2009 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS COUPE airbag

Occupant safety
Notes on occupant safety
Seat belts, together with belt tensioners ,belt
forc elimiters and airbags, are complemen-
tary, coordinated restraint systems. They
reduce the risk of injury in specific ,pre-
defined types of acciden tsituation sand
thereby increase occupant safety. However,
seat belts and airbags generally do not pro-
tecta gainst objects penetratin gthe vehicle
from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection ,make
sure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 66).
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 76).
R the airbags can inflate properly if they are
deployed (Y page 37).
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 71).
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied.
i An airbag increases the protection of
vehicle occupant swearing aseat belt.
However, airbags are only an additional
restraint system which complements, but
does not replace, the seat belt. All vehicle
occupant smust wear their seat belt cor-
rectly at all times, even if the vehicle is
equipped with airbags. This is because –on
the one hand –airbags are not deployed in
all types of accident, as in some situations
airbag deployment would not increase the
protection afforded to vehicle occupants,
provided they are wearing their seat belt
correctly. On the other hand, airbag deploy-
ment only provides increased protection if
the seat belt is worn correctly because: R
the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
occupant in the best position in relation
to the airbag.
R for example, in ahead-on collision, the
seat belt can more adequately prevent
the occupant from being propelled
towards the point of the impact, and is
thus better suited to preven tinjury.
Therefore, in acciden tsituation swhere an
airbag is deployed, it only provides protec-
tion in addition to the seat belt if the seat
belt is being worn correctly. G
Risk of accident and injury
Always have maintenanc ework carried out at
aq ualified specialist worksho pwhich has the
necessary specialist knowledge and tools to
carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centr efor this pur-
pose.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on
safety-related systems must be carried out at
aq ualified specialist workshop. If this work is
not carried out correctly, the operatin gsafety
of your vehicle may be affected. There is arisk
of an acciden tand injury. G
Risk of injury
The restraint system may not work as inten-
ded if the following componentsh ave been
modified or work on these componentsh as
not been performed correctly:
R restraint system, consistin gofthe seat
belts and anchorages, belt tensioners ,belt
forc elimiters, airbags
R wiring
R networked electronic systems
Airbags or belt tensioners could then fail, e.g.
in the event of an acciden tinwhich the decel-
eration forc ewould normally be high enough
to trigger the systems, or they could be trig-
gered unintentionally. Never carry out any
modifications on the restraint systems. 34
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Never tamper with electronic components
and their software.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
SRS reduces the risk of occupants coming
into contact with the vehicle's interior in the
event of an accident. It can also reduce the
forces to which occupants are subjected dur-
ing an accident.
SRS consists of:
R the 0081 SRS warning lamp
R belt tensioners
R belt force limiters
R airbags
The 0081
0081 SRS warning lamp The SRS functions are checked regularly
when you turn on the ignition and when the
engine is running. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The 0081 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than afew seconds
after the engine is started. G
Risk of injury
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be activated unintentionally or not be
deployed in the event of an accident with
heavy braking.
Am alfunction has occurred if the 0081SRS
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 afew seconds
R lights up again once the engine is running
In this case, have SRS checked immediately
at aq ualifieds pecialist workshop. Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiters and airbags In the event of
acollision, the airbagc ontrol
unit evaluates important physical data such
as duration, direction and force of the vehicle
deceleration or acceleration. Based on the
evaluation of this data and in the event of lon-
gitudinal deceleration, in acollision, and
depending on the rate of deceleration, the
airbagc ontrol unit pre-emptively triggers the
belt tensioners in the first stage.
i The belt tensioners can only be triggered
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
al ongitudinal direction.
Your vehicle has adaptive, duals tage front
airbags. When the first activation threshold is
reached, the front airbagisf illedwith enough
propellant gas to reduce the risk of injuries.
The front airbagiso nly fullydeployed if asec-
ond threshold is reached within afew milli-
seconds, due to the control unit having detec-
ted further deceleration.
Criteria for triggering belt tensioners and
airbags
In the first stage of acollision, the airbagc on-
trol unit evaluates the duration and direction
of vehicle acceleration or deceleration, in
order to determine whether it is necessary to
trigger abelt tensioner or an airbag.
