Instrument cluster
27Function Page
1 Turn signal indicator lamp,
left
101
2
ESP
®
warning lamp 285
3 Segments
4
Distance warning lamp*
1 286
5 Turn signal indicator lamp,
right
101
6 SRS warning lamp
289
7 ABS warning lamp
285
8 Seat belt warning lamp
290
9 Coolant temperature gauge
120
a Coolant warning lamp
287
b Main-beam indicator lamp
101
c Dipped-beam indicator
lamp
99 Function Page
d Rev counter
121
e Multi-function display
123
f Trip meter
121
g Depending on the setting in
the on-board computer:
134
• Outside temperature
2 • Digital speedometer
h Standard display
125
j
Automatic transmission*:
gearshift program display
115
k Total distance recorder
l
Automatic transmission*:
selector lever position dis-
play
115
m Speedometer Function Page
n Engine diagnostic warning
lamp
288
o Tyre pressure warning
lamp*
289
p Brake system warning lamp
286
q Clock
135
r Reserve fuel warning lamp
291
s Fuel gauge
t Reset button
120
u Diesel engine: preglow indi-
cator lamp
111
1
On vehicles without Distronic*, the symbol lights up briefly but has no function.
2 Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the speed in km/h is always shown instead of the outside temperature. At a glance
* optional
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Instrument cluster
29Function Page
1 Turn signal indicator lamp,
left
101
2
ESP
®
warning lamp 285
3 Segments
4
Distance warning lamp*
3 286
5 Turn signal indicator lamp,
right
101
6 SRS warning lamp
289
7 ABS warning lamp
285
8 Seat belt warning lamp
290
9 Coolant temperature gauge
120
a Coolant warning lamp
287
b Main-beam indicator lamp
101
c Dipped-beam indicator
lamp
99 Function Page
d Rev counter
121
e Multi-function display
123
f Trip meter
121
g Depending on the setting in
the on-board computer:
134
• Outside temperature
4 • Digital speedometer
h Standard display
125
j
Automatic transmission*:
gearshift program display
115
k Total distance recorder
l
Automatic transmission*:
selector lever position dis-
play
115
m Speedometer Function Page
n Engine diagnostic warning
lamp
288
o Tyre pressure warning
lamp*
289
p Brake system warning lamp
286
q Clock
135
r Reserve fuel warning lamp
291
s Fuel gauge
t Reset button
120
u Diesel engine: preglow indi-
cator lamp
111
3
On vehicles without Distronic*, the symbol lights up briefly but has no function.
4 Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the speed in km/h is always shown instead of the outside temperature. At a glance
* optional
211_AKB; 2; 5, en-GB
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Centre console
31Centre console
Lower section Function Page
1 Opens/closes the stowage
compartment
206
Opens/closes the ash-
tray*
209
2
KEYLESS GO* button 77
3 Manual transmission: gear
lever
115
Automatic transmission*:
selector lever
115
4 Vehicles with automatic
transmission*: switches
the auxiliary heating
*/ven-
tilation* on/off 177
5
Deactivates Parktronic* 160
6
Sets AIRMATIC DC* 157
Vehicles with manual trans-
mission: switches the aux-
iliary heating*/ventilation*
on/off
177 Function Page
7
Sets the vehicle level* 156
8
Distronic*: sets the speci-
fied distance
148
9
Distronic*: switches the
distance warning function
on/off
149
a
Automatic transmission*:
selects the gearshift pro-
gram
117At a glance
* optional
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Centre console
33Function Page
1
Switches the seat heating*
on the left-hand side on/off
85
2 Saloon: rolls the rear win-
dow blind* up/down
208
3 Saloon: folds back the rear
seat head restraints
82
4 Switches the hazard warn-
ing lamps on/off
102
5 5
PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF warning lamp 5 49
6 Unlocks the vehicle
70
7 Deactivates/activates
ESP
® 60
8
Switches the seat heating*
on the right-hand side on/
off
85 Function Page
9 Switches the seat ventila-
tion
*on the right-hand side
on/off 85
a
ATA indicator lamp* 62
b Locks the vehicle
70
c Opening button for CD
changer* – see separate
operating instructions
d Switches the seat ventila-
tion* on the left-hand side
on/off
85
5
The warning lamp lights up briefly when you turn the key to position 2 in the ignition lock, even on vehicles which do not have automatic child seat recognition* on
the front-passenger seat. In that case it has no function and does not indicate that the front-passenger seat is equipped with automatic child seat recognition*. At a glance
* optional
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Occupant safety
41deceleration force would normally be high
enough to trigger the systems, or they
could be triggered unintentionally. Never
carry out any modifications on the restraint
systems.
Never tamper with electronic components
and their software.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
The SRS reduces the risk of occupants com-
ing into contact with the vehicle's interior in
the event of an accident. It can also reduce
the forces to which occupants are subjected
during an accident.
The SRS consists of:
R the 1 warning lamp
R belt tensioners
R belt force limiters
R airbags
The 1 1 warning lamp The SRS functions are checked regularly
when you turn on the ignition and when the
engine is running. Malfunctions can therefore
be detected in good time. The
1 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than a few seconds
after the engine is started. G
Risk of injury
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be activated unintentionally or not be
triggered in the event of an accident with
heavy braking.
A malfunction has occurred if the 1
warning lamp:
R does not light up when you switch on the
ignition
R does not go out after the engine has been
running for a few seconds
R lights up again once the engine is running
In this case, have SRS checked immedi-
ately at a qualified specialist workshop.
Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiters and airbags In the event of a collision, the sensor in the
airbag control unit evaluates important phys-
ical data such as duration, direction and force
of the vehicle deceleration or acceleration.
Based on the evaluation of this data, and depending on the vehicle's rate of longitudi-
nal deceleration in a collision, the airbag con-
trol unit pre-emptively triggers the belt
tensioners in the first stage.
i
The front belt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the belt tongue is correctly
engaged in the seat belt buckle.
The front airbags are only deployed if there is
an even higher rate of vehicle deceleration in
a longitudinal direction.
Your vehicle has adaptive, dual stage front
airbags. When the first activation threshold
has been reached, the front airbag is filled
with enough propellant gas to minimise the
risk of injury. The front airbag is only fully
inflated if a second threshold is reached
within a few milliseconds, due to the control
unit having detected further deceleration.
Criteria for triggering belt tensioners and
airbags
In the first stage of a collision, the airbag con-
trol unit evaluates the duration and direction
of vehicle acceleration or deceleration in
order to determine whether it is necessary to
trigger the belt tensioner and/or airbag.
The belt tensioner and airbag triggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the
rate of deceleration of the vehicle. This proc- Safety
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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
45
The driver's front airbag and front-passenger
front airbag are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of vehicle acceleration or deceleration in a
longitudinal direction
R if the system determines that airbag
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
R if the seat belt is fastened
R independently of other airbags in the vehi-
cle
R if the vehicle overturns, but only if the sys-
tem detects high vehicle deceleration in a
longitudinal direction 1
Driver's front airbag
2 Front-passenger front airbag 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*, the front-
passenger front airbag 2is only deployed if
the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp in the centre console is not lit
(Y page 49). 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.
Sidebags 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 be equipped with a
special tear seam for sidebags. Otherwise,
the sidebag cannot deploy correctly and
would therefore 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 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. Saloon shown as an example
1
Front sidebag
2 Rear sidebag*
The sidebag inflates next to the backrest side
cushions. Safety
* optional
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