2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA child restraint

To be classified correctly, the frontpassenger
must sit:
Rwith the seat belt fastened correctly
Rin a positionthat is as upright as possible
with their back against the seat backrest
Rwith their feet on the floor
The OCS weight sensor reading is affected if
the occupant's weight is transferred, e.g. by
leaning on the armrest.
If the front-passenger seat, the seat cover or
the seat cushion are damaged, have the
necessary repair work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you only use seat
accessories that have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz.
Both the driver and the front passenger
should always observe the
indicator lamp to determine whether or not
the front passenger is positioned correctly.
Observe also the air bag display messages
that can be displayed in the instrument
cluster (Ypage 222).
If the driver's air bag deploys, this does not
mean that the front-passenger front air bag
will also deploy.
The OCS may have detected that the seat:
Ris empty or occupied by the weight of a
typical child up to twelve months old,
seated in a child restraint system
Ris occupied by a small individual, such as a
young teenager or a small adult
Ris occupied by a child in a child restraint
system whose weight is greater than that
of a typical twelve month old child.
These are examples of when the OCS
deactivates the front-passenger front air bag.
Deactivation takes place although the
collision fulfills the criteria for deploying the
driver's air bag.
System self-test
GWARNING
If theindicator lamp does not
illuminate, the system is not functioning. You
must contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center before seating any child on the front
passenger seat.
GWARNING
Never place anything betweenseat cushion
and child seat (e.g. a pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the OCS. The underside
and rear side child restraint system must be
placed entirely on the seat cushion and the
backrest of the front-passenger seat
backrest.
If necessary, adjust the tilt of the passenger
seat backrest.
An incorrectly mounted child seat could cause
injuries to the child in case of an accident,
instead of increasing protection for the child.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions for
installation of child restraint systems.
If you turn the SmartKey to position1or2in
the ignition lock, theindicator
lamp illuminates.
If an adult occupant is sitting properly on the
front-passenger seat and the OCS classifies
the occupant as an adult, the
indicator lamp illuminates and goes out again
after approximately six seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the OCS
classifies the frontpassenger seat as being
unoccupied, theindicator lamp
will illuminate and notgo out.
For more information, see "Problems with the
Occupant Classification System"
(Ypage 49).
48Occupant safety
Safety

Problems with the Occupant Classification System
ProblemPossible causes/consequences and
Solutions
The
indicator lamp
illuminates and
remains illuminated.
The person on the
front-passenger seat:
Rhas the weight of a
typical adult
Rhas been determined
by the system not to
be a child
The OCS is malfunctioning.
XHave the OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display (Ypage 222).
GWARNING
If theindicator lamp illuminates and remains illuminated when the weight of a typical
adult or someone larger than a small individual has been detected on the passenger seat, do not
allow any occupant to use the passenger seat until the system has been repaired.
ProblemPossible causes/consequences and
Solutions
The
indicator lamp does not
illuminate and/or does
not remain illuminated.
The front-passenger
seat is:
Runoccupied
Roccupied with a
weight up to that of a
typical twelve-
month-old child in a
standard child
restraint system
The OCS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure there is nothing between the seat cushion and the
child seat.
XCheck the installation of the child restraint system.
XMake sure that no objectsare applying additional weight onto
the seat.
XIf theindicator lamp does not illuminate, have the
OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. Do not transport a child on the front-passenger
seat as long as the OCS is not functioning.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display (Ypage 222).
GWARNING
If theindicator lamp does not illuminate or remains out with the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child restraint or less, or is unoccupied, on the front-passenger
seat, do not transportachild on the front-passenger seat until the system has been repaired.
Occupant safety49
Safety
Z

