2014 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK ROADSTER airbag disable

well as on child restraint systems
(Y
page 51). 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
for a person with physical disabilities, contact a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for details. 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 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. There is an increased risk of serious or even
fatal injuries.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
:
and PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp ;are part of the automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat.
A permanently lit PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp informs you that the front-
passenger front airbag is disabled.
When the ignition is switched on, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
lights up:
R briefly, if the sensor system for the auto-
matic child seat recognition in the front-
passenger seat detects a special
Mercedes-Benz child restraint system with
a transponder.
R for 60 seconds if the system determines
that the front-passenger seat is occupied.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp does not light up. Occupant safety
41Safety Z

Depending on the person in the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger front air-
bag must either be disabled or enabled; see
the following points. You must make sure of
this both before and during a journey.
R Children in a child restraint system:
whether the front-passenger front airbag is
enabled or disabled depends on the instal-led child restraint system, and the age and size of the child. Therefore, always observe
the information on "Children in the vehicle" (Y page 51). There you will also find
instructions on backwards and forwards-
facing child restraint systems on the front- passenger seat.
R All other persons: the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp must be off. Be
sure to observe the notes on "Seat belts"
(Y page 42) and "Airbags" (Y page 45).
There you can also find information on the
correct seat position.
Observe the information on automatic child
seat recognition in the front-passenger seat
(Y page 52). Seat belts
Introduction A correctly worn seat belt is the most effec-
tive 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 ejected
from it. The seat belt also helps to keep the
vehicle occupants in the best position in rela-
tion to the airbag being deployed.
The seat belt system consists of:
R seat belts
R belt tensioners and belt force limiters
If the seat belt is pulled quickly or sharply by
the belt loop, the inertia reel locks. The belt
strap cannot be pulled out any further.
The belt tensioner tightens the seat belt in the
event of a collision so that it fits tightly across your body. However, it does not pull the vehi-
cle occupants back in the direction of the seat backrest.
The belt tensioner does not, however, correctan incorrect seat position or correct the rout-
ing of a seat belt that is worn incorrectly.
When triggered, seat belt force limiters help
to reduce the peak force exerted by the seat
belt on the vehicle occupant.
The belt force limiters are synchronised with
the front airbags, which take on a part of the
deceleration force. This can reduce the forces
to which the vehicle occupants 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 and positioned cor-
rectly. 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 42
Occupant safetySafety

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 Always secure persons less than 1.50 mtall
in suitable restraint systems. Up to this
height, the seat belt cannot be worn cor-
rectly.
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 m tall in suitable
child restraint systems.
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 41).
R Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 51) and on the "Child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat"
(Y page 54) in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installa-
tion instructions.
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 accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deploy- ment area of an airbag, e.g. to doors or side
windows.
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 Driver's airbag
:inflates in front of the
steering wheel; co-driver's airbag ;inflates
in front of and above the glove compartment. 46
Occupant safetySafety

When deployed, the front airbags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection on the front
seats.
The permanently lit PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp shows you that the co-driver's
front airbag is disabled (Y page 41).
Sidebags G
WARNING
Unsuitable seat covers may obstruct or even
prevent deployment of the airbags integrated into the seats. The airbags may then fail to
protect the vehicle occupants as intended.
Operation of the automatic child seat recog-
nition may also be impaired. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Use only seat covers which have been specif-
ically approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz. Sidebags
:deploy next to the outer bolster
of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the sidebag offers additional thorax protection. However, it does not pro-
tect the:
R head
R neck
R arms
In the event of a side impact, the sidebag is
deployed on the side on which the impact
occurs. Headbags
Headbags
:deploy in the area of the side
windows at the front.
When deployed, the headbag enhances the
level of protection for the head. However, it
does not protect the:
R chest
R arms
In the event of a side impact, the headbag is
deployed on the side on which the impact
occurs.
If the system determines that they can offer
additional protection to that provided by the
seat belt, a headbag may be deployed in other
accident situations (Y page 47). Deployment of belt tensioners and air-
bags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
After the airbag deploys, the airbag parts are
hot. There is a risk of injury.
Do not touch the airbag parts. Have a
deployed airbag replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible. G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic seat belt tensioners that have
been deployed are no longer operational and
are unable to perform their intended protec-
tive function. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury. Occupant safety
47Safety
Z

