2014 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS ESTATE Owners Manual

There is an increased risk of serious or even
fatal injuries.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop.
Hybrid vehicles: G
DANGER
If the restraint system is malfunctioning,
restraint system components may be trig-
gered unintentionally or might not be trig-
gered at all in the event of an accident with a high rate of vehicle deceleration. This can
effect belt tensioners or airbags, for example. In addition, the vehicle's high-voltage electri-
cal system may not be deactivated as inten-
ded in the event of an accident. Touching
damaged components of the vehicle's high-
voltage electrical system could result in an
electric shock. There is an increased risk of
injury, possibly even fatal.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. After an accident, immediately
switch the ignition off and remove the key
from the ignition lock. PASSENGER AIRBAG indicator lamp
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
:
and PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp ;are part of the automatic deactiva-
tion system of the front-passenger front air-
bag. The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front airbag.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG ON :lights up: the
front-passenger front airbag is enabled. If,
in the event of an accident, all deployment
criteria are met, the front-passenger front
airbag is deployed.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ;lights up: the
front-passenger front airbag is disabled. It
will then not be deployed in the event of an
accident.
Depending on the person in the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger front air-
bag must either be disabled or enabled; see
the following points. You must make sure of
this both before and during a journey.
R Children in a rearward-facing child
restraint system: the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit. The
front-passenger front airbag is disabled. It
is imperative to observe the notes on the
"Automatic front-passenger front airbag
deactivation system" (Y page 54) and on
"Children in the vehicle" (Y page 63).
R Children in a forward-facing child
restraint system: depending on the instal-
led child restraint system and the age and
size of the child, the front-passenger front
airbag is either disabled or enabled. There-
fore, it is imperative to observe the notes
on the "Automatic front-passenger front
airbag deactivation system" (Y page 54)
and on "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 63).
R All other persons: the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON indicator lamp must be lit. The
front-passenger front airbag is enabled.
Depending on the build of the person on the front-passenger seat, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp may light up. The
front-passenger front airbag is disabled. It
will then not be deployed in the event of an
accident. In this case, the front-passenger
seat should not be used.
It is imperative to observe the notes on the
"Automatic front-passenger front airbag 46
Occupant safetySafety

deactivation system" (Y
page 54) as well
as on "Seat belts" (Y page 47) and "Air-
bags" (Y page 51). There you can also find
information on the correct seat position. Seat belts
Introduction A correctly fastened seatbelt is the most
effective means of restraining the movement
of vehicle occupants in the event of a collision or if the vehicle overturns. This reduces the
risk of vehicle occupants coming into contact
with parts of the vehicle interior or being
thrown from the vehicle. Additionally, the
seat belt helps to keep the vehicle occupant
in the best position in relation to the airbag.
The seat belt system consists of:
R seat belts
R belt tensioners for the front seat belts and
the outer seat belts in the rear
R belt force limiters for the front seat belts
and the outer seat belts in the rear
If the seat belt is pulled too quickly or sud-
denly from the belt outlet, the inertia reel will lock. The belt strap cannot be pulled out fur-
ther.
In an impact, the belt tensioner tightens the
belt to pull it close to the body. It does not pull the vehicle occupants back in the direction of
the seat backrest.
The belt tensioner cannot compensate for the
seat position being incorrect or for a seat belt
being routed or worn incorrectly.
If the seat belt is also fitted with a belt force
limiter and this is triggered, the force exerted by the seat belt on the vehicle occupant is
reduced.
The belt force limiters on the front seats are
synchronised with the front airbags, which
take on a part of the deceleration force. This
reduces the forces to which vehicle occu-
pants are subjected during an accident. !
If the co-driver's seat is not occupied, do
not engage the seat belt tongue in the
buckle on the co-driver's seat. Otherwise,
the belt tensioner could be triggered in the
event of an accident and would have to be
replaced.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The seat belt cannot perform its intended pro- tective function if it is not fastened correctly. Also, an improperly fastened seat belt can
cause additional injuries in the event of an
accident, sudden braking or abrupt changes
of direction. There is an increased risk of
injury, possibly even fatal.
Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are wearing their seat belt properly and are
seated correctly. G
WARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident, you could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seatbelt is routed
across the centre of your shoulder. G
WARNING
Persons under 1.50 mtall cannot wear the
seat belts correctly without a suitable, addi-
tional restraint system. The seat belt cannot
perform its intended protective function if it is not fastened correctly. Also, an improperly
fastened seat belt can cause additional inju-
ries in the event of an accident, sudden brak-
ing or abrupt changes of direction. There is an increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal. Occupant safety
47Safety
Z

