2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class ECU

44 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
i
Air bags are designed to deploy only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags), and in side
impacts (side impact and window curtain air
bags) which exceed preset thresholds, and in
certain rollovers (window curtain air bags). Only
during these events will they provide their sup-
plemental protection.
The driver and passengers should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
air bags to provide their supplemental protec-
tion.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not deploy. The driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a properly
fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt
is also needed to provide the best possible pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
sengers that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
the vehicle will continue to provide supplemental
crash protection for occupants.
Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or seat belt that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Only use
seat belts installed or supplied by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and pyrotechnic emergency
tensioning devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that is deployed must be
replaced. PRE-SAFE
® has electrically
operated reversible pre-tensioners in
addition to the pyrotechnic ETDs.


Air bags and Emergency Tensioning De-
vices (ETDs) contain Perchlorate materi-
al, which may require special handling
and regard for the environment. Check
with your local government’s disposal
guidelines. California residents, see
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWa
ste/Perchlorate/index.cfm.


Do not pass seat belt over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.


Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.

45 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.


Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when the window curtain air bag is
deployed.


Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.


In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air
bag deployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or re-
moving any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, front passenger front air bag
cover, outboard sides of the seat back-
rests, door trim panels, or door frame
trims, and installation of additional
electrical/electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages, purs-
es, umbrellas, etc.).


For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other, potentially more serious injuries
resulting from air bag deployment.
Warning!
G
Only use seat covers which have been
tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz for
your vehicle model. Using other seat covers
may interfere with or prevent the
deployment of the front side impact air bags
or the rear side impact air bags. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for avail-
ability.

46 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFront air bags
1Driver air bag
2Front passenger front 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 side impact air
bagsThe air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protec-
ted by the fastened seat belts.The passenger front air bag will only be
deployed if:


the system, based on OCS weight sen-
sor readings, senses that the front
passenger seat is occupied


the 59indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(page 51)


the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
Side impact air bags
1Front side impact air bag
2Rear side impact air bag
i
The 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 47).
The lighter the front passenger-side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.

47 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The side impact air bags are deployed:

in side impacts exceeding a preset de-
ployment threshold


on the impacted side of the vehicle


independently of the front air bags
The front passenger side impact air bag1
will not deploy if the OCS senses that the
front passenger seat is empty and the front
passenger seat belt is not fastened (latch
plate is not inserted into the buckle). With
an empty front passenger seat and the
seat belt fastened (latch plate properly in-
serted into buckle) the front passenger
side impact air bag will deploy regardless
of the empty seat.
The side impact air bags are not deployed
in impacts which do not exceed the sys-
tem’s deployment threshold.Window curtain air bags
1Window curtain air bag
The side window curtain air bags are de-
ployed:


in side impacts exceeding a preset de-
ployment threshold


on the impacted side of the vehicle


independently of the front air bags


in certain vehicle rollovers
The side window curtain air bags are not
deployed in side impacts which do not ex-
ceed the system’s deployment threshold.The window curtain air bags fill up the area
indicated by the arrows.
Occupant Classification System
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
automatically turns the front passenger
front air bag on or off based on the classi-
fied occupant weight category determined
by weight sensor readings from the front
passenger seat.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a po-
sition that is as upright as possible with
their back against the seat backrest and
feet on the floor to be correctly classified.
If the occupant’s weight is transferred to
another object in the vehicle (e.g. by lean-
ing on armrests), the OCS may not be able
to properly approximate the occupant’s
weight category.i
The system does not deactivate the front
passenger side impact air bag, the window cur-
tain air bag and the emergency tensioning de-
vice.

48 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFurthermore, the occupant weight may ap-
pear to increase or decrease due to the fol-
lowing: objects hanging on the seat,
lodged underneath the seat, stuffed be-
tween the seat and middle console or the
seat and door, other passengers pushing
on the seat or objects applying pressure to
the back of the seat.
Both driver and the front passenger should
always use the 59indicator
lamp as an indication of whether or not the
front passenger is properly positioned.i
If your seat, including your trim cover and
cushion needs to be serviced in any way, take
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used.
Warning!
G
If the 59indicator lamp illumi-
nates 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
59indicator lamp goes out, or
check whether objects are caught under or
around the seat.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 649).
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 re-
straint 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 59indicator
lamp will illuminate when the engine is start-
ed and remain illuminated, indicating that
the front passenger front air bag is deacti-
vated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat is classified as being empty, the
59indicator lamp will illumi-
nate 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 59indicator lamp will illu-
minate for approximately 6 seconds when
the engine is started and then, depending on
occupant weight sensor readings from

49 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
the seat, remain illuminated or go out. With
the 59indicator lamp illumi-
nated, the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated. With the 59 indi-
cator lamp out, the front passenger front air
bag is activated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
g e r s e a t o c c u p a n t i s c l a s s i f i e d a s a n a d u l t o r
someone larger than a small individual, the
59indicator lamp will illumi-
nate 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 59indicator lamp is illu-
minated, the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 59indicator lamp is not
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is activated and will be deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the side impact air
bags
If the front passenger air bag is deployed,
the rate of inflation will be influenced by:


the rate of relevant vehicle deceleration
as assessed by the air bag control unit


front passenger’s weight category as
identified by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS).
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
recommended for the size and weight of the
child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances re-
quire you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the system senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropri-
ate child restraint on the front passen-
ger seat.


50 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly 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 that the
59 indicator lamp is illumi-
nated, indicating that the front passen-
ger front air bag is deactivated. Should
the 59 indicator lamp not
illuminate or go out while the restraint is
installed, please check installation. Peri-
odically check the 59 indi-
cator lamp while driving to make sure
the 59 indicator lamp is il-
luminated.
If the 59indicator lamp
goes out or remains out, do not trans-
port 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 serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger 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 se-
cure 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 49).
i
Deployment 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 47)
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.


51 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 59 indicator lamp is lo-
cated on the dashboard to the right of the
instrument cluster.
1Front passenger front air bag indicator
lamp
The 59indicator lamp1 will
be illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed from the starter switch or with
the starter switch in position0
(page 372).
Warning!
G
If the =indicator lamp and the
59 indicator lamp are lit at the
same time, there is a malfunction in the
Occupant Classification System. The front
passenger front air bag will be deactivated
in this case.
Have the system checked as soon as possi-
ble by qualified technicians. Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only have the seat repaired or replaced by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:

Do not place more than 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
into the ruffled storage bag on the back
of the front passenger seat. Otherwise,
the OCS may not be able to properly
approximate the occupant weight
category.


Do not place objects under and/or
around the front passenger seat.


Do not hang anything from or attach any
items to the seats.


Do not stuff objects such as books be-
tween the middle console and the front
passenger seat.


Do not move the front passenger seat
backwards against stiff objects.


Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
While seated, an occupant should not
position him/herself in such a way as to
cause the occupant’s weight to be lifted
from the seat bottom as this may result
in the OCS being unable to correctly ap-
proximate the occupant’s weight cate-
gory.


Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.


Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.