Passive Safety83
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering wheel
page 82, fig. 89 - left. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that
the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
•
When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positi on. Never hold the steering wheel firmly
in the 12 o'clock position or in another way (e.g. in the middle of the steering
wheel or at the inner steering wheel edge). In such cases, injuries to the arms,
the hands and the head can occur when the driver airbag is deployed.
•
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the se at belts and of the airbag system - risk
of injury!
•
Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects may get
behind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre. You would then no
longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or accelerate.
Correct seated position for the front passenger
The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from
the dash panel so that the airbag offers him the greatest possible
safety it is deployed.For the safety of the front passenger and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of
an accident, we recommend the following setting:•
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as possible to the rear.
•
Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is at the
same level as the upper part of your head page 82, fig. 89 - right.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly page 87, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front passenger airbag can be deactivated page 95,
“Deactivating an airbag”.
Manual front passenger adjustment page 11, “Adjusting the front seats”.
WARNING
•
The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted to match
the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts must always be
correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your
occupants.
•
The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the dash
panel. Not maintaining this minimum dist ance will mean that the airbag system
will not be able to prop erly protect you - hazard!
•
Keep your feet in the footwell at all times while driving. Never place your feet
on the dash panel, out of the window or on the seats. You will be exposed to
increased risk of injury if it becomes ne cessary to apply the brake or in the event
of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries when
adopting an incorrect seated position!
•
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system - risk
of injury!
Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats
Occupants on the rear seats must sit upright, keep the feet in the
footwell and must have their seat belts correct ly fastened.To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a sudden braking manoeuvre or an acci-
dent, the occupants on the rear seats must observe the following:•
Adjust the head restraints so that the top edge of the head restraints is at the
same level as the upper part of your head page 82, fig. 89 - on the right.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly page 87, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”.
•
If you are transporting page 97, “Transporting children safely” children in the
vehicle, please use a suitable child restraint system.
WARNING
•
The head restraints must always be adju sted to match the body size, in order
to offer an optimal protection for you and your occupants.
•
Keep your feet in the footwell at all times while driving. Never place your feet
out of the window or on the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury
if it becomes necessary to apply the brak e or in the event of an accident. If an
airbag is deployed, you may suffer fata l injuries when adopting an incorrect
seated position!
•
If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is
increased due to incorrect routing of the seat belt.
WARNING (continued)
WARNING (continued)
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Seat belts
86
T h e c o m m o n o p i n i o n t h a t i t i s p o s s i b l e t o s u p p o r t y o u r b o d y i n a m i n o r a c c i d e n t w i t h
your hands, is incorrect. Even in a collision at only a low speed, the forces acting on
the body are such that it is no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed within the range from 30 km/hour to 50 km/hour,
the forces which are produced on your body in the event of an accident can easily
exceed 10.000 N (Newton). This equals a weight of one tonne (1 000 kg).
In the event of a frontal collision, occupa nts of the vehicle not wearing a seat belt,
are thrown forward and strike in an uncont rolled way parts of the interior of the
vehicle, such as steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen, page 85, fig. 91 - left.
The occupants of a vehicle who have not fastened their seat belts may even be
thrown out of the vehicle. This can result in fatal injuries.
It is also important that rear seat occupa nts fasten their seat belts as they will
otherwise be thrown through the vehicle in an uncontrolled manner in the event of
an accident A rear seat pa ssenger who has not fastened the seat belt is a danger
not only to himself but also for those seated at the front page 85, fig. 91 - right.Important safety information regarding the use of seat beltsThe correct use of the seat belts considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•
The belt webbing must not be jammed in -between at any point or twisted,
or chafe against any sharp edges.
•
It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts are
to offer their maximum protection page 87.
•
No two persons (also not children) should ever use a single seat belt
together.
•
The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only achieved if you
are correctly seated page 82, “Correct seated position”.
•
The belt webbing must not run across so lid or fragile objects (e.g. spectacles,
ball-point pens, keys etc.) as th is may be a cause of injuries.
•
Bulky, loose clothing (e.g. a winter coat over a jacket) does not allow you to
be correctly seated and impairs pr oper operation of the seat belts.