Seat belts
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level
of protection if the backrest is not in the
upright position. When braking 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 make sure that the seat
is in the upright position.
GWARNING
Seat belts cannot protect as intended, if:
Rthey are damaged, extremely dirty,
bleached or dyed
Rthe seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices or the
belt anchorage has been modified.
Damage caused to seat belts in an accident
may not be visible, e.g. by splinters of glass.
Modified or damaged seat belts can tear or
fail, for example in the event of an accident.
Modified Emergency Tensioning Devices may
be deployed unintentionally or fail to be
deployed when required. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Never modify seat belts, Emergency
Tensioning Devices, seat belt anchorages and
inertia reels. Ensure that seat belts are not
damaged or worn and are clean.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in:
Rall 50 states
Rthe U.S. territories
Rthe District of Columbia
Rall Canadianprovinces
Even where this is not required by law, all
vehicle occupants should correctly fasten
their seat belts before starting the journey.
iSee "Children in the vehicle"
(Ypage 54) for further information on
infants and children traveling in the vehicle
as well as on child restraint systems.
Proper use of the seat belts
GWARNING
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
RSeat belts can only work when used
properly.Never 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.
REach 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 frontair bag, driver's side knee
bag, front-passengerfront air 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,
driver's side knee bag and ETDs) and side
(side impact air bags, windowcurtain air
bags, and ETDs) impacts which exceed
preset deploymentthresholds and in
certain rollovers (window curtain air bags
and ETDs).
RNever 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
chance of head and neck injuries. The seat
belt would also apply too much force to the
ribs or abdomen, which could severely
injure internal organs such as your liver or
spleen.
50Occupant safety
Safety

Adjust the seatbelt so that the shoulder
section is located as close as possible to
the middle of the shoulder. It should not
touch the neck.Never pass the shoulder
portion of the seat belt under your arm. For
this purpose, you can adjust the height of
the seat belt outlet.
RPosition 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.
RNever wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys etc., as
these might cause injuries.
RMake sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
RNever 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.
RSeat belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you would not have the full width of
the seat belt to distributeimpact forces.
The twisted seat belt against yourbody
could cause injuries.
RPregnant 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.
RPlace the seat backrest in a position that is
as upright as possible.
RCheck your seat belt during travel to make
sure it is properly positioned.
RNever place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
RWhen using a seat belt to secure infant
restraints, toddler restraints, or children in
booster seats, always follow the child seat
manufacturer's instructions.
GWARNING
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
GWARNING
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.
Achild'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.
Occupant safety51
Safety
Z

XAdjust the seat and move the backrest to
an almostvertical position (Ypage 90).
XPull the seat belt smoothly through belt
sash guide.
XWithout twisting it, guide the shoulder
section of the seat belt across the middle
of your shoulder and the lap section across
your pelvis.
XEngage belt tonguein buckle".
XIf necessary, adjust the seat belt to the
appropriate height (Ypage 52).
XIf necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
All seat belts in the vehicle with the exception
of the driver's seat belt are equipped with a
special seat belt retractor, with which a child
restraint system can be secured. For further
information on special seat belt retractors,
see (Ypage 57).
Information on releasing the seat belt with
release button!(Ypage 52).
Belt height adjustment
You can adjust the seat belt height on the
frontseats. Adjust the belt to a height that
allows the upper part of the seat belt to be
routed across the center of your shoulder.
XTo raise:slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various
positions.
XTo lower:press and hold belt sash guide
release.
XSlide the belt sash guide downwards.
XRelease belt sash guide releaseand
make sure that the 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.
XPress release button!on belt buckle".
XGuide belt tongueback to belt sash
guide.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
Every time the engine is started, the
seat belt warning lamp lights up for six
seconds. It lights up regardless of whether
the driver's and front-passenger seat belts
have already been fastened. If the driver's
and front-passenger seat belts have already
been fastened, theseat belt warning
lamp then goes out.
52Occupant safety
Safety