Secure persons less than 1.50
mtall in a suit-
able restraint system.
If a child younger than 12 years old and under
1.50 m in height is travelling in the vehicle:
R always secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for this Mercedes-Benz
vehicle. The child restraint system must be
appropriate to the age, weight and size of
the child
R be sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes on the automatic front-
passenger front airbag deactivation system (Y page 54)
R always observe the instructions and safety
notes on "Children in the vehicle" in this
Owner's Manual (Y page 63) in addition
to the child restraint system manufactur-
er's installation instructions G
WARNING
Seat belts cannot protect as intended, if:
R they are damaged, have been modified, are
extremely dirty, bleached or dyed
R the seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty
R modifications have been made to the belt
tensioners, belt anchorages or inertia reels
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage in an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters. Modi-
fied or damaged seat belts can tear or fail, for example in the event of an accident. Modified
seat belt tensioners may be deployed unin-
tentionally or fail to be deployed when
required. There is an increased risk of injury,
possibly even fatal.
Never modify safety belts, seat belt tension-
ers, seat belt anchorages and inertia reels.
Ensure that seat belts are not damaged or
worn and are clean. After an accident, have
the seat belts checked immediately at a quali- fied specialist workshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use seat belts which have been approved
specifically for your vehicle by Mercedes- Benz. Otherwise your vehicle's general oper-
ating permit could be invalidated.
Correct seat belt use Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y
page 47).
All vehicle occupants must fasten their seat
belts correctly before beginning a journey.
While driving, make sure that all vehicle occu- pants are wearing their seat belts correctly.
When fastening the seat belt, make sure that:
R the seat belt buckle tongue is only inserted
into the correct belt buckle for the corre-
sponding seat
R the seat belt is pulled tight across your
body
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R the seat belt is not twisted
Only then can exerted forces be distributed
over the surface of the belt.
R the shoulder section of the belt must
always be routed across the centre of the
shoulder
The shoulder section of the belt should not
touch the neck and may not be routed
underneath the arm. Where possible,
adjust the seat belt to the appropriate
height.
R the lap belt is routed as low and snug as
possible across the pelvis
The lap belt must always be routed across
the hip joints and never across the abdo-
men. Pregnant women, in particular, must
observe this. If necessary, press the lap
belt downwards into the hip joints and pull
taut from the shoulder section of the belt.
R the seat belt is not routed across sharp-
edged, pointed or breakable objects
If such objects are on or in your clothing,
e.g. pens, keys or spectacles, please stow
them in a suitable place.
R only one person at a time uses a seat belt 48
Occupant safetySafety