The belt tensioner and airbagt riggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the
rate of deceleration of the vehicle. This proc-
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 process is pre-emptive in nature as
airbagd eployment must take place during
the impact and must be adapted to provide Occupant safety
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calculated, additiona
lprotectio nfor the
vehicle occupants. Not al lairbags are
deploye dinana ccident.
The different airba gsystems work inde-
pendently of each other. However, the
deployment of each individual system
depends on the typ eofaccident as deter-
mine dbyt he control system in the first
stages of the collisio n(head-on collision,
sid eimpact and rea rcollision) and the
severity of the accident (i nparticular, the
vehicle's rate of deceleration or accelera-
tion).
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen-
tiall ydetermine dby:
R the distribution of force sduring the colli-
sion
R the collisio nangle
R the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle collides ,e.g. the othe rvehicle
Factors which can only be see nand measured
afte rac ollisio nhasoccurred do not play a
decisiv eroleint he deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provid eanindication of it.
The vehicle may be deforme dsignificantly,
e.g. on the bonne torthe wing, withou tanair-
ba gb eing deployed. Thi sisthe cas eifonly
parts which are relativel yeasilyd eforme dare
affected and the deployment threshol disnot
reached .Conversely, airbags may be
deploye devent hough the vehicle suffers only
mino rdeformations .For example, this is the
cas eifv ery rigid vehicle parts such as longi-
tudina lbod ym embers are affected and suf-
ficient deceleration occurs as aresult.
Bel ttensioners, belt forc elim iters The sea
tbelts are fitted with bel ttensioners.
! Do not engage the sea tbeltt ongu einthe
buckle on the front-passenger sea tifthe
sea tisn ot occupied. The bel ttensioners could otherwise be triggered in the event
of an accident.
If the sea tbelti sa lsoe quipped with abelt
force limiter, the force exerted by the seat
bel tont he sea toccupant is reduced.
Bel ttensioners tighten the sea tbelts in an
accident, pulling them close against the body.
i Belttensioners do not correct incorrect
sea tpositions or incorrectl yfastened seat
belts.
Bel ttensioners do not pull occupants back
towards the backrest.
The front bel tforce limiters are synchronised
with the front airbags, which distribute apro-
portion of the deceleration force sexerted on
the occupant ove ragreate rarea.
Whe nthe ignition is switched on, the bel tten-
sioners cannot be triggered unless:
R the restraint systems are operational; see
the 0081 SRS warning lamp.
R the bel ttongu eise ngaged in the buckle on
each lap-shoulder bel tinthe front of the
vehicle.
Depending on the typ eand severity of an
accident, the bel ttensioners may be trig-
gered:
R in the event of ahead-on or rear-end colli-
sio nift he vehicle decelerate soracceler-
ate srapidly in alon gitudinal direction dur-
ing the initia lstages of impact
R in the event of asidei mpact if the vehicle
is subjecte dtohighl atera lacceleration/
deceleration
If the airbags are deployed, yo uwillh eara
bang and asmall amount of powder may also
be released .Only in rar ecases will the bang
affect your hearing .The powder that escapes
doe snot generally constitute ahealth hazard.
The 0081 SRS warning lamp lights up. G
Risk of injury
If the sea tbeltt ensioners have bee ntrig-
gered, they provid enoadditiona lprotection
in the event of another accident. Therefore, 36
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have belt tensionersw
hich have been trig-
gered replaced at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Comply with safety regulations when dispos-
ing 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.
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang and asmall amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that escapes
does not generally constitute ahealth hazard.
The 0081 SRS warning lamp lights up.
The AIRBAG label indicates the location of the
airbags. G
Risk of injury
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, asubstitute for seat belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the risk
of serious or even fatal injury caused by airbag
deployment:
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 possible. The
head restraint must support the back of the
head at about eye level.
R Always secure children less than 1.50 mtall
and 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 airbag
as possible. The driver's seat position must
allow the vehicle to be driven safely. The
driver's chest should be as far away from
the centre of the driver's front airbag cover
as possible. R
Move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible. This is especially important if
you have secured achild in achild restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R Coupé: vehicle occupants —inparticular,
children —must not lean their head into the
area of the window in which the sidebag/
windowbag is deployed.
R Cabriolet: vehicle occupants —inparticular,
children —must not lean their head into the
area of the window in which the sidebag/
headbagisd eployed.
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 disabledifac hild restraint
system with automatic child seat recogni-
tion is fitted to the front-passenger seat*.
