2013 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class SEDAN child restraint

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

G
WARNING
If the 0019001Bindicator lamp does not
illuminate, the system is not functioning. You
must contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center before seating any child on the front
passenger seat.
For further information, see "Problems with
the Occupant Classification System"
(Y page 51). G
WARNING
Never place anything betwee nseat cushion
and child seat (e.g. a pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the OCS. The underside
and rear side child restraint system must be
placed entirely on the seat cushion and the
backrest of the front-passenger seat
backrest.
If necessary, adjust the tilt of the passenger
seat backrest.
An incorrectly mounted child seat could cause
injuries to the child in case of an accident,
instead of increasing protection for the child.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for
installation of child restraint systems. 50
Occupant safetySafety

Problems with the Occupant Classification System
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
0001 Solutions
The
0019001B
indicator lamp lights up
and stays on.
The person on the
front-passenger seat:
R has the weight of a
typical adult
R has been determined
by the system not to
be a child The OCS is malfunctioning.
X
Have the OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display (Y page 223). G
WARNING
If the 0019001B 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
0001 Solutions
The
0019001B
indicator lamp does not
light up and/or does
not stay on.
The front-passenger
seat is:
R unoccupied
R occupied with a
weight up to that of a
typical twelve-
month-old child in a
standard child
restraint system The OCS is malfunctioning.
X
Make sure there is nothing between the seat cushion and the
child seat.
X Check the installation of the child restraint system.
X Make sure that no objectsa re applying additional weight onto
the seat.
X If the 0019001B indicator lamp remains off, have the OCS
system checked as soon as possible at an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. Do not transport a child on the front-passenger
seat as long as the OCS is not functioning.
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display (Y page 223). G
WARNING
If the 0019001B indicator lamp does not illuminate or remains out with the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child restraint or less, or is unoccupied, on the front-passenger
seat, do not transport achild on the front-passenger seat until the system has been repaired. Occupant safety
51Safety Z

X
Remove resetting tool 0002from the vehicle
documen twallet.
X Slide resetting tool 0002into guide 0003
between the NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint and the rear cover of the head
restraint.
X Push resetting tool 0002downwards until you
hear the head restraint deployment
mechanism engage.
X Pull out resetting tool 0002.
X Firmly press the NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint cushion back 0022until it engages.
X Repeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO luxury head restraint.
X Put resetting tool 0002back into the vehicle
documen twallet. Seat belts
Important safety notes The use of infant or child restraints is required
by law in all 50 states, the District of
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
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries can
be considerably more severe without your
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 54
Occupant safetySafety

keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
R Whe nusing a seat belt to secure infant
restraints, toddler restraints, or children in
booster seats, 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 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.
Ac hild'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. X
Adjust the seat and move the backrest to
an almost vertical position (Y page 94).
X Pull the seat belt smoothly through belt
sash guide 0002.
X Without twisting it, guide the shoulder
section of the seat belt across the middle
of your shoulder and the lap section across
your pelvis.
X Engage belt tongue 0003in buckle 0022.
X If necessary, adjust the seat belt to the
appropriate height (Y page 57).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are
equipped with a special seat belt retractor to
securely fasten child restraint systems in the
vehicle. For further information on special
seat belt retractors, see (Y page 61).
For more information about releasing the seat
belt with release button 0021, see "Releasing
seat belts" (Y page 57).
Seat belt adjustment The seat-belt adjustment function adjusts the
driver's and front-passenger seat belt to the
upper body of the occupants.56
Occupant safetySafety

belt warning lamp flashes again if the vehicle
speed again exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h).
The
001F seat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
R both the driver and the fron tpassenger
have fastened their seat belts.
or
R the vehicle is stationary and a door is open.
i For more information on the 001Fseat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belts" ( Ypage 242).
Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat
belt force limiters The seat belts for the fron
tseats and rear
outer seats 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.
When triggered, the seat belt force limiters
help to reduce the peak force exerted by the
seat belt on the vehicle occupant.
The seat belt force limiters for the fron tseats
are synchronized with the fron tair bags.
These take on a part of the deceleration force.
They take on a part of the deceleration force,
resulting in the force exerted on the occupant
being distributed over a greater area.
The ETDs can only be activated when:
R the ignition is switched on
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" (Y page 41).
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 on the outside seats in the rear
compartmen
tare triggered independently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The Emergency Tensioning Devices are
triggered depending on the type and severity
of an accident, if:
R in the event of a head-on or rear-end
collision, the vehicle decelerates or
accelerates rapidly in a longitudinal
direction during the initia lstages of the
impact
R in the event of a side impact, the vehicle
decelerates or accelerates rapidly in a
lateral directio nonthe side opposite the
impact
If the ETDs 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 001ESRS 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-Ben zCenter.
! 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 secured in an infan
torchild 58
Children in the vehicleSafety

restraint system at all times while the vehicle
is in motion.
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 small children must 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 the
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 225 and Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards 213 and 210.2.
Confirmation that the child restraint system
corresponds to the standards can be found
on an instruction label on the child restraint
system. This confirmation can also be found
in the installation instructions that are
included 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
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 For children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
front air bag may or may not be activated.
Always make sure the 0019001Bindicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
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
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 0019001Bindicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
Should the 0019001Bindicator lamp not
illuminate or go out while the restraint is
installed, please chec kinstallation.
Periodically check the 0019001Bindicator
lamp while driving to make sure the 0019
001B indicator lamp is illuminated. If the Children in the vehicle
59Safety
Z

0019001Bindicator 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.
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. In the event
of an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
Ac hild'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 that are too large for a child restraint
must travel in seats using normal seat belts.
Position the shoulder belt across the chest
and shoulder, not the face or neck.Ab ooster
seat may be necessary to achieve proper seat
belt positioning for children over 41 lbs
(18 kg) until they reach a height where alap/
shoulder belt fits properly without a booster
seat.
When the child restraint is no tinuse, 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. Achild'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 compartmentort runk 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 60
Children in the vehicleSafety