•
It is prohibited to use clamps or othe r objects to adjust seat belts (e.g. for
shortening the belts for smaller persons).
•
The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is the correct one
for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to protect and
the risk of injury increases.
•
The seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear
otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness.
•
The belt webbing must always be kept clean. A soiled belt webbing may
impair proper operation of the inertia reel page 126, “Seat belts”.
•
The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked by paper or similar objects
otherwise the belt tongue will not lock in place properly.
•
Inspect the seat belts regularly to ensure they are in good condition. If you
find seat belts which have damage to th e seat belt webbing, seat belt connec-
tions, to the inertia reels or to the lock, t h e r e l e v a n t s a f e t y b e l t m u s t b e r e p l a c e d
by a specialist garage.
•
The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not make an
attempt to repair the seat belts yourself.
•
Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident and
were therefore stretched, must be replaced - this is best done by a specialist
garage. The anchorage points of the belts must also be inspected. The
anchorage points for the belts should also be checked.
•
In certain countries it is possible to use seat belts which differ in terms of
their operation from the seat belts wh ich are described on the pages which
follow.WARNING (continued)
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Airbag system
90
The airbags are not deployed in the case of minor frontal and side collisions, in the
case of rear-end collisions and vehicle rollover.
Deployment factors
It is not possible to state globally which deployment conditions apply to the airbag
system in every situation as the circumstances which exist in the case of accidents
vary greatly. An important role in this case is played by factors such as the type of
object against which the vehicle impacts (hard, soft), the angle of impact, the rela-
tive speed during the accident etc.
A decisive factor for the deployment of th e airbags is the deceleration which occurs
during a collision. The control unit analyses the nature of the collision and activates
the relevant restraint system. If the vehicle deceleration which occurs and is meas-
ured during the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in
the control unit, the airbags are not deployed although the vehicle may well suffer
severe damage to the bodywork as a consequence of the accident.
The airbags are not deployed if:•
ignition off,
•
a minor frontal collision,
•
a minor side collision,
•
a rear-end collision,
•
Rollover of the vehicle.Note
•
A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is
perfectly normal and is not an indi cation of a fire in the vehicle.
•
In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed:
−The interior lighting comes on (if the switch for the interior light is in the door
contact position),
− The hazard warning light is switched on,
− All the doors are unlocked,
− the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.
Front airbagsDescription of the front airbags
The airbag system is not a substitute for the seat belt!Fig. 95 Driver airbag in the steering wheel /front passenger airbag in the dash panelThe front airbag for the driver is housed in the steering wheel fig. 95 - left. The
front airbag for the front passenger* is housed in the dash panel above the storage
compartment fig. 95 - right. The installation positions are each marked with the
“AIRBAG” logo.
The front airbag system is complementary to the three-point seat belts and offers
additional protection for the head and chest area of the driver and passenger in the
event of a frontal collision. page 91
The airbag is not a substitute for the seat belt, but is part of the complete passive
vehicle safety concept. Please note that an airbag can only offer you optimal
protection in combination with a seat belt which is fastened .
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belts i s t o a l s o
hold the driver and front passenger in a co rrect seated position in the event of a
frontal collision so as to enable the fron t airbags to offer the maximum protection.
You should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required
by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection page 85, “Why
seat belts?”.
Note
The dash panel must be replaced after the front passenger airbag has been
deployed.
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Airbag system91
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Function of the front airbags
Risk of injury to the head and ches t area is reduced by fully inflated
airbags.The airbag system is designed in such a way that the driver and the front passenger
airbag* are deployed in the event of a frontal collision of major severity.
In certain accident situations, the front, si de and head airbag are deployed together.
If the airbags are deployed, the airbags are filled with a propellant gas and inflated
in front of the driver and front passenger fig. 96 . The airbags infl ate in fractions
of a second and at a high speed in order to be able to offer that additional protection
in the event of an accident. The forward movement of the driver and of the front
passenger is cushioned when they make contact with the fully inflated airbag and
the risk of injury to head and chest is thus reduced.
