2014 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS warning light

Problems with the Occupant Classification System
GWARNING
If theindicator lamp illuminates and remains illuminated when the weight ofatypical
adult or someone larger thanasmall individual has been detected on the passenger seat, do not
allow any occupant to use the passenger seat until the system has been repaired.
GWARNING
If theindicator lamp does not illuminate or remains out with the weight ofatypical
12-month-old child inastandard 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.
ProblemPossiblecauses/consequencesandSolutions
The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lights up and remains
on.
The person on the
front-passenger seat:
Rhas the weight of a
typical adult
Rhas been determined
by the system not to
beachild
The COS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure that the front passenger is sitting inacorrect,upright
position.
XHave the COS checked as soon as possible ataqualified
specialist workshop.
XObserve the additional displaymessages in the multifunction
display(Ypage 244).
52Occupant safety
Safety

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andSolutions
The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp does not light up
and/or does not stay
on.
The front-passenger
seat is:
Runoccupied
Roccupied with the
weight ofachild up
to twelve months old
inachild restraint
system
The COS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure there is nothingbetween the seat cushion and the
child seat.
XMake sure that the backrest and base of the child restraint
system rest on the front-passenger seat. If necessary, adjust
the position of the front-passenger seat.
XWhen installing the child restraint system, make sure that the
seat belt is tight. Do not pull the seat belt tight with the front-
passenger seat adjustment.This could result in the seat belt
being pulledtoo tightly.
XCheck the installation of the child restraint system.
XMake sure that no objectsare applying additionalweight onto
the seat.
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains off, have
the COS checked immediatelyataqualified specialist
workshop. Do not transportachild on the front-passenger seat
until the COS has been repaired.
XObservethe additional display messages in the multifunction
display (Ypage 244).
NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-
PRO luxuryhead restraints
Importantsafetynotes
GWARNING
The function of the head restraint may be
impaired if you:
Rattach objects such as coat hangers to the
head restraints, for example
Ruse head restraint covers
If you do so, the head restraintscannot fulfill
their intended protective function in the event
of an accident. In addition, objects attached
to the head restraintscould endanger other
vehicle occupants. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Do not attach any objects to the head
restraintsand do not use head restraint
covers.
NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury
head restraintsincrease protection of the
driver'sand front-passenger's head and
neck. In the event ofarear collision of a
certain severity, the NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
on the driver'sand the front-passenger seats
are moved forwards and upwards. This
provides better head support.
If the NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO
luxury head restraintshave been triggered in
an accident, reset the NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
on the driver'sand front-passenger seats
(Ypage 54). Otherwise, the additional
protection will not be available in the event of
another rear-end collision. NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
that have been triggered are moved forwards
and can no longer be adjusted.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have
the NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO
luxury head restraintschecked ataqualified
specialist workshop afterarear-end collision.
Occupant safety53
Safety
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Rif, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS,the
radar sensor system detectsanimminent
dangerofcollision in certain situations.
Rin critical driving situations, e.g. when
physical limits are exceeded and the
vehicle understeers or oversteers severely.
PRE-SAFE®takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation
detected:
Rthe front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
Rthe front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is
in an unfavorable position.
Rvehicles withamulticontour seat or active
multicontour seat: the air pressure in the
side bolsters of the seat cushion and
backrest is increased.
Rif the vehicle skids, the sliding sunroof and
the side windows are closed so that only a
small gap remains.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident,PRE-SAFE®slackens
the belt pre-tensioning. The air pressure in
the side bolsters on the multicontour seat/
active multicontour seat is reduced again. All
settings made by PRE-SAFE®can then be
reversed.
If the seat belts are not released:
XWhen the vehicle is stationary, move the
backrest or seat back slightly.
The seat belt pre-tensioningisreduced and
the lockingmechanism is released.
Information about seat belt adjustment, a
conveniencefunction integrated into PRE-
SAFE®,can be found in the "Seat belt
adjustment" section (Ypage 57).
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 TensioningDevices 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 TensioningDevices 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
TensioningDevices, 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
vehicleoccupants should correctly fasten
their seat belts before starting the journey.
iSee "Children in the vehicle"
(Ypage60) for further information on
infants and children traveling in the vehicle
as wellasonchild restraint systems.
Occupant safety55
Safety
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Beltheight adjustment
Youcan adjustthe seat belt height on the
front seats. Adjust the belt toaheight that
allowsthe 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. Visitaqualified specialist
workshop.
XPress release button!on belt buckle$.
XGuidebelt tongueto belt sash
guide.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
Regardless of whether the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts have already been
fastened, theseat belt warning lamp
lights up for six seconds each time the engine
is started. It then goes out if the driver and
the front passenger have already fastened
their seat belts.
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
amaximum 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
Rifavehicle speed of 15 mph (25 km/h) is
exceeded, theseat belt warning lamp
begins to flash.Awarning tone also sounds
withincreasing intensityforamaximum of
58Occupant safety
Safety

