
Occupant safety
42
ess is pre-emptive in nature as the airbag
must be deployed during – and not at the end
of – the collision.
i Airbags are not deployed in all types of
accidents. They are controlled by complex
sensor technology and evaluation logic.
This process is pre-emptive in nature as
airbag deployment must take place during
the impact and must be adapted to provide
calculated, additional protection for the
vehicle occupants. Not all airbags are
deployed in an accident.
The different airbag systems work inde-
pendently of each other. However, the
deployment of each individual system will
depend on the type of accident determined
by the control system in the first stages of
the collision (head-on collision, side impact
and overturn) and the extent of the acci-
dent (in particular, the vehicle's rate of
deceleration or acceleration).
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are basi-
cally determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle R
the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided, e.g. the other vehi-
cle
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of it.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e. g. on the bonnet or the wing, without an
airbag being deployed. This is the case if only
parts which are relatively easily deformed are
affected and the necessary deceleration does
not occur. Conversely, airbags may be
deployed even though the vehicle suffers only
minor deformations. This is the case if, for
example, very rigid vehicle parts such as lon-
gitudinal body members are affected and suf-
ficient deceleration occurs as a result.
Belt tensioners, belt force limiters The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with belt tensioners.
!
Do not engage the seat belt tongue in the
buckle on the front-passenger seat if the
seat is not occupied. Otherwise the belt tensioner could be activated in an emer-
gency.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a belt
force limiter, the force exerted by the seat
belt on the seat occupant is reduced.
Belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in an
accident, pulling them close against the body.
i Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect
seat positions or incorrectly fastened seat
belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull occupants back
towards the backrest.
The front belt force limiters are synchronised
with the front airbags, which distribute the
forces exerted by the belt force limiters on
the occupant over a greater area.
When the ignition is switched on, the belt ten-
sioner is triggered:
R only if the restraint systems are operational
(the 1 warning lamp lights up after the
ignition is switched on and goes out once
the engine is running) (Y page 41)
R for each three-point seat belt in the front of
the vehicle when the belt tongue is
engaged in the buckle
R in the event of a head-on or rear-end colli-
sion if the vehicle decelerates or acceler- Safety
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Occupant safety
43
ates rapidly in a longitudinal direction
during the initial stages of the impact
R in certain situations if the vehicle over-
turns, and the system determines that it
can provide additional protection
When the belt tensioners are triggered you
will hear a bang, which will not cause any
harm to your hearing, and a small amount of
powder may also be released. The 1warn-
ing lamp lights up. G
Risk of injury
If the seat belt tensioners have been trig-
gered, they provide no additional protec-
tion in the event of another accident.
Therefore, have belt tensioners which have
been triggered replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Comply 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.
When the the airbags are triggered you will
hear a bang, which will not cause any harm to your hearing, and a small amount of powder
may also be released. The
1warning lamp
lights up.
The SRS/AIRBAG symbol indicates the loca-
tion 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 into the
area of the window in which the sidebag/
windowbag 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. On the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger
front airbag is only deactivated if a child
restraint system with automatic child
seat recognition is fitted to the front-
passenger seat*. The 5PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF warning lamp must be con-
stantly lit.
If either the rearward-facing child
restraint system or the front-passenger
seat* of your vehicle do not have auto-
matic child seat recognition, children
must be secured in a child restraint sys-
tem on a suitable seat in the rear. If you Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
49Warning 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 airbag deploying. This is
especially likely if the child is in the imme-
diate vicinity of the front-passenger front
airbag when it is deployed.
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 in 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 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warn-
ing lamp is not lit.
To draw attention to this danger, there is an
appropriate warning sticker on the dash-
board as well as 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.
Automatic child seat recognition on the
front-passenger seat*
If your vehicle does not have automatic child
seat recognition on the front-passenger seat,
this is indicated by a special sticker. The
sticker is affixed to the side of the dashboard
on the front-passenger side. It is visible when
you open the front-passenger door.
The warning lamp 6
is located on the centre
console. 1
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp
6 Vehicles without automatic child seat recognition in the front-passenger seat: the warning lamp lights up briefly when you turn the key to position 2 in the ignition
lock. However, it has no function and does not indicate that there is automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat. Safety
* optional
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Occupant safety
50
The front-passenger seat sensor system for
child restraint systems detects whether a
special Mercedes-Benz child seat with auto-
matic child seat recognition has been fitted.
In such cases, 5PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp 1lights up. The front-
passenger airbag is deactivated. G
Risk of injury
If the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warn-
ing lamp does not light up when the child
restraint system is fitted, the front-
passenger front airbag has not been disa-
bled. If the front-passenger front airbag is
deployed, the child could be seriously or
even fatally injured.
Proceed as follows:
R do not use a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger
seat.
R fit a rearward-facing child restraint sys-
tem on a suitable rear seat. or
R
only use a forward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat and
move the front-passenger seat to its rear-
most position.
