2015 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class COUPE warning

cover, outer sides of the seat backrests,
door trim panels, or door frame trims.
R Do not install additional electrical/elec-
tronic equipment on or near SRS compo-
nents and wiring.
R Keep area between air bags and occupants
free of objects (e.g. packages, purses,
umbrellas, etc.).
R Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may be thrown around in the vehicle and cause head and other inju-
ries when the window curtain air bag is
deployed.
R Air bag system components will be hot after
an air bag has inflated. Do not touch them.
R Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
R Improper repair work on the SRS creates a
risk of rendering the SRS inoperative or
causing unintended air bag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be
performed by qualified technicians. Con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
R For your protection and the protection of
others, when scrapping the air bag unit or
ETD, our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from any authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
R Given the considerable deployment speed,
required inflation volume, and the material
of the air bags, there is the possibility of
abrasions or other, potentially more serious injuries resulting from air bag deployment.
If you sell your vehicle, Mercedes-Benz
strongly recommends that you inform the
subsequent owner that the vehicle is equip-
ped with SRS. Also, refer them to the appli-
cable section in the Operator's Manual. Air bags
Important safety notes The air bag installation locations are identi-
fied by the AIR BAG symbol.
G
WARNING
Using unsuitable seat covers could restrict or even prevent deployment of the air bags inte- grated into the seats. Consequently, the air
bags cannot protect vehicle occupants as
they are designed to do. In addition, the func-
tion of the air bag deactivation system could
be restricted. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for your vehicle by Mercedes- Benz. The seat covers must have a special
tear seam for side impact air bags. Otherwise,
the side impact air bags cannot deploy cor-
rectly and therefore cannot provide the inten- ded protection in the event of an accident. G
WARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
been deployed. There is a risk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deployed air bag replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible. G
WARNING
Air bags are designed to reduce the incidence of injuries and fatalities in certain situations:
R frontal impacts (driver's and front-
passenger front air bags and driver's knee
bag)
R side impacts (side impact air bags, window
curtain air bags and pelvis air bags)
However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
When the air bags are deployed, a small
amount of powder is released. The powder 42
Occupant safetySafety

generally does not constitute a health hazard
and does not indicate that there is a fire in the
vehicle. In order to prevent potential breath-
ing difficulties, you should leave the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get fresh
air by opening a window or door. G
WARNING
In order to reduce the potential danger of
injuries caused during the deployment of the
front air bags, the driver and front passenger
must always be correctly seated and wear
their seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a col- lision, you must always be in the normal seat
position with your back against the backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and make sure that it is
correctly positioned on your body.
As the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating position
and correct positioning of the hands on the
steering wheel will help to keep you at a safe distance from the air bag. Occupants who are
not wearing their seat belt, are not seated
properly or are too close to the air bag can be seriously injured or killed by an air bag, as it
inflates with great force instantaneously:
R sit with the seat belt fastened correctly and
in a position that is as upright as possible
with your back against the backrest.
R move the driver's seat as far back as pos-
sible, still permitting proper operation of
vehicle controls. The distance from the cen- ter of the driver's chest to the center of the
air bag cover on the steering wheel must be
at least 10 inches (25 cm). You should be
able to accomplish this by adjusting the
seat and steering wheel. If you have any
difficulties, please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
R do not lean your head or chest close to the
steering wheel or dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
Placing hands and arms inside the rim can increase the risk and potential severity of
hand/arm injury if the driver front air bag
inflates.
R adjust the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible from the dashboard when the
seat is occupied.
R occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their heads
in the area of the door or the rear side trim panel where the side impact air bag
inflates. This could result in serious or fatalinjuries should the side impact air bag be
deployed. 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.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in severe injuries to you or other occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that you
make the buyer aware of this safety informa-
tion. Be sure to give the buyer this Operator's
Manual.
If the air bags 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 thereis a fire in the vehicle. The dust might cause
some temporary breathing difficulty for peo-
ple with asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid this, you may wish to get out of the
vehicle or open the windows as soon as it is
safe to do so. The 0075SRS warning lamp
lights up.
The air bags are deployed if the air bag control
unit detects the need for deployment. Only in the event of such a situation will the air bags
provide their supplemental protection.
If the driver and front passenger do not wear
their seat belts, it is not possible for the air
bags to provide their supplemental protec-
tion. Occupant safety
43Safety Z

