2013 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA window

The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen-
tially determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle
R the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of airbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e.g. the bonnet or the wing, without an airbag
being deployed. This is the case if only parts
which are relatively easily deformed are affec-
ted and the rate of deceleration is not high.
Conversely, airbags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor defor-
mation. This is the case if, for example, very
rigid vehicle parts such as longitudinal body
members are hit, and sufficient deceleration
occurs as a result.
i The front belt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the seat belt tongues on the front
seats are correctly engaged in the seat belt
buckles.
i Not all airbags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The different airbag systems work
independently of each other.
How the airbag system works is deter-
mined by predicting the severity of the acci-
dent, especially vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the type of accident:
R head-on collision
R side impact
R overturnAirbags
Important safety notesGWARNING
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the risk
of serious or even fatal injury caused by airbag
deployment:
R all vehicle occupants – in particular, preg-
nant women – must wear their seat belt
correctly at all times and lean back against
the backrest, which should be positioned
as close to the vertical as possible. The
head restraint must support the back of the
head at about eye level.
R always secure children less than
1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age in suit-
able child restraint systems.
R all vehicle occupants must select a seat
position that is as far away from the airbag
as possible. The driver's seat position must
allow the vehicle to be driven safely. The
driver's chest should be as far away from
the centre of the driver's airbag cover as
possible.
R move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible. This is especially important if
you have secured a child in a child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R vehicle occupants – in particular, children
– must not lean their head into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/window-
bag is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fitted to the front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger airbag has
been disabled. On the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger airbag is disabled
if a child restraint system with a trans-
ponder for automatic child seat recognition
is fitted to the front-passenger seat in a
vehicle equipped with automatic child seat
recognition. The 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG
42Occupant safetySafety

OFF indicator lamp must be continuously
lit.
If the front-passenger seat of your vehicle
does not have automatic child seat recog-
nition, or your rearward-facing child
restraint system does not have a trans-
ponder for automatic child seat recogni-
tion, children must be secured in a child
restraint system on a suitable seat in the
rear. 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 make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in the pockets of clothing.
R do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover of
the driver's/front-passenger front airbag,
particularly when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the airbag to be fully deployed.
You could be injured if the airbag is
deployed and you are holding the inside of
the steering wheel.
R do not lean on the doors from inside the
vehicle.
R make sure that there are no people, ani-
mals or objects between the vehicle occu-
pants and the area where the airbags are
deployed.
R do not place any objects between the seat
backrest and the door.
R do not hang any hard objects, e.g. coat
hangers, on the grab handles or coat hooks.
R do not attach accessories, e.g. cup holders,
to the doors.
It is not possible to rule out a risk of injury
being caused by an airbag, due to the high
speed at which the airbag must be deployed.GWARNING
If you modify the airbag covers or affix
objects, e.g. stickers to them, the airbags may
no longer function as intended. There is an
increased risk of injury.
Never modify the airbag covers and do not
affix any objects to them.GWARNING
Unsuitable seat covers may obstruct or even
prevent deployment of the airbags integrated
into the seats. The airbags may then fail to
protect the vehicle occupants as intended.
Operation of the automatic child seat recog-
nition may also be impaired. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Use only seat covers which have been specif-
ically approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.
GWARNING
After the driver's airbag has been deployed,
the airbag parts are hot. There is a risk of
injury.
Do not touch the airbag parts. Have deployed
airbags replaced immediately at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Airbag deployment slows down and restricts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
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 and does not indicate that there
is a fire in the vehicle. The powder may cause
short-term breathing difficulties to persons
suffering from asthma or other pulmonary
conditions. In order to prevent potential
breathing difficulties, you should leave the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. You can
also open the window to allow fresh air to
enter the vehicle interior. The 6 SRS warn-
ing lamp lights up.
The airbag installation locations are identified
by the AIRBAG symbol.
i After an airbag has been deployed, have
the vehicle towed to the nearest qualified
specialist workshop, even if your vehicle
can still be driven.
Occupant safety43SafetyZ

