
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in:
R
all 50 states
R U.S. territories
R the District of Columbia
R all Canadian provinces
Even where this is not required by law, all
vehicle occupants should correctly fasten
their seat belts before starting the journey.
i See "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 60) for further information on
infants
and children traveling in the vehicle
as well as on child restraint systems.
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, window curtain air
bags, and ETDs) impacts which exceed
preset deployment thresholds and in
certain rollovers (window curtain air bags
and ETDs).
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
the middle of the shoulder. It should not
touch the neck. Never pass the shoulder
portion of the seat belt under your arm. For
this purpose, you can adjust the height of
the seat belt outlet.
R Position the lap belt as low as possible on
your hips and not across the abdomen. If
the lap belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries in
a crash.
R Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys etc., as
these might cause injuries.
R Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
R Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects at the same time.
R Seat belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you would not have the full width of
the seat belt to distribute impact forces.
The twisted seat belt against your body
could cause injuries.
R Pregnant women should also always use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible on
the hips to avoid any possible pressure on
the abdomen.
R Place the seat backrest in a position that is
as upright as possible.
R Check your seat belt during travel to make
sure it is properly positioned.56
Occupant safety
Safety

Tensioning Device could be triggered in the
event of an accident.
The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with Emergency
Tensioning Devices and 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.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a seat
belt force limiter and this is triggered, the
force exerted by the seat belt on the vehicle
occupant is reduced.
When triggered, seat belt force limiters help
to reduce the peak force exerted by the seat
belt on the vehicle occupant.
The belt force limiters for the front seats are
synchronized with the front air bags, which
take on a part of the deceleration force. This
results 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
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
compartment are triggered independently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The ETDs are triggered depending on the type
and severity of an accident:
R if, in the event of a head-on or rear-end
collision, the vehicle decelerates or
accelerates rapidly in a longitudinal direction during the initial stages of the
impact
R if,
in the event of a side impact, on the side
opposite the impact the vehicle
decelerates or accelerates rapidly in a
lateral direction
R if, in certain situations where the vehicle
overturns, the system determines that it
can provide additional protection
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 6 SRS warning lamp
lights up. Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes 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. 60
Children in the vehicle
Safety

Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsPRE-SAFE
Functions
Currently Limited
See Operator's
Manual
PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is temporarily inoperative. Possible causes are:
R function is impaired due to heavy rain or snow.
R the sensors in the radiator grill and the bumper are dirty.
R the radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio
stations or other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
R AMG vehicles: ESP ®
is deactivated.
R the system is outside the operating temperature range.
R the on-board voltage is too low.
When the causes stated above no longer apply, the display
message disappears.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is operational again.
If the display message does not disappear:
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away ( Y page 175).
X Clean the sensors in the radiator grill and the bumper
(Y page 337).
X Restart the engine.
X AMG vehicles: reactivate ESP ®
(Y page 70). PRE-SAFE
Functions Limited
See Operator's
Manual
PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is inoperative due to a malfunction. BAS PLUS
or the distance warning signal may also have failed.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. 6
SRS Malfunction
Service Required There is a malfunction in the SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System). The 6 warning lamp also lights up in the instrument
cluster.
G WARNING
The air bags or Emergency Tensioning Devices may either be
triggered unintentionally or, in the event of an accident, may not
be triggered.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop.
For further information about SRS, see (Y page 41). 250
Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions6
Front Left
Malfunction
Service
RequiredorFront
Right Malfunction
Service Required SRS has malfunctioned at the front on the left or right. The
6
warning lamp also lights up in the instrument cluster.
G WARNING
The air bags or Emergency Tensioning Devices may either be
triggered unintentionally or, in the event of an accident, may not
be triggered.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. 6
Rear Left
Malfunction
Service Required
or Rear Right
Malfunction
Service Required G
WARNING
The air bags or Emergency Tensioning Devices may either be
triggered unintentionally or, in the event of an accident, may not
be triggered.
There is an increased risk of injury.
SRS has malfunctioned at the rear on the left or right. The 6
warning lamp also lights up in the instrument cluster.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. 6
Rear Center
Malfunction
Service Required G
WARNING
The air bags or Emergency Tensioning Devices may either be
triggered unintentionally or, in the event of an accident, may not
be triggered.
There is an increased risk of injury.
SRS
has malfunctioned at the rear center. The 6 warning lamp
also lights up in the instrument cluster.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. 6
Left Side Curtain
Airbag
Malfunction
Service Required
or Right Side
Curtain Airbag
Malfunction
Service Required There is a malfunction in the left-hand or right-hand window
curtain air bag.
The 6 warning lamp also lights up in the instrument cluster.
G WARNING
The left or right window curtain air bag may either be triggered
unintentionally or, in the event of an accident, may not be
triggered.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Display messages
251
On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsÂ
Key Not Detected
(white display
message) The KEYLESS-GO key cannot be detected at present.
X
Change the location of the SmartKey with the KEYLESS-GO
functions in the vehicle.
If the KEYLESS-GO key is still not detected:
X Operate the vehicle with the SmartKey in the ignition lock. Â
Key Detected in
Vehicle The KEYLESS-GO key has been detected inside the vehicle during
locking.
X
Remove the KEYLESS-GO key from the vehicle. Â
Remove 'Start'
Button and Insert
Key The KEYLESS-GO key can continuously not be detected.
KEYLESS-GO is temporarily malfunctioning or is defective. A
warning tone also sounds.
X
Insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock and turn it to the
desired position.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Â
Close Doors to
Lock Vehicle At least one door is open. A warning tone also sounds.
X
Close all doors and lock the vehicle again. Indicator and warning lamps in the
instrument cluster
Warning and indicator lamps
overview
L Low-beam headlamps
(Y page 122)
T Parking lamps (Y page 123)
K High-beam headlamps
(Y page 124)
#! Turn signals (Y page 124)
ü Seat belts (Y page 276)
$ (USA) Brakes (Y page 277)
J (Canada) Brakes (Y page 277)
! ABS (Y page 278)
ä ESP®
(Y page 279)
å ESP®
OFF (Y page 279)
M SPORT handling mode in
AMG vehicles (Y page 280) 6
SRS (Y page 281)
; Check Engine (Y page 282)
8 Reserve fuel (Y page 282)
? Coolant (Y page 283)
· Distance warning signal
(Y page 285)
h Tire pressure monitor
(Y page 286) Indicator and warning lamps in the instrument cluster
275On-board computer and displays Z

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions$ (USA only)
J (Canada only)
The red brake system
warning
lamp comes on
while the vehicle is
moving. A warning tone
also sounds. You are driving with the parking brake applied.
X
Release the parking brake.
The warning lamp goes out and the warning tone ceases. 6
The red SRS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running.
There is a malfunction in the SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System).
G WARNING
The air bags or Emergency Tensioning Devices may either be
triggered unintentionally or, in the event of an accident, may not
be triggered.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Drive on carefully.
X Have SRS checked at a qualified specialist workshop
immediately.
For further information about SRS, see (Y page 41). Indicator and warning lamps in the instrument cluster
281
On-board computer and displays Z