The specially developed airbag allows the gas to flow out of the inflated airbag in a
co ntr o ll ed m a nn er ( d ep e nd i ng o n th e lo a d o f th e p a rt ic ula r c a r o c cu pa n t) i n o r d e r t o
cushion head and chest areas. The airbag then deflates subsequently to such an
extent, after an accident, to again provide a clear view forward.
A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly
normal and is not an indicati on of a fire in the vehicle.
The airbag develops enormous forces when triggered, which can lead to injuries if
the sitting position or seat ed position is not correct page 91.
Important safety information regarding the front airbag system
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•
Never transport children on the front seat of a vehicle without using a proper
restraint system. If airbags are deployed in the event of an accident, the child
might suffer severe or even fatal injuries!
•
For the driver and front passenger it is important to maintain a distance of at
least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel fig. 97 . Not maintaining this
minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly
protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints must always also
be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
•
It is essential to always switch off the front passenger airbag when
attaching a child safety seat on the fr ont passenger seat where the child is
seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some countries also when
the child is facing the direction of travel) page 95, “Deactivating an airbag”. If
this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries
if the front passenger airbag is deployed . The national legal provisions in certain
countries require that both the front, side and head airbags be deactivated.
When transporting a child on the front pa ssenger seat, please comply with the
appropriate national legal pr ovisions regarding the use of child safety seats.
•
There must not by any further person s, animals or objects positioned
between the front seated occupants and the deployment area of the airbag.
•
The steering wheel and the surface of the airbag module in the dash panel
on the passenger side must not be stuck onto, covered or modified in any other
way. These parts should only be cleane d with a dry cloth or a cloth moistened
with water. No objects such as cup hold ers, mobile phone mounts, etc. may be
Fig. 96 Deployed front airbags
Fig. 97 Safe distance to steering wheel
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Airbag system
92
a t t a c h e d t o t h e c o v e r s o f t h e a i r b a g m o d u l e s o r b e l o c a t e d w i t h i n t h e i m m e d i a t e
area.•
No modifications of any kind may be ma de to parts of the airbag system. Any
work on the airbag system including installing and removing system compo-
nents because of other repair work (e.g. removing the steering wheel) must only
be carried out by a specialist garage.
•
Never carry out changes on the front bumper or on the body.
•
Never place any objects on the surface of the front passenger airbag module
in the dash panel.
side airbags*Description of the side airbags
The side airbag together with the head airbag offers enhanced
occupant protection in the event of a side collision.The front side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the
front seats fig. 98 .
The side airbag system in combination with the three-point seat belts, offers addi-
tional protection for the upper area of th e body (chest, stomach and pelvis) of the
occupants of the vehicle in the event of severe side collisions page 93.
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belts is to also
hold the occupants of the front or rear exterior seats in position so as to enable the
side airbag to offer the maximum protection in the event of a side collision. You should therefore always fasten the seat
belts, not only because this is required
by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection.
Each time the side airbags are deployed , the head airbag* and the front belt
tensioner on the side of the car on whic h the collision occurs, are automatically
deployed at the same time in order to provide the occupant with enhanced
protection.
Function of the side airbags
Risk of injury to the upper part of the body is reduced by fully inflated
side airbags.When the side airbags are deployed, the head airbag* and the belt tensioner are
also automatically deployed on the relevant side fig. 99 .
If an airbag is deployed, the airbag is fille d with gas. The airbags inflate in fractions
of a second and at a high speed in order to be able to offer that additional protection
in the event of an accident.
A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly
normal and is not an indication of a fire in the vehicle.
The load of the occupants is cushioned when plunging into the fully inflated airbag
and the risk of injury to the entire upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) is reduced
on the side facing the door.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 98 Installation position of side
airbag in driver seat
Fig. 99 Inflated side airbag
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Airbag system95
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Important safety information on the head airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING
•
It is essential to always switch off the front passenger airbag when
attaching a child safety seat on the fr ont passenger seat where the child is
seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some countries also when
the child is facing the direction of travel) page 95, “Deactivating an airbag”. If
this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries
if the front passenger airbag is deployed . The national legal provisions in certain
countries require that both the front, side and head airbags be deactivated.