nition may also be impaired. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Use only seat covers which have been specif-
ically approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.GWARNING
Sensors to control the airbags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ling, as well as damaged doors, can lead to
the function of the sensors being impaired.
The airbags might therefore not function
properly any more. Consequently, the airbags
cannot protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. This poses an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
elling carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop.
You should only use seat cover that have been
approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.
The seat covers must have a special tear
seam for sidebags. Otherwise, the sidebags
cannot deploy correctly and therefore cannot
provide the intended protection in the event
of an accident.
Front sidebags : and rear sidebags ;
deploy next to the outer seat cushions.
When deployed, the sidebags offer additional
protection of the thorax for occupants on the
front seats as well as also of the pelvis for 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
The sidebags 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 independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front airbags
R independently of the belt tensioners
If the vehicle overturns, the sidebags are gen-
erally not deployed. Sidebags are deployed if
the system detects high vehicle deceleration
or acceleration in a lateral direction and
determines that sidebag deployment can
offer additional protection to that provided by
the seat belt.
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 vehi-
cle on which the impact occurs.
Windowbags : are integrated into the side
of the roof frame and deployed in the area
from the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
Occupant safety45SafetyZ

Windowbags are deployed:
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 on the side on which an impact occurs
R on the driver's and the front passenger's
side if the vehicle overturns and the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection to that provided by the
seat belt
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of the front airbags
PRE-SAFE ®
(anticipatory occupant
protection)
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when moving
the seat back. There is a risk that the seats
and/or the objects could be damaged.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes pre-emptive measures to
protect occupants in certain hazardous sit-
uations. Although your vehicle is equipped
with a PRE-SAFE ®
system, the possibility of
injury in the event of an accident cannot be
ruled out.
Always adapt your driving style to suit the
prevailing road and weather conditions and
maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in
front. Drive carefully.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes:
R when BAS activates, e.g. in emergency
braking situations.
R when adaptive Brake Assist intervenes
powerfully on vehicles with DISTRONIC
PLUS.
R in critical driving situations, e.g. when phys-
ical limits are exceeded and the vehicle
understeers or oversteers severely.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detec-
ted:
R the front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
R vehicles with the memory function: the
front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is in an
unfavourable position.
R if the vehicle skids, the panorama sliding
sunroof 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 pretensioning. All settings made by
PRE-SAFE ®
can then be reversed.
If the seat belts are not released:XMove the backrest or seat back slightly, but
only when the vehicle is stationary.
Seat belt pretensioning is reduced and the
locking mechanism is released.
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. More
information about seat-belt adjustment can
be found under "Seat-belt adjustment"
( Y page 48).
Seat belts
Important safety notes
GWARNING
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, pregnant women — 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
46Occupant safetySafety

Belt tensioners, belt force limitersGWARNING
Pyrotechnic seat belt tensioners that have
been deployed are no longer operational and
are unable to perform their intended protec-
tive function. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
Therefore, have pyrotechnic belt tensioners
which have been triggered immediately
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
! 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.
i Vehicles with PRE-SAFE ®
: belt tensioners
that are triggered by an electric motor can
be deployed as often as desired and do not
need to be replaced.
The front seat 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.
Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull vehicle occupants
back towards the backrest.
The belt tensioners can only be activated
when:
R the ignition is switched on
R the restraint systems are operational; see
" 6 SRS warning lamp"( Y page 41)
R the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
each of the front seat belts.
The belt tensioners on the outside seats in the
rear compartment are triggered independ-
ently of the lock status of the seat belts.
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 and does not indicate that there
is a fire in the vehicle. The powder may cause
short-term breathing difficulties to persons
suffering from asthma or other pulmonary
conditions. In order to prevent potential
breathing difficulties, you should leave the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. You can
also open the window to allow fresh air to
enter the vehicle interior. The 6 SRS warn-
ing lamp lights up.
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 occupant is
reduced.
The belt force limiters on the front seats are
synchronised with the front airbags, which
take on a part of the deceleration force. This
results in the load being distributed over a
greater area.
Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes
GWARNING
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
50Children in the vehicleSafety

