2011 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS COUPE warning light

Cockpit
Function Page
:
Automatic transmission:
steering wheel gearshift
paddles
148
;
Cruise control lever 162
=
Instrument cluster (4-but-
to
ns teering wheel) 207
Instrument cluster (12-but-
ton steering wheel)
211
?
Horn
A
PARKTRONIC warning dis-
play
179
B
Overhead control panel 41
C
Climate control systems 122
D
Ignitio
nlock 137
Start/Stop button 137
E
Adjusts the steering wheel
manually
101
F
Adjusts the steering wheel
electrically
101
G
Combination switch 110
H
Parking brake
159 Function Page
I
On-board diagnostics con-
nection
J
Opens the bonnet 301
K
Releases the parking brake 159
L
Light switch 108
M
Headlamp range adjust-
ment
11030
CockpitAt a glance

Centre console
Function Page
:
Audio system/COMAND
Online; see separate oper-
ating instructions
;
c
Seat heating 100
=
s
Seat ventilation 100
?
c
PARKTRONIC 179
A
¤
ECO start/stop but-
ton 140
B
£
Hazard warning
lamps 111
C
4
PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp 57
D
M
Dynamic driving
package with sports mode 176
å
AMG vehicles: ESP ® 69 Function Page
E
&
Auxiliary heating 128
F
Stowage compartment 284
Ashtray 290
Cigarette lighter 291
Power socket 291
G
Gear lever 144
Selector lever 146
H
Stowage compartment 284
Cup holder 289
I
Stowage compartment 284
J
Audio/COMAND controller
K
Selects the drive program 14740
Centre consoleAt a glance

G
WARNING
Modifications to or work performed incor-
rectly on the following parts can result in the
restraint systems not functioning as intended:
R the restraint system, consisting of seat
belts and their anchorage points, beltt en-
sioners, belt force limiters and airbags
R the wiring
R networked electronic systems
Airbags and belt tensioners could fail to
deploy or be triggered in an acciden tdespite
the deceleration force being sufficien tto trig-
ger the systems, or could be triggered unin-
tentionally. For this reason, never make any
modifications to the restraint systems.
Therefore, you must not tamper with elec-
tronic components or their software. SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
Introduction SRS consists of:
R
the 6 SRS warning lamp
R airbags
R airbag control unit (with crash sensors)
R belt tensioners
R belt force limiters
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
effect of the forces to which occupants are
subjected during an accident.
SRS warning lamp SRS functions are checked regularly when
you switch on the ignition and when the
engine is running. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The 6 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than a few seconds
after the engine is started. G
WARNING
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be activated unintentionally or may not
be triggered in the event of an accident with
a high rate of vehicle deceleration.
A malfunction has occurred if:
R the 6 SRS warning lamp does not light
up when the ignition is switched on.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp does not go out after a few
seconds.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp lights up again.
In this case, have SRS checked immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop. Mercedes-
Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre for this purpose.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on
safety-related systems must be carried out at
a qualified specialist workshop.
Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiters and airbags During the first stage of a collision, the airbag
control unit evaluates important physical
data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as:
R
duration
R direction
R magnitude
Based on the evaluation of this data, the air-
bag control unit pre-emptively triggers the
belt tensioners in the first stage.
i The front belt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the seat belt tongues on the front
seats are correctly engaged in the seat belt
buckles.
If there is an even higher rate of vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration in a longitudinal direc-
tion, the front airbags are also deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air-
bags. The airbag control unit evaluates vehi-
cle deceleration or acceleration in the event Occupant safety
45Safety Z

of a collision. In the first deployment stage,
the front airbag is filled with enough propel-
lant gas to reduce the risk of injuries. The
front airbag is fully deployed if a second
deployment threshold is exceeded within a
few milliseconds.
The belt tensioner and airbag triggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the
rate of deceleration or acceleration of the
vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in nature.
The triggering process must take place in
good time at the start of the collision.
i Airbags are not deployed in all types of
accidents. Also, not all airbags are
deployed together in an accident .The dif-
ferent airbag systems work independently
of each other.
How the airbag system works is deter-
mined by the severity of the collision detec-
ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
R head-on collision
R side impact
R rear impact
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen-
tially determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle
R the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of airbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e.g. the bonnet or the wing, without an airbag
being deployed. This is the case if only parts
which are relatively easily deformed are affec- ted and the rate of deceleration is not high.
Conversely, airbags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor defor-
mation. This is the case if, for example, very
rigid vehicle parts such as longitudinal body
members are hit, and sufficient deceleration
occurs as a result.
Airbags
Important safety notes Airbag deployment slows down and restricts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang and a small amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is
released generally does not constitute a
health hazard. The 6SRS warning lamp
lights up.
The airbag installation locations are identified
by the AIRBAG symbol. G
WARNING
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute 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 childre nless than 1.50mt all
and unde r12years of age in suitable child
restraint systems.
R all vehicle occupants must select a seat
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 46
Occupant safetySafety

