Transporting children safelyVehicle equipmentAll standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equip‐
ment is also described that is not available in a
vehicle, e. g., because of the selected optional
equipment or country variant. This also applies
for safety-related functions and systems.
The right place for children Note Children in the vehicle
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger them‐
selves and other persons, e.g., by opening the
doors.◀
Children should always be in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest place
for children is in the back seat.
Transporting children in the rear
Only transport children younger than
13 years of age or shorter than 5 ft/150 cm in
the rear in child restraint fixing systems pro‐
vided in accordance with the age, weight and
size of the child; otherwise, there is an in‐
creased risk of injury in an accident.
Children 13 years of age or older must wear a
safety belt as soon as a suitable child restraint
fixing system can no longer be used, due to
their age, weight and size.◀
Children on the front passenger seat
Should it ever be necessary to use a child re‐
straint fixing system in the front passenger
seat, make sure that the front, knee and side
airbags on the front passenger side are deacti‐vated. Automatic deactivation of front passen‐
ger side airbags, refer to page 98.
Note Deactivated front passenger airbags
If a child restraint fixing system is used in
the front passenger seat, the front passenger
airbags must be deactivated; otherwise, there
is an increased risk of injury to the child when
the airbags are triggered, even with a child re‐
straint fixing system.◀
Installing child restraint
fixing systems
Hints Manufacturer's information for child re‐
straint fixing systems
To select, mount and use child restraint fixing
systems, observe the information provided by
the system manufacturer; otherwise, the pro‐
tective effect can be impaired.◀
Lock the rear seat backrests in position
Before installing a child restraint system,
make sure that the rear seat backrests are
locked; otherwise, the protective effect is not
guaranteed and there is an increased risk of in‐
jury for the child in the event of an accident.◀
On the front passenger seat
Deactivating airbags
After installing a child restraint fixing system in
the front passenger seat, make sure that the
front, knee and side airbags on the front pas‐
senger side are deactivated.
Deactivate the front passenger airbags auto‐
matically, refer to page 98.Seite 60ControlsTransporting children safely60
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Deactivating the front passenger airbags
If a child restraint fixing system is used in
the front passenger seat, the front passenger
airbags must be deactivated; otherwise, there
is an increased risk of injury to the child when
the airbags are triggered, even with a child re‐
straint fixing system.◀
Seat position and height
Before installing a child restraint fixing system,
move the front passenger seat as far back as
possible and adjust its height to the highest
position to obtain the best possible position for
the belt and to offer optimal protection in the
event of an accident.
Do not change the seat position and height af‐
ter this.
Backrest width Adjustable backrest width: before installing a
child restraint fixing system in the front pas‐
senger seat, open the backrest width com‐
pletely. Do not change the backrest width
again and do not call up a memory position.
Backrest width for the child seat
Before installing a child restraint fixing
system in the front passenger seat, the back‐
rest width must be opened completely. Do not
change the adjustment after this; otherwise,
the stability of the child seat will be reduced.◀Child seat security
The rear safety belts and the front passenger
safety belt can be locked against pulling out for
mounting the child restraint fixing systems.
Locking the safety belt
1.Pull out the belt webbing completely.2.Secure the child restraint fixing system
with the belt.3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in and
pull it taut against the child restraint fixing
system. The safety belt is locked.
Unlocking the safety belt
1.Unbuckle the belt buckle.2.Remove the child restraint fixing system.3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in com‐
pletely.
LATCH child restraint fixing
system
LATCH: Lower Anchors and Tether for CHil‐dren.
Note Manufacturer's information for LATCH
child restraint fixing systems
To mount and use the LATCH child restraint
fixing systems, observe the operating and
safety information from the system manufac‐
turer; otherwise, the level of protection may be
reduced.◀
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Automatic deactivation of the frontpassenger airbags
The system determines whether the front pas‐
senger seat is occupied by measuring the re‐
sistance of the human body.
The front, knee, and side airbag on the front
passenger side are activated or deactivated
accordingly.
Leave feet in the footwell
Make sure that the front passenger
keeps his or her feet in the footwell; otherwise,
the front passenger airbags may not function
properly.◀
Child restraint fixing system in the front
passenger seat
Before transporting a child on the front pas‐
senger seat, refer to the safety notes and in‐
structions under Children on the front passen‐
ger seat.◀
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation system
When transporting older children and adults,
the front passenger airbags may be deacti‐
vated in certain sitting positions. In this case,
the indicator lamp for the front passenger air‐
bags lights up.
In this case, change the sitting position so that
the front passenger airbags are activated and
the indicator lamp goes out.
If it is not possible to activate the airbags, have
the person sit in the rear.
To make sure that the occupied seat cushion
can be evaluated correctly▷Do not attach covers, cushions, ball mats
or other items to the front passenger seat
unless they are specifically recommended
by the manufacturer of your vehicle.▷Do not place any electronic devices on the
passenger seat if a child restraint system is
to be installed on it.▷Do not place objects under the seat that
could press against the seat from below.
Indicator lamp for the front passenger
airbags
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air‐
bags indicates the operating state of the front
passenger airbags.
The lamp indicates whether the airbags are ac‐
tivated or deactivated.
▷The indicator lamp lights up
when a child who is properly
seated in a child restraint fix‐
ing system intended for that
purpose is detected on the
seat or the seat is empty.
The airbags on the front
passenger side are not acti‐
vated.▷The indicator lamp does not light up when,
for example, a correctly seated person of
sufficient size is detected on the seat. The
airbags on the front passenger side are ac‐
tivated.
Detected child seats
The system generally detects children seated
in a child seat, especially in the child seats that
were required by NHTSA when the vehicle was
manufactured. After installing a child seat,
make sure that the indicator lamp for the front
passenger airbags lights up. This indicates that the child seat has been detected and the
front passenger airbags are not activated.
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