2012 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class child restraint

Observe the manufacturer's instructions
when installing special child restraint
systems.
Special child restraint systems which are
compatible with BabySmart™ are necessary
for deactivating the front-passenger air bag.
When the special BabySmart™-compatible
child restraint system is installed correctly
and
is
recognized by the sensor system in the
front-passenger seat, the front-passenger air
bag is deactivated. In this case, 45
indicator lamp : lights up. If you have any
questions regarding the special BabySmart™-
compatible child restraint systems, consult
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If the SmartKey has been removed from the
ignition lock or is in position 0, 45
indicator lamp : does not light up.
The system does not deactivate:
R the window curtain air bag
R the Emergency Tensioning Devices
System self-test The
45

indicator
lamp lights up when
the SmartKey is turned to position 1 or 2 in
the ignition lock.
The 45 indicator lamp goes out after
approximately six seconds.
If the 45 indicator lamp does not light
up or is always lit, then the system is
malfunctioning. Have the BabySmart™
system checked at an authorized Mercedes- Benz Center before transporting a child on
the front-passenger seat.
For further information, see "Problems with
air bag deactivation system"
(Y

page 40). G
WARNING
Do not leave any switched on notebooks,
mobile phones, electronic tags (e.g. a ski
pass) or similar electronic devices on the
front-passenger seat. Signals emitted from
such devices can interfere with the
BabySmart™ air bag deactivation system.
Such interference can lead to the 45
indicator lamp

not lighting up during the self-
test.
If the + SRS warning lamp and the
4/ indicator lamp light up
simultaneously in the instrument cluster, the
system is malfunctioning. The front-
passenger air bag could deploy without cause,
or may fail to deploy in the event of an
accident.
Have the system checked as soon as possible
at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Occupant safety
39
Safety Z

Problems with the air bag deactivation system
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsThe 45
indicator lamp is on
continuously. A special BabySmart™-compatible child restraint system is
mounted on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger air bag is therefore disabled.
There is no BabySmart™-compatible child restraint system
mounted
on
the front-passenger seat. The BabySmart™ system is
malfunctioning.
X Have the BabySmart™ system checked as soon as possible at
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. G
WARNING
If the 45
indicator
lamp illuminates and remains illuminated when the weight of a typical
adult or someone larger than a small individual has been detected on the passenger seat, do not
allow any occupant to use the passenger seat until the system has been repaired. Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsThe 45
indicator
lamp

does not
light up and/or stay on
when a BabySmart™-
compatible child
restraint system is
installed on the front-
passenger seat. The BabySmart™ system is malfunctioning.
X
Make sure there is nothing between the seat cushion and the
child restraint system.
X Check that the child restraint system is installed correctly.
X If the 45 indicator lamp does not light up, have the
BabySmart™ system checked as soon as possible at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not transport a child on the front-passenger seat until the
air bag deactivation system has been repaired. NECK-PRO head restraints
Important safety notes The NECK-PRO head restraints increase
protection to the driver's and the front
passenger's head and neck. 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. G
WARNING
Do not secure any objects (e.g. coat hangers)
on the

NECK-PRO head restraints. Otherwise,
the NECK-PRO head restraints may not
function properly, or in the event of a rear-end
collision may not be able offer the level of
protection they are designed to provide. G
WARNING
Head restraint covers prevent the NECK-PRO
head restraints from triggering correctly.
Consequently, the

NECK-PRO head restraints
cannot provide the intended level of
protection. Do not use head restraint covers. 40
Occupant safety
Safety

as intended if the occupants are properly
wearing their seat belts.
G
WARNING
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in
an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide under
the seat belt in a collision. If you slide under
it, the seat belt would apply force at the
abdomen or neck. That could cause serious
or even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a position that is as upright as
possible and the seat belt is properly
positioned on the body. G
WARNING
Never
let more people ride in the vehicle than
there are seat belts available. Make sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly
restrained with a separate seat belt. Never
use a

seat belt for more than one person at a
time. G
WARNING
Always
have damaged seat belts or seat belts
that have been subjected to a load in an
accident replaced and the anchorages
checked.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz.
Never tamper with seat belts. This can result
in the unintended deployment of the
Emergency Tensioning Devices or the failure
to deploy when necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts, as this may
severely weaken them. In the event of a
collision, they may be unable to provide
adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Consult a qualified specialist
workshop.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S.
territories and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts
fastened when the vehicle is in motion.
i
See “Children in the vehicle” for more
information about traveling with infants
and children and about infant and child
restraint systems ( Y page 47).
Proper use of the seat belts G
WARNING
CORRECT USE OF SEAT BELTS
R Seat belts only work properly if they are
fastened correctly.

