2012 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON warning

The front passenger airbag can only be deplo
yed
in an accident if thePA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is off. If the front passenger seat
is occupied, make sure, bo thbefore and during
th e journe y,that thest atus of the front
passenger airbag is cor rect (/ page 48). &
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot airbag
components
The airbag parts are hot af ter an airbag has
been deploy ed. #
Do not touch the airbag parts. #
Have a deplo yed airbag replaced at a
qu alified specialist workshop as soon
as possible. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you ha vethe
ve hicle towe dto aqu alified specialist workshop
af te r an accident. Take this into account, partic‐
ularly if a seat belt tensioner is trigge red or an
airbag deplo yed. If
th e seat belt tensioners are trig gered or an air‐
bag is deplo yed, you will hear a bang, and a
small amount of powder may also be released:
R The bang will not generally af fect your hear‐
ing.
R Ingeneral, the powder released is not haz‐
ardous tohealth but may cause short-term
breathing dif ficulties topersons suf fering
from as thma or other pulmonary conditions.
Pr ov ided it is safe todo so, lea vetheve hicle
immediately or open the window in order to
pr eve nt brea thing dif ficulties. Seat belts
Pr
otection pr ovided bythe seat belt Alw
aysfast enyour seat belt corr ectlybefore
st arting a journe y.A seat belt can only pr ovide
th e best le vel of pr otection if it is worncor rectly. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
incor rectly fastened seat belt
If th e seat belt is not worncor rectly, it can‐
not per form its intended pr otective function.
In addition, an incor rectly fastened seat belt
can also cause injuries, forex ample, in the
ev ent of an accident or when braking or
ch anging direction sudden ly. #
Alw ays ensure that all vehicle occu‐
pants ha vetheir seat belts fastened
cor rectly and are sitting properl y. Alw
ays obser vethe instructions about the cor‐
re ct driver's seat position and adjusting the seat
(/ page 98).
In order forth e cor rectly wornseat belt topro‐
vide the intended le vel of pr otection, each vehi‐
cle occupant must obser vethefo llowing infor‐
mation:
R The seat belt must not be twis ted and must
fi t tightly and snu gly across the body. Occupant saf
ety39
Internal use only

R
The seat belt must be routed across the
centre of the shoulder and as low down
across the hips as possible.
R The shoulder section of the seat belt should
not touch your ne cknor be routed under
yo ur arm or behind your bac k.
R Avoid wearing bulky clo thing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R Push the lap belt down as far as possible
across your hips and pull tight with the shoul‐
der section of the belt. Ne verro ute the lap
belt across your abdomen.
Pregnant women must also take particular
care with this.
R Neverro ute the seat belt across sharp, poin‐
te d, abrasive or fragile objects.
R Only one person should use each seat belt at
any one time. Ne ver allow babies and chil‐
dren totrave l sitting on the lap of ano ther
ve hicle occupant.
R Never secure objects with a seat belt if the
seat belt is also being used byone of the
ve hicle's occupants. Alw ays obser vethe
instructions for loading theve hicle when securing objects, luggage or loads
(/
page 111).
Also ensure that no objects, e.g. a cushion,
are ever placed between a person and the
seat.
If ch ildren are tra velling in theve hicle, be sure to
obser vethe instructions and saf ety no tes on
"Children in theve hicle" (/ page 53). Limitations of
the pr otection pr ovided bythe
seat belt &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
incor rect seat position
The seat belt will not of ferth e intended le vel
of pr otection if you ha venot mo vedth e seat
backrest toan almost vertical position.
In particular, you may slip under the seatbelt
and injure yourself. #
Adjust the seat proper lybefore begin‐
ning your journe y. #
Alw ays ensure that the seat backrest is
in an almost vertical position and that th
e shoulder section of your seat belt is
ro uted across the cent reofyour shoul‐
der. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death when
additional restra int sy stems are not used
fo r persons with a smaller stature
Pe rsons under 1.50 m tall cannot wearthe
seat belt cor rectly wi thout a suitable addi‐
tional restra int sy stem. #
Alw ays secure persons under 1.50 m
ta ll in a suitable restra int sy stem. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
damaged or modified seat belts
Seat belts cannot prov ide pr otection in the
fo llowing situations:
R the seat belt is damaged, has been modi‐
fi ed, is extremely di rty, bleached or dyed
R the seat belt buckle is damaged or
ex treme lydirty 40
Occupant saf ety
Internal use only