The 007F PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warn-
ing lamp must be continuously lit.
If the front-passenger seat of your vehicle
does not have automatic child seat recog-
nition*, or your rearward-facing child
restraint system does not have automatic
child seat recognition, children must be
secured in achild restraint system on a
suitable seat in the rear. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint system to the
front-passenger seat, you must move the
front-passenger seat as far back as possi-
ble.
R Make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objectsinp ockets of clothing.
R Do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover of
the driver's/front-passenger front airbag,
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 allowst he airbag to deploy fully.Y ou
could be injured if the airbag is deployed Occupant safety
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and you are holding th
einside of th esteer-
ing wheel.
R Do no tlean on th edoors/rear sidewalls
from th einside.
R Mak esure that there are no people, ani-
mals or object sbetween th evehicle occu-
pant sand th earea of deploymen tofthe
airbag.
R Do no tplace any object sbetween th eseat
backres tand th edoor.
R Do no thanga ny hard objects, for example,
coat hangers, on th egrab handles or coat
hooks.
R Do no tattach accessories suc hasdrinks
can holders to th edoors/rear sidewalls.
It is no tpossible to rule out arisk of injuries
caused by an airbag due to th ehigh spee dat
whic hthe airbag must deploy. G
Ris
kofi njury
The airbag's functionalit ycan only be assured
if th efollowin gpartsa re no tcovered and no
badges or stickers are attached to them:
R padded steering wheel boss
R knee airbag cover below th esteering col-
umn
R front-passenger fron tairbag cover
R outer side of fron tseat bolsters
R side trim nex ttotherear seat backrest
R Cabriolet :door trim G
Ris
kofi njury
When an airbag deploys, asmall amoun tof
powder is released. The powder may cause
short-term breathin gdifficulties to persons
sufferin gfroma sthma or other pulmonary
conditions.
In orde rtoprevent potential breathin gdiffi-
culties, you shoul dleave th evehicle as soon
as it is safe to do so. You can also open the
window to allow fresh air to enter th evehicle
interior. The powder generally does no tcon- stitut
eahealthhazard and does no tindicate
that there is afireint hevehicle. G
Ris
kofi njury
The airbag part sare hot after th eairbag has
been deployed. Do no ttou ch them as you
coul dburn yourself.
Hav ethe airbag sreplaced at aqualified spe-
cialis tworkshop .Otherwise, occupant sare
no tp rotected by th eairbag sintheeven tof
another accident.
Fron tairbags
The fron tairbag sare designed to increase
protection for th edriver' sand fron tpasseng-
er' sh ead and chest. The driver'
sfront airbag 0046deploys in front
of th esteering wheel; front-passenger front
airbag 0047deploys in fron tofand above the
glov ecompartment. They are deployed:
R at th estart of an acciden twith ahigh rate
of vehicle acceleratio nordeceleratio nina
longitudinal direction
R if th esystem determine sthata irbag
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by th eseat belt
R if th eseat belt is fastened
R independently of other airbag sinthevehi-
cle
R if th evehicle overturns, but only if th esys-
te md etect shigh vehicle deceleratio nina
longitudinal direction
On vehicle swith automatic child seat recog-
nition in th efront-pa ssenger seat*, front- 38
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passenger fron
tairbag 0047is only deployed if
the 007F PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp in the centre console is not lit
(Y page 44). This means that ther eisnot a
child restraint system with automatic child
seat recognition* fitted to the front-
passenger seat or that achild restraint sys-
tem with automatic child seat recognition*
has been fitted to the front-passenger seat
incorrectly.
Driver' sknee airbag
i The driver' skneea irbag is only available
in certain countries.
The driver' skneea irbag can help reduce the
risk of injury to the knees, thighs and lower
legs. Driver's knee airbag
0046is always deployed
along with the driver' sfron tairbag and
deploys underneath the steering column.
Sidebags G
Risk of injury
If you wish to use seat covers, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that ,for safety reasons ,you
only use seat cover sthat have been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The seat cover smust have aspecial tear seam
for sidebags. Otherwise, the sidebags cannot
deploy correctly and would fail to provide the
intended protection in the event of an acci-
dent. G
Risk of injury
Sensors to contro lthe airbags are located in
the doors. Therefore, do not make any modi-
fications to the doors or door trim ,e.g. retro-
fitting loudspeakers. Damage to the doors
can affect operation of the sidebags.