Never wear seat belts in
any other way than as described in this
section, as that could result in serious
injuries in the event of an accident.
R All occupants should wear their seat belt at
all times, because seat belts help reduce
the likelihood of and potential severity of
injuries in accidents, even if the vehicle
overturns. The restraint system installed is
equipped with SRS (driver's air bag, front-
passenger air bag, window curtain air
bags), belt tensioners and belt force
limiters.
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to occupants who are
wearing their seat belts correctly, in certain
frontal impacts (front air bags and belt
tensioners) and side impacts (window
curtain air bags and belt tensioners) which
exceed preset deployment thresholds.
R Never route the shoulder section of the
seat belt under your arm, across your neck
or anywhere other than across your
shoulder. In the event of a frontal impact,
your body would be moved too far forward.
This would increase the risk of head and
neck injuries. The seat belt would then
apply excessive force to the ribs or
abdomen which could cause severe
internal injuries to organs such as the liver
or spleen.42
Occupant safety
Safety

Adjust the seat belt so that the upper part
of the belt is as close as possible to the
center of the shoulder. It should not touch
the neck. Never route the belt under the
shoulder. The height of the belt outlet can
be altered to ensure correct usage.
R The lap belt should be routed as low as
possible across the hips, not across the
abdomen. If
the lap belt is routed across the
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries in
the event of an impact.
R Never route the seat belt over rigid or
fragile objects in or on your clothing, such
as eyeglasses, pens, keys etc, as this could
cause injuries.
R Always ensure that the seat belt is routed
correctly. This is particularly important if
you are wearing loose clothing.
R Only one person should use each seat belt
at any one time. Never use a seat belt to
restrain more than one person or route the
belt around additional objects.
R Never wear seat belts when they are
twisted. Otherwise, in the event of an
impact, the full width of the seat belt is
unavailable to distribute the force of the
impact. The twisted seat belt routed across
your body could cause injuries.
R Pregnant women should also wear a three-
point seat belt. The lap belt must always
pass across your lap as low down as
possible, i.e. across your hips; not across
your abdomen.
R The seat backrest should be set as close to
vertical as possible.
R Check the seat belt during the journey in
order to make sure that it is correctly
positioned.
R Never rest your feet on the dashboard or
the seat. Always keep both feet on the floor
in front of the seat.
R When using a seat belt to secure an infant
restraint system, child restraint system or
a child on a booster seat, always follow the
child seat manufacturer's instructions. G
WARNING
Do
not pass seat belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not

allow the seat belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to seat
belts. This could impair the effectiveness of
the seat belts.
Fastening seat belts Important safety notes
G
WARNING
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained on the rear
seats than

on the front-passenger seat. Thus,
we strongly recommend that children be
placed in the rear seat whenever possible.
Regardless of seating position, children 12
years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriately sized
child restraint system or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of the
child. For additional information, see the
"Children in the vehicle" section.
A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and/
or the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. G
WARNING
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a Mercedes-
Benz authorized BabySmart™ compatible
child seat, which operates with the
BabySmart™ system installed in the vehicle
to deactivate

the front passenger front air bag
when it is installed properly. Otherwise they
will be struck by the air bag when it inflates in
a crash. If this happens, serious or fatal injury
will result. Occupant safety
43
Safety Z

X
Pull the seat belt smoothly from the inertia
reel.
X Engage fixed seat belt tongue ? in
buckle ;. X
Pull movable seat belt tongue C and route
the seat belt across your body. Without
twisting it, guide the shoulder section of the
seat belt across the middle of your shoulder
and the lap section across your hips.
X Engage movable seat belt tongue C in
buckle A.
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body. For more information about releasing the seat
belt with release buttons
B and =, see
"Releasing seat belts" (
Y

page 46).
Special seat belt retractor
All seat belts in the vehicle with the exception
of the driver's are equipped with a special
seat belt retractor, to which a child restraint
system can be secured. For further
information on special seat belt retractors,
see ( Y page 49).
Belt height adjustment You can adjust the belt height on the driver's
and front-passenger seat, as well as on the
outer rear seats.
Adjust the height so that the upper part of the
seat belt is routed across the center of your
shoulder.
X
To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various
positions.
X To lower:

pull belt sash guide release :
forwards and hold it.
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Release belt sash guide release : and
make sure that the belt sash guide has
engaged. Occupant safety
45
Safety Z

Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
force limiters
The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with ETDs and seat
belt force limiters.
The
ETDs
tighten the seat belts in an accident,
pulling them close against the body.
The ETDs do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
The ETDs do not pull vehicle occupants back
towards the backrest.
Seat belt force limiters, when triggered, help
to reduce the peak force exerted by the seat
belt on the vehicle occupant.
The front belt force limiters are synchronized
with the front air bags, which take on a part
of the deceleration force. Thus, the force
exerted on the occupant is distributed over a
greater area.
The ETDs can only be activated when:
R the SmartKey is in position 1 or 2 in the
ignition lock.
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" ( Y page 32).
R the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
each of the lap-shoulder belts in the front.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied and
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the front-passenger side
The ETDs are triggered depending on the type
and severity of an accident:
R in the event of a head-on or rear-end
collision if the vehicle decelerates or
accelerates rapidly in a longitudinal
direction during the initial stages of the
impact
R in certain situations if the vehicle overturns
and the system determines that it can
provide additional protection
If the Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs)
are triggered, you will hear a bang, and a small
amount of smoke may also be released. Only
in rare cases will the bang affect your hearing.
The smoke that is released generally does not constitute a health hazard. The + SRS
warning lamp lights up. G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic ETDs that were activated must be
replaced.
For your safety, when disposing of the
pyrotechnic ETDs always follow our safety
instructions. These are available at any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
! If the front-passenger seat is not
occupied, do not engage the seat belt
tongue in the buckle on the front-
passenger seat.