When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the
appropriate national legal provisions re garding the use of child safety seats.
•
There must not be any objects in the deployment area of the head airbags
which might prevent the airbags from inflating properly.
•
Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never
leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of clothing.
In addition, it is not permitted to us e clothes hangers for hanging up items of
clothing.
•
The airbag control unit operates to gether with the sensors, which are
attached in the front doors. For this reason no modifications must be carried out
at the doors as well as at the door panels (for example additional installation of
loudspeakers). Resulting damages can hav e a negative affect on the operation
of the airbag system. All work on the front doors and their panels must only be
carried out by a specialist garage.
•
There must not be any other persons (e.g. children) or animals between the
sitting occupant and the deployment area of the head airbag. In addition, none
of the occupants should lean their head out of the window when driving, or
extend their arms and hands out of the window.
•
The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy-
ment area of the head airbags if any ob jects, such as ball-point pens etc. are
attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head
airbag is deployed.
•
Installing impermissible accessories in the area of the head airbags may
considerably impair the protection offered by the head airbag in the event of it
being deployed. When the deployed head airbag is inflated, parts of the acces-
sories fitted may in certain circumstances be thrown into the interior of the car
and cause injuries to the occupants page 146, “Accessories, changing and
replacing parts”.
•
Any work on the head airbag system including installing and removing
system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing headliner) must
only be carried out by a specialist garage.
Deactivating an airbagDeactivating airbags
If any airbags have been deactivate d, switch them on again as soon
as possible so that they are able to again provide their proper
protection.There is the technical means installed within your vehicle to switch off the front,
side* or head airbag* (take out of commission).
This is why you should have the deacti vation of the airbags carried out by a
specialist garage.
On vehicles equipped with the switch for deactivation of the airbags, you can deac-
tivate the front passenger airbag by means of this switch page 96.
Deactivation of airbags is envisaged only for particular instances, such as if:•
you must in exceptional cases use a child seat on the front passenger seat
where the child has its back to the direction of travel of the vehicle (in some coun-
tries this must be in the direction of trav el due to other legal regulations applying)
page 97, “Important safety information regarding the use of child safety seats”,
•
you are not able to maintain the distance of at least 25 cm between middle of
steering wheel and chest, despite the driver seat being correctly adjusted,
•
special attachments are required in the area of the steering wheel because of a
physical disability,
•
you have installed other seats (e.g. orthopaedic seats without side airbags).
Monitoring the airbag system
The functionality of the airbag system is also monitored electronically when one
airbag has been switched off.
If the airbag was switched o ff using diagnostic equipment:
•
The warning light for the airbag system lights up for 4 seconds after switching
on the ignition and then flashes for 12 seconds afterwards in 2 second intervals.WARNING (continued)
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Intelligent Technology105
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
Driving TipsIntelligent TechnologyElectronic stability programme (ESP)*GeneralThe ESP aids you in maintaining control of your vehicle in situations in which the
vehicle is driving at its dynamic limits, such as entering a curve fast. The risk of skid-
ding is reduced and your vehicle thus offers greater driving stability depending on
the conditions of the road surface. The system operates at all speeds.
The following systems are integrated into the electronic stability programme:•
Electronic Differential Lock (EDL),
•
Traction control system (TCS),
•
active driver-steering recommendation (DSR),
•
Antilock brake system (ABS),
•
Brake Assist,
•
Uphill-Start off-Assist.
The ESP system cannot be switched off, only the TCS system can be switched off by
pressing the button fig. 111 , the warning light
lights up.
Operating principle
The ESP switches on automatically when th e engine is started and then conducts a
self-test. The ESP control unit processes data from the individual systems. It also
processes additional measurement data which are supplied by highly sensitive sensors: the rotational velocity of the ve
hicle about its vertical axis, the lateral
acceleration of the vehicle, the braking pressure and the steering angle.
The direction which the driver wishes to take is determined based on the steering
angle and the speed of the vehicle and is constantly compared with the actual
behaviour of the vehicle. If differences exist, such as the vehicle beginning to skid,
the ESP will automatically brake the appropriate wheel.