Therefore, have pyrotechnic belt tensioners
which have been triggered immediately
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have
the vehicle towed to a qualified specialist
workshop after an accident. This is particu-
larly important if a belt tensioner or an airbag
have been triggered.
An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE ®
to
trigger the tightening of the seat belt in haz-
ardous situations. This procedure is reversi-
ble.
If the belt tensioners or airbags are deployed, you will hear a bang, and a small amount of
powder may also be released. The 6
restraint system warning lamp lights up.
Only in rare cases will the bang affect your
hearing. The powder that is released gener-
ally does not constitute a health hazard, how-
ever it may cause short-term breathing diffi-
culties to persons suffering from asthma or
other pulmonary conditions. If it is safe to do so, you should leave the vehicle immediately
or open a window in order to prevent breath-
ing difficulties.
Mode of operation During the first stage of a collision, the
restraint system control unit evaluates impor-
tant physical data relating to vehicle deceler- ation or acceleration, such as:
R duration
R direction
R intensity
Based on the evaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit triggers the belt
tensioners in the event of a frontal or rear
collision.
If the restraint system control unit detects a
high accident severity, additional compo-
nents of the restraint system are activated
independently of one another in certain fron- tal collision situations:
R Front airbags Depending on the person in the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger front air-
bag is either enabled or disabled. The front-
passenger front airbag can only be deployed
in an accident if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFFindicator lamp is off. Observe the information
on the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp (Y page 41).
Your vehicle has dual-stage front airbags. In
the first deployment threshold, the front air-
bag is filled with propellant gas to reduce the risk of injuries. The front airbag is filled with
the maximum amount of propellant gas if the
second deployment threshold is then reached within a few milliseconds.
The activation thresholds for the belt ten-
sioner and airbag are determined by evaluat-
ing the vehicle deceleration or vehicle accel-
eration that occurs at different points in the
vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in nature. The triggering process must take place in
good time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen- tially determined by:
R the distribution of the force during the
impact
R the collision angle
R the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of airbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly
without an airbag being deployed. This is the
case if only parts which are relatively easily
deformed are affected and the rate of decel-
eration is not high. Conversely, an airbag may be deployed even though the vehicle suffers
only minor deformation. This is the case if, for
example, very rigid vehicle parts such as lon- 48
Occupant safetySafety

Child restraint system
Observe the instructions for correct use of
the child restraint system (Y page 57).
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use a child restraint sys- tem recommended by Mercedes-Benz
(Y page 58). G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is incorrectly fit-
ted on the seat position suitable for this pur-
pose, it cannot perform its intended protec-
tive function. In the event of an accident,
sharp braking or a sudden change in direction, the child may not be held securely. There is an
increased risk of serious or even fatal injuries.
Observe the manufacturer's installation
instructions and the correct use for the child
restraint system. Make sure that the entire
surface of the child restraint system is resting
on the seat surface. Never place objects
under or behind the child restraint system,
e.g. cushions. Only use child restraint sys-
tems with the original cover designed for
them. Only replace damaged covers with gen- uine covers. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is fitted incor-
rectly 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, strik- ing vehicle occupants. There is an increased
risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Always fit child restraint systems properly,
even if they are not being used. Make sure
that you observe the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation instructions.
Further information on stowing objects, lug-
gage and loads securely can be found under
“Stowing options/stowage compartments”
(Y page 264). G
WARNING
Child restraint systems or their securing sys-
tems that have been damaged or subjected to a load in an accident cannot perform their
intended protective function. In the event of
an accident, sharp braking or a sudden
change in direction, the child may not be held securely. There is an increased risk of serious
or even fatal injuries.
Immediately replace child restraint systems
that have been damaged or subjected to a
load in an accident. Have the child restraint
securing systems checked in a qualified spe-
cialist workshop before fitting a child restraint
system again.
i If a child is carried on the front-passenger
seat, be sure to observe the information on "Child restraint systems on the front-
passenger seat" (Y page 54). There you
will also find information on disabling the
front-passenger front airbag.
Observe the warning labels in the vehicle inte-
rior and on the child restraint system.
i It is advisable to use Mercedes-Benz care
products to clean child restraint systems
recommended by Mercedes-Benz. You can obtain information about this at any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Automatic child seat recognition on
the front-passenger seat
The sensor system for child restraint systems
in the front-passenger seat detects whether a special Mercedes-Benz child restraint system
with a transponder for automatic child seat
recognition has been fitted. In this case, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
lights up briefly when the ignition is switched on. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit continuously. The front-passenger
front airbag is disabled. 52
Children in the vehicleSafety

i
If the front-passenger front airbag is dis-
abled by the automatic child seat recogni-
tion, the following remain enabled on the
front-passenger side:
R the sidebag
R the headbag
R the belt tensioner 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. G
WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is lit, the front-passenger front airbag is disa-
bled. It will not be deployed in the event of an
accident and cannot perform its intended pro-
tective function. A person in the front-
passenger seat could then, for example, come
into contact with the vehicle's interior, espe-
cially if the person is sitting too close to the
dashboard. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
In this case the front-passenger seat may not be used. Only suitable rearward-facing or
forward-facing child restraint systems may be installed on the front-passenger seat. Always
observe the information about suitable posi-
tioning of the child restraint system in this
Owner's Manual as well as the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions. G
WARNING
If you secure a child in a forward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and you position the front-passenger seat too close to the dashboard, in the event of an
accident, the child could:
R come into contact with the vehicle's inte-
rior if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-
cator lamp is lit, for example
R be struck by the airbag if the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is off
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Move the front-passenger seat as far back as
possible. Always make sure that the shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from the belt
loop on the vehicle to the shoulder belt guideon the child restraint system. The shoulder
belt strap must be routed forwards and down-
wards from the belt loop. Always observe the
information about suitable positioning of the
child restraint system in this Owner's Manual as well as the child restraint system manu-
facturer's installation instructions.
i Always observe the information under
"Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat" (Y page 54) and on suit-
able positioning of the child restraint sys-
tem (Y page 57). :
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
; PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp Children in the vehicle
53Safety Z

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