Windowbags
:are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in a side impact
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of seat belt use
R independently of the fron tairbags PRE-SAFE
®
(preventative occupant
protection)
PRE-SAFE ®
takes pre-emptive measure sto
protect occupants in certain hazardous sit-
uations.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes:
R in emergency braking situations, e.g. if BAS
is activated or for vehicles with DISTRONIC
PLUS, BAS PLUS intervenes powerfully
R if the radar senso rsystem detects an immi-
nent danger of collision in certain situa-
tions (on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS)
R in critical driving situations, e.g. when phys-
ical limits are exceed and the vehicle under-
steers or oversteers severely PRE-SAFE
®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detec-
ted:
R the fron tseat belts are pre-tensioned.
R vehicles with the memory function :it
adjusts the front-passenger seat if it is in
an unfavourable position.
R if the vehicle skids, the panorama sliding
sunroo fand the side windows are closed so
tha tonly a small gap remains.
If the hazardous situatio npasses without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pretensioning .All settings made by
PRE-SAFE ®
can then be reversed.
If the seat belts are not released:
X Move the backrest or seat back slightly, but
only when the vehicle is stationary.
The belt pretensioning is reduced and the
locking mechanis mis released. G
WARNING
When adjusting the seat, make sure that
nobody can become trapped.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when moving
the seat back. There is a risk that the seats
and/or the objects could be damaged.
More information abouts eat-belt adjust-
ment ,aconvenience function integrated into
PRE-SAFE ®
, can be found in the "Seat-belt
adjustment" section (Y page 53). NECK-PRO head restraints
The NECK-PRO head restraints increase pro-
tection to the driver's and front passenger's
head and neck.T o this end, the NECK-PRO
head restraints on the driver's and front-
passenger seats are moved forwards and
upwards in the event of a rear-end collision of
a certain severity. This provides better head
support. 50
Occupant safetySafety

The shoulder belt section must be routed
across the centre of your shoulder – on no
account across your neck or under your
arm
–and pulled tight against your upper
body .The lap belt must always pass across
your lap as low down as possible, i.e. over
your hip joints –not across your abdomen.
If necessary, push down the belt strap
slightly and then retighten it in the roll-up
direction.
R Do not route the belt strap across sharp
edges or fragile objects, especially if these
are located on or in your clothing, e.g. spec-
tacles, pens, keys, etc. The seat belt strap
could be damaged and tear in an accident,
and you or other vehicle occupants could
be injured.
R Only one person should use each seat belt
at any one time. Children must never travel
sitting on the lap of other occupants. It
would not be possible to restrain the child
in the event of a sudden change in direc-
tion, braking or an accident .This could
result in severe or even fatal injuries to the
child and other occupants.
R Persons less than 1.50 m tall cannot wear
the seat belts correctly. For this reason,
secure persons less than 1.50 mtall in spe-
cially designed, suitable restraint systems.
R Children less than 1.50 m tall or under 12
years of age canno twear the seat belts
properly. Therefore, they should always be
secured in a suitable child restraint system
on a suitable vehicle seat. You can find
more information under "Children in the
vehicle" in the "Safety" section of the Own-
er's Manual. Follow the manufacturer's
installation instructions when fitting a child
restraint system.
R Do not secure any objects with a seat belt
if the seat belt is also being used by one of
the vehicle's occupants. G
WARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level
of protection unless the backrest is almost vertical. Under certain circumstances, this
could cause severe or even fatal injuries in the
event of an accident.
Before starting a journey, make sure that the
seat is properly adjusted and that the back-
rest is almost vertical.
G
WARNING
Ad irty or damaged seat belt or a seat belt that
has been subjected to a load in an accident
or which has been modified no longer offers
the intended level of protection. Under certain
circumstances, this could cause severe or
even fatal injuries in the even tofanaccident.
For this reason, check regularly that the seat
belts are not damaged or dirty.
Always have damaged sea tbelts or seat belts
that have been subjected to a load in an acci-
dent replaced at a qualified specialist work-
shop. Consult a qualified specialist workshop
which has the necessary specialist knowledge
and tools to carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this pur-
pose.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use seat belts which have
been approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle. 52
Occupant safetySafety

