2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK ECU

ates or accelerates rapidly in a lateral direc-
tion
R in certain situations where the vehicle over-
turns and the system determines that it can
provide additional protection
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.
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 occupant is
reduced.
The belt force limiters on the front seats are
synchronised with the front airbags, which
take on a part of the deceleration force. This
results in the load being distributed over a
greater area. 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 drive with a child secured in a rear-
ward-facing child restraint system on the
front-passenger seat. Exception: if the vehi-
cle is equipped with automatic child seat
recognition 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 berestrained 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. G
WARNING
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. They could injure them-
selves on parts of the vehicle. They could also
be seriously or even fatally injured by pro-
longed exposure to extreme heat or cold. 50
Children in the vehicleSafety

Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Parts of the child restraint sys- tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/himself on them.
If a child opens a door, the child or other per-
sons could be injured as a result. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
a passing vehicle.
Observe the general notes on the HOLD func- tion, which can be found under the same key-word. G
WARNING
Unsecured or incorrectly positioned loads
increase the risk of injury for children and all
other occupants in the event of:
R an accident
R sudden braking
R a sudden change of direction
Do not transport heavy or hard objects in the
vehicle interior unless they are secured. You
will find further information under "Loading
guidelines" in the index.
If a child is travelling in your vehicle, secure
the child using a child restraint system which is appropriate to the size, age and weight of
the child. You should preferably fit the
restraint system to a suitable rear seat. Make
sure that the child is secured for the trip.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use
the listed child restraint systems
(Y page 58). You can obtain further infor-
mation about the correct child restraint sys-
tem from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
i It is advisable to use Mercedes-Benz care
products to clean child restraint systems.
You can obtain information about this at
any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat G
WARNING
If the front-passenger airbag is not disabled:
R a child secured in a child restraint system
on the front-passenger seat could be seri-
ously and even fatally injured by the front-
passenger airbag deploying. This is espe-
cially a risk if the child is in the immediate
vicinity of the front-passenger airbag when
it deploys.
R never secure a child on the front-passenger
seat in a rearward-facing child restraint sys- tem. Only secure a rearward-facing child
restraint system on a suitable rear seat.
R always move the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secure a child
in a forward-facing child restraint system
on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger airbag is not disabled:
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat
R in vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition in the front-passenger seat, if no
special child restraint system with trans-
ponders for automatic child seat recogni-
tion in the front-passenger seat has been
fitted
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat, if the
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
4 is not lit.
To make you aware of this danger, a corre-
sponding warning sticker has been affixed 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. Children in the vehicle
51Safety Z

If the front-passenger seat of your vehicle
does not have automatic child seat recogni-
tion, this is indicated by a special sticker. The sticker is affixed to the side of the dashboard
on the front-passenger side. The sticker is
visible when you open the front-passenger
door.
Vehicles without automatic child seat recog-
nition on the front-passenger seat: if you turn
the key to position 2 in the ignition lock, the
45 indicator lamp lights up briefly but
has no function. It does not indicate that there is automatic child seat recognition on the
front-passenger seat. The sensor system for child restraint systems
in the front-passenger seat detects whether a special Mercedes-Benz child seat with a
transponder for automatic child seat recog-
nition has been fitted. In this case, 45
indicator lamp :lights up. The front-
passenger front airbag is disabled. i
If the front-passenger front airbag is dis-
abled by the automatic child seat recogni-
tion, the following remain enabled on the
front-passenger side:
R the sidebag
R the windowbag
R the belt tensioner
ISOFIX child seat securing system for
the rear seats G
WARNING
A child restraint system secured by the ISOFIX child seat securing system does not provide
sufficient protection for children weighing
more than 22 kg. For this reason, do not
secure children weighing more than 22 kg in achild restraint system secured by the ISOFIX
child seat securing system. If the child weighsmore than 22 kg, secure the child restraint
system with the vehicle seat belt as well. In
addition, when fitting a child restraint system, be sure to observe the manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions and the instructions for
correct use of the child restraint system. 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 berestrained 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, be sure to observe the manufactur-
er's installation instructions and the instruc-
tions for correct use of the child restraint sys-
tem.
For safety reasons, when installing child
restraint systems on the rear seats, only use
child restraint systems with the ISOFIX child
seat securing system, which are specially tes- ted and approved for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles.
An incorrectly fitted child restraint system
could come loose and seriously or even fatally Children in the vehicle
53Safety
Z

