2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER warning

Occupant safety
41deceleration forc
ewould normally be high
enough to trigger the systems ,orthey
could be triggered unintentionally. Never
carry out any modifications on the restraint
systems.
Never tamper with electronic components
and their software. SRS (Supplementa
lRestraint System)
The SRS reduces the risk of occupants com-
ing int ocontact with the vehicle's interior in
the event of an accident. It can also reduce
the forces to which occupants are exposed
during an accident.
The SRS consists of:
R The 1 warning lamp
R belt tensioners
R belt forc elimiters
R airbags
The 1 1 warning lamp The SRS function
sare checked regularly
when you turn on the ignition and when the
engin eisrunning. 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 afew seconds
after the engin eisstarted. G
Risk of injury
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be activated unintentionally or not be
triggered in the event of an acciden twith a
high rate of vehicle deceleration.
Am alfunction 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 engin ehas been
running for afew seconds
R lights up again onc ethe engin eisrunning
In this case, have SRS checked immedi-
ately at aqualified specialist workshop.
Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiter sand airbags In the event of
acollision, 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
acollision, in the first
stage the airbag control unit pre-emptively
trigger sthe belt tensioners.
i The belt tensioners can only be triggered
if the belt tongue is correctly engaged in the
seat belt buckle.
The fron tairbags are only deployed if ther eis
an even higher rate of vehicle deceleration in
al ongitudinal direction.
Your vehicle has adaptive, dual stage front
airbags. When the first activation threshold is
reached, the fron tairbag is filled with enough
propellant gas to reduce the risk of injuries.
The fron tairbag is only fully inflated if asec-
ond threshold is reached within afew milli-
seconds, due to the control unit having
detected further deceleration.
Criteria for triggering belt tensioners and
airbags
In the first stage of acollision, 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 –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
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
46 Roll-over bar
G
Risk of injury
Make sure that the roll-over bar's range of
movemen tisfree to preven tinjuries when
the roll-over bar is extended or retracted.
The roll-over bar extends automatically if sys-
tems detec tthat the vehicle is in danger of
rolling over to the side. You will hear aratch-
etin gnoise when the roll-over bar extends.
You can also extend and retract the roll-over
bar manually with the buttons.
! If the ambient temperature drops below
-5 †, you must extend the roll-over bar
manually. Otherwise, the hydraulics could
be damaged. Extending and retracting the roll-over
bar manually 1
Retract sthe roll-over bar
2 Extending the roll-over bar G
Risk of injury
If the C roll-over bar warning lamp in the
instrument cluster is still on along time
after starting the engine, this means afault
has occurred. The Raise roll-over bar
message appears in the multi-function dis-
play.
In this case, the roll-over bar is not exten-
ded automatically in the event of an acci-
dent if systems identify arisk of the vehicle
overturnin gsideways. You or other vehicle
occupants could be injured seriously or
even fatally. For safety reasons ,therefore, drive with the roll-over bar extended man-
ually until the fault has been rectified.
Have your vehicle checked at
aqualified
specialist workshop which has the neces-
sary specialist knowledge and tools to carry
out the work required. Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you use aMercedes-Benz
Service Centr efor this purpose. In particu-
lar, work relevant to safety or on safety-
related systems must be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
X Make sure the key is in position 2in the
ignition lock.
Extending the roll-over bar
X Lift the hardtop switch.
X Press and hold button 2until the roll-over
bar is extended.
i If you have extended the roll-over bar
using the button, it will be retracted and
extended automatically when the roof is
closed and opened. Safety
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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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