Do not transport infants or children if they
are seated on the lap of a vehicle occupant. In the event of an accident, they could be
crushed between the vehicle occupant and seat belt.
R objects are never fastened together in a
seat belt with a person
Seat belts are only to be used to secure and
restrain persons. When securing objects, lug- gage or loads, always observe the instruc-
tions and safety notes in "Loading guidelines" (Y page 370).
Fastening and adjusting the seat belts Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y page 47) and the notes on correct use of
seat belts (Y page 48).
If the centre rear seat belt is being used, also observe the information about the seat belt
for the centre rear seat (Y page 49).X
Adjust the seat (Y page 118).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
vertical position.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly from belt outlet
= and engage belt tongue ;into belt
buckle :.
The seat belt on the driver's seat and the
front-passenger seat may be tightened automatically; see "Belt adjustment"
(Y
page 50).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body. The shoulder section of the seat belt must
always be routed across the centre of the
shoulder. Adjust the belt outlet if necessary.
X To raise: slide the belt outlet upwards.
The belt outlet will engage in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: hold belt outlet release :and
slide the belt outlet downwards.
X Let go of belt outlet release :in the
desired position and make sure that the
belt outlet engages.
Seat belt for the centre rear seat If the left-hand rear seat backrest is folded
down and back up again, the rear centre seat
belt may lock. The seat belt can then not be
pulled out.
X To release the rear centre seat belt: pull
the seat belt out approximately 20 mm at
the belt outlet on the backrest and then
release it again.
The seat belt is retracted and released.
Releasing the 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, Occupant safety
49Safety Z

the door trim panel and the seat belt. Dam-
aged seat belts can no longer fulfil their
protective function and must be replaced.
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. X
Press release button :, hold belt
tongue ;firmly and guide it back towards
belt outlet =.
Seat belt adjustment The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. This
function adjusts the driver's and front-
passenger seat belt to the upper body of the
occupants.
The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
R the seat belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle and
R the ignition is switched on
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a certain
tightening force if any slack is detected
between the vehicle occupant and the seat
belt. Do not hold on to the seat belt tightly
while it is adjusting.
You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on
and off using COMAND Online or Audio 20.
Information on switching the seat-belt adjust-
ment function on and off can be found in the
Digital Owner's Manual or in the separate COMAND Online or Audio 20 operating
instructions.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger The
7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder that all vehicle
occupants must wear their seat belts. It may
light up continuously or flash. In addition, a
warning tone may sound.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases when the driver and
the front passenger have fastened their seat
belts.
i For more information on the
7seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrument cluster, seat
belt" (Y page 353).
Rear seat belt status indicator The rear seat belt status indicator is only
available for certain countries.
For approximately 30 second s,the rear seat
belt status indicator informs you which rear
seat belt is not fastened.
The rear seat belt status indicator appears if:
R you drive off and reach a speed of approx-
imately 10 km/h.
R the rear passengers fasten or unfasten
their seat belts while the vehicle is in
motion.
R someone gets in or out of the vehicle and
you pull away again. 50
Occupant safetySafety

If a rear seat passenger unfastens their seat
belt when travelling at a speed above
25 km/h, a short warning tone also sounds.
You can also cancel the rear seat belt status
indicator immediately (Y page 316).Airbags
Introduction The installation location of an airbag is iden-
tified by the AIRBAG symbol.
An airbag supplements a correctly worn seat
belt. It is not a replacement for the seat belt.
The airbag offers additional protection in
applicable accident situations.
Not all airbags are deployed in an accident.
The different airbag systems work independ-
ently of each other (Y page 60).
However, no system available today can com- pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to completely rule out a
risk of injury caused by an airbag due to the
speed at which the airbag must be deployed.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you deviate from the correct seat position,
the airbag cannot perform its intended pro-
tective function and can even cause addi-
tional injuries when deployed. There is an
increased risk of serious or even fatal injuries.
In order to avoid such risks, always ensure
that all vehicle occupants:
R fasten their seatbelts correctly, including
pregnant women
R are seated correctly and maintain the fur-
thest possible distance from the airbags
R observe the following notes
Always ensure that there are no objects loca-
ted between the airbag and the vehicle occu-
pant.
R Adjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the seat is in an almost upright position. The
centre of the head restraint must support
the head at about eye level.
R Move the driver's and front-passenger
seats as far back as possible. The driver's
seat position must allow the vehicle to be
driven safely.
R Only hold the steering wheel on the out-
side. This allows the airbag to be fully
deployed.
R Always lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forwards or lean against
the door or side window. You may other-
wise be in the deployment area of the air-
bags.
R Always keep your feet in the footwell in
front of the seat. Do not put your feet on the
dashboard, for example. Your feet may oth-
erwise be in the deployment area of the
airbag.
R Always secure persons less than 1.50 mtall
in suitable restraint systems. Up to this
height, the seat belt cannot be worn cor-
rectly.
If a child is travelling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
R Always secure children under 12 years of
age and less than 1.50 m tall in suitable
child restraint systems.
R Child restraint systems should be fitted to
the rear seats.
R Only secure a child to the front-passenger
seat when the front-passenger front airbag
is disabled, and only then in a rearward-
facing child restraint system. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is permanently lit, the front-passenger front
airbag is disabled (Y page 46).
R Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system
(Y page 54) and on "Children in the vehi-
cle" (Y page 63) in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installa-
tion instructions. Occupant safety
51Safety Z

