When the air bags are deployed, a small
amount of powder is released. The powder
generally
does
not constitute a health hazard
and does not indicate that there is a fire in the
vehicle. In order to prevent potential
breathing difficulties, you should leave the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have any breathing difficulty but cannot get
out of the vehicle after the air bag inflates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or
door. G
WARNING
In order to reduce the potential danger of
injuries caused during the deployment of the
front air bags, the driver and front passenger
must always be correctly seated and wear
their seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision, you must always be in the normal
seat position with your back against the
backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure
that it is correctly positioned on your body.
As the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating position
and correct positioning of the hands on the
steering wheel will help to keep you at a safe
distance from the air bag. Occupants who are
not wearing their seat belt, are not seated
properly or are too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured or killed by an air bag, as it
inflates with great force instantaneously:
R sit with the seat belt fastened correctly and
in a position that is as upright as possible
with your back against the backrest.
R move the driver's seat as far back as
possible, still permitting proper operation
of vehicle controls. The distance from the
center of the driver's chest to the middle of
the air bag cover on the steering wheel
must be at least 10 inches (25 cm). You
should be able to accomplish this by
adjusting the seat and steering wheel. If
you have any difficulties, please contact a
qualified specialist workshop. R
do not
lean your head or chest close to the
steering wheel or dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
Placing hands and arms inside the rim of
the steering wheel can increase the risk
and potential severity of hand/arm injuries
if the air bag inflates.
R adjust the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible from the dashboard when the
seat is occupied.
R occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their heads
in the area of the door where the side
impact air bag and/or head bag inflates.
This could result in serious injuries or death
should the side impact air bag/head bag be
deployed. 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.
Failure to follow these instructions can result
in severe injuries to you or other occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that you
make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator's Manual. G
WARNING
If the side impact air bag and/or head bag is
deployed in
the event of a side impact and the
front passenger, especially a child, is not
properly seated or restrained when next to a
side impact air bag/head bag, injuries are
possible due to the rapid inflation of the side
impact air bag/head bag.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Always sit as upright as possible, and use the seat belts properly.
Make sure that children 12 years
old and
under use an appropriately
sized child restraint, infant
restraint or booster seat Occupant safety
39
Safety
Z
When deployed, side impact air bags
: offer
additional protection for the thorax of 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
side impact air bags :
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
acceleration, e.g. in a side impact
R depending on whether the seat belt is being
used
R independently of the front air bags
R independently of the ETDs
If the vehicle rolls over, side impact air
bags : are generally not deployed. side
impact air bags : are deployed if the system
detects high vehicle deceleration or
acceleration in a lateral direction and
determines that side impact air bag
deployment can offer additional protection to
that provided by the seat belt.
side impact air bags : will not deploy in side
impacts which do not exceed the system's
preset deployment thresholds for lateral
acceleration/deceleration. You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belt.
If OCS detects that the front-passenger seat
is not occupied and the front-passenger seat
belt is not fastened, side impact air bag : on
the front-passenger side will not deploy. side
impact air bag : on the front-passenger side
will deploy if the front-passenger seat belt is
fastened, regardless of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not. Head bags
Example: head bag on the front-passenger side
Head
bags :
enhance the level of protection
for the head, but not chest or arms, of the
vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs.
Head bags : deploy in the area of the side
windows at the front. They are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, e.g. in a side impact
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R on the driver's side and passenger side, in
the event of a vehicle rollover and if the
system determines that air bag deployment
can offer the vehicle occupants additional
protection to that provided by the seat belt
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front air bags
Head bags : will not deploy in side impacts
which do not exceed the system's preset
deployment thresholds for lateral
acceleration/deceleration. You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belt.
If OCS detects that the front-passenger seat
is not occupied and the front-passenger seat
belt is not fastened, head bag : on the front-
passenger side will not deploy. Head bag :
on the front-passenger side will deploy if the
front-passenger seat belt is fastened,
regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied or not. 42
Occupant safety
Safety
PRE-SAFE
®
(preventative occupant
protection) G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
as you adjust the seat. G
WARNING
The PRE-SAFE
®
system
reduces the impact of
an accident on vehicle 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 accident cannot be ruled out. You
should therefore always drive carefully and
adapt your driving style to the prevailing road,
weather and traffic conditions.