R have the automatic child seat recognition
checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
To ensure that the automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat func-
tions correctly, never place objects (such
as a cushion) under the child restraint sys-
tem. The entire base of the child restraint
system must always rest on the seat cush-
ion. An incorrectly fitted child restraint sys-
tem cannot perform its intended protective
function in the event of an accident, and
could lead to injuries.
i The windowbag, the sidebag and the belt
tensioner on the front-passenger side are still active even when the front-passenger
front airbag is disabled. G
Risk of injury
Do not place items of electronic equipment
on the front-passenger seat, e.g.:
R laptops, when switched on
R mobile phones
R cards with transponders, e.g. ski passes
or access cards
Signals from electronic equipment can
cause interference in the automatic child
seat recognition sensor system. This can
lead to a system malfunction. This may
cause the 5PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
warning lamp to light up without there
being a child seat with automatic child seat
recognition fitted. This means that the
front-passenger airbag is not deployed dur-
ing an accident. It is also possible that the
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp will not light up briefly if you turn the
key in the ignition lock to position 2.Safety
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Occupant safety
57Saloon shown as an example
1
To activate
2 To deactivate
X To activate: press locking lever upwards
1.
X Make sure that the child-proof locks are
working properly.
X To deactivate: press locking lever down-
wards 2.
Child-proof lock for the tailgate (Estate) G
Risk of accident and injury
Activate the child-proof locks for the tail-
gate and the rear doors and the override
switch for the rear windows if children are
travelling in the vehicle. The children could otherwise open the tailgate, doors or win-
dows while the vehicle is in motion and
injure themselves or others.
The child-proof lock for the tailgate prevents
the tailgate from being opened from the
inside. 1
To activate
2 To deactivate
X To activate: push the locking lever to the
left 1.
X Check that the child-proof lock is working
properly.
X To release: press safety lever to the right
2. Override feature for the rear windows G
Risk of accident and injury
If children are travelling in the vehicle, acti-
vate the child-proof locks for the rear doors
and the override switch for the rear win-
dows. The children could otherwise open
the doors or windows while the vehicle is in
motion and injure themselves or others. 1
Button
2 Indicator lamp
X To activate: press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up. The rear side
windows can only be operated using the
switches on the driver's door. Safety
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Driving safety sys
tems 611
Deactivating/activating ESP ®
X To deactivate: press button1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up. G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster is continuously lit when the engine
is running, ESP ®
is deactivated or not avail-
able due to a malfunction. There is an
increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style
to suit the prevailing road and weather con-
ditions. X
To activate: press button 1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out. EBV (electronic brake-power distribu-
tion)
EBV monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability under braking. G
Risk of accident
If EBV is malfunctioning, the brake system
is still available with full brake boosting
effect. However, the rear wheels can still
lock, e.g. under full braking. This could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle
and cause an accident. You should there-
fore adapt your driving style to the different
handling characteristics. ADAPTIVE BRAKE
Due to its higher level of braking safety,
ADAPTIVE BRAKE offers exceptional braking
comfort. In addition to the braking function,
ADAPTIVE BRAKE also features the conveni-
ence function HOLD (Y page 155). For fur-
ther information, see Driving tips
(Y page 236). Safety
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Anti-theft syste
ms 63Tow-away protection*
An audible and visual alarm is triggered if your
vehicle's angle of inclination is altered while
tow-away protection is primed. This happens
if the vehicle is jacked up on one side, for
example.
Priming tow-away protection X
Lock the vehicle using the key. On vehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on
the door handle/boot lid/tailgate can also
be used.
Tow-away protection is primed after
approximately 30 seconds.
To deactivate tow-away protection When you unlock your vehicle using the key
or KEYLESS GO
*,tow-away protection is
automatically deactivated.
Deactivate tow-away protection manually to
prevent a false alarm if your vehicle:
R is being transported
R is being loaded, e.g. onto a ferry or car
transporter
R is being parked on a movable surface, e.g.
split-level garages 1
To deactivate tow-away protection
2 Indicator lamp
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up briefly.
X Lock the vehicle using the key. On vehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on
the door handle/boot lid/tailgate can also
be used.
Tow-away protection remains deactivated
until the vehicle is unlocked and locked
again. Interior motion sensor*
If the interior motion sensor is primed, a vis-
ual and audible alarm is triggered if move-
ment is detected in the vehicle interior while
the vehicle is locked. This occurs, for exam-
ple, if someone breaks the side windows of
your vehicle or reaches into the vehicle's inte-
rior.
Priming the interior motion sensor X
Make sure that:
R
the side windows are closed
R the sliding/tilting sunroof* or panorama
sliding sunroof* is closed
R there are no objects, e.g. mascots, hang-
ing on the rear-view mirror or on the
grasp handles on the roof trim.
This will prevent false alarms.
X Lock the vehicle using the key. On vehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking buttons on
the door handle/boot lid/tailgate can also
be used.
The interior motion sensor is primed after
approximately 30 seconds. Safety
* optional
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65
Opening and closing
...........................66
Key positions ....................................... 76
Seats .................................................... 77
Steering wheel .................................... 89
Mirrors ................................................. 91
Memory functions* .............................93
Seat belts ............................................. 95
Lights ................................................... 99
Windscreen wipers ...........................105
Side windows .................................... 107Driving and parking
..........................110
Transmission ..................................... 114
Instrument cluster ............................120
On-board computer ..........................121
Driving systems ................................ 142
Air conditioning ................................. 162
Sliding sunroof .................................. 180
Loading and stowing ........................186
Features ............................................. 207 Controls
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