60 seconds or until the driverorfront
passenger have fastenedtheir seatbelts.
If the driver/frontpassenger unfasten their
seat belt while the vehicle is in motion,the
seat belt warning lamp lights up and a
warning tonesounds again.
The warning toneceases even if the 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 toastandstill, the
warning toneisreactivated and the seat belt
warning lampflashes again if the vehicle
speed again exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h).
Theseat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
Rboth the driver and the frontpassenger
have fastened their seat belts.
or
Rthevehicle is stationaryandadoor is open.
iFor moreinformationontheseat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in theinstrumentcluster,
seat belts" (Ypage 265).
Emergency TensioningDevices, seat
belt force limiters
GWARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed are no longer
operational and are unable to performtheir
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 ataqualified
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.
iVehicles with PRE-SAFE®:Emergency
Tensioning Devices that are triggered by an
electric motor can be deployed as often as
desired and do not need to be replaced.
The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with Emergency
Tensioning Devices and seat belt force
limiters.
The ETDs tighten the seat belts in an accident,
pulling them close against the body.
The ETDs do not correct incorrectseat
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 41)
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 triggeredindependently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The ETDs are triggereddepending on the type
and severity of an accident:
Rif, in the event ofahead-on or rear-end
collision, the vehicledecelerates or
accelerates rapidly inalongitudinal
direction during the initialstages of the
impact
Rif,inthe event ofasideimpact,onthe side
opposite the impact the vehicle
decelerates or accelerates rapidlyina
lateraldirection
Rif,incertainsituations where the vehicle
rolls over,the system determines that it
can provide additional protection
If the ETDsare deployed, you will hearabang,
andasmall amountofpowder may also be
released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is
released generally does not constitute a
Occupant safety59
Safety
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health hazard and does not indicate that there
isafire 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 withaseat
belt force limiter and this is triggered, the
force exerted by the seat belt on the vehicle
occupant is reduced.
The seat belt force limiters for the front seats
are synchronized with the front air bags,
which take onapart of the deceleration force.
This results in the force exerted on the
occupant being distributed overagreater
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 recommendthat
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,orbooster
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,orbooster 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 placeachild 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 ofastandard 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, indicatingthat the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
RAchild inarear-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat will be seriously
injured or even killed if the front passenger
front air bag inflates inacollision 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
placeachild inarear-facing child restraint
in the front seat. We therefore strongly
recommendthat you always placeachild
inarear-facing child restraint inabackseat.
RIf you must installarear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat
because circumstances require you to do
so, make sure theindicator
lamp is illuminated, indicatingthat the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
Should theindicator lamp not
illuminateorgoout while the restraint is
installed, please checkinstallation.
Periodically check theindicator
lamp while drivingtomake sure the
indicator lamp is illuminated. If the
indicator lamp goes out or
remainsout, do not transportachild on the
60Children in thevehicle
Safety

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 couldset the vehiclein
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park positionP
RStart the engine.
There isarisk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alwaystake 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, particularlychildren are subjected
to prolonged exposure to extreme heator
cold,there isariskofinjury,possiblyeven
fatal. Never leave children unattendedinthe
vehicle.
GWARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot.
Children mayburn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There isarisk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, takingthe child with
you, alwaysensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight.
Protectitwithablanket,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 infantorchild is traveling in the vehicle:
RSecure the child withachild 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-Benzrecommends that you always
properly secure all infants and children with
achild or infantseat restraint system for the
trip.
The use of seat belts and infantand child
restraint systemsisrequired by lawin:
Rall50states
Rthe U.S. territories
Rthe District of Columbia
RallCanadianprovinces
Infants and children must alwaysbeseated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint system
recommendedfor 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
RCanadianMotor 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
in the installation instructions that are
included with the child restraint system.
Always read and follow the manufacturer's
instructions when using an infant or child
restraint system or booster seat.
Observe the warning labels in the vehicle
interior or on the infant or child restraint.
62Children in the vehicle
Safety

ABS works fromaspeedof about5mph
(8 km/h)upwards,regardless of road-surface
conditions.ABS works on slippery surfaces,
evenifyou only brake gently.
The yellowABS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition
is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes:continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking
situation is over.
XTo makeafull brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
apulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an
indication of hazardous road conditions, and
functions asareminder to take extracare
while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
iObserve the "Important safety notes"
section (Ypage 66).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergencybraking situation is
increased. There isarisk of an accident.
In an emergencybraking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
BAS operates in emergencybraking
situations. If you depress the brake pedal
quickly, BAS automatically boosts the braking
force, thus shortening the stopping distance.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System
PLUS)
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes"
section (Ypage 66).
BAS PLUS is only available in vehicles
equipped with DISTRONIC PLUS.
For BAS PLUS to assist you when driving, the
radar sensor system must be:
Ractivated (Ypage 232)
Roperational
With the help of the radar sensor system, BAS
PLUS can detect obstacles that are in the
path of your vehicle for an extended period of
time.
If the radar sensor system is malfunctioning,
BAS PLUS will not be available. The brake
system is still available with complete brake
boosting effect and BAS.
BAS PLUS provides braking assistance in
hazardous situations at speeds greater than
4mph (7 km/h).
At speeds of up to approximately 40 mph
(70 km/h),BAS PLUS can also react to
stationary objects. Examples of stationary
objectsare stopped or parked vehicles.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
BAS PLUS cannot alwaysclearly identify
objectsand complex traffic situations. BAS
PLUS cannot intervene in these cases. There
isarisk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic
situation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
BAS PLUS does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossingtraffic
Rwhen cornering
Driving safety systems67
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