Belt warning for driver and front
passenger The
7 seatbelt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder for all occupants
to fasten their seat belts. It may light up con-
tinuously or flash. In addition, there may be a
warning tone.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases when the driver and
the fron tpassenger have fastened their seat
belt.
For certain countries only: regardless of
whether the driver or th efront passenger
have fastened their seat belts, the 7seat
beltw arning lamp lights up for six seconds
after the engine is started. It then goes out if
the driver and the fron tpassenger have fas-
tened their seat belts.
i For more information on the 7seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrumen tcluster, seat
belt" (Y page 273).
Rear seat belt status indicator The rear-compartmen
tseat belt status indi-
cator tells you if the rear passengers have
their seat belts fastened.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator indicates the rear seat on which the belt
is fastened. The üsymbol in the display
indicates a fastened seat belt. If a seat belt is
not fastened or if a seat is not occupied, the
ý symbol is displayed.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator appears in the multifunction display for
around 30 seconds if:
R you drive off and reach a speed of approx-
imately 10 km/h.
R the rear passengers fasten or unfasten
their seat belts while the vehicle is in
motion.
R someone gets in or out of the vehicle and
the vehicle drives off again. You can also cancel the rear seat belt status
indicator immediately (Y
page 232).
i The status indicator for the rear-compart-
ment seat belts is only available for certain
countries.
Belt tensioners, belt force limiters The seat belts are fitted with belt tensioners.
The belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in
an accident, pulling them close against the
body.
Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull vehicle occupants
back towards the backrest.
If the seat belt is also fitted with a belt force
limiter and this is triggered, the force exerted
by the seat belt on the vehicle occupan
tis
reduced.
The belt force limiters on the front seats are
synchronised with the front airbags. They
take on a part of the deceleration force,
resulting in the force exerted on the occupant
being distributed over a greater area.
The beltt ensioners can only be activated
when:
R the ignition is switched on.
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" (Y page 45).
R the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
each of the three-poin tseat belts in the
front.
The belt tensioners on the seats in the rear
compartment are triggered independently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The belt tensioners are triggered depending
on the type and severity of an accident:
R if, in the event of a head-on or rear-end col-
lision, the vehicle decelerates or acceler-
ates rapidly in a longitudinal direction dur-
ing the initial stages of the impact
R if, in the event of a side impact, on the side
opposite the impact the vehicle deceler- 54
Occupant safetySafety

ates or accelerates rapidly in a lateral direc-
tion
When the belt tensioners are triggered, you
will hear a bang and a small amoun tofpowder
may also be released. Only in rare cases will
the bang affect your hearing. The powder that
is released generally does not constitute a
health hazard. The 6SRS warning lamp
lights up. G
WARNING
If the seat belt tensioners have been trig-
gered, they provide no additional protection
in the event of another accident. Therefore,
have belt tensioners which have been trig-
gered replaced at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Comply with safety regulations when dispos-
ing of belt tensioners. Any Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre can provide details of these
regulations.
! If the front-passenger seat is not occu-
pied, do not engage the seat belt tongue in
the buckle on the front-passenger seat.
Otherwise, the belt tensioner could be trig-
gered in the event of an accident. Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes G
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal
injury to the child in the event of a sudden
change in direction, braking or an accident:
R children less than 1.50 m tall and under
twelve years of age must always be secured
in special child restraint systems on a suit-
able vehicle seat. This is necessary
because the seat belts are not designed for
children.
R do not secure children less than 1.50 mtall
or under twelve years of age on the front-
passenger seat .Exception: the vehicle is equipped with automatic child sea
trecog-
nition on the front-passenger seat and the
child is secured in a child restraint system
with transponders for automatic child seat
recognition.
R 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 possible.
R children must never travel sitting on the lap
of another occupant. Due to the forces
which occur in the event of a sudden
change of direction, heavy braking or an
accident, it would not be possible to
restrain the child. The child could be thrown
against parts of the vehicle interior and be
seriously or even fatally injured. G
WARNING
The child restraint system cannot perform its
protective function if it is not correctly fitted
to a suitable vehicle seat. The child cannot be
restrained in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or sudden changes of direction. The
child could be seriously or even fatally injured.
For this reason, when fitting a child restraint
system, observe the manufacturer's installa-
tion instructions and the correct use of the
child restraint system.
Child restraint systems should be fitted to the
rear seats. Children are generally better pro-
tected there.
The entire base of the child restraint system
must always rest on the seat cushion. There-
fore, never place objects, e.g. a cushion,
under the child restraint system.
Only use child restraint systems with the orig-
inal cover designed for them. Only replace
damaged covers with genuine Mercedes-Benz
covers.
We recommend the use of child restraint sys-
tems which have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
If a child is travelling in your vehicle, secure
the child using a child restraint system which Children in the vehicle
55Safety Z