2014 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK ROADSTER Owners Manual

PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
:
shows you whether the front-passenger front airbag is disabled.
X Turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock or on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, press
the Start/Stop button once or twice.
The system carries out a self-diagnosis.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp must light up for approximately six seconds.
If, after the system self-test, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp:
R lights up , the front-passenger front airbag
is disabled. It will then not be deployed in
the event of an accident.
R is not lit, the sensor system did not detect
a child restraint system with transponder
for automatic child seat recognition. If, in
the case of an accident, all deployment cri-
teria are met, the front-passenger front air-
bag is deployed. G
WARNING
Electronic devices on the front-passenger
seat can affect the function of the automatic
child seat recognition, for example:
R laptop
R mobile phone
R transponder cards such as ski passes or
access passes
The front-passenger front airbag could deploy unintentionally or not function as intended
during an accident. This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Do not place any of the devices mentioned
above or similar devices on the front-
passenger seat. Be aware of the status of the front-passenger front airbag both before and
during the journey. Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes If you secure a child in a child restraint system
on the front-passenger seat, always observe
the information on "Automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat"
(Y page 52).
You can thus avoid the risks that could arise
as a result of:
R a child restraint system that is not detected
by the automatic child seat recognition
sensor system
R the unintentional disabling of the front-
passenger front airbag
R the unsuitable positioning of the child
restraint system, e.g. too close to the dash-
board Please observe the warning notice on the
front-passenger sun visor, see the illustra-
tion.
G
WARNING
If you secure a child in a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
off, the front-passenger front airbag can
deploy in the event of an accident. The child
could be struck by the airbag. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that the front-passenger front air-
bag has been disabled. The PASSENGER AIR-BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit. 54
Children in the vehicleSafety

NEVER use a rearward facing child restraint
on a seat protected by an ACTIVE AIRBAG in
front of it, DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the
CHILD can occur.
Rearward-facing child restraint system Warning symbol for a rearward-facing child
restraint system
If you secure a child in a rearward-facing child restraint system on the front-passenger seat,
always make sure that the front-passenger
front airbag is disabled. Only if the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
permanently lit (Y page 41) is the front-
passenger front airbag disabled.
Always observe the information on suitable
positioning of the child restraint system
(Y page 57) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation and oper-
ating instructions.
Forward-facing child restraint system If you secure a child in a forward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat,
always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible. The entire base of the child
restraint system must always rest on the seat cushion of the front-passenger seat. The
backrest of the child restraint system must,
as far as possible, lie flat against the backrest
of the front-passenger seat. The child
restraint system must not touch the roof or be
put under strain by the head restraint. Adjust the angle of the seat backrest and the head
restraint position accordingly. Always make sure that the shoulder belt strap is correctly
routed from the front-passenger seat belt
loop to the shoulder belt guide on the child
restraint system. The shoulder belt strap
must be routed forwards and downwards
from the front-passenger seat belt loop.
Always observe the information on suitable
positioning of the child restraint system
(Y page 57) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation and oper- ating instructions. Children in the vehicle
55Safety Z

Problems with automatic child seat recognition
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp on the centre con-
sole is lit. A special Mercedes-Benz child restraint system with a trans-
ponder for automatic child seat recognition has been fitted to the
front-passenger seat. The front-passenger front airbag has there- fore been disabled as desired. G
WARNING
There is no child restraint system fitted to the front-passenger
seat. Automatic child seat recognition is malfunctioning, for exam-
ple due to electronic devices on the front-passenger seat.
There is a risk of injury.
X Remove electronic equipment from the front-passenger seat,
e.g.:
R laptop
R mobile phone
R a card with a transponder, such as a ski pass or access pass
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, the
front-passenger seat may not be used. X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. When you switch the
ignition on, the
6
restraint system warn-
ing lamp lights up and/ or
R the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp does not light
up briefly, or
R the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON indicator
lamp does not light
up briefly, or
R the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON indicator
lamp lights up and
does not go out after
60 seconds G
WARNING
Automatic child seat recognition is malfunctioning.
Do not install a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat. X Visit a qualified specialist workshop.
X Please also refer to the notes about the restraint system warning
lamp (Y page 230). 56
Children in the vehicleSafety

