!Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.
iOpening a door causes the windows on that
side of the car to open slightly. They will return to
the up position when the door is closed.

62 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking with the SmartKey
Press lock button‹on the
SmartKey (
page 36).
With the trunk and both doors closed:

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.

An acoustic signal sounds three
times.
For more information, see “Factory
setting” (
page 106).

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.

The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “SmartKey”
(
page 100).Locking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button
Press lock button1 on an outside
door handle.With the trunk and both doors closed:

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.

An acoustic signal sounds three
times.
For more information, see “Factory
setting” (
page 106).

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.

The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 103).

64 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
In this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint system
components of the vehicle.

Seat belts (page 77)

Child restraints (page 86)

Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) (
page 87)
Additional protection potential is provided
by:

Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with

Air bags (page 65)

Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)

Emergency tensioning device (ETD)
for seat belts (
page 80)

Active head restraints (page 81)

CLK cabriolet: Roll bars (page 82)Air bag system components with

Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp (
page 76)

Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(
page 72)
Although the systems are independent,
their protective functions work in conjunc-
tion with each other.The SRS system conducts a self-test when
the ignition is switched on and in regular
intervals while the engine is running. This
facilitates detection of system malfunc-
tions. The1indicator lamp in the in-
strument cluster comes on when the
ignition is switched on and goes out no lat-
er than a few seconds after the engine has
been started.
The SRS components are in operational
readiness if the 1indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the 1indicator lamp:

fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds after the engine was started

does not come on at all

comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and restraint
systems for infants and children, see “Children
in the vehicle” (
page 83).

70 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Front air bags
1Driver air bag
2Passenger air bag
Driver and front passenger front air bags
are deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts

if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold

independently of the front side impact
air bag (CLK coupe), head-thorax air
bag (CLK cabriolet) and/or the rear
side impact air bag*The air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.
The front passenger front air bag will only
be deployed if:
the system, based on OCS weight sen-
sor readings, senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied

the 56 indicator lamp in the
center console is not lit (
page 76)

the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
CLK coupe:
Front side impact air bags, rear side
impact air bags*, window curtain air
bags
1Front side impact air bag
2Rear side impact air bag*
3Window curtain air bag
iThe front air bags in this vehicle have been
designed to inflate in two stages. This allows the
air bag to have different rates of inflation that are
based on the rate of relevant vehicle decelera-
tion as assessed by the air bag control unit.
On the front passenger side, the front air bag de-
ployment is additionally influenced by the pas-
senger’s weight category as identified by the
Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 72).
The lighter the front passenger side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
If the 56 indicator lamp illuminates
when an adult or someone larger than a
small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the
56 indicator lamp goes out.
More information about air bag display
messages (
page 396).
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front air
bag deployment when the OCS classified
the front passenger seat occupant as being
up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child
restraint or if the front passenger seat is
sensed as being empty.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being up
to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child
restraint, the 56 indicator lamp will
illuminate when the engine is started and
remain illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat is classified as being empty, the
56 indicator lamp will illuminate
when the engine is started and remain
illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being
heavier than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint or as being a small individual
(such as a young teenager or a small adult),the 56 indicator lamp will illuminate
for approximately 6 seconds when the
engine is started and then, depending on
occupant weight sensor readings from the
seat, remain illuminated or go out. With the
56 indicator lamp illuminated, the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
With the 56 indicator lamp out, the
front passenger front air bag is activated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as an adult or
someone larger than a small individual, the
56 indicator lamp will illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds when the engine is
started and then go out, indicating that the
front passenger front air bag is activated.
If the 56 indicator lamp is
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is deactivated and will not be deployed.


75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

If you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat
because circumstances require you to
do so, make sure the 56 indica-
tor lamp is illuminated, indicating that
the front passenger front air bag is deac-
tivated. Should the 56 indicator
lamp not illuminate or go out while the
restraint is installed, please check in-
stallation. Periodically check the
56 indicator lamp while driving
to make sure the 56 indicator
lamp is illuminated.
If the 56 indicator 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
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 front passenger
front air bag may or may not be
activated (
page 73).
iDeployment of the driver front air bag does
not mean that the front passenger front air bag
also should have deployed.
The Occupant Classification System (
page 72)
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 front
passenger front air bag even though the im-
pact 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
front passenger front air bag even though
the impact met the criteria and was of suffi-
cient severity to deploy the driver front air
bag.

77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 390).
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 belts” (
page 48).
Warning!G
If the 56 indicator 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 83).
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.

80 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 door is opened.For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 385).
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts are equipped with emergen-
cy 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,
see1indicator lamp (
page 64)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.
Automatic comfort-fit feature seat belt
An automatic comfort-fit feature for front
seats reduces the retracting force of the
seat belts when they are in normal use.
iThe ETDs for the front seats will only acti-
vate if the front seat belts are fastened (latch
plate properly inserted into buckle).
The ETDs for the rear seats will activate with or
without the respective seat belts fastened.
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 any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.