2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A CLASS warning

G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the
pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle
is jeopardised. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Fit the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient
clearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats.
! If the engine is switched off and equip-
ment on the diagnostics connection is
used, the starter battery may discharge.
Connecting equipment to the diagnostics
connection can lead to emissions monitoring
information being reset, for example. This
may lead to the vehicle failing to meet the
requirements of the next emissions test dur-
ing the main inspection. Qualified specialist workshop
A qualified specialist workshop has the nec-
essary special skills, tools and qualifications
to correctly carry out any necessary work on
your

vehicle. This particularly applies to work
relevant to safety.
Observe the notes in the Service Booklet.
Always have the following work carried out at
a qualified specialist workshop:
R work relevant to safety
R service and maintenance work
R repair work
R modifications, installations and conver-
sions
R work on electronic components
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Vehicle registration
Mercedes-Benz may ask its Service Centres
to carry out technical inspections on certain
vehicles. The quality or safety of the vehicle
is improved as a result of the inspection.
Mercedes-Benz can only inform you about
vehicle

checks if it has your registration data.
It is possible that your vehicle has not yet
been registered in your name in the following
cases:
R if your vehicle was not purchased at an
authorised specialist dealer.
R if your vehicle has not yet been examined
at a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
It is advisable to register your vehicle with a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Inform Mercedes-Benz as soon as possible
about any change in address or vehicle own-
ership. Correct use
If you remove any warning stickers, you or
others

could fail to recognise certain dangers.
Leave warning stickers in position.
Observe the following information when driv-
ing your vehicle:
R the safety notes in this manual
R the technical data in this manual
R traffic rules and regulations
R laws and safety standards pertaining to
motor vehicles Implied warranty
! Follow the instructions in this manual
about the proper operation of your vehicle
as well as about possible vehicle damage.
Damage to your vehicle that arises from
culpable contraventions against these
instructions are not covered either by
Mercedes-Benz implied warranty or by the
New or Used-Vehicle Warranty. 24
Introduction

Cockpit
Function Page
:
Steering wheel gearshift
paddles
156
;
Combination switch 107
=
Instrument cluster 30
?
Horn
A
DIRECT SELECT lever 151
B
PARKTRONIC warning dis-
play
182
C
Overhead control panel 36
D
Climate control systems
122 Function Page
E
Ignition lock 143
F
Adjusting the steering
wheel
98
G
Cruise control lever 169
H
Electric parking brake 163
I
Light switch 105
J
Diagnostics connection 23
K
Opening the bonnet 28528
CockpitAt a glance

Function Page
:
Overhead control panel 36
;
PARKTRONIC warning dis-
play
182
=
Combination switch 107
?
Instrument cluster 30
A
Horn
B
DIRECT SELECT lever 151
C
Steering wheel gearshift
paddles
156
D
Light switch
105 Function Page
E
Electric parking brake 163
F
Opening the bonnet 285
G
Diagnostics connection 23
H
Ignition lock 143
I
Adjusting the steering
wheel
98
J
Cruise control lever 169
K
Climate control systems 122Cockpit
29At a glance

Warning and indicator lamps
Function Page
:
L Dipped-beam head-
lamps
105
;
T Side lamps
106
=
K Main-beam head-
lamps
107
?
÷ ESP
® 260
A
! Electric parking brake
(red)
263
B
!
Electric parking brake
(yellow)
263
C
· Distance warning
266
D
#! Turn signals
107
E
6 SRS
263
F
ü Seat belts
257
G
% Diesel engine: pre-
glow
144
M SPORT handling
mode in AMG vehicles
261 Function Page
H
? Coolant
264
I
R Rear foglamp
106
J
N Front foglamps
106
K
; Engine diagnostics
264
L
h
This lamp has no func-
tion
M
æ Reserve fuel
264
N
å ESP
®
OFF 260
O
! ABS
258
P
J Brakes
25832
Instrument cluster
At a glance

