Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The
42
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 Make sure there are no objects applying additional force to the
seat. Head restraints that press against the roof or books that
are behind or trapped between the seat, for example, apply
additional force to the seat. The OCS senses such forces as
additional weight.
X If the 42 indicator lamp remains off, have the OCS
checked as soon as possible at a qualified specialist workshop.
Do not transport a child on the front-passenge rseat as long as
the OCS is not functioning.
X Observe the additional messages in the multifunction display
(Y page 220). PRE-SAFE
®
(preventative occupant
protection) G
WARNING
The PRE-SAFE ®
system reduces the impact of
an acciden tonvehicle 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 acciden tcannot be ruled out .You
should therefore always drive carefully and
adapt your driving style to the prevailing road,
weather and traffic conditions. 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.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes preemptive measures to
protect occupants in certain hazardous
situations. PRE-SAFE
®
intervenes:
R if BAS intervenes, e.g. in emergency
braking situations
R if, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS, BAS
PLUS intervenes powerfully
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. 52
Occupant safetySafety
R
if the vehicle skids, the side windows are
closed so that only a small gap remains.
R on vehicles with a sliding sunroof: if the
vehicle skids, the sliding sunroof closes 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:
X Move the backrest or seat back slightly, but
only when the vehicle is stationary.
The belt pretensioning is reduced and the
locking mechanis mis released.
More information abouts eat-belt
adjustment, a convenience function
integrated into PRE-SAFE ®
, can be found in
the "Seat-belt adjustment" section
(Y page 57). NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-
PRO luxury head restraints
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not attach any objects (e.g. a coat hanger)
to the NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO
luxury head restraints. Otherwise, the NECK-
PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head
restraints may not function properly and in
the event of a rear-end collision may not offer
the protection they are designed to provide. G
WARNING
Seat or head restraint covers can cause a
malfunction when the NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK PRO luxury head restraints
are activated or when the side impact air bags
are deployed, or they can preven tthis
completely. The NECK-PRO head restraints/
NECK PRO luxury head restraints or side
impact air bags can therefore not provide the
intended protection. Do not use any seat or
head restraint covers. 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 neck in the event of an
accident or similar situation. G
WARNING
For reasons of safety, have the NECK-PRO
head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head
restraints checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center after a rear-end
collision.
NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury
head restraints increase protection of the
driver's and front-passenger's head and
neck. In the event of a rear collision of a
certain severity, the NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
on the driver's and front-passenger seats are
moved forwards and upwards. This provides
better head support.
If the NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO
luxury head restraints have been triggered in
an accident, reset the NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
on the driver's and front-passenger seats
(Y page 54). Otherwise, the additional
protection will not be available in the event of
another rear-end collision. NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
that have been triggered are moved forwards
and can no longer be adjusted.
Resetting triggered NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head
restraints NECK-PRO head restraints
G
WARNING
When pushing back the NECK-PRO head
restraint cushion, make sure your fingers do Occupant safety
53Safety
Z
not become caught between the head
restraint cushion and the cover. Failure to
observe this could resul
tininjuries. X
Tilt the top of the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion forwards in the direction of
arrow :.
X Push the NECK-PRO head restraint cushion
down in the direction of arrow ;as far as
it will go.
X Firmly push the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion back in the direction of arrow =
until the cushion engages.
X Repeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO head restraint.
i Resetting the NECK-PRO hea drestraints
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.
NECK-PRO luxury head restraints X
Remove resetting tool :from the vehicle
documen twallet.
X Slide resetting tool :into guide ;
between the NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint and the rear cover of the head
restraint.
X Push resetting tool :downwards until you
hear the head restraint deployment
mechanism engage.
X Pull out resetting tool :.
X Firmly press the NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint cushion back =until it engages.
X Repeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO luxury head restraint.
X Put resetting tool :back into the vehicle
documen twallet.
i If you have difficulty resetting the NECK-
PRO luxury head restraints, have this work
carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop. Seat belts
Important safety notes 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
positio nyour 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 54
Occupant safetySafety
as intended if the occupants are properly
wearing their seat belts.
G
WARNING
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backres tinanexcessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide under
the sea tbelt in a collision. If you slide under
it, the seat belt would apply force at the
abdomen or neck .That 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
Always have damaged seat belts or seat belts
that have been subjected to a load in an
accident replaced and the anchorages
checked.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz.