injure the child or other vehicle occupants.
When fitting the child restraint system, always make sure that it is engaged correctly in the
securing rings on both sides. G
WARNING
Please note that if child restraint systems, or
their retaining systems, are damaged or sub-
jected to a load in an accident, they may not
be able to provide their protective function.
This could result in serious or even fatal inju-
ries to the secured child in the event of an
accident, heavy braking or a sudden change in direction.
For this reason, have child restraint systems
and their anchorages which have been dam-
aged or subjected to a load in an accident
checked immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop.
! When fitting the ISOFIX child restraint
system, make sure that the seat belt for the centre seat does not get trapped. Other-
wise, the seat belt could be damaged. X
Install the ISOFIX child restraint system.
Comply with the manufacturer's instruc-
tions when installing the ISOFIX child
restraint system.
ISOFIX is a standardised securing system for specially designed child restraint systems on
the rear seats. Securing rings :for two ISO-
FIX child restraint systems are fitted on the
left and right of the rear seats. Top Tether Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Make sure that the rear seat backrest is fully
locked. When the red lock verification indica- tors on the left and right are no longer visible,
the rear seat backrests are locked. If the rear
seat backrests are not locked, occupants
could be injured in the event of an accident,
e.g. by objects that are thrown forward from
the luggage compartment. Top Tether provides an additional connection
between the ISOFIX child restraint system
secured with ISOFIX and the rear seat. It
helps reduce the risk of injury even further.
The Top Tether anchorage points are fitted on
the rear side of the rear seat backrests.
X Vehicles with adjustable head
restraints: move the head restraint
upwards.
X Route Top Tether belt =under the head
restraint between the two head restraint
bars. 54
Children in the vehicleSafety

Weight
catego-
ries Size cate-
gory Manufac-
turer Type Approval
number
(E1 ...) Order
number 6 Auto-
matic
child seat
recogni-
tion D – – – – –
C – – – – –
Group I:
9to 18 kg
D – – – – –
C – – – – –
B – – – – –
B1 Britax
Römer DUO PLUS 04 301133 A000 970
11 00 Yes
A000 970
16 00 No
A – – – – –
Child-proof locks
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Activate the child-proof locks for the rear
doors and the override switch for the rear
windows when children are travelling in the
vehicle. Otherwise, the children could open
doors or side windows while the vehicle is in
motion and injure themselves or others. G
WARNING
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. They could injure them-
selves on parts of the vehicle. They could also
be seriously or even fatally injured by pro-
longed exposure to extreme heat or cold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Parts of the child restraint sys- tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/himself on them. If a child opens a door, the child or other per-
sons could be injured as a result. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
a passing vehicle.
Observe the general notes on the HOLD func-
tion, which can be found under the same key- word.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors You can secure each door individually with
the child-proof locks on the rear doors. A door
secured with a child-proof lock cannot be
6 Colour code 9H95. 60
Children in the vehicleSafety

alarm system is triggered if the door is
opened from the inside. Switch off the alarm
(Y page 69). Unlocking and opening the doors
from the inside
X
Pull door handle ;.
If the door is locked, locking knob :pops
up. The door is unlocked and can be
opened.
For all countries except the United King-
dom:
You can open a door from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked.
If the vehicle has previously been locked with
the key, opening a door from the inside will
trigger the anti-theft alarm system. Switch off
the alarm (Y page 69).
You can only open the rear doors from inside the vehicle if they are not secured by the
child-proof locks (Y page 60).
Only for the United Kingdom: if the vehicle
has been locked with the key, the double lock
function is activated as standard. It is then not
possible to open the doors from inside the
vehicle. Deactivate the interior motion sensor (Y page 70) before you lock the vehicle with
the key. The doors can then be opened from
the inside after the vehicle has been locked
from the outside. The anti-theft alarm system
is triggered if the door is opened from the
inside. Switch off the alarm (Y page 69). Centrally locking and unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the inside. This can be useful if you wish to lock the vehicle before pulling away, for
example. X
To unlock: press button :.
X To lock: press button ;.
If all the doors and the tailgate are closed,
the vehicle locks.
This does not lock or unlock the fuel filler flap. You cannot unlock the vehicle centrally from
the inside if the vehicle has been locked with
the key.
For all countries except the United King-
dom: you can open a door from inside the
vehicle even if it has been locked.
If the vehicle has previously been locked with the key, opening a door from the inside will
trigger the anti-theft alarm system. Switch off
the alarm (Y page 69).
Only for the United Kingdom: if the vehicle
has been locked with the key, the double lock
function is activated as standard. It is then not
possible to open the doors from inside the
vehicle. Deactivate the interior motion sensor (Y page 70) before you lock the vehicle with
the key. The doors can then be opened from
the inside after the vehicle has been locked
from the outside. The anti-theft alarm system is triggered if the door is opened from the
inside. Switch off the alarm (Y page 69).80
DoorsOpening and closing

