2014 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON warning

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.
If components of the restraint system are
activated during an accident, the hybrid sys-
tem is automatically deactivated.
The hybrid system is not activated when the
vehicle is started if:
R a short circuit is detected in the hybrid sys-
tem.
R a hybrid system electrical connection is
disconnected.
This ensures that you do not come into con-
tact with high voltage.
Manual deactivation of the hybrid sys-
tem The hybrid system can be deactivated man-
ually using the high voltage switch-off device.
! To prevent damage to the hybrid system
please observe the following instructions:
R only deactivate the hybrid system man-
ually in the following situations.
R work on the hybrid system may only be
carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop, even when it has been deactivated
manually.
R if the 6 restraint system warning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up after an
accident.
R if the vehicle is badly damaged, e.g. after an
accident, and the restraint system compo-
nents were not activated.
R if the vehicle is badly damaged and has to
be towed or transported.
X If possible, move the vehicle out of the
danger zone: shift the automatic transmis-
sion into position N.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Roll the vehicle to a safe place and park it
safely. Get assistance from others if necessary.
The vehicle is locked automatically when the
ignition is switched on and the wheels are
turning. There is therefore a risk of being
locked out if the vehicle is being pushed or
tested on a dynamometer.
X Switch the ignition off.
X Shift the automatic transmission to park
position P.
Apply the electric parking brake
(Y page 209).
Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling
away (Y page 439).
X To use the high-voltage switch-off
device: open the bonnet. X
Press release clip :in the direction of the
arrow and pull it out.
X Pull high voltage switch-off device ;apart
until it engages in the stop position.
High-voltage battery G
WARNING
In the event of a vehicle fire, the internal pres- sure of the high-voltage battery could exceeda critical value. In this case, flammable gas
escapes through a vent valve in the vehicle's
underbody. The gas can ignite. There is a risk
of injury.
Leave the danger area immediately. Secure
the danger area at a suitable distance, whilst
observing legal requirements. Hybrid vehicles
43Safety Z

G
WARNING
If the housing of the high-voltage battery has
been damaged, electrolyte and gases may
leak out. These are poisonous and caustic.
There is a risk of injury.
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or clothing. Immediately rinse electrolyte splashes off
with water and seek medical attention
straight away.
! Exhaustive discharge caused by the vehi-
cle standing idle for lengthy periods can
damage the high-voltage battery.
If the vehicle is idle for lengthy periods, run
it for a few minutes once every six weeks to
charge up the high-voltage battery.
During the charging process, switch off all
electrical consumers, e.g. the automatic
climate control or the seat heating.
Information on charging the high-voltage bat-
tery (Y page 416).
Engine compartment Before opening the bonnet:
X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to park
position P.
X Switch the ignition off.
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
or, in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-func-
tion or KEYLESS ‑GO
X Remove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock.
X Observe the warning notes on the risk of
electric shock (Y page 42).
X Observe the warning notes about the bon-
net (Y page 391). RBS driving safety system (Recupera-
tive Brake System)
RBS supports you when braking with an elec-
tronically-controlled brake boost mode and enables the recovery of kinetic energy (recu-
peration).
For further information on the RBS system
(Y page 269). Panic alarm
X
To activate: press!button :for
approximately one second.
An alarm sounds and the exterior lighting
flashes.
X To deactivate: press!button :
again.
or
X Insert the key into the ignition lock.
or, in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-func-
tion or KEYLESS ‑GO
X Press the Start/Stop button.
The key must be in the vehicle.
The panic alarm function is only available in
certain countries. Occupant safety
Introduction to the restraint system
The restraint system reduces the risk of vehi- cle occupants coming into contact with parts
of the vehicle's interior in the event of an
accident. The restraint system can also
reduce the forces to which vehicle occupants
are subjected during an accident. 44
Occupant safetySafety