Otherwise, the Emergency
Tensioning Device could be triggered in the
event of an accident. Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes We recommend that all infants and children
be properly restrained in an infant or child
restraint
system

at all times while the vehicle
is in motion.
Always use a child restraint system that is
compatible with BabySmart™ on the front-
passenger seat.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all 50
states, the District of Columbia, the U.S.
territories and all Canadian provinces.
Infants and children must always be seated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint system
recommended for the size and weight of the
child. The infant or child restraint system
must be properly secured in accordance with
the manufacturer's instructions. All infant or
child restraint systems must comply with U.S.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213
and 225 and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 210.2.
An information label on the child restraint
system indicates whether it meets these Children in the vehicle
47
Safety Z

standards. This information is also provided
in the installation instructions supplied with
the child restraint system.
Always read and follow the manufacturer's
instructions when using an infant or child
restraint system or booster seat.
Observe all warning signs in the vehicle
interior and on the infant or child restraint.
G
WARNING
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front seating
position. Thus, we strongly recommend that
children be
placed in the rear seats whenever
possible. Regardless of seating position,
children 12 years old and under must be
seated and properly secured in an appropriate
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight of
the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle's seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors and
top tether strap, fully in accordance with the
child seat manufacturer's instructions.
Occupants, especially children, should always
sit as upright as possible, wear the seat belt
properly and use an appropriately sized infant
restraint, toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of the
child.
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following
important information when circumstances
require you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:
R Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a Mercedes-
Benz authorized BabySmart™ compatible
child seat, which operates with the
BabySmart™ system installed in the vehicle
to deactivate the front passenger front air
bag when it is installed properly. Otherwise
they will be struck by the air bag when it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious
or fatal injury will result.
R A child

in a rear-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat will be seriously
injured or even killed if the front passenger
front air bag inflates in a collision which
could occur under some circumstances,
even with the air bag technology installed
in your vehicle. The only means to
completely eliminate this risk is to never
place a child in a rear-facing child restraint
in the front seat. We therefore strongly
recommend that you always place a child
in a rear-facing child restraint in a backseat.
R If you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat
because circumstances require you to do
so, make sure the 4 / indicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
Should the 4 / indicator lamp not
illuminate or go out while the restraint is
installed, please check installation.
Periodically check the 4 / indicator
lamp while driving to make sure the
4 / indicator lamp is illuminated. If
the 4 / indicator lamp goes out or
remains out, do not transport a child on the
front passenger seat until the system has
been repaired.
A child in a rear-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat will be seriously
injured or even killed if the front passenger
front air bag inflates.
R If you have to place a child in a forward-
facing child restraint on the front passenger
seat, move the seat as far back as possible,
use the proper child restraint
recommended for the age, size and weight
of the child, and secure child restraint with
the vehicle's seat belt according to the
child seat manufacturer's instructions. G
WARNING
Infants and small children should never share
a seat belt with another occupant. During an 48
Children in the vehicle
Safety

accident, they could be crushed between the
occupant and seat belt.
A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and/
or the

child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Position
the shoulder belt across the chest and
shoulder, not face or neck. A booster seat
may be necessary to achieve proper seat belt
positioning for children over 41 lb (18 kg) until
they reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt
fits properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use, remove
it from the vehicle or secure it with the seat
belt to prevent the child restraint from
becoming a projectile in the event of an
accident.
If an infant or child is traveling in the vehicle:
X Secure the infant or child with an
appropriate infant or child restraint
recommended for the child's age and
weight.
X Make sure that the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion. G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child's unsupervised
access to

a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury. The children
could:
R injure themselves on parts of the vehicle
R be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or cold
R injure themselves or cause an accident with
vehicle equipment that can be operated even if the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock or removed from the vehicle,
such as seat adjustment, steering wheel
adjustment, or the memory function
If children

open a door, they could injure other
persons or get out of the vehicle and injure
themselves or be injured by following traffic.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system's
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts. G
WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment

or trunk unless they
are firmly secured in place.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child's risk of injury in the event
of
R strong braking maneuvers
R sudden changes of direction
R an accident
Special seat belt retractor G
WARNING
Observe "Important safety notes"
(
Y page 47).
All seat

belts except the driver's seat belt are
equipped with a special seat belt retractor.
When activated, the special seat belt
retractor ensures that the seat belt will not
slacken once the child restraint system has
been secured.
Installing a child restraint system:
X Always comply with the manufacturer's
installation instructions.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly from the seat
belt retractor.
X Engage the seat belt tongue in the belt
buckle. Children in the vehicle
49
Safety Z