direction during the initial stages of the
impact.
Rif, in the event of a side impact, on the side
opposite the impact the vehicle
decelerates or accelerates rapidly in a
lateral direction.
Rif, in certain situationswhere the vehicle
rolls over, 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
health hazard and does not indicate that there
is a fire in the vehicle. The dust might cause
some temporary breathing difficulty for
people with asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, you may wish to get out
of the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
You can also open the window to allow fresh
air to enter the vehicle interior. TheSRS
warning lamp lights up.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a seat
belt force limiter and this is triggered, the
force exerted by the seat belt on the vehicle
occupant is reduced.
The seat belt force limiter for the front seats
are synchronized with the front air bags,
which take on a part of the deceleration force.
This results in the force exerted on the
occupant being distributed over a greater
area.
Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes
GWARNING
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front seating
position. 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 appropriate
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight of
the child.
The infant or child restraint 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 appropriately 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:
RYour 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.
RFor children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
front air bag may or may not be activated.
Always make sure theindicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
RAchild 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
completely eliminate this risk is to never
place a child in a rear-facing child restraint
in the front seat. We therefore strongly
54Children in the vehicle
Safety

recommend that you always place a child
in a rear-facing child restraint in a backseat.
RIf you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat
because circumstances require you to do
so, make sure theindicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
Should theindicator lamp not
illuminate or go out while the restraint is
installed, please checkinstallation.
Periodically check theindicator
lamp while driving to make sure the
indicator lamp is illuminated. If the
indicator lamp goes out or
remains out, do not transport a child on the
front passenger seat until the system has
been repaired.
Achild 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.
RIf you have to 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, and secure child restraint with
the vehicle's seat belt according to the
child seat manufacturer's instructions.
GWARNING
If the child restraint system is installed
incorrectly on a suitable seat, it cannot
protect as intended. The child cannot then be
restrained in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or sudden changes of direction. There
is an increased risk of injury, possibly even
fatal.
Make sure that you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation
instructions and the notes on use. Please
ensure, that the base of the child restraint
system is always resting completely on the
seat cushion. Never place objects, e.g.
cushions, under or behind the child restraint
system. Only use child restraint systems with
the original cover designed for them. Only
replace damaged covers with genuine covers.
GWARNING
If the child restraint system is installed
incorrectly or is not secured, it can come
loose in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or a sudden change in direction. The
child restraint system could be thrown about,
striking vehicle occupants. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Always install child restraint systems
properly, even if they are not being used.
Make sure that you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation
instructions.
GWARNING
Child restraint systems or their securing
systems which have been damaged or
subjected to a load in an accident can no
longer protect as intended. The child cannot
then be restrained in the event of an accident,
heavy braking or sudden changes of direction.
There is an increased risk of injury, possibly
even fatal.
Replace child restraint systems which have
been damaged or subjected to a load in an
accident as soon as possible. Have the
securing systems on the child restraint
system checked at a qualified specialist
workshop, before you install a child restraint
system again.
GWARNING
Infants and small children should never share
a seat belt with another occupant. In the event
of an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
Achild'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.
Children in the vehicle55
Safety
Z

Children that are too large for a child restraint
must travel in seats usingnormal seat belts.
Position the shoulder belt across the chest
and shoulder, not the face or neck.Abooster
seat may be necessary to achieve proper seat
belt positioning for children over 41 lbs
(18 kg) until they reach a height wherealap/
shoulder belt fits properly without a booster
seat.
When the child restraint is notinuse, remove
it from the vehicle or secure it with the seat
belt to prevent the child restraint from
becoming a projectile in the event of an
accident.
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park positionP
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children.
GWARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected
to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle.
GWARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot.
Children may burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is a risk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you, always ensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Protect it with a blanket, for example. If the
child restraint system has been exposed to
direct sunlight, let it cool down before
securing the child in it. Never leave children
unattended in the vehicle.
If an infant or child is traveling in the vehicle:
RSecure the child with a child or infant seat
restraint system appropriate to the age and
weight of the child.
RMake sure that the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you always
properly secure all infants and children with
a child or infant seat restraint system for the
trip.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in:
Rall 50 states
Rthe U.S. territories
Rthe District of Columbia
Rall Canadian provinces
Infants and children must always be seated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint system
recommended for the size and weight of the
child. The infant or child restraint system
must be properly secured in accordance with
the manufacturer's instructions.
All infant or child restraint systems must meet
the following standards:
RU.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225
RCanadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2
Confirmation that the child restraint system
corresponds to the standards can be found
on an instruction label on the child restraint
system. This confirmation can also be found
56Children in the vehicle
Safety