R
modifications ha vebeen made tothe seat
belt tensioner, seat belt anchorage or
seat belt retractor
Seat belts may su stain non-visible damage in
an accident, e.g. due toglass splin ters.
Modified or damaged seat belts could tear or
fa il in theev ent of an accident, forex ample.
Modified seat belt tensioners could acciden‐
ta lly trigger or failto function as intended. #
Never modify the seat belt sy stem, for
ex ample the seat belt, seat belt buckle,
seat belt tensioner, seat belt anchorage
and seat belt retractor. #
Makesure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not wornand clean. #
Alw ays ha vethe seat belts checked
immediately af ter an accident at a
qu alified specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you use seat
belts which ha vebeen appr ovedfo ryo ur vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death from
deplo yedpy rotech nic seat belt tension‐
ers
Py rotech nic seat belt tensioners that ha ve
been deplo yed are no longer operational and
are unable toper form their intended pr otec‐
tive function. #
Therefore, ha vedeplo yedpy rotech nic
seat belt tensioners immedia tely
re placed at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you ha vethe
ve hicle towe dto aqu alified specialist workshop
af te r an accident.
* NO
TEDama gecaused bytrapping the
seat belt If an unused seat belt is not fully
retracted, it
may become trapped in the door or in the
seat mechanism. #
Alw ays ensure that an unused seat belt
is fully retracted. Re
leasing there ar centre seat belt If
th e left-hand rear seat backrest is folded down
and back up again, it may not be possible topull
out there ar centre seat belt. The seat belt must
be released. #
Pull the seat belt out appr oximately 25 mm
at the seat belt outlet on the seat backrest
and then release it again.
The seat belt is retracted and released. Fa
stening and adjust ing seat belts If
th e seat belt is pulled quickly or sharpl y,the
seat belt retractor lo cks. The seat belt stra p can‐
not be pulled out any fur ther. Occupant saf
ety41
Internal use only

Re
leasing seat belts #
Press there lease button in the seat belt
buckle and guide the seat belt back with the
seat belt tongue. Seat belt
warning function for the driver and
front passen ger The
ü seat belt warning lamp in the instru‐
ment display is a reminder that all vehicle occu‐
pants must weartheir seat belts cor rectly.
In addition, a warning tone may sound.
As soon as the driver and front passenger fasten
th eir seat belts, the seat belt warning goes out. Fu
nction of there ar seat belt status display The
rear seat belt status display is on lyavailable
fo r cer tain countries. When
the ignition is switched on, there ar seat
belt status display informs youfo r a cer tain
amount of time which rear seat belt is not fas‐
te ned.
Yo u can immediately dismiss there ar seat belt
st atus display using the back button on the left-
hand side of thesteering wheel (/ page246).
If a vehicle occupant unfas tens a seat belt in the
re ar while theve hicle is motion, there ar seat
belt status display appears again.
In addition, a warning tone may sound. In this
case, there ar seat belt status display cannot be
hidden using the back button on the left-hand
side of thesteering wheel. Airbags
Overview of airbags
1
Knee airbag
2 Driver's airbag
3 Front passenger airbag
4 Window airbag
5 Side airbag
The ins tallation location of an airbag is identified
by the AIRB AGsymbol.
When enabled, an airbag can pr ovide additional
pr otection forth ere spective vehicle occupant. Occupant saf
ety43
Internal use only

Pot
ential pr otection pr ovided byeach airbag:
R Knee airbag: thigh, knee and lo wer leg
R Driver's airbag, front passenger airbag: head
and ribcage
R Window airbag: head
R Side airbag: ribcage, also pelvis for front seat
occupants
* NO
TEMercedes-AMG vehicles #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death ifthe
co-driver airbag is enabled
If th e co-driver airbag is enabled, a child on
th e co-driver seat may be stru ck bythe co-
driver airbag during an accident.
NEVER use a rear wa rd-facing child restra int
sy stem on a seat with an ENABLED FRONT
AIRB AG; DEAT H or SERIOUS INJU RYtothe
CH ILD can occur. When
fitting a child restra int sy stem tothe front
passenger seat, obser vetheve hicle-specific
information (/ page 68). Also, alw ays obser ve
th e no tes on rear wa rd-facing or forw ard-facing
ch ild restra int sy stems on the front passenger
seat.
Information on automatic front passenger
airbag shutoff
The front passenger airbag can only be deplo yed
in an accident if thePA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is off. If the front passenger seat
is occupied, make sure, bo thbefore and during
th e journe y,that thest atus of the front
passenger airbag is cor rect (/ page 48).
* NO
TEImpo rtant points toremember if
th e front passenger seat is unoccupied In an accident,
the components of the
re stra int sy stem may deploy unnecessarily
on the front passenger side if:
R There are heavy objects on the front
passenger seat. R
The seat belt tongue is engaged in the
seat belt buckle of the front passenger
seat and the front passenger seat is
unoccupied. #
Stow objects in a suitable place. #
Only one person should use each seat
belt at any one time. Depending on
the de tected accident situation,
th e window airbag on the front passenger side
may deplo y.The airbag is deplo yedre ga rdless of
whe ther the front passenger seat is occupied. Pr
otective capacity of the airbags Depending on
the accident situation, an airbag
may supplement the pr otection of fere dby a cor‐
re ctly fastened seat belt. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
an incor rect seat position
If yo u deviate from the cor rect seat position,
th e airbag cann otper form its intended pro‐
te ctive function. 44
Occupant saf ety
Internal use only