Suitable positioning of the child
restraint system
Introduction Only child restraint systems which are
approved in accordance with the ECE stand-
ard ECE R44 are permitted for use in the vehi-
cle.
Rearward-facing child restraint systems with-
out a transponder for automatic child seat
recognition may not be installed on the front- passenger seat.
Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat – if you secure a child in a
child restraint system on the front-passenger seat:
X Always pay attention to the instructions
under "Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat" (Y page 54).
There you will find instructions on how to
correctly route the shoulder belt strap from the front-passenger seat belt loop to the
shoulder belt guide on the child restraint
system (Y page 55).
X Move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible and into the highest position.
X Move the backrest to an almost vertical
position.
The entire base of the child restraint sys-
tem must always rest on the seat cushion of
the front-passenger seat. The backrest of
the forwards-facing child restraint system
must, as far as possible, be resting on the
backrest of the front-passenger seat. The
child restraint system must not touch the
roof. Adjust the backrest angle accord-
ingly. Also observe the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
X Move the seat cushion angle to the highest,
most vertical position.
"Universal" category child restraint systems
can be recognised by their orange approval
label and the text "Universal". Example: approval label on the child restraint sys-
tem
"Universal" category child restraint systems
can be used on seats indicated with U or UF in
accordance with the "Suitability of the front-
passenger seat for attaching belted child
restraint systems" table.
Semi-universal child restraint systems are
indicated by the text "Semi-universal" on the
approval label. These can be used if the vehi- cle and the seat are listed in the child restraint
system manufacturer's vehicle model list. For more information, contact the child restraint
system manufacturer or visit their website.
Suitability of the front-passenger seat
for attaching belted child restraint sys-
tems Legend for the table:
XS
eat which is unsuitable for children in
this weight category
US uitable for child restraint systems in the
"Universal" category that are approved
for use in this weight category
UF Suitable for forward-facing child restraint systems that belong to the "Uni-
versal" category and are approved for
use in this weight category
LS uitable for child restraint systems as
recommended; see the following table of
"Recommended child restraint systems" (Y page 58). Suitable for semi-univer-
sal child restraint systems if the vehicle
and the seat are listed in the child Children in the vehicle
57Safety Z

restraint system manufacturer's vehicle
model list.
(▲) Vehicles with automatic child seat rec- ognition in the front-passenger seat: a
"Universal" category child restraint sys-
tem with a transponder for automatic
child seat recognition must be fitted. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
on the centre console must light up. Weight cat-
egories Front-
passenger
front air-
bag is not
disabled Front-
passenger
front air-
bag is disa-
bled
Category 0:
up to 10 kg X U (▲), L (▲)
Category
0+: up to
13 kg
X U (▲), L (▲)
Category I:
9 to 18 kg
UF, L U, L
Category II:
15 to 25 kg UF, L U, L
Category
III: 22 to
36 kg
UF, L U, L
Recommended child restraint sys-
tems
General notes Always observe the information in "Child
restraint systems on the front-passenger
seat" (Y page 54) and in "Suitable positioning
of the child restraint system" (Y page 57).
You can obtain further information about the correct child restraint system from any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Recommended child restraint systems
for attaching with the vehicle seat belt Weight category 0: up to 10 kg; up to
approximately 6 months
Manufac-
turer
Britax Römer Britax Römer
Type
BABY SAFE
plus BABY SAFE
plus II
Approval
number
(E1 ...)
03 301146
04 301146 04 301146
Order num-
ber
(A 000 ...)
Colour
code: 9H95
970 10 00 970 20 00
Automatic
child seat
recognition
Yes Yes
Weight category 0+: up to 13 kg; up to
approximately 15 months
Manufac-
turer
Britax Römer Britax Römer
Type
BABY SAFE
plus BABY SAFE
plus II
Approval
number
(E1 ...)
03 301146
04 301146 04 301146
Order num-
ber
(A 000 ...)
Colour
code: 9H95
970 10 00 970 20 00
Automatic
child seat
recognition
Yes Yes58
Children in the vehicleSafety