Centre console
Centre console, upper section
Function Page
:
Audio system/COMAND
Online; see the separate
operating instructions
;
c Seat heating
96
=
c PARKTRONIC
182
?
¤ ECO start/stop func-
tion
146
A
£ Hazard warning
lamps
108 Function Page
B
4 PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp
52
C
Ú Selects the drive pro-
gram
155
å AMG vehicles: ESP
® 66
D
& Auxiliary heating
13434
Centre consoleAt a glance

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els,
series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variations are pos-
sible. Note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the functions descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 24). Occupant safety
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If service work is not carried out correctly, the
operating
safety of your vehicle may be affec-
ted. This could cause you to lose control of
your vehicle and cause an accident. More-
over, the safety systems may no longer be
able to protect you or others as they are
designed to do.
Always have service work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. 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, belt ten-
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 accident despite
the deceleration force being sufficient to 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. The seat belts, together with SRS (Supple-
mental Restraint System), are complemen-
tary, co-ordinated restraint systems
(Y page 41). They reduce the risk of injury
in specific, pre-defined types of accident sit-
uations and thereby increase occupant
safety. However, seat belts and airbags gen-
erally do not protect against objects pene-
trating the 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 92)
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 46)
R the airbags can inflate unrestricted if
deployed ( Y page 42)
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 98)
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied
An airbag increases the protection of vehicle
occupants wearing a seat belt. However, air-
bags are only an additional restraint system
which complements, but does not replace,
the seat belt. All vehicle occupants must wear
their seat belt correctly at all times, even if
the vehicle is equipped with airbags. The air-
bags are not deployed in all types of acci-
dents. For example, if the protective capacity
of correctly fastened seat belts is not
increased by deploying the airbags, the air-
bags will not deploy.
Airbag deployment only provides increased
protection if the seat belt is worn correctly.
The seat belt helps, firstly, to keep the vehicle
occupant in the best position in relation to the
airbag. Secondly, in a head-on collision, for
example, the seat belt prevents the vehicle
occupant from being propelled towards the
point of impact. 40
Occupant safety
Safety

SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
Introduction Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with:
R
The 6 SRS warning lamp
R Airbags
R Airbag control unit (with crash sensors)
R Belt
tensioners for the front seat belts and
the outer seat belts in the rear
R Seat belt force limiters for the front seat
belts and the outer seat belts in the rear
SRS reduces the risk of occupants coming
into contact with parts of the vehicle's interior
in the event of an accident. It can also reduce
the forces to which occupants are subjected
during an accident.
SRS warning lamp G
WARNING
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may
be triggered unintentionally or might 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 6 SRS
warning lamp does not go out after a few
seconds.
R the engine is running and the 6 SRS
warning lamp lights up again.
In this case, have SRS checked immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop.
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.
SRS functions are checked regularly when the
ignition is switched on or the engine is run-
ning. Therefore, malfunctions can be detec-
ted in good time. Triggering of belt tensioners and air-
bags 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.
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
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 reached within a few
milliseconds.
The belt tensioner and airbag triggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the
detected 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.
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, Occupant safety
41
Safety Z

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.
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.
i Not all airbags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The different airbag systems work
independently of each other.
How the airbag system works is deter-
mined by predicting the severity of the acci-
dent, especially vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the type of accident:
R head-on collision
R side impact
R overturn Airbags
Important safety notes 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 – in particular, 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

m tall or under 12 years of age in suit-
able 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
the centre of the driver's airbag cover as
possible.
R move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible. This is especially important if
you have secured a child in a child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R vehicle occupants – in particular, children
– must not lean their head into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/window-
bag is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fitted to the front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger airbag has
been disabled. On the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger airbag is disabled
if a child restraint system with a trans-
ponder for automatic child seat recognition
is fitted to the front-passenger seat in a
vehicle equipped with automatic child seat
recognition. The 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator 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 a trans-
ponder for automatic child seat recogni-
tion, children must be secured in a child
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 possible.
R make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in the pockets of clothing.42
Occupant safety
Safety