2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER airbag

Occupant safety
42
ess is pre-emptive in nature as the airbag
must be deployed during –and not at the end
of –t he collision.
i Airbags are not deployed in all types of
accidents. They are controlled by complex
sensor technology and evaluation logic.
This proces sispre-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 differen tairbag systems work inde-
pendently of each other .However, each
individual system depends on the type of
acciden tdetermined by the control system
in the first stages of the collision (head-on
collision, side impact ,rear-en dcollision
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 forc eare basi-
cally determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle R
the deformation characteristic softhe vehi-
cle
R the characteristic softhe objec twith which
the vehicle has collided, e.g. the other vehi-
cle
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after the collision has taken place do not play
ad ecisive 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 happens 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-
ficien tdeceleration occurs as aresult.
Belt tensioners, belt force limiters The seat belts are fitted 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
abelt
forc elimiter, the forc eexerted 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 position sorincorrectly fastened seat
belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull occupants back
towards the backrest.
The belt forc elimiters are synchronised with
the fron tairbags, which spread the forces
exerted by the belt forc elimiters on the occu-
pant over agreater area.
The seat belts have an automatic comfort-fit
feature. This reduces the retraction forc eof
the seat belts, which results in increased seat
belt comfort.
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 engin eisrunning)(Y page 41)
R for each three-poin tseat belt in the fron tof
the vehicle when the belt tongue is
engaged in the buckle Safety
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Occupant safety
43
R
in the event of ahead-on or rear-en dcolli-
sion if the vehicle decelerates or acceler-
ates rapidly in alongitudinal direction
during the initial stages of the impact
R in certain situation sifthe vehicle over-
turns, and the system determines that it
can provide additional protection
R on the front-passenger side only if the
front-passenger seat is occupied and the
belt tongue is engaged in the buckle
If the belt tensioners are triggered you will
hear abang, which will not cause any harm to
your hearing, and asmall amount of powder
may also be released. The 1warning 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 aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Comply with safety regulations when dis-
posing of belt tensioners .Any Mercedes-
Ben zService Centr ecan provide details of
these regulations. Airbags Airbag deployment slows down and restricts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
If the airbags are deployed you will hear a
bang, which will not cause any harm to your
hearing, and
asmall amount of powder may
also be released. The 1warning lamp
lights up.
The SRS/AIRBAG identification indicates the
location of the airbags. G
Risk of injury
Airbags provide additional protection ;they
are not ,however, asubstitute for the 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 —inparticular 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 alway ssecure children less than 1.5 0m
tall or under 12 years of age in suitable
child restraint systems. R
all vehicle occupants must select aseat
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, in particular, if achild
is secured in achild restraint system on
the seat.
R vehicle occupants –inparticular, chil-
dren –must not lean their head on the
area of the window from which ahead/
thorax airbag is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fitted to the front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger fron tair-
bag has been disabled. The front-
passenger fron tairbag is disabled if a
child restraint system with automatic
child seat recognition is fitted to the
front-passenger seat. The
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp must be constantly lit.
If you secure aforward-facin gchild
restraint system to the front-passenger Safety
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Occupant safety
44 seat, you must move the front-passenger
seat as far back as possible.
R make sure ther eare no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in pockets of clothing.
R do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover
of the driver's fron tairbag, particularly
when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel by the rim.
This allows the airbag to inflat efully. You
could be injured if the airbag is deployed
and you are holding the inside of the
steering wheel.
R do not lean on the doors from inside the
vehicle.
R make sure that ther eare no people, ani-
mals or objects between the vehicle
occupants and the area of deployment of
the airbag.
R do not place any objects between the
seat backrest and the door.
R do not hang any hard objects, for exam-
ple coat hangers, on the grab handles or
coat hooks.
R do not attach accessories, e.g. cup hold-
ers, to the doors. It is not possible to rule out the risk of inju-
ries caused by an airbag due to the high
speed at which the airbag is required to
deploy. G
Risk of injury
The airbag's functionality can only be guar-
anteed if the following parts are not cov-
ered and no badges or stickers are
attached to them:
R padded steering wheel boss
R front-passenger fron tairbag cover
R door trims G
Risk of injury
When an airbag deploys, asmall amount of
powder is released. The powder may cause
short-term breathin gdifficulties to persons
sufferin gfrom asthma or other pulmonary
conditions.
In order to preven tpotential breathin gdif-
ficulties you should leave the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so. You can also open
the window to allow fresh air to enter the
interior. The powder does not constitute a
health hazard and does not indicat ethat
ther eisaf ire in the vehicle. G
Risk of injury
The airbag parts are hot after the airbag has
been deployed. Do not touch them ,other-
wise you may burn yourself.
Have the airbags checked at aqualified
specialist workshop. Otherwise, occupants
are not protected by the airbags in the
event of another accident.
Front airbags
The fron tairbags are designed to increase
protection for the driver's and front-
passenger head and chest.
The driver's fron tairbag and front-passenger
fron tairbag are deployed:
R at the start of an acciden twith ahigh 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 Safety
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Occupant safety
451
Driver's front airbag
2 Front-passenger front airbag
Driver's front airbag 1deploysinf ront of the
steering wheel; front-passenger front airbag
2 deploysinf ront of and above the glove
compartment.