Limited pr
otection pr ovided byairbags &
WARNING Risk of injury duetomodifi‐
cations tothe co ver of an airbag
If yo u modify the co ver of an airbag or af fix
objects such as sticke rs to it,the airbag may
no longer function cor rectl y. #
Never modify the co ver of an airbag and
do not af fix objects toit. The ins
tallation location of an airbag is identified
by the AIRB AGsymbol (/ page 43). &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
th e use of unsuitable seat co vers
Due tounsuitable seat co vers,th e airbags
cann otprotect vehicle occupants as inten‐
ded.
In addition, the operation of the automatic
front passenger airbag shutoff could be
re stricted. #
You should on lyuse seat co vers that
ha ve been appr oved forth e cor respond‐
ing seats byMercedes-Benz. &
WARNING Risk of injury duetomalfunc‐
tioning sensors in the door
The function of the airbags can be impaired
due tomodifications or incor rect wo rkper‐
fo rm ed on the doors or door trim, or if the
doors are damaged. #
Never modify the doors or parts of the
doors. #
Alw ays ha vewo rkon the doors or door
trim car ried out at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop. &
WARNING Risk of injury duetodeplo yed
airbag
A deplo yed airbag no longer of fers any pro‐
te ction. #
Have theve hicle towe dto aqu alified
specialist workshop in order tohave the
deplo yed airbag replaced. Ha
ve deplo yed airbags replaced immediately. St
atus of the front passenger front airbag Fu
nction of the automatic front passenger
airbag shu toff
The automatic front passenger airbag shutoff is
able todetect whe ther the front passenger seat
is occupied bya person or a child restra int sys‐
te m. The front passenger airbag is enabled or
disabled accordingly. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
objects under the co-driver seat
Objects trapped under the co-driver seat can
inter fere with the function of the automatic
co-driver airbag shutoff or damage the sys‐
te m. #
Do not store any objects under the co-
driver seat. 46
Occupant saf ety
Internal use only

#
When the co-driver seat is occupied,
make sure that no objects are trapped
under the co-driver seat. When
fitting a child restra int sy stem tothe front
passenger seat, alw ays make sure of thefo llow‐
ing:
R Ensure that thech ild restra int sy stem is posi‐
tioned cor rectly (/ page 57).
R Alwa ys comply wi th thech ild restra int sys‐
te m manufacturer's ins tallation instructions.
R Never place objects (e.g. cushions) under or
behind thech ild restra int sy stem.
R Fully retract the seat cushion length adjust‐
ment.
R The entire base of thech ild restra int sy stem
must alw aysre st on the sitting sur face of the
front passenger seat.
R The backrest of thefo rw ard-facing child
re stra int sy stem must, as far as possible, be
re sting on the seat backrest of the front
passenger seat. R
The child restra int sy stem must not touch the
ro of or be put under stra in by the head
re stra ints. Adjust the seat backrest inclina‐
tion and the head restra int setting accord‐
ing ly. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
objects between the seat sur face and
th ech ild restra int sy stem
Objects between the sitting sur face and the
ch ild restra int sy stem could af fect the func‐
tion of the automatic co-driver airbag shut‐
off. #
Do not place any objects between the
sitting sur face and thech ild restra int
sy stem. #
The entire base of thech ild restra int
sy stem must alw aysre st on the sitting
sur face of the co-driver seat. #
The backrest of thefo rw ard-facing child
re stra int sy stem must, as far as possi‐
ble, be resting on the seat backrest of
th e co-driver seat. #
Alw ays comply with thech ild restra int
sy stem manufacturer's ins tallation
instructions. A person on
the front passenger seat must
obser vethefo llowing information:
R Fasten seat belts cor rectly (/ page 39).
R Sit in an almost upright seat position with
their back against the seat backrest.
R Sit with their feet resting on thefloor, if pos‐
sible.
The front passenger airbag may otherwise be
disabled bymis take ,fo rex ample, in thefo llow‐
ing situations:
R The front passen ger transfers their weight by
supporting themselves on a vehicle armrest.
R The front passenger sits in such a wayth at
th eir weight is raised from the sitting sur‐
fa ce. Occupant saf
ety47
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
a disabled front passenger airbag
The front passenger airbag is disabled when
th ePA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
is lit.
A person in the front passenger seat could
th en, forex ample, come into con tact with
th eve hicle interior, especially if the person is
sitting too close tothe cockpit.
If th e front passenger seat is occupied,
alw ays ensure that:
R the classification of the person in the
front passenger seat is cor rect and the
front passenger airbag is enabled or disa‐
bled in accordance with the person in the
front passenger seat.
R the front passenger seat has been mo ved
as far back as possible.
R the person is seated cor rectly. #
Both before and during the journe y,
ensure that thest atus of the front
passenger airbag is cor rect. If
th e front passenger seat is occupied, the clas‐
sification of the person or child restra int sy stem
on the front passenger seat take s place af terthe
front passenger airbag shutoff self-test. The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps display the
st atus of the front passenger airbag.
Alw ays obser vethe no tes on the function of the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps
(/ page 48). Fu
nction of thePA SSENGER AIR BAG indica‐
to r lamps Ve
hicles without automatic front passenger air‐
bag shutoff ha vea special sticke r af fixe dto the
side of the cockpit on the front passenger side
(/ page 67). 48
Occupant safe ty
Internal use only