! 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 when BAS PLUS intervenes powerfully on
vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS.
R when the radar sensor system detects an
imminent danger of collision in certain
situations on vehicles with DISTRONIC
PLUS.
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 seat belts are pre-tensioned.
R the front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is
in an unfavorable position.
R vehicles with a multicontour seat or active
multicontour seat: the air pressure in the side bolsters of the seat cushion and
backrest is increased.
R if the vehicle skids, the side windows are
closed almost completely.
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 mechanism is released.
More information about seat belt adjustment,
a convenience function integrated into PRE-
SAFE (
Y page 52). NECK-PRO head restraints
Introduction G
WARNING
Do
not secure any objects (e.g. coat hangers)
on the
NECK-PRO head restraints. Otherwise,
the NECK-PRO head restraints may not
function properly, or in the event of a rear-end
collision may not be able offer the level of
protection they are designed to provide. G
WARNING
Seat or head restraint covers can cause a
malfunction when the NECK-PRO head
restraints are activated or when the side
impact air bags are deployed, or they can
prevent this
completely. The NECK-PRO 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 48
Occupant safety
Safety
Useful information ..............................
68
SmartKey ............................................. 68
Doors .................................................... 74
Trunk .................................................... 77
Side windows ...................................... 83
Roof ...................................................... 86 67Opening/closing
Unlocking and opening doors from
the inside
! The side windows will not open/close if
the battery is discharged or if the side
windows have iced up. It will then not be
possible to close the door. Do not attempt
to force the door closed. You could
otherwise damage the door or the side
window.
You can open a door from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the
SmartKey or with KEYLESS-GO, opening the
vehicle from the inside will activate the anti-
theft alarm system. Switch off the alarm
( Y page 65).
X
Pull door handle ; .
If the
door is locked, locking knob : pops
up. The door is unlocked and can be
opened.
i When a door is opened, the side window
on that side opens slightly. When the door
is closed, the side window closes again. Centrally locking and unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the
inside. For example, you can unlock
the front-passenger door from the inside or
lock the vehicle before you pull away. X
To unlock:
press button :.
X To lock: press button ;.
If the front-passenger door is closed, the
vehicle locks.
The central locking/unlocking button does
not lock or unlock the fuel filler flap or the
stowage compartments, such as the glove
box.
You cannot unlock the vehicle centrally from
the inside
if the vehicle has been locked with
the key or KEYLESS-GO.
You can open a door from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked.
If the vehicle has been locked using the
locking button for the central locking, or has
been locked automatically, and a door is
opened from the inside:
R the vehicle will be fully unlocked if it had
previously been fully unlocked
R only the door which has been opened form
the inside is unlocked if only the driver's
door had been previously unlocked Doors
75
Opening/closing Z
X
Turn the mechanical key back to position
1 and remove it.
X Insert the mechanical key into the
SmartKey. Trunk emergency release
You can unlock the trunk lid from the inside
with the emergency release button. X
Press emergency release button : briefly.
The trunk lid unlocks and opens slightly.
X Push the trunk lid upwards to open it
completely.
The trunk lid can be unlocked with the trunk
lid emergency release when the vehicle is
stationary or while driving.
The trunk lid emergency release does not
unlock the trunk lid if the battery is
disconnected or discharged.
Trunk lid emergency release light:
R emergency release button
: flashes for
30 minutes after the trunk lid is opened.
R emergency release button : flashes for
60 minutes after the trunk lid is closed. Side windows
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When opening or closing the door windows,
make sure that there is no danger of anyone being harmed by the opening/closing
procedure.
The front door windows are equipped with
automatic
operation
and the anti-entrapment
feature. If in automatic mode a front door
window encounters an obstruction that
blocks its path, the anti-entrapment feature
will stop the door window and open it slightly.
