
The
0021 seat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
R both the driver and the frontp assenger
have fastened their seat belts.
or
R the vehicle is stationary and a door is open.
i For more information on the 0021seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belts" ( Ypage 257).
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 certain situations where the vehicle rolls
over and the system determines that it can
provide additional protection
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 0020SRS 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 001B001Dindicator
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 001B001Dindicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
Should the 001B001Dindicator lamp not
illuminate or go out while the restraint is
installed, please chec kinstallation.
Periodically check the 001B001Dindicator
lamp while driving to make sure the 001B
001D indicator lamp is illuminated. If the Children in the vehicle
59Safety
Z

001B001Dindicator 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

Special seat belt retractor
All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are
equipped with a special seat belt retractor.
When activated, the special seat belt
retractor ensures that the seat belt will not
slacken once the child restraint system has
been secured.
Installing a child restraint system:
X Always comply with the manufacturer's
installation instructions.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly from the seat
belt retractor.
X Engage the seat belt tongue in the belt
buckle.
Activating the special seat belt retractor:
X Pull the seat belt out fully and let the seat
belt retractor retract it again.
While the seat belt is retracting, you should
hear a ratcheting sound. The special seat
belt retractor is activated.
X Push down on the child restraint system to
take up any slack.
Removing a child restraint system/
deactivating the special seat belt retractor:
X Always comply with the manufacturer's
installation instructions.
X Press the seat belt release button and
guide the belt tongue to the belt outlet.
The special seat belt retractor is
deactivated. G
WARNING
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat belt
retractor will be deactivated.
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seat anchors
in the rear G
WARNING
Children that are too large for a child restraint
must travel in seats using normal seat belts.
Position shoulder belt across the chest and
shoulder, not face or neck. Ab
ooster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children over
41 lb (18 kg) until they reach a height where
a lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.
Install the child restraint system in
accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions.
Attach the child restraint system to both
securing rings.
An incorrectly installed child restraint system
could come loose during an accident and
seriously or even fatally injure the child.
Child restraint systems or child seat securing
rings that are malfunctioning or damaged as
the result of a collision must be replaced.
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) is a standardized
securing system for specially designed child
restraint systems on the rear seats. Securing
rings for two LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint systems are installed on the left and
right of the rear seats.
Secure non-LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint systems using the vehicle's seat belt
system. When installing child restraint
systems, you must observe the
manufacturer's installation instructions.
! When installing the child restraint system,
make sure that the seat belt for the middle
seat does not get trapped. The seat belt
could otherwise be damaged. Installation instructions
0002indicate the
installation location of securing rings 2. Children in the vehicle
61Safety Z

X
Install the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system. Complyw ith the
manufacturer's instructions when
installing the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system.
Top Tether G
WARNING
Always lock the rear seat backrests in their
upright position when the rear seats are
occupied by passengers .Lock the rear seat
backrests in their upright position before
installing the Top Tether straps or when the
cargo compartment is not in use. Make sure
that rear seat backrest sare secured properly
by pushing and pulling on the seat backrests.
If the seat backrest is not locked properly, the
seat backrest could fold forward. The child
restraint system is no longer supported
properly or held in position and can no longer
fulfill its function. This could cause serious or
even fatal injuries.
Top Tether provides an additional connection
between a child restraint system, secured
with a LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seat mount,
and the rear seat. This helps reduce the risk
of injury even further.
The Top Tether anchorages are located on the
rear side of the rear seat backrests. X
Move head restraint 0002upwards.
X Install the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system with Top Tether. Comply
with the manufacturer's installation
instructions when doing so.
X Route Top Tether belt 001Eunder head
restraint 0002between the two head restraint
bars.
X Guide Top Tether belt 001Edownwards
between cargo compartment cover 0003and
rear seat backrest.
X Hook Top Tether hook 0020of Top Tether belt
001E into Top Tether anchorage 0021.
Make sure that:
R Top Tether hook 0020is hooked into Top
Tether anchorage 0021as shown.
R Top Tether belt 001Eis not twisted.
R Top Tether belt 001Eis routed between the
rear seat backrest and cargo
compartment cover 0003if cargo
compartment cover 0003is installed.
R Top Tether belt 001Eis routed between the
rear seat backrest and the cargo net if
the cargo net is installed.
X Tensio nTop Tether belt 001E.Comply with
the manufacturer's installation
instructions when doing so.
X Move head restraint 0002back down again
slightly if necessary (Y page 99). Make
sure that you do not interfere with the
correc trouting of Top Tether belt 001E.62
Children in the vehicleSafety

Child-proof locks
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey with you and loc kthe 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.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors G
WARNING
Children could open a rear door from inside
the vehicle. This could result in serious
injuries or an accident. Therefore, when
children ride in the rear always secure the rear
doors with the child-proof locks.
You secure each door individually with the
child-proof locks on the rear doors. Adoor
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.
X
To activate: press the child-proof lock
lever up in the direction of arrow 0002.
X Make sure that the child-proof locks are
working properly.
X To deactivate: press the child-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow 0003.
Override feature for the rear side
windows G
WARNING
When children ride on the vehicle's rear seats,
activate the override switch. Otherwise, the
children could be injured, e.g. by trapping
themselves in the rear side window. X
To activate/deactivate: press button0003.
If indicator lamp 0002is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the
driver's door. If indicator lamp 0002is off, Children in the vehicle
63Safety Z

Useful information
..............................96
Correct driver's seat position ............96
Seats .................................................... 97
Steering wheel .................................. 102
Mirrors ............................................... 103
Memory function .............................. 106 95Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional
equipment of your vehicle available at the
time of publication of the Operator's
Manual. Country-specific differences are
possible. Please note that your vehicle may
not be equipped with all features
described. This also applies to safety-
related systems and functions.
i Read the information on qualified
specialist workshops: (Y page 27).Correct driver's seat position
X
Observe the safety guidelines on seat
adjustment (Y page 97).
X Make sure that seat 0021is adjusted
properly.
Electrical seat adjustment (Y page 98)
When adjusting the seat, make sure that:
R you are as far away from the driver's air bag
as possible.
R you are sitting in a normal upright position.
R you can faste nthe seat belt properly. R
you have moved the backrest to an almost
vertical position.
R you have set the seat cushion angle so that
your thighs are gently supported.
R you can depress the pedals properly.
X Check whether the head restraint is
adjusted properly.
When doing so, make sure that you have
adjusted the head restraint so that the back
of your head is supported at eye level by
the center of the head restraint.
X Observe the safety guidelines on steering
wheel adjustment (Y page 102).
X Make sure that steering wheel 0002is
adjusted properly.
Adjusting the steering wheel manually
(Y page 102)
Adjusting the steering wheel electrically
(Y page 102)
When adjusting the steering wheel, make
sure that:
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent.
R you can move your legs freely.
R you can see all the displays in the
instrumentc luster clearly.
X Observe the safety guidelines for seat belts
(Y page 54).
X Check whether you have fastened the seat
belt 0003properly (Y page 56).
The seat belt should:
R fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your
shoulder
R be routed in your pelvic area across the hip
joints
X Before starting off, adjust the rear-view
mirror and the exterior mirrors in such a
way that you have a good view of road and
traffic conditions (Y page 103).
X Vehicles with a memory function: save
the seat, steering wheel and exterior mirror 96
Correct driver's seat positionSeats, steering wheel and mirrors