Objects in the vehicle interior may pre-
vent the airbag from functioning cor-
rectly. Before starting your journey and to
avoid risks resulting from the speed of the
airbag as it deploys, make sure that:
R there are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an air-
bag.
R there are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar.
R no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, are
hanging on the grab handles or coat hooks.
R no accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deploy-
ment area of an airbag, e.g. to doors, side
windows, rear side trim or side walls.
R no heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects
are in the pockets of your clothing. Store
such objects in a suitable place. G
WARNING
If you modify an airbag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the airbag can no longer function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an airbag cover or affix objects
to it. G
WARNING
Sensors to control the airbags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ling, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the function of the sensors being impaired. The
airbags might therefore not function properly any more. Consequently, the airbags cannot
protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. This poses an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
elling carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop. Front airbags !
Do not place heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. This could cause the sys-
tem to identify the seat as being occupied. In the event of an accident, the restraint
systems on the front-passenger side may
be triggered and have to be replaced. Driver's airbag
:deploys in front of the
steering wheel. Front-passenger front air-
bag ;deploys in front of and above the glove
compartment.
When deployed, the front airbags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the
occupants in the front seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps
inform you about the status of the front-
passenger front airbag (Y page 46).
Front-passenger front airbag ;will only
deploy if:
R the automatic front-passenger front airbag
deactivation system has detected that the
front-passenger seat is occupied
(Y page 54). The PASSENGER AIR BAG
ON indicator lamp is lit (Y page 54)
R the restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity 52
Occupant safetySafety

Driver's kneebag
Driver's kneebag
:deploys under the steer-
ing column. The driver's kneebag is triggered
together with the front airbag.
The driver's kneebag offers additional thigh,
knee and lower leg protection for the occu-
pant in the driver's seat.
Sidebags G
WARNING
Unsuitable seat covers can obstruct or pre-
vent the deployment of the airbags integrated into the seats. Consequently, the airbags can-
not protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. In addition, the function of the automatic front-passenger front airbag deac-
tivation system could be restricted. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal
injury.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for the corresponding seats by Mercedes-Benz. Front sidebags
:and rear sidebags ;
deploy next to the outer bolster of the seat
backrest.
When deployed, the sidebag offers additional thorax protection. However, it does not pro-
tect the:
R head
R neck
R arms
In the event of a side impact, the sidebag is
deployed on the side on which the impact
occurs.
Vehicles with the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system: the sidebag on the front-passenger side (front) deploys
under the following conditions:
R an occupant is detected on the front-
passenger seat or
R the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle, the sidebag on the front-passenger
side deploys if an appropriate accident situa- tion occurs. In this case, deployment is inde- pendent of whether the front-passenger seatis occupied or not.
Windowbags Windowbags
:are integrated into the side
of the roof frame and deploy in the area from the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
When deployed, the windowbag enhances the
level of protection for the head. However, it
does not protect the chest or arms. Occupant safety
53Safety Z