2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA Owners Manual

in a rear-facing child restraint on the rear
seat.
RIf you install a rear-facing child restraint on
the front-passengerseat, make sure the
indicator lamp is illuminated,
indicating that the front-passenger frontair
bag is deactivated. Should the
indicator lamp not illuminate or go out while
the restraint is installed, please check
installation.Periodically check the
indicator lamp while driving to
make sure that theindicator
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 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
-secure child restraint with the vehicle's
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions
RFor children larger than the typical 12-
month-old child, the front-passenger front
air bag may or may not be activated.
GWARNING
If the redSRS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and the
indicator lamp light up simultaneously, the
OCS is malfunctioning. The front passenger
front air bag will be deactivated in this case.
Have the system checked by qualified
technicians as soon as possible. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-BenzCenter.
Only have the seat repaired or replaced at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
In order to ensure proper operation of the air
bag system and OCS:
RSit with the seat belt properly fastened in a
position that is as upright as possible with
your back against the seat backrest.
RWhen seated, a passenger should not
position him/herself in such a way as to
cause the passenger's weight to be lifted
from the seat cushion as this may result in
the OCS being unable to correctly
approximate the passenger's weight
category.
RRead and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
If the SmartKey has been removed from the
ignition lock or is in position0,
indicator lampdoes not light
up.
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
categorizes the occupant on the front-
passenger seat using a weight sensor.The
front-passenger front air bag is deactivated
automatically for certain weight categories.
indicator lampshows you the
current status. Ifindicator
lampis lit, the front-passenger front air
bag is disabled.
The system does not deactivate:
Rthe side impact air bag
Rthe window curtain air bag
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices
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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
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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
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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

If the driver's seat belt is not fastened when
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. This warning tone stops after
a maximum of six seconds or once the
driver's seat belt is fastened.
If after six seconds, the driver or front
passenger have not fastened their seat belts
and the doors are closed:
Rtheseat belt warning lamp remains lit
as long as the driver's or front-passenger's
seat belt is not fastened
and
Rif a vehicle speed of 15 mph (25 km/h) is
exceeded, theseat belt warning lamp
begins to flash.Awarning tone also sounds
with increasing intensity for a maximum of
60 seconds or until the driver or front
passenger have fastened their seat belts.
If the driver/front passenger unfasten their
seat belt while the vehicle is in motion, the
seat belt warning lamp lights up and a
warning tone sounds again.
The warning tone ceases evenifthe driver or
front-passenger seat belt has still not been
fastened after 60 seconds. Theseat belt
warning lamp stops flashing but remains
illuminated.
After the vehicle comes to a standstill, the
warning tone is reactivated. Theseat
belt warning lamp flashes again if the vehicle
speed exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h).
Theseat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
Rboth the driver and the front passenger
have fastened their seat belts.
or
Rthe vehicle is stationary and a door is open.
iFor more information on theseat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belts" (Ypage 240).
Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat
belt force limiters
GWARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed are no longer
operational and are unable to perform their
intended protective function. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Therefore, have pyrotechnic Emergency
Tensioning Devices which have been
triggered immediately replaced at a qualified
specialist workshop.
!If the front-passenger seat is not
occupied, do not engage the seat belt
tongue in the buckle on the front-
passenger seat. Otherwise, the Emergency
Tensioning Device could be triggered in the
event of an accident.
The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with Emergency
Tensioning Devices and seat belt force
limiter.
The ETDs tighten the seat belts in an accident,
pulling them close against the body.
The ETDs do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
The ETDs do not pull vehicle occupants back
towards the backrest.
The ETDs can only be activated when:
Rthe ignition is switched on.
Rthe restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" (Ypage 39).
Rthe belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
each of the front seat belts.
The ETDs on the outside seats in the rear
compartmentare triggered independently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The ETDs are triggered depending on the type
and severity of an accident:
Rif, in the event of a head-on or rear-end
collision, the vehicle decelerates or
accelerates rapidly in a longitudinal
Occupant safety53
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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