tha
tprovided by the seat belt, driver's knee
bag 0002is deployed along with the driver's air
bag.D river's knee bag 0002operates best in
conjunction with correctly positioned and
fastened seat belts.
Side impact air bags G
WARNING
The pressure sensors for side impact air bag
control are located in the doors. Do not
modify any components of the doors or door
trim panels including, for example, the
addition of door speakers.
Improper repair work on the doors or the
modification or addition of components to the
doors create a risk of rendering the side
impact air bags inoperative or causing
unintended air bag deployment. Work on the
doors must therefore only be performed by
qualified technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. G
WARNING
Only use seat covers which have been tested
and approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle model .Using seat covers or other seat
coverings can cause a malfunction of the side
impact air bags and/or the pelvis air bags.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for availability.
When deployed, the side impact air bags offer
additional protection for the thorax of the
vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs. However, they
do not protect the:
R head
R neck
R arms Front side impact air bags
0002and rear side
impact air bags 0003deploy next to the outer
seat cushions.
The side impact air bags 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
acceleration, e.g. in aside impact
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front air bags
R independently of the ETDs
Side impac tair bags will not deploy in side
impacts which do not exceed the system's
prese tdeployment thresholds for lateral
acceleration/deceleration .You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belt.
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side is not deployed in the
following situations:
R OCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
R the front-passenger seat belt is not
fastened.
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side will deploy if the front-
passenger seat belt is fastened, regardless of
whether the front-passenger seat is occupied
or not.
Pelvis air bags G
WARNING
Only use seat covers which have been tested
and approved by Mercedes-Benz for your Occupant safety
45Safety
Z
vehicle model
.Using seat covers or other seat
coverings can cause a malfunction of the side
impact air bags and/or the pelvis air bags.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for availability.
Pelvis air bag deployment enhances the level
of protection of the vehicle occupants on the
side of the vehicle on which the impact
occurs. Pelvis air bags
0002deploy next to and below
the outer seat cushions. They 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
acceleration, e.g. in aside impact
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front air bags
R independently of the ETDs
Pelvis air bags 0002will not deploy in side
impacts which do not exceed the system's
prese tdeployment thresholds for lateral
acceleration/deceleration .You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belt.
The pelvis air bag on the front-passenger side
is not deployed in the following situations:
R OCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
R the front-passenger seat belt is not
fastened.
The pelvis air bag on the front-passenger side
will deploy if the front-passenger seat belt is
fastened, regardless of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not. Window curtain air bags The window curtain air bags enhance the level
of protection for the head, but not chest or
arms, of the vehicle occupants on the side of
the vehicle on which the impact occurs.
The window curtain air bags are integrated
into the side of the roof frame and deploy in
the area extending from the front door (A-
pillar) to the rear sidewall (C-pillar).
Window curtain air bags
0002are 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
acceleration, e.g. in aside impact
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front air bags
Window curtain air bags 0002will not deploy in
the even tofimpacts which do not exceed the
system's preset deployment thresholds for
vehicle acceleration/deceleration. You will
then be protected by the fastened seat belt. Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
How the Occupant Classification
System works The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
categorizes the occupant on the front-
passenger seat by means of a weight sensor.
The front-passenger front air bag is 46
Occupant safetySafety
deactivated automatically for certain weight
categories. The 0019001Bindicator lamp
shows you the current status. If the
0019001B indicator lamp lights up, the front-
passenger air bag is disabled.
The system does not deactivate:
R the side impact air bag
R the pelvis air bag
R the window curtain air bag
R the Emergency Tensioning Devices
To be classified correctly, the fron tpassenger
must sit:
R with the seat belt fastened correctly
R in a positio nthat is as upright as possible
with their back against the seat backrest
R with their feet on the floor
If the front-passenger's weight is transferred
to another object in the vehicle (e.g. by
leaning on armrests), OCS may not be able to
approximate the occupant's weight category.
If the front-passenger seat, the seat cover or
the seat cushion are damaged, have the
necessary repair work carried out at an
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you only use seat
accessories that have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz.
Both the driver and the fron tpassenger
should always observe the 0019001B
indicator lamp to determine whether or not
the fron tpassenger is positioned correctly. G
WARNING
If the 0019001B indicator lamp illuminates
when an adult or someone large rthan a small
individual is in the front passenger seat, have
the front passenger reposition himself or
herself in the seat until the 0019001B
indicator lamp goes out.