The restraint system includes the:
R seat belt system
R airbags
R child restraint system
R child seat securing system
The components of the restraint system work
in conjunction with each other. They can only
offer protection if all vehicle occupants
always:
R have the seat belt correctly fastened
(Y page 48)
R have the seat and head restraint adjusted
properly (Y page 119)
As the driver, you must also make sure that
the steering wheel is also adjusted properly.
Observe the information on the correct driv-
er's seat position (Y page 118).
In addition, you must make sure that the air-
bags can inflate properly if they are deployed (Y page 51).
An airbag supplements a correctly worn seat
belt and, as an additional safety device,
increases protection for vehicle occupants in
applicable accident situations. The airbags
are not deployed, for example, in the event of an accident in which sufficient protection is
offered by the seat belt. In addition, only
those airbags, which in the applicable acci-
dent situations offer additional protection,
are deployed in the event of an accident.
However, the seat belt and airbag generally
do not protect against objects penetrating
the vehicle from the outside.
Information on how the restraint system
operates can be found under "Deployment of
belt tensioners and airbags" (Y page 60).
See "Children in the vehicle" for further infor- mation on children travelling in the vehicle as
well as on child restraint systems
(Y page 63). Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the restraint system is modified, it may no
longer work as intended. The restraint system
may then not perform its intended protective function by failing in an accident or triggering
unexpectedly, for example. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Never modify parts of the restraint system. Do not attempt to modify the wiring as well as
electronic components or their software.
If it is necessary to modify an airbag system to
accommodate a person with disabilities, con- tact an authorised Mercedes-Benz Centre. Restraint system warning lamp
The functions of the restraint system are
checked after the ignition is switched on and at regular intervals while the engine is run-
ning. Therefore, malfunctions can be detec-
ted in good time.
The 6 restraint system warning lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up when the igni- tion is switched on. It goes out no later than afew seconds after the engine is started. The
components of the restraint system are in
operational readiness.
A malfunction has occurred if the 6
restraint system warning lamp:
R does not light up after the ignition is
switched on
R does not go out after a few seconds with
the engine running
R lights up again while the engine is running
All vehicles, except hybrid vehicles: G
WARNING
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. Occupant safety
45Safety
Z

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.
Secure persons less than 1.50 mtall in a suit-
able restraint system. Occupant safety
47Safety Z

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. Any such modifications could invalidate the vehicle's general operating permit. Correct seat belt use Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y
page 47).
All vehicle occupants must be wearing the
seat belt correctly before beginning the jour- ney. Also make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants are always wearing the seat belt cor-
rectly while the vehicle is in motion.
When fastening the seat belt, always make
sure that:
R the seat belt tongue is only inserted to the
belt buckle belonging to that seat.
R the seat belt is tight across your body.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R the seat belt is not twisted.
Only then can forces which occur be dis-
tributed across the surface of the seat belt.
R the shoulder section of the belt is always
routed across the centre of your shoulder.
The shoulder section of the seat belt should
not touch your neck nor be routed under
your arm. If possible, adjust the seat belt to
the appropriate height.
R the lap belt passes across your lap as
tightly and as low down as possible.
The lap must always be routed across your
hip joints and never across your abdomen.
This applies particularly to pregnant
women. If necessary, press the lap belt
down into your hip joints and pull tight with the shoulder section of the belt.
R the seat belt is not routed across sharp,
pointed or fragile objects.
If you have such items located on or in your
clothing, e.g. pens, keys or spectacles,
store these in a suitable place.
R only one person is using a seat belt.
Infants and children must never travel sit-
ting on the lap of a vehicle occupant. In the
event of an accident, they could be crushed 48
Occupant safetySafety

mechanism. This could damage the door,
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 belt tongue is engaged in the 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 activating and deactivating
the seat-belt adjustment function can be
found in the Digital Owner's Manual or in the separate COMAND Online or Audio 20 oper-
ating instructions.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger The
7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder for all vehicle occu-
pants to fasten their seat belts. It may light up continuously or flash. A warning tone may
also sound.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone switches off as soon as the driver and co-driver have fastened their seat
belts.
i For more information on the
7seat
belt warning lamp, see the "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belt" section (Y page 351).
Rear seat belt status indicator The rear seat belt status indicator is only
available for certain countries.
For approximately 30 seconds, 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 314).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 For this reason, always secure persons less
than 1.50 mtall in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
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 mtall 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, hang 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 on the front seats, the front
airbags offer additional protection for the
head and thorax.
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 lights up (Y page 54)
R the restraint system predicts a high
severity of an accident 52
Occupant safetySafety