The door windows operate differently when
the switch is pulled. See the "Problems with
door windows" section for more details.
The closing of the door windows can be
immediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by pressing or pulling the
respective switch.
If a door window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the windows by pressing and
holding & button on the SmartKey or by
pressing and holding the lock button (vehicles
with KEYLESS-GO) on an outside door handle,
the anti-entrapment feature will not operate. Opening and closing the side
windows
Opening and closing the side windows
in the front The switches for the side windows are located
on
the
driver's door. There is also a switch for
the front-passenger side window on the front-
passenger door.
The switches on the driver's door take
precedence. Side windows
83
Opening/closing Z
:
Left
; Right
X Turn the SmartKey to position 1 or 2 in the
ignition lock.
X To open: press the corresponding switch.
X To close: pull the corresponding switch.
X Automatic operation: press or pull the
corresponding switch beyond the point of
resistance.
The side window opens or closes fully.
X To interrupt automatic operation: press
or pull the corresponding switch again.
i You can continue to operate the side
windows after you switch off the engine.
This function is available for up to five
minutes or until the driver's or front-
passenger door is opened.
Opening/closing the
rear side windowsX
To open: open the front side window on the
corresponding side ( Y
page 83).
X Press the corresponding switch again.
The corresponding
rear side window opens
fully.
X To stop the rear side windows: briefly
pull the corresponding switch up.
X To close: close the front side window on
the corresponding side (Y page 83).
X Pull the respective switch and hold it.
The corresponding rear side window will
continue to close until you release the
switch. Opening and closing all side windows
Using the switch on the center console You can use the button on the center console
to close all side windows simultaneously.
X
Open the cover in the lower center console.
The switch
for all side windows is under the
cover. X
To open all side windows: press
switch : to the point of resistance.
X To open all side windows fully: press
switch : beyond the point of resistance.
All side windows open simultaneously.
i If, after opening the windows, you close
one side window using the button in the
door control panel:
R the front side window closes first and
R then the
corresponding rear side window
closes.
X To close all side windows: pull
switch :.
All side windows close simultaneously.
Using the SmartKey G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
as you close the side windows.
Proceed as follows if there is a risk of
entrapment:
R release the & key.
R press and hold the % key until the side
windows open again. 84
Side windows
Opening/closing
You can use the key to open or close all side
windows simultaneously.
X
Close the roof ( Y page 87).
X Open the trunk partition ( Y page 89).
X Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: point the
tip of the SmartKey at the door handle on
the driver's door.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: the
SmartKey must be within 6 ft (2 m) of the
vehicle.
X To open all side windows: press
the % button on the key until the side
windows are fully opened.
X To interrupt the opening procedure:
release the % button.
X To close all side windows: press the
& button on the key until the side
windows are fully closed.
X To interrupt the closing procedure:
release the & button.
Convenience closing with KEYLESS-GO G
WARNING
When using the convenience closing feature,
make sure
that nobody can become trapped.
Proceed as follows if there is a risk of
entrapment:
R release the locking button on the door
handle.
R pull the door handle immediately and hold
it.
The side windows open.
With KEYLESS-GO you can close all side
windows simultaneously. The KEYLESS-GO
key must be outside the vehicle. All the doors
must be closed. X
Touch recessed sensor surface : on the
door handle
until the side windows are fully
closed.
i Make sure you only touch recessed
sensor surface :.
X Make sure that all the side windows are
closed.
X To interrupt convenience closing:
release recessed
sensor surface : on the
door handle. Resetting the side windows
If a
side window can no longer be closed fully,
you must reset it.
X Close all the doors.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 1 or 2
in the
ignition lock.
X Pull the corresponding switch on the door
control panel until the side window is
completely closed. ( Y page 83)
X Hold the switch for an additional second.
If the side window opens again slightly:
X Immediately pull the corresponding switch
on the door control panel until the side
window is completely closed (Y
page 83).
X Hold the switch for an additional second.
X If the corresponding side window remains
closed after the button has been released,
the side window has been reset correctly.
If this is not the case, repeat the steps
above again. Side windows
85
Opening/closing Z