Never tamper with seat belts. This can result
in the unintended deployment of the
Emergency Tensioning Devices or the failure
to deploy when necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts, as this may
severely weaken them. In the event of a
collision, they may be unable to provide
adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Consult a qualified specialist
workshop. 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 DistrictofC olumbia
R all Canadia nprovinces
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.N ever 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, front-passenger
fron tair bag, side impact 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
and ETDs) and side (side impact air bags,
window curtain air bags, and ETDs) impacts
which exceed prese tdeployment
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 Occupant safety
55Safety
Z
chance of head and neck injuries. The seat
bel
twould 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.N ever 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 routed
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 distribut eimpact forces.
The twisted seat belt against yourb ody
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.
R Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
R When using 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. 56
Occupant safetySafety
X
To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various
positions.
X To lower: press and hold belt sash guide
release :.
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Release belt sash guide release :and
make sure tha tthe belt sash guide has
engaged.
Releasing seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt.
Damaged seat belts can no longer fulfill
their protective function and must be
replaced. Visit a qualified specialist
workshop. :
Belt sash guide
; Seat belt tongue
= Buckle
? Release button X
Press release button ?and guide belt
tongue ;back towards belt sash
guide :.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger Regardless of whether the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts have already been
fastened, the
7seat belt warning lamp
lights up for six seconds each time the engine
is started. It then goes out if the driver and
the front passenger have fastened their seat
belts.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened when
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. The warning tone goes out
after approximately six seconds or once the
driver's seat belt is fastened.
If after six seconds the driver or front
passenger have not fastened their seat belts
and the doors are closed, the 7seat belt
warning lamp lights up:
R until the driver's or front passenger's seat
belt is fastened
R if a vehicle speed of 15 mph (25 km/h) is
exceeded, a warning tone also sounds with
increasing intensity for a maximum of
60 seconds or until the driver or front
passenger have fastened their seat belts.
If the driver/front passenger unfasten their
seat belt while the vehicle is in motion, the
7 seat belt warning lamp lights up and a
warning tone sounds again.
The warning tone ceases even if the driver or
front passenger have still not fastened their
seat belt after 60 seconds. The 7seat belt
warning lamp stops flashing but remains
illuminated.
After the vehicle comes to a standstill, the
warning tone is reactivated and the 7seat
belt warning lamp flashes again if the vehicle
speed again exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h). 58
Occupant safetySafety
The
7 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 7seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belts" ( Ypage 238).
Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
force limiters G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed must be renewed.
For your safety, when disposing of Emergency
Tensioning Devices, always observe the
safety instructions. These are available from
any authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter.
The PRE-SAFE ®
system has electrically
operated reversible pre-tensioners that do
not require replacement after activation.
! 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.
X In order to ensure that the pyrotechnic
Emergency Tensioning Devices have not
been triggered, always have the seat belts
checked after an accident.
If the Emergency Tensioning Devices have
been triggered, they must be replaced.
The seat belts on the following seats have
Emergency Tensioning Devices and belt force
limiters:
R driver's and front-passenger seat
R the outer seats in the second row
R the seats in the third row 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, seat belt force limiters help
to reduce the peak forc
eexerted by the seat
belt on the vehicle occupant.
The belt force limiters for the front seats are
synchronized with the front airb ags, which
take on a part of the deceleration force. This
results in the force exerted on the occupant
being distributed ove ragreater 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 belt tensioners on the outside seats in the
second row and on the seats in the third row
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, the vehicle
is subjected to high lateral acceleration/
deceleration
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 Occupant safety
59Safety Z
health hazard. The
+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 on the rear
seats than on the front-passenger seat. 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 appropriately sized
child restraint system or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of the
child.
The infant or child restraint system 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 appropriate 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
42 indicator lamp is
illuminated, indicating that the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
Should the 42 indicator lamp
not illuminate or go out while the restraint
is installed, please check installation.
Periodically check the 42
indicator lamp while driving to make sure
the 42 indicator lamp is
illuminated. If the 42indicator
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 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 a typical 12-month-
old child, the front-passenger front air bag
can be activated or deactivated. 60
Children in the vehicleSafety