You can only open the rear doors from inside
the vehicle if they are not secured by the
child-proof locks (Y page 60).
If the vehicle has been locked using the lock-
ing button for the central locking, or has been
locked automatically, and a door is opened
from the inside:
R the vehicle will be fully unlocked if it had
previously been fully unlocked
R only the door which has been opened form
the inside is unlocked if only the driver's
door had been previously unlocked Automatic locking feature
X
To deactivate: press and hold button :
for about five seconds until a tone sounds.
X To activate: press and hold button ;for
about five seconds until a tone sounds.
i If you press one of the two buttons and do
not hear a tone, the relevant setting has
already been selected.
The vehicle is locked automatically when the
ignition is switched on and the wheels are
turning.
You could therefore be locked out if:
R the vehicle is being pushed.
R the vehicle is being towed.
R the vehicle is being tested on a dynamom-
eter.
You can also switch the automatic locking
function on and off using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 223). Unlocking the driver's door (emer-
gency key element)
If the vehicle can no longer be unlocked with
the key, use the emergency key element.
If you use the emergency key element to
unlock and open the driver's door, the anti-
theft alarm system will be triggered
(Y page 69).
X Take the emergency key element out of the
key (Y page 75).
X Insert the emergency key element into the
lock of the driver's door as far as it will go. X
Turn the emergency key element anti-
clockwise to position 1.
The door is unlocked.
i On right-hand-drive vehicles, turn the
emergency key element clockwise.
X Turn the emergency key element back and
remove it.
X Insert the emergency key element into the
key. Locking the vehicle (emergency key
element)
If the vehicle can no longer be locked with the key, use the emergency key element.
X Open the driver's door.
X Close the front-passenger door, the rear
doors and the tailgate.
X Press the locking button (Y page 80).
X Check whether the locking knobs on the
front-passenger door and the rear doors Doors
81Opening and closing Z

Lamp cluster
X
Remove plastic nut ?using a suitable
item, e.g. a coin.
X Release attachments =.
X Remove the bulb holder from the lamp clus-
ter. Bulb holder
A
Tail lamp/brake lamp
B Reversing lamp
C Rear foglamp
D Tail lamp
E Turn signals
X Tail lamp/brake lamp/rear foglamp/
reversing lamp: remove the correspond-
ing bulb from the bulb holder.
X Insert the new bulb into the bulb holder.
X Turn signal lamp: lightly press the bulb
into the bulb holder, turn it anti-clockwise
and remove it from the bulb holder. X
Insert the new bulb into the bulb holder and
turn it clockwise.
X Secure the bulb holder to attachments =
on the lamp cluster and tighten plastic
nuts ?. X
Insert the lamp cluster into the vehicle and
make sure that it sits correctly in guides F.
X Tighten wing nut ;and re-establish con-
tact with connector :.
X Close the side trim panel (Y page 115). Windscreen wipers
Switching the windscreen wipers on/
off
! Do not operate the windscreen wipers
when the windscreen is dry, as this could
damage the wiper blades. Moreover, dust
that has collected on the windscreen can
scratch the glass if wiping takes place when the windscreen is dry.
If it is necessary to switch on the wind-
screen wipers in dry weather conditions,
always operate them using washer fluid.
! If the windscreen wipers leave smears on
the windscreen after the vehicle has been
washed in an automatic car wash, this may
be due to wax or other residue. Clean the
windscreen with washer fluid after an auto- matic car wash. 116
Windscreen wipersLights and windscreen wipers