The car is stabilised again by the forces which take effect when the wheel is braked.
Intervention into the brake system takes pl ace primarily on the outer front wheel of
a vehicle which tends to oversteer (tendency for the rear of the vehicle to break
away) while occurs this is on the inner re ar wheel of a vehicle which tends to under-
steer (tendency to shift out of the curve). This braking control cycle is accompanied
by noises.
During an intervention of the system, the warning light
flashes quickly in the
instrument cluster page 25.
The ESP operates in combination with the ABS page 108, “Antilock brake system
(ABS)”. If there is a fault in the ABS system, the ESP also does not operate.
The ESP warning light lights up in the instrument cluster when there is a fault on
the ESP
page 25.
WARNING
It is also not possible for the ESP to over come the physical limits of the vehicle.
Even if a vehicle fitted with ESP you sh ould still always adapt your style of
driving to the condition of the road surfac e and the traffic situation. This partic-
ularly applies when driving on slippery and wet roads. The increased safety
offered must not tempt you to take greate r risks than otherwise - risk of an acci-
dent!
Note
•
All four wheels must be fitted with the same tyres in order to achieve problem-
free operation of the ESP. Differing rolling circumferences of the tyres can lead to
an undesirable reduction in the engine output.
Fig. 111 ESP switch
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Intelligent Technology
106
•
Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or another combi-
nation of tyres and wheels) can influence the function of the ESP page 146,
“Accessories, changing and replacing parts”.
Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)*
The electronic differential lock prevents an individual wheel from
slipping.Models fitted with ESP are equipped with electronic differential lock (EDL).
General
The EDL makes it much easier, and sometimes at all possible, to start off, accelerate
and climb a steep hill when the conditions of the road surface are unfavourable.
Operating principle
The EDL is activated automatically, that is without any action on the part of the
driver. It monitors the speeds of the driven wheels with the aid of the ABS sensors.
Should only one drive wheel begin spinning on a slippery surface there will be an
appreciable difference in the speed of the driven wheels. The EDL function brakes
the slipping wheel and the differential transmits a greater driving force to the other
driven wheel. This control process is also accompanied by noises.
Overheating of the brakes
The EDL switches off automatically if unusually severe stresses exist in order to
avoid excessive heat genera tion in the disc brake on the wheel which is being
braked. The vehicle can continue to be driven and has the same characteristics as a
vehicle not fitted with EDL.
The EDL switches on again automatically as soon as the brake has cooled down.
WARNING
•
Carefully depress the accelerator when accelerating on uniformly slippery
road surfaces, such as ice and snow. The driven wheels might still spin despite
the EDL and affect the stability of the vehicle - risk of an accident!
•
You should always adapt your style of dr iving to the condition of road surface
and to the traffic situation even when your vehicle is fitted with EDL. The
increased safety offered must not temp t you to take greater risks than other-
wise - risk of an accident!
Note
•
If the ABS or ESP warning light comes on, this may also indicate a fault in the
EDL. Please have the vehicle inspected as soon as possible by a specialist garage.
•
Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or another combi-
nation of tyres and wheels) can in fluence the function of the EDL page 146,
“Accessories, changing and replacing parts”.
Traction control system (TCS)
The traction control system prevents the driven wheels from spin-
ning when accelerating.General
The TCS makes it much easier, and sometimes at all possible, to start off, accelerate
and climb a steep hill when the conditions of the road surface are unfavourable.
Operating principle
The TCS switches on automatically when the engine is started and then conducts a
self-test. The system monitors the speeds of the driven wheels with the aid of the
ABS sensors. If the wheels are spinning, th e force transmitted to the road surface is
automatically adapted by reducing the engi ne speed. The system operates at all
speeds.
The TCS operates in combination with the ABS page 108, “Antilock brake system
(ABS)”. The TCS will not function if a fault exists in the ABS system.
The TCS warning light lights up in the instrument cluster when there is a fault on
the TCS
page 25.
During an intervention of th e system, the TCS warning light
flashes in the instru-
ment cluster page 25.
Fig. 112 TCS switch
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