The purpose of sidebag deployment is to
enhance the level of protection for the thorax
(but not the head, nec korarms) of the vehicle
occupants on the side of the vehicle on which
the impact occurs. Example: Coupé
Fron
tsidebags 0046or rear-compartment side-
bags 0047deploy nex ttothe outer seat cush-
ions. They are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an acciden twith ahigh rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion ,e.g. in aside impact
R independently of the seat belt use
R independently of the fron tairbags
R independently of the belt tensioners
Front head airbags (Cabriolet)
The purpose of the head airbags is to enhance
the level of protection for the head (but not
chest or arms) of the vehicle occupants on
the side of the vehicle on which the impact
occurs. Occupant safety
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Hea
dairbags 0046deploy in the are aofthe side
window satthe front. The yare deployed:
R on the sid eonwhich an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with ahighr ate
of latera lvehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in asidei mpact
R independently of the sea tbeltu se
R independently of the front airbags
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
sea tiso ccupied
Windowbags (Coupé)
The purpos eofthe windowbags is to enhance
the level of protection for the hea d(butn ot
chest or arms )ofthe vehicle occupants on
the sid eofthe vehicle on which the impact
occurs.
The windowbags are integrated into the side
of the roof frame. and run from the front door
(A-pillar) to the rea rsidew all( C- pillar). Windowbags
0046are deployed:
R on the sid eonwhich an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with ahighr ate
of latera lvehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in asidei mpact
R independently of the sea tbeltu se
R independently of the front airbags
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
sea tiso ccupied PRE-SAFE
®
system
PRE-SAFE ®
system takes pre-emptiv emeas-
ure stop rotect yo uincertainhazardou ssit-
uations.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes in the event of:
R emergency braking situations, e.g. if Brake
Assis tBAS is activated or Brake Assis tBAS
PLUS* intervenes powerfully
R the radar senso rsystem detecting an
immediate danger of collision in certai nsit-
uations (on vehicles with Distroni cPlus*)
R critica lsituations involving driving dynam-
ics, e.g. if the vehicle oversteer sorunder-
steer ssignificantly du etophysica llim its
being exceeded
PRE-SAFE ®
may take the following measures
in these situations:
R it tensions the front sea tbelts.
R on vehicles with memory functions*: it
adjusts the front-passenger sea tifthis is in
an unfavourable position.
R on vehicles with multicontou rseat*: it
increases the ai rpressur einthe sea tside
cushions and the backrest sid ecushions.
R Coupé: if the vehicle skids, it closes the
panoram asliding sunroof* and the front 40
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Child restraint systems should be fitte
dtothe
rear seats. Children are generall ybette rpro-
tected there.
The entir ebase of th echild restraint system
must always res tontheseat cushion .There-
fore, never plac eobjects, e.g .acushion,
unde rthe child restraint system.
Only use child restraint systems wit hthe orig-
inal cover designe dfor them. Only replace
damaged cover swithg enuine Mercedes-Benz
covers.
We recommen dthe use of child restraint sys-
tems whic hhave been approve dfor
Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
Child seat on th efront-passenger seat Warning notic
eonthefront-passenger's sun visor Warning symbol for
arearward-facing child
restraint system G
Ris
kofi njury
If th efront-pa ssenger fron tairbag is no tdis-
abled:
R ac hild secured in achild restraint system
on th efront-pa ssenger seat could be seri-
ously and eve nfatally injured by th efront-
passenger fron tairbag deploying .This is
especiall yariskift hechild is in th eimme-
diat evicinity of th efront-pa ssenger front
airbag when it deploys.
R ac hild must never be secured on th efront-
passenger seat in arearward-facing child
restraint system. Only secure arearward-
facing child restraint system on asuitable
rear seat.
R always mov ethe front-passenger seat to
th er earmos tpositio nifyou secure achild
in af orward-facing child restraint system
on th efront-pa ssenger seat.
The front-passenger fron tairbag is no tdisa-
bled:
R on vehicle swithout automatic child seat
recognition in th efront-pa ssenger seat *.
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat* ,if
no special child restraint system with auto-
matic child seat recognition has been fitted
to the front-passenger seat.
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat*, if
the 007F PASSENGER AIRBAGO FF warning
lamp is not lit.
To alert you to this danger, acorresponding
warning sticker is located on the dashboard
and 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. Occupant safety
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