2012 MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV warning

Driver's airbag
:deploys in front of the
steering wheel; front-passenge rfront air-
bag ;deploys in front of and above the glove
compartment.
The front airbags increase protection for the
driver's and front-passenger's head, neck and
chest.
They are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of vehicle acceleration or deceleratio nina
longitudinal direction
R if the system determines that airbag
deploymen tcan offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
R independently of other airbag sinthe vehi-
cle
R depending on whether the seat belt is being
used
If the vehicle overturns, the front airbags are
generally not deployed. The front airbags are
deployed if the system detects high vehicle
deceleration in a longitudinal direction.
Front-passenger airbag ;is only activated if
the system determines that the front-
passenger seat is occupied. The 4
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp on
the centre console does not light up
(Y page 50). This means that a child
restraint system without automatic child seat
recognition has been fitted to the front-
passenger seat, or that a child restraint sys-
tem with automatic child seat recognition has
been fitted incorrectly. Windowbags
G-Class off-road vehicles, long-wheelbase
version, are equipped with windowbags.
Windowbags
:enhance the level of protec-
tion for the head, but not chest or arms, of the
vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs.
Windowbags :are integrated into the side
of the roof frame and deploy in the area
extending from the front door (A-pillar) to the
rear door (C-pillar).
Windowbags :are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in a side impact
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of seat belt use
R if the vehicle overturns and the system
determines that windowbag deployment
can offer additional protection to that pro-
vided by the seat belt
R independently of the front airbags NECK-PRO head restraints
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Head restraint covers prevent the NECK-PRO
head restraints from triggering correctly. Con-
sequently, the NECK-PRO head restraints 42
Occupant safetySafety

cannot provide the intended level of protec-
tion. Do not use head restraint covers.
The NECK-PRO head restraints increase pro-
tectio nto the driver's and the front passeng-
er's head and neck.T he 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.
If the NECK-PRO head restraints have been
triggered in an accident, reset the NECK-PRO
head restraints on the driver’s and front-
passenger seat (Y page 43). Otherwise, the
additional protection will not be available in
the event of another rear-end collision. You
can recognise if NECK-PRO head restraints
have been triggered by the fact that they have
moved forwards and can no longer be adjus-
ted.
Resetting triggered NECK-PRO head
restraints X
Tilt the top of the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion forwards in the direction of
arrow :.
X Push the NECK-PRO head restraint cushion
down in the direction of arrow ;as far as
it will go.
X Firmly push the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion back in the direction of arrow =
until the cushion engages.
X Repeatt his procedure for the second
NECK-PRO head restraint. Mercedes-Ben
zrecommends that you have
the NECK-PRO head restraints checked at a
qualified specialist workshop after a rear-end
collision.
i Resetting the NECK-PRO head restraints
requires a lot of strength. If you have diffi-
culty resetting the NECK-PRO head
restraints, have this work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. Seat belts
Important safety notes G
WARNING
A seat belt which is not worn correctly, or
which has not been engaged in the seat belt
buckle correctly, cannot provide the intended
level of protection. Under certain circumstan-
ces, this could cause severe or even fatal inju-
ries in the event of an accident.
Therefore, make sure that all occupants —in
particular, pregnan twomen —wear their seat
belts correctly at all times.
R The seat belt must fit snugly on your body
and must not be twisted.Therefore, avoid
wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter coat.
The shoulder section of the belt must be
routed across the centre of your shoulder
—onn o account across your neck or under
your arm —and pulled tight against your
uppe rbody. The lap belt must always pass
across your lap as low down as possible, i.e.
over your hip joints —not across your abdo-
men. If necessary, push the seat belt
slightly downwards and adjust it by pulling
it in the direction the seat belt retracts.
R Do not route the seat belt strap over sharp
or fragile objects. Please make sure that
such objects are not on or in your clothing,
e.g. spectacles, pens or keys etc. The seat
belt strap could become damaged and tear
during an accident and you or other vehicle
occupants could be injured. Occupant safety
43Safety
Z