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front air bag
deployment when the OCS has classified the
front passenger seat occupant as weighing as
much as or less than a typical 12-month-old child in a standard child restraint or if the front
passenger seat is classified as being empty.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat occupant is classified as
being up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child
restraint, the
0019001Bindicator lamp will
illuminate when the engine is started and
remain illuminated. This indicates that the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat is classified as being empty,
the 0019001B indicator lamp will illuminate
when the engine is started and remain
illuminated. This indicates that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat occupant is classified as
being heavier than the weight of a typical 12-
month-old child seated in astandard child
restraint or as being a small individual (such
as a young teenager or asmall adult), the
0019001B indicator lamp will illuminate for
approximately 6seconds when the engine is
started. Depending on occupant weight
sensor readings from the seat, it will then
remain illuminated or go out. With the
0019001B indicator lamp illuminated, the
fron tpassenger fron tair bag is deactivated.
With the 0019001B indicator lamp out, the
front passenger front air bag is activated.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat occupant is classified as an
adult or someone larger than a small
individual, the 0019001Bindicator lamp will
illuminate for approximately six seconds
when the engine is started and the ngo out.
This indicates that the front passenger front
air bag is activated.
If the 0019001B indicator lamp is illuminated,
the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated and will not be deployed. Occupant safety
47Safety
Z
If the
0019001B indicator lamp is not
illuminated, the front passenger front air bag
is activated and will be deployed
R in the event of certain frontal impacts
R if the impact exceeds a predetermined
triggering threshold
R independent of the side impact air bag or
pelvis air bag
If the front passenger front air bag is
deployed, the rate of inflation will be
influenced by
R the rate of vehicle deceleration as assessed
by the air bag control unit
R the front passenger's weight category as
identified by the OCS
For further information, see "Air bag display
messages" (Y page 215). 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 childre nbe
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 infan torchild 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 Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to deactivate the
front-passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the system senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropriate
child restraint on the front-passenger seat.
R Ac hild 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 eliminate
this risk completely is never to place a child
in a rear-facing child restraint in the front-
passenger seat. We therefore strongly
recommend that you always place a child
in a rear-facing child restraint on the rear
seat.
R If you install a rear-facing child restraint on
the front-passenger seat, make sure the
0019001B indicator lamp is illuminated,
indicating that the front-passenger front air
bag is deactivated. Should the 0019001B
indicator lamp not illuminate or go out while
the restraint is installed, please check
installation. Periodically check the
0019001B indicator lamp while driving to
make sure that the 0019001Bindicator
lamp is illuminated. If the 0019001B
indicator lamp goes out or remains out, do
not transport a child on the front-passenger
seat until the system has been repaired.
Ac hild 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. 48
Occupant safetySafety
R
If you 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
- secure child restraint with the vehicle's
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions
R For children larger than the typical 12-
month-old child, the front-passenger front
air bag may or may not be activated.
If the driver's air bag deploys, this does not
mean that the front-passenger front air bag
will also deploy.
The OCS may have detected that the seat:
R is either empty or occupie dby a person
with a weight up to that of a typical twelve-
month-old child seated in astandard child
restraint
R is occupied by a small individual, such as a
young teenager or a small adult
R is occupied by a child in a child restraint
system, whose weight is greate rthan that
of a typical twelve-month-old child.
These are examples of when the OCS
deactivates the front-passenger front air bag.
Deactivation takes place although the
collision fulfills the criteria for deploying the
driver's air bag. If the SmartKey has been removed from the
ignition lock or is in position 0, the0019001B
indicator lamp 0002does not light
up. G
WARNING
If the red 001ESRS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and the 0019001B
indicator lamp light up simultaneously, the
OCS is malfunctioning. The front passenger
front air bag will be deactivated in this case.
Have the system checked by qualified
technicians as soon as possible. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter.
Only have the seat repaired or replaced at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
In order to ensure proper operation of the air
bag system and OCS:
R Sit with the seat belt properly fastened in a
position that is as upright as possible with
your back against the seat backrest.
R When seated, a passenger should not
position him/herself in such a way as to
cause the passenger's weight to be lifted
from the seat cushion as this may result in
the OCS being unable to correctly
approximate the passenger's weight
category.
R Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
System self-test The
0019001B indicator lamp lights up if you:
R turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock
R on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, press the
Start/Stop button once or twice
When an adult is sitting correctly on the front-
passenger seat and is categorized by the OCS
system as an adult, the 0019001Bindicator
lamp lights up and goes off again after
approximately six seconds.
If the passenger seat is not occupied and the
OCS system detects this, the 0019001B
indicator lamp remains lit and does not go off. Occupant safety
49Safety Z
PRE-SAFE
®
(anticipatory occupant
protection system) G
WARNING
The PRE-SAFE ®
system reduces the impact of
an accident on vehicle occupants, as long as
their seat belts have been fastened correctly.