GWARNING
Electronic devices on the front-passenger
seat can affect the function of the automatic
child seat recognition, for example:
R laptop
R mobile phone
R transponder cards such as ski passes or
access passes
The front-passenger front airbag could deploy
unintentionally or not function as intended
during an accident. This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Do not place any of the devices mentioned
above or similar devices on the front-
passenger seat.
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 recog-
nition on the front-passenger seat: if you turn
the key to position 2 in the ignition lock, the
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up briefly. However, the indicator lamp
has no function. It does not indicate that there
is automatic child seat recognition on the
front-passenger seat.
The sensor system for child restraint systems
in the front-passenger seat detects whether
a special Mercedes-Benz child seat with a
transponder for automatic child seat recog-
nition has been fitted. In this case,
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 sidebag
R the windowbag
R the belt tensioner
ISOFIX child seat securing system for
the rear seats
GWARNING
ISOFIX child restraint systems do not offer
sufficient protective effect for children whose
weight is greater than 22 kg who are secured
using the safety belt integrated in the child
restraint system. The child could, for example,
not be restrained correctly in the event of an
accident. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
If the child weighs more than 22 kg, only use
ISOFIX child restraint systems with which the
child is also secured with the vehicle seat belt.
Also secure the child restraint system with the
Top Tether belt, if available.
54Children in the vehicleSafety

GWARNING
If children are travelling in the vehicle, they
could:
R open doors, thus endangering other people
or road users
R exit the vehicle and be caught by oncoming
traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Always activate the child-proof locks and
override feature if children are travelling in the
vehicle. When leaving the vehicle, always take
the key with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unattended in the vehicle.
You can activate the following child-proof
locks:
R rear doors ( Y page 63)
R rear side windows ( Y page 63)
Child-proof locks for the rear doors
You secure each door individually with the
child-proof locks on the rear doors. A door
secured with a child-proof lock cannot be
opened from inside the vehicle. When the
vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened
from the outside.
XTo activate: press the child-proof lock
lever up in the direction of arrow :.XMake sure that the child-proof locks are
working properly.XTo deactivate: press the child-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow ;.
Override feature for the rear side win-
dows
XTo activate/deactivate: press button :.
If indicator lamp ; is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the driv-
er's door. If indicator lamp ; is off, oper-
ation is possible using the switches in the
rear compartment.
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems overview
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
( Y page 64)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System) ( Y page 64)
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST (adaptive
Brake Assist and distance warning func-
tion) ( Y page 65)
R Adaptive brake lamps ( Y page 68)
R ESP ®
(E lectronic Stability Program)
( Y page 68)
R EBD ( electronic brake force distribution)
( Y page 70)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE ( Y page 70)
R STEER CONTROL ( Y page 70)
Driving safety systems63SafetyZ

DeactivatingXRemove the key from the ignition lock.XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up briefly.XLock the vehicle with the key.
Tow-away protection is deactivated.
Tow-away protection remains deactivated
until:
R the vehicle is unlocked again
R a door is opened and closed again
R the vehicle is locked again
To prevent a false alarm, deactivate the tow-
away protection if you lock your vehicle and
it:
R is being transported
R is being loaded onto a ferry or car trans-
porter, for example
R is parked on a movable surface, e.g. in a
split-level garage
Interior motion sensor
Function
When the interior motion sensor is primed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered if move-
ment is detected in the vehicle interior. This
can occur if someone reaches into the vehicle
interior, for example.
ActivatingXMake sure that:
R the side windows are closed.
R the panorama sliding sunroof is closed.
R there are no objects, e.g. mascots, hang-
ing on the rear-view mirror or on the grab
handles on the roof trim.
This will prevent false alarms.XMake sure that:
R the doors are closed.
R the panorama sliding sunroof is closed.
R the boot lid is closed.
Only then is the interior motion sensor
primed.XLock the vehicle with the key.
The interior motion sensor is primed after
approximately 30 seconds.
Deactivating
XUnlock the vehicle with the key.
or
XInsert the key into the ignition lock.
The interior motion sensor is switched off
automatically.
Deactivating
XRemove the key from the ignition lock.XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; flashes briefly.XLock the vehicle with the key.
The interior motion sensor is deactivated.72Anti-theft systemsSafety