R
Only one person should use each seat belt
at any one time. Children must never travel
sitting on the lap of another occupant. The
child will not be secured in the event of an
accident, heavy braking or sudden change
of direction. This may result in the child or
other occupants being seriously or fatally
injured.
R Persons under 1.50 mtall cannot wear the
seat belts correctly. For this reason secure
persons less than 1.50 m tall in specially
designed, suitable restraint systems.
R Children unde r1.50 mtall and younger
than twelve years of age canno twear the
seat belts correctly. For this reason secure
them in special suitable child restraint sys-
tems installed on a suitable seat. Additional
information can be found in the Operating
Instructions in the chapter "Safety", "Chil-
dren in the Vehicle". Observe the installa-
tion instructions of the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer.
R Do not secure an object with a seat belt if
the seat belt is also being used by one of
the vehicle's occupants. G
WARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level
of protection unless the backrest is almost
vertical. Under certain circumstances, this
could cause severe or even fatal injuries in the
event of an accident.
Before starting a journey, make sure that the
seat is properly adjusted and that the back-
rest is almost vertical. G
WARNING
Ad irty or damaged seat belt or one that has
been modified or subjected to a load in an
accident no longer offers the intended level of
protection. Under certain circumstances, this
could cause severe or even fatal injuries in the
event of an accident.
For this reason, chec kregularly that the seat
belts are not damaged or dirty. Always have damaged seat belts or seat belts
that have been subjected to a load in an acci-
dent replaced at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use seat belts which have
been approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle.
Seat belts are the most effective means of
restraining the movement of vehicle occu-
pants in the event of an accident. This
reduces the risk of vehicle occupants coming
into contact with parts of the vehicle interior.
Fastening seat belts Three-point seat belt, front
X
Adjust the seat and move the backrest to
an almost vertical position (Y page 90).
X Pull the seat belt smoothly through belt
sash guide :.
X Without twisting it, guide the shoulder sec-
tion of the seat belt across the middle of
your shoulder and the lap section across
your hips.
X Engage belt tongue ;in buckle =. 44
Occupant safetySafety

Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
The
7 seatbelt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder for all occupants
to fasten their seat belts. It may light up con-
tinuously or flash. In addition, there may be a
warning tone.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases when the driver and
the fron tpassenger have fastened their seat
belt.
For certain countries only: regardless of
whether the driver and th efront passenger
have fastened their seat belts, the 7seat
beltw arning lamp lights up for six seconds
after the engine is started. It then goes out if
the driver and the fron tpassenger have fas-
tened their seat belts.
i Further information about the 7seat
belt warning lamp (Y page 252).
Rear seat belt status indicator The rear-compartmen
tseat belt status indi-
cator tells you if the rear passengers have
their seat belts fastened.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator indicates the rear seat on which the belt
is fastened. The üsymbol in the multi-
function display indicates afastened seat
belt .Ifaseat belt is not fastened or if a seat
is not occupied, the ýsymbol is displayed.
The rear-compartments eat belt status indi-
cator appears in the multifunction display for
around 30 seconds if:
R you drive off and reach a speed of approx-
imately 10 km/h.
R the rear passengers fasten or unfasten
their seat belts while the vehicle is in
motion.
R someone gets in or out of the vehicle and
the vehicle drives off again.
You can also cancel the rear seat belt status
indicator immediately (Y page 228).i
The status indicator for the rear-compart-
ment seat belts is only available for certain
countries.
Belt tensioners, belt force limiters G
WARNING
The belt tensioners in the rear only function if
the belt buckles can be pulled down unob-
structed. They must not be restricted in any
way. Therefore, do not grab the belt buckles
and do not place any objects under the belt
buckles. Otherwise, the tensioning of the belt
by the buckle is restricted or will not function,
and will not provide any additional protection. G
WARNING
If the seat belt tensioners have been trig-
gered, they provide no additional protection
in the event of another accident. Therefore,
have belt tensioners which have been trig-
gered replaced at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Comply with safety regulations when dispos-
ing of belt tensioners. Any Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre can provide details of these
regulations.
! If the front-passenger seat is not occu-
pied, do not engage the seat belt tongue in
the buckle on the front-passenger seat.
Otherwise, the belt tensioner could be trig-
gered in the event of an accident.
X In order to ensure that the pyrotechnic seat
belt tensioners have not been triggered,
always have the seat belts checked after an
accident.
If the belt tensioners have been triggered,
they must be replaced.
The fron tseat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with belt tensioners
and belt force limiters.
The belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in
an accident, pulling them close against the
body. Occupant safety
47Safety Z

Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened sea
tbelts.
Belt tensioners do not pull vehicle occupants
back towards the backrest.
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 occupan tis
reduced.
The front beltf orce limiters are synchronised
with the front airbags, which take on a part of
the deceleration force. Thus, the force exer-
ted on the occupant is distributed over a
greater area.
The belt tensioners can only be activated if:
R the key is in position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" (Y page 39).
R for each three-point seat belt in front and
for the outer rear seats, the seat belt
tongue is engaged in the belt buckle.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied and
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the front-passenger side.
The belt tensioners are triggered depending
on the type and severity of an accident:
R if, in the event of a head-on or rear-end col-
lision, the vehicle decelerates or acceler-
ates rapidly in a longitudinal direction dur-
ing the initial stages of the impact
R if, in the event of a side impact, on the side
opposite the impact the vehicle deceler-
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. 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 secure children less than 1.50 m tall
and under twelve years of age on the front-
passenger seat. Exception: if the vehicle is
equipped with automatic child seat recog-
nition 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 be
restrained 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- 48
Children in the vehicleSafety

tion instructions and the correct use of the
child restraint system.
Child restraint systems shoul dbe 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
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away
despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply
R the HOLD function is deactivated by the
accelerator pedal being depressed, e.g. by
a vehicle occupant
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
from rolling away. 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 a braking manoeuvre
R a sudden change of direction
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the vehi-
cle interior unless they are secured. You will find further information under "Loading guide-
lines" 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 and recommended for Mercedes-
Benz vehicles. You should preferably fit the
restraint system to a suitable rear seat. Make
sure that the child is secured in a child
restraint system throughout the trip.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use the child restraint systems listed under
(Y page 56).
You can obtain information about the correct
child restraint system 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. Children in the vehicle
49Safety
Z

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 availabl eatany
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Example: warning notice on the front-passenger
su
nv isor Warning symbol for a rearward-facing child
restraint system Do not use a rearward-facing child restraint
syste monaseat that is protected by an air-
bag installed in front of it.
Automatic child seat recognition on the
front-passengers eat G
WARNING
If the 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indica-
to rlamp does no tlight up when the child
restraint system is fitted, the front-passenger
airbag has not been disabled. If the front-
passenger airbag deploys, the child could be
seriously or even fatally injured.
Proceed as follows:
R do not use a rearward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenge rseat.
R fit a rearward-facing child restraint system
on a suitable rear seat.
or
R only use a forward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat and
move the front-passenger seat to the rear-
most position.
R have the automatic child seat recognition
checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
To ensure that the automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat func-
tions/communicates correctly, never place
objects, e.g. a cushion, under the child
restraint system. The entire base of the child
restraint system must always rest on the seat
cushion. An incorrectly fitted child restraint
system cannot perform its intended protec-
tive function in the event of an accident, and
could lead to injuries. G
WARNING
Do not place electronic devices on the front-
passenger seat, e.g.:
R laptops, when switched on
R mobile phones
R cards with transponders, e.g. ski passes or
access cards 50
Children in the vehicleSafety

Signals from electronic equipment can cause
interference in the automatic child seat rec-
ognition sensor system. This can lead to a
system malfunction. This may cause the
4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator
lamp to light up withou tthere being a child
seat with transponders for automatic child
seat recognition fitted. The front-passenger
airbag will not then deploy during an accident.
It is also possible that the 6SRS warning
lamp lights up and/or the 4PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp does not light up
briefly when you turn the key in the ignition
lock to position 2. 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
recognition on the front-passenger seat: if
you turn the key to position 2inthe ignition
lock, the 4PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indi-
cator lamp lights up briefly but has no func-
tion. It does not indicate that there is auto-
matic child seat recognition on the front-
passenger seat. The automatic child seat recognition sensor
system on the front-passenger seat detects
whether a special Mercedes-Ben
zchild seat
with automatic child seat recognition has
been fitted there. In such cases, 4
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF 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 windowbag
R the belt tensioner
ISOFIX child seat securing system for
the rear seats G
WARNING
Ac hild 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
a child restraint system secured by the ISOFIX
child seat securing system. If the child weighs
more 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. Children in the vehicle
51Safety Z