Front-passenger front airbag 2is only
deployed if the front-passenger seat is occu-
pied or if the 5PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
warning lamp in the centre console is not lit.
(Y page 49) This means that achild restraint
system with automatic child seat recogni-
tion* has not been fitted to the front-
passenger seat or has been fitted incorrectly.
! Do not place heavy objectsont he front-
passenger seat. The system might errone-
ously interpret this as aperson occupying the seat and the restraint systems on the
front-passenger seat may then be triggered
in the event of an accident and would have
to be replaced.
Head/thoraxa irbags
Head/thorax airbags are intended to offer
additional protection for the head and thorax
when deployed. However, they do not protect
the arms. 1
Head/thorax airbag
Head/thorax airbags 1inflate in the door
area. Head/thorax airbags
1are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with ahigh rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in aside impact
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 the front airbags
R independently of the belt tensioners
R on the front-passenger side only if the
front-passenger seat occupancy recogni-
tion system detectst hat the front-
passenger seat is occupied Safety
*o ptional
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Occupant safety
48 forces occurring in the event of
asudden
chang eofdirection, heavy brakin goran
accident, it would not be possible to
restrain the child. The child could be
thrown against parts of the vehicle inte-
rior and be seriously or even fatally
injured. G
Risk of injury
If the child restraint system is not correctly
fitted to asuitable vehicle seat, it cannot
perfor mits protective function .The child
cannot be restrained in the event of asud-
den chang eofdirection, heavy brakin gor
an accident. This may lead to serious or
even fatal injuries. For this reason, when
fitting achild restraint system, observe the
manufacturer's installation instructions
and the correct use of the child restraint
system.
The entire base of the child restraint system
must alway srest on the seat cushion.
Never place objects, e.g. acushion ,under
the child restraint system.
Only use child restraint systems with their
original covers. Only replace damaged cov-
ers with genuine Mercedes-Benz covers. For safety reasons
,you should only use
child restraint systems which have been
approved for use in Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles.
Child seat on the front-passenger seat Warning on the front-passenger sun visor Warning symbol for
arearward-facing child
restraint system G
Risk of injury
If the front-passenger front airbag is not
disabled:
R ac hild secured in achild restraint system
on the front-passenger seat could be
seriously and even fatally injured by the
front-passenger front airbag deploying.
This is especially arisk if the child is in
the immediate vicinity of the front-
passenger front airbag when it deploys.
R ac hild must never be secured on the
front-passenger seat in arearward-facing
child restraint system.
R always move the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secure a Safety
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Occupant safety
49child in
aforward-facin gchild restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger fron tairbag is not dis-
abled:
R no child restraint system with automatic
child seat recognition is fitted
R if the 5 PASSENGER AIRBA GOFF
warning lamp on the centre console is
not lit
To draw attention to this danger, ther eisan
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 1
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp
The front-passenger seat sensor system for
child restraint systems detectsw hether a
special Mercedes-Benzc hild 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 arearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger
seat.
or
R only use aforward-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 aqualified 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 ac ushion) 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 head/thorax airbag and the belt ten-
sioner on the front-passenger side are still Safety
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Occupant safety
50activ
eeven if the front-passenger fron tair-
bag 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
asystem malfunction .This may
cause the 5PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
warning lamp to light up without there
being achild seat with automatic child seat
recognition fitted. This means that the
front-passenger airbag does not deploy
during 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.
Suitable positioning of the child restraint system Weight categories and ages Child restraint system on the front-passenger seat
Group 0: up to 10 kg;
Up to approximately
9months as recommended
6, 7 Group 0+: up to 13 kg;
Up to approximately 18 months
as recommended
6, 7 Group I:
9to18k g;
Between approximately 8months and 4years as recommended
6, 7 Category II/III: 15 to 36 kg
Between approximately 3½ and 12 years
Universal
7
or as recommended 6
Only use child restraint systems featurin gautomatic child seat recognition.
7 Move the front-passenger seat to the rearmost position. Safety
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Seats
74 Seats
Points to remember
G
Risk of injury
The seats can still be adjusted when there
is no key in the ignition lock. For this rea-
son, children should never be left unsuper-
vised in the vehicle. They could become
trapped when adjusting aseat. G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the driver's seat when the vehi-
cle is stationary. You will otherwise be dis-
tracted from the road and traffic conditions
and you could lose control of the vehicle as
ar esult of the seat moving. This could
cause an accident. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped when you adjust the seat.
Observe the notes concerning the airbag
system.
Secure children as recommended; see
"Children in the vehicle" section.
! When you move the seats, make sure that
there are no objectsint he footwell orbehind the seats. Otherwise, you could
damage the seats and the objects.
i The head restraint scannot be removed. Adjusting the seat electrically
1
Head restraint height
2 Seat height
3 Seat cushion angle
4 Seat cushion length
5 Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
6 Backrest angle
i You can store the seat settings using the
memory function (Y page 82). Seat fore-and-aft adjustment X
Slide the button forwards or back in the
direction of arrow 5.
Backrest angle X
Slide the button forwards or back in the
direction of arrow 6.
Seat height X
Slide the button up or down in direction of
arrow 2.
Seat cushiona ngle Adjust the angle so that yourt
highs are gently
supported.
X Slide the button up or down in direction of
arrow 3.
Seat cushionl ength X
Slide the button forwards or back in the
direction of arrow 4. Controls
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