Although your vehicle is equipped with a PRE-
SAFE ®
system, the possibility of injury in the
event of an accident cannot be ruled out. You
should therefore always drive carefully and
adapt your driving style to the prevailing road,
weather and traffic conditions.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes preemptive measures to
protect occupants in certain hazardous
situations.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes:
R if BAS PLUS intervenes powerfully on
vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS
R if, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS, the
radar sensor system detectsani mminent
dange rofcollision in certain situations
R in critical driving situations, e.g. when
physical limits are exceeded and the
vehicle understeers or oversteers severely
PRE-SAFE ®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation
detected:
R the front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
R on vehicles with memory function for the
front-passenger seat: the front-passenger
seat is adjusted if it is in an unfavorable
position.
R if the vehicle skids, the panorama roof with
power tilt/sliding panel and the side
windows are closed so that only a small gap
remains.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pre-tensioning. All settings made by
PRE-SAFE ®
can then be reversed. If the seat belts are not released:
X
When the vehicle is stationary, move the
backrest or seat back slightly.
The seat belt pre-tensioning is reduced and
the locking mechanism is released. G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
as you adjust the seat.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when resetting
the seats. There is a risk that the seats
and/or the objects could be damaged.
More information about seat belt adjustment,
a convenience function integrated into PRE-
SAFE ®
, can be found in the "Seat belt
adjustment" section (Y page 56). NECK-PRO head restraints
The NECK-PRO head restraints increase
protection to the driver's and front
passenger's head and neck.T o this end, 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
Seat or head restraint covers can cause a
malfunction when the NECK-PRO head
restraints are activated or when the side
impact air bags or pelvis air bags are
deployed, or they can prevent this completely.
The NECK-PRO head restraints or side impact
air bags/pelvis air bags can therefore not 52
Occupant safetySafety
provide the intended protection. Do not use
any seat or head restraint covers.
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 53). Otherwise, the
additional protection will not be available in
the event of another rear-end collision. You
can recognize if NECK-PRO head restraints
have been triggered by the fact that they have
moved forwards and can no longer be
adjusted. G
WARNING
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as close
to the head as possible and the center of the
head restraint supports the back of the head
at eye level. This will reduce the potential for
injury to the head and nec kinthe event of an
accident or similar situation. Resetting triggered NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head
restraints G
WARNING
For safety reasons, have the NECK-PRO head
restraints checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center after a rear-end
collision. G
WARNING
When pushing back the NECK-PRO head
restraint cushion, make sure your fingers do
not become caught between the head
restraint cushion and the cover. Failure to
observe this could result in injuries.
i Resetting the NECK-PRO head restraints
requires a lot of strength. If you have
difficulty resetting the NECK-PRO head
restraints, have this work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. X
Tilt the top of the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion forwards in the direction of
arrow 0002.
X Push the NECK-PRO head restraint cushion
down in the direction of arrow 0003as far as
it will go.
X Firmly push the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion back in the direction of arrow 0022
until the cushion engages.
X Repeatt his procedure for the second
NECK-PRO head restraint. Seat belts
Important safety notes The use of infant or child restraints is required
by law in all 50 states, the Districtof
Columbia, all U.S. territories and all Canadian
provinces.
Even where this is no
tthe case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts
fastened when the vehicle is in motion.
i See "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 58) for further information on
infants and children traveling in the vehicle
as well as on child restraint systems. G
WARNING
Always fasten your seat belt before driving off.
Always make sure all of your passengers are
properly restrained. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases your Occupant safety
53Safety
Z
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident.
If you are ever in an accident, youri
njuries can
be considerably more severe withou tyour
seat belt properly buckled. Without your seat
belt buckled, you are much more likely to hit
the interior of the vehicle or be ejected from
it. You can be seriously injured or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. The air bags can only protect
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.T hat 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
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that have
been subjected to stress in an accident must
be replaced and their anchoring points must
also be checked.
Only use seat belts which have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended activation
of the ETDs or to their failure to activate when
necessary. Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Correct use of the seat belts G
WARNING
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
R Seat belts can only work when used
properly. 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 Each occupant should wear their seat belt
at all times, because seat belts help reduce
the likelihood of and potential severity of
injuries in accidents, including rollovers.
The integrated restraint system includes
SRS (driver front air bag, driver's side knee
bag, front-passenger front air bag, side
impact air bags, pelvis air bags, window
curtain air bags for the side windows),
Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat belt
force limiters, and front seat knee bolsters.
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to properly belted
occupants in certain frontal (front air bags,
driver's side knee bag, and ETDs) and side
(side impact air bags, pelvis air bags,
window curtain air bags, and ETDs) impacts
which exceed preset deployment
thresholds.
R Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, across your neck or off your shoulder.
In a frontal crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The seat
belt would also apply too much force to the
ribs or abdomen, which could severely
injure internal organs such as your liver or
spleen.
Adjust the seat belt so that the shoulder
section is located as close as possible to 54
Occupant safetySafety