2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 page 92

81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Active head restraints
The active front seat head restraints are in-
tended to offer the driver and front passen-
ger increased protection from whiplash
type injuries in rear-end collisions. In the
event of a rear-end collision exceeding the
systems’ deployment threshold, the active
head restraints on the driver’s and front
passenger’s seats are designed to move
forward in the direction of travel, providing
the head with increased support earlier on
in the collision sequence. The active head
restraints activate whether the seat is oc-
cupied or not.You cannot remove the active head re-
straint on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seat.
For removal of the active head restraints
we recommend that you contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 41).
For information on resetting the activated
active head restraints, see “Resetting acti-
vated head restraints” (
page 440).
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the center
of the head restraint supports the back of
the head at eye level. This will reduce the
potential 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
accident.
Warning!G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraints. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
availability.
Do not attach any objects (e.g. hangers) to
the head restraint posts. Otherwise, the ac-
tive head restraints may not be able to func-
tion properly or offer the intended degree of
protection in the event of an accident.

82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Roll bars (CLK cabriolet)
The roll bars are integrated into the rear
head restraints.
The roll bars raise automatically in an acci-
dent or in a critical driving situation.You can manually lower the roll bars again
when the soft top is open (
page 431).
With the soft top closed, contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center to have the
roll bars lowered. Do not attempt to lower
the roll bars manually with the soft top
closed. Lowering the roll bars manually
with the soft top closed may impair the
function of the roll bars.
Warning!G
Make sure nothing is blocking the roll bars’
path of motion. Otherwise someone could
be injured when the roll bars are raised. The
head restraints should therefore always be
in the raised position when the rear seat is
occupied (
page 123).
iWhen the roll bars are raised automatically,
you will hear a ratcheting sound and the rear
head restraints will also rise.
iYou cannot lower the rear head restraints
with the rear head restraint lowering switch
(
page 123) when the roll bars are in the raised
position.
Also, you cannot operate the soft top using the
soft top switch when the roll bars are in the
raised position.

If the soft top is open, you can manually low-
er the roll bars (
page 431).

If the soft top is closed, contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll
bars lowered.
Warning!G
If the yellow roll bar warning lamp in
the clock does not go out after starting the
engine, or if it comes on while driving, then
the roll bar system is not operating properly
and may not activate in an accident. In this
case, raise the roll bars manually before
continuing to drive (
page 430).
For safety reasons, drive only with the roll
bars raised until the malfunction is repaired.
Have your vehicle checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

83 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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 systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.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 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.
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
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons

get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by oncoming traffic
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.
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 275), and
see “Useful features” (
page 285) in the
“Controls in detail” chapter.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of

strong braking maneuvers

sudden changes of direction

an accidentWarning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.

84 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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 seat-
ed in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured in accor-
dance with the manufacturer's instruc-
tions for the child restraint, that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian Mo-
tor 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 the inside of the vehicle and to
infant or child restraints.
iFor information on LATCH-type child seat
anchors (
page 87).
CLK coupe: Information on child seats with an-
chor fittings for tether anchorages (
page 86).
Warning!G
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, or:
CLK coupe: the seat belt and top tether
strap, or lower anchors and top tether
strap,
CLK cabriolet: the seat belt and lower
anchors,
fully in accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
Occupants, especially children, should nev-
er place their bodies or lean their heads in
the area of the door or the rear side trim
panel where the front side impact air bag
(CLK cabriolet: head-thorax air bag) and/or
the rear side impact air bag* inflates. This
could result in serious injuries or death
should the air bag be triggered. Always sit as
upright as possible, properly use the seat
belts 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 circumstances
require you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

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
appropriate child restraint on the front
passenger seat.

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 in
a collision which could occur under
some circumstances, even with the air
bag technology 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
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 56indicator
lamp is illuminated. If the 56
indicator lamp goes out or remains out,
do not transport a child on the front pas-
senger seat until the system has been
repaired. A child in a rear-facing child re-
straint 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).
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.
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 belt positioning
for children over 41 lbs until they reach a
height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.


86 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
The CLK coupe is equipped with tether
anchorages for a top tether strap at each
of the rear seating positions.1Anchorage ring
2HookOpen the trunk and release the rear
seat backrest (
page 281).
Fold rear seat backrest slightly for-
ward.
Guide top tether strap between head
restraint and top of seat back.
Head restraint must be installed and
positioned such that the top tether
strap can pass freely between the head
restraint and the top of seat back.
Make sure the tether strap is not
twisted.1Anchorage ring
2Hook
Fold up anchorage ring1.
Securely fasten hook2, which is part
of the tether strap, to anchorage
ring1.
S w i n g r e a r s e a t b a c k r e s t t o t h e r e a r u n -
til it engages.
Check the rear seat backrest to be
locked in its upright position
(
page 282).
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.
iYour CLK cabriolet does not have and is not
required to have anchorage rings for a child
seat’s top tether strap in the rear seating posi-
tions. Child seats can be used with the seat belt,
or lower anchor system and seat belt, fully in ac-
cordance with the child seat manufacturer’s in-
structions.
iFor safety, make sure the hook2 has at-
tached to the anchorage ring1 beyond the
safety catch, as illustrated.


87 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Once the top tether anchorage hook is
attached, the child restraint itself can be
secured. Secure the child restraint and
tighten the top tether strap according to
the child restraint manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Child seat anchors – LATCH-type
The CLK coupe and cabriolet are equipped
with two LATCH- (L
ower Anchors and Teth-
ers for CH
ildren) type anchors (at each of
the rear seats) for the installation of a
LATCH-type child seat with matching
mounting fittings.LATCH-type anchors
The LATCH-type anchors are located be-
tween the seat cushion and the backrest.
1AnchorsInstall child seat according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Warning!G
Always lock backrest in its upright position
when rear seat bench is occupied by pas-
sengers, or the extended cargo area is not in
use. Check for secure locking by pushing
and pulling on the backrest.
Warning!G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts.
Position 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 lbs until they reach a height where a
lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d t o t h e
right and left side anchor.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident which could result
in serious injury or death to the child.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat anchor fittings must be replaced.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
iNon-LATCH-type child seats may also be
used and can be installed using the vehicle’s
seat belt system (
page 83). Install child seat
according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

88 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear side window operation
You can block the rear side window
operation (for instance when you have
children riding in the rear passenger
compartment).
The override switch is located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door.
1Deactivating override switch
2Activating override switch
3Override switchActivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the right in
direction2.
The rear side windows can no longer be
operated using the respective switch
located in the rear trim panels.
Deactivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the left in
direction1.
The rear side windows can be operated
using the respective switch located in
the rear trim panels.
For more information, see “Power win-
dows” (
page 250).
Warning!G
Activate the override switch when children
are riding in the back seats of the vehicle.
The children may otherwise injure them-
selves, e.g. by becoming trapped in the win-
dow opening.
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.
iOperation of the rear side windows with the
switches located on the door control panel of the
driver’s door is still possible.