2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG warning

78 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 5/indicator lamp is located in
the upper part of the center console, be-
tween the center air vents.
1Passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp
The 5/indicator lamp1 will be
illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed or in starter switch position0.Self-test Occupant Classification
System
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice, the 5/ indicator lamp
located in the upper part of the center
console, between the center air vents
illuminates. If an adult occupant is properly
sitting on the passenger seat and the
system senses the occupant as being an
adult, the5/ indicator lamp will
illuminate and go out after
approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the passenger seat as being empty,
the 5/ indicator lamp will
illuminate and not go out.
Warning!G
If the 1indicator lamp and the
5/indicator lamp are lit at the same
time, there is a malfunction in the Occupant
Classification System. The passenger front
air bag will be deactivated in this case. Have
the system checked as soon as possible by
qualified technicians. Contact an authorized
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:

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 to be unable to correctly
approximate the occupant’s weight
category.

Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.

79 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 357).
Seat belts
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, the
U.S. territories and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts
fastened whenever the vehicle is in
motion.
For information on fastening seat belts,
see “Fastening the seat belts” (
page 50).
Warning!G
If the 5/ indicator lamp should not
illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must see an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center before seating any child on the
passenger seat.
Warning!G
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the Occupant Classifi-
cation System. The bottom of the child seat
must make full contact with the passenger
seat cushion. An incorrectly mounted child
seat could cause injuries to the child in case
of an accident, instead of increasing protec-
tion for the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and restraint
systems for infants and children, see “Children
in the vehicle” (
page 84).
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passenger is
properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passenger
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. Air bags can only protect as
they are designed if the occupants are
properly wearing their seat belts.

80 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The seat back-
rest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a position that is as
upright as possible and the seat belt is prop-
erly positioned on the body.
Keep door storage compartments closed
while vehicle is in motion. Failure to do so
may cause the seat belt to catch at the rear
and prevent proper positioning of the seat
belt.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Make
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
correctly restrained with a separate seat
belt. Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.
Warning!G
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be re-
placed and their anchoring points must also
be checked.
Only use seat belts which have been
approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended activation
of the ETDs or to their failure to activate
when necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this
section, as that could result in serious
injuries in case of an accident.

Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver air bag,
driver-side knee bag, passenger front air
bag, head-thorax air bags) and ETD (seat
belt emergency tensioning device). The
system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to properly belted
occupants in certain frontal (front air
bags, driver-side knee bag and ETD) and
side (head-thorax air bags and ETD) im-
pacts which exceed preset deployment
thresholds.

Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would
increase the chance of head and neck
injuries. The shoulder belt would also
apply too much force to the ribs or abdo-
men, which could severely injure inter-
nal organs such as your liver or spleen.

Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as
these might cause injuries.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the lap belt is positioned across
your abdomen, it could cause serious in-
juries in a crash.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another
person or other objects.

Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you would not have the full
width of the seat belt to manage impact
forces. The twisted seat belt against
your body could cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.

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.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.

82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate for
6 seconds to remind you and your pas-
senger to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a
maximum of 6 seconds or until the driver’s
seat belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds, the driver’s or the
passenger’s seat belt (with the passenger
seat occupied) are not fastened with both
doors closed,

the seat belt telltale< remains
illuminated for as long as either the
driver’s or passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.

and if the vehicle speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until the driver’s and passenger’s
seat belts are fastened.
If the driver’s or the passenger’s seat
belt remain unfastened after
60 seconds, the warning chime stops
sounding. The seat belt telltale<
stops flashing but continues to be
illuminated.
The seat belt telltale< will only go out
if both the driver’s and the passenger’s
seat belt (with the passenger seat occu-
pied) are fastened, or the vehicle is stand-
ing still and a door is opened.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 352).Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts are equipped with
emergency tensioning devices and belt
force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the
following cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts
exceeding the system deployment
threshold

if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
1indicator lamp (
page 68)

in certain vehicle rollovers if the
system determines an additional
degree of protection
iThe ETDs will only activate if the seat belts
are fastened (latch plate properly inserted into
buckle).

83 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When activated, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the seat belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Seat belt force
limiters reduce the force exerted by the
seat belts on occupants during a crash.
Automatic comfort-fit feature seat belt
The automatic comfort-fit feature reduces
the retracting force of the seat belts when
they are in normal use.Roll bar
The roll bar raises automatically in an acci-
dent or in a critical driving situation.You can also raise and lower the roll bar
manually using the buttons provided.
The buttons for the roll bar are on the cen-
ter console under the retractable hardtop
switch.
1Raise roll bar
2Lower roll bar
The roll bar can be moved manually when
the ignition is switched on (
page 40).
Warning!G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When disposing of the emergency tension-
ing device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
This vehicle is a two occupant vehicle. The
rear storage area is not intended for use by
occupants and is not equipped for properly
seating or restraining occupants. Thus this
area should never be used by any persons.
Make sure that the roll bar’s path is clear
and no persons are injured by the moving
roll bar. Raising or lowering of the roll bar
could injure someone in it’s proximity.
For your own safety, we recommend to drive
with the roll bar raised if the outside temper-
ature is below +5°F (-15°C).
!If the outside temperature falls below
+5°F (-15°C), the roll bar must be raised manu-
ally using the buttons provided to avoid damag-
ing the hydraulics.
iWhen the roll bar is raised automatically,
you will hear a ratcheting sound.

84 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Raising the roll bar
Lift the switch for the retractable hard-
top.
Press and hold button1 until the roll
bar is raised.Lowering the roll bar
Lift the switch for the retractable hard-
top.
If the roll bar was raised manually:
Press and hold button2 until the roll
bar is lowered.
If the roll bar was raised automatically:
Press and hold button1 until you hear
the roll bar lock into place.
Press and hold button2 until the roll
bar is lowered.
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.
Make sure the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while
the vehicle is in motion.
Warning!G
If the roll bar warning lamp in the
instrument cluster does not go out after
starting the engine, flickers, or if it comes on
while driving, the roll bar system is not
operating properly and may not activate in
an accident. At the same time, the message
Raise Roll-over Bar appears in the
multifunction display. In this case, raise the
roll bar manually before continuing to drive.
For safety reasons, drive only with the roll
bar raised until the malfunction has been
repaired. Have your vehicle checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iIf you have raised the roll bar manually using
the button, the roll bar will automatically be low-
ered and then raised again when you close and
open the retractable hardtop.
Warning!G
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold

85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
The passenger lap-shoulder belt has a
special seat belt retractor for secure fas-
tening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint follow child re-
straint instructions for mounting. Then pull
the shoulder belt out completely and let it
retract. During seat belt retraction, a ratch-
eting sound can be heard to indicate that
the special seat belt retractor is activated.
The seat belt is now locked. Push down on
child restraint to take up any slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle
and let seat belt retract completely. The
seat belt can again be used in the usual
manner.The use of infant or child restraints is re-
quired by law in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, the U.S. territories, and all
Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system which is properly secured
by a lap-shoulder belt and that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and
210.2.
A statement by the child restraint manu-
facturer of compliance with this standard
can be found on the instruction label on
the restraint and in the instruction manual
provided with the restraint.Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons

get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment unless they are
firmly secured in place.
For more information, please refer to the
“Useful features” section (
page 238)
through (
page 243).
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of

strong braking maneuvers

sudden changes of direction

an accident
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.