Weight category I: 9 to 18 kg; approx-
imately 9 months to 4 years
Manufac-
turer
Britax Römer Britax Römer
Type
DUO plus DUO plus
Approval
number
(E1 ...)
03 301133
04 301133 03 301133
04 301133
Order num-
ber
(A 000 ...)
Colour
code: 9H95
970 11 00 970 16 00
Automatic
child seat
recognition
Yes No
Manufacturer
Britax Römer
Type
DUO plus
Approval number
(E1 ...)
04 301133
Order number
(A 000 ...)
Colour code: 9H95
970 21 00
Automatic child
seat recognition
Yes
Weight category II/III: 15 to 36 kg;
approximately 4 to 12 years Manufac-
turer
Britax Römer Britax Römer
Type
KIDFIX KIDFIX
Approval
number
(E1 ...)
04 301198 04 301198 Order num-
ber
(A 000 ...)
Colour
code: 9H95
970 18 00 970 19 00
Automatic
child seat
recognition
Yes No
Manufacturer
Britax Römer
Type
KIDFIX
Approval number
(E1 ...)
04 301198
Order number
(A 000 ...)
Colour code: 9H95
970 22 00
Automatic child
seat recognition
Yes
Before fitting the KIDFIX child restraint sys-
tem in the vehicle, always observe the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
instructions. These will also include notes on
fixing options. Pets in the vehicle
G
WARNING
If you leave animals unsupervised or unse-
cured in the vehicle, they may push a button
or a switch, for example.
They could:
R activate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
R switch vehicle systems on or off, thus
endangering other road users
In the event of an accident, sudden braking or
abrupt changes of direction, unsecured ani-
mals could be flung around the vehicle, injur-
ing the vehicle occupants. There is a risk of an accident and injury. Pets in the vehicle
59Safety
Z

Never leave animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Always secure animals correctly during a journey, e.g. in an animal transport box. Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems overview
In this section, you will find information about the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
(Y page 60)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System) (Y page 61)
R BAS PLUS ( BrakeAssist System PLUS)
(Y page 61)
R Adaptive brake lamps (Y page 62)
R ESP ®
(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Y page 62)
R EBD ( electronic brake force distribution)
(Y page 66)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE (Y page 66)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 66) Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you
are inattentive, the driving safety systems can neither reduce the risk of an accident nor
override the laws of physics. Driving safety
systems are merely aids designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the distance
to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed and
for braking in good time. Always adapt your
driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather conditions and maintain a safe dis-
tance from the vehicle in front. Drive care-
fully.
i The driving safety systems described only
work as effectively as possible when there
is adequate contact between the tyres and the road surface. Please pay special atten-tion to the notes on tyres, recommended
minimum tyre tread depths etc.
(Y page 314). In wintry driving conditions, always use
winter tyres (M+S tyres) and, if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General notes ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
The yellow !ABS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 60). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid- ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
If ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information on the ABS warning lamp (Y page 252) and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (Y page 223).
ABS works from a speed of about
8 km/hupwards, regardless of road-surface
conditions. ABS works on slippery surfaces,
even when you only brake gently. 60
Driving safety systemsSafety

Brakes
X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions, and func-
tions as a reminder to take extra care while
driving. BAS (Brake Assist)
General notes BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 60). G
WARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Brakes X
Keep the brake pedal depressed firmly until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System Plus)
General notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 60).
BAS PLUS is only available on vehicles with
DISTRONIC PLUS.
For BAS PLUS to assist you, the radar sensor system must be operational.
With the aid 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 can help you to minimise the risk of a collision with a vehicle or reduce the effects
of such a collision. If BAS PLUS detects a
danger of collision, you are assisted when
braking.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
BAS PLUS cannot always clearly identify
objects and complex traffic situations.
In such cases, BAS PLUS may:
R intervene unnecessarily
R not intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation. G
WARNING
BAS PLUS does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R when cornering Driving safety systems
61Safety
Z