Driver's knee bag
The driver's knee bag increases protection of
the driver against:
R knee injuries
R thigh injuries
R lower leg injuries Driver's knee bag
0043deploys under the steer-
ing column. If, during a frontal collision, the
system determines that air bag deployment
can offer additional protection to that provi-
ded by the seat belt, driver's knee bag 0043is
deployed along with the driver's air bag. Driv-
er's knee bag 0043operates best in conjunction
with correctly positioned and fastened seat
belts.
Side impact air bags G
WARNING
Using unsuitable seat covers could restrict or even prevent deployment of the air bags inte- grated into the seats. Consequently, the air
bags cannot protect vehicle occupants as
they are designed to do. In addition, the func-
tion of the air bag deactivation system could
be restricted. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz. G
WARNING
Sensors to control the air bags are located in the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel- ing, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the
function of the sensors being impaired. The air
bags might therefore not function properly
any more. Consequently, the air bags cannot
protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. There is an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors. Always have work on the doors or door pan-
eling carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for your vehicle by Mercedes- Benz. The seat covers must have a special
tear seam for side impact air bags. Otherwise,
the side impact air bags cannot deploy cor-
rectly and therefore cannot provide the inten-
ded protection in the event of an accident.
When deployed, the side impact air bags offer additional protection for the thorax of the
vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs. However, they
do not protect the:
R head
R neck
R arms Front side impact air bags
0043and rear side
impact air bags 0044deploy next to the outer
seat cushions.
The side impact air bags are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate of
lateral vehicle deceleration or acceleration,
e.g. in a side impact Occupant safety
45Safety Z

R
independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front air bags
R independently of the ETDs
Side impact air bags will not deploy in side
impacts which do not exceed the system's
preset deployment thresholds for lateral
acceleration/deceleration. You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belt.
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side is not deployed in the follow-
ing situations:
R OCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
R the front-passenger seat belt is not fas-
tened.
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side will deploy if the front-
passenger seat belt is fastened, regardless of whether the front-passenger seat is occupied
or not.
Pelvis air bags G
WARNING
Unsuitable seat covers could restrict or even
prevent the deployment of the air bags inte-
grated into the seats. Consequently, the air
bags cannot protect vehicle occupants as
they are designed to do. In addition, the func- tion of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) could be restricted. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.
Pelvis air bag deployment enhances the level of protection of the vehicle occupants on the
side of the vehicle on which the impact
occurs. Pelvis air bags
0043deploy next to and below
the outer seat cushions. They are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate of
lateral vehicle deceleration or acceleration,
e.g. in a side impact
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front air bags
R independently of the ETDs
Pelvis air bags 0043will not deploy in side
impacts which do not exceed the system's
preset deployment thresholds for lateral
acceleration/deceleration. You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belt.
The pelvis air bag on the front-passenger side is not deployed in the following situations:
R OCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
R the front-passenger seat belt is not fas-
tened.
The pelvis air bag on the front-passenger side will deploy if the front-passenger seat belt is
fastened, regardless of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not.
Window curtain air bags The window curtain air bags enhance the level
of protection for the head, but not chest or
arms, of the vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle on which the impact occurs.
The window curtain air bags are integrated
into the side of the roof frame and deploy in
the area extending from the front door (A-pil-
lar) to the rear sidewall (C-pillar). 46
Occupant safetySafety

Window curtain air bags
0043are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate of
lateral vehicle deceleration or acceleration,
e.g. in a side impact
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front air bags
Window curtain air bags 0043will not deploy in
the event of impacts which do not exceed the
system's preset deployment thresholds for
vehicle acceleration/deceleration. You will
then be protected by the fastened seat belt. Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
How the Occupant Classification Sys-
tem works 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.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
shows you the current status. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
lit, the passenger air bag is disabled.
The system does not deactivate:
R the side impact air bag
R the pelvis air bag R
the window curtain air bag
R the Emergency Tensioning Devices
To be classified correctly, the front passenger must sit:
R with the seat belt fastened correctly
R in a position that is as upright as possible
with their back against the seat backrest
R with 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 nec- essary repair work carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use seat accessories
that have been approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Both the driver and the front passenger
should always observe the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp as an indication of
whether or not the front passenger is posi-
tioned correctly. Observe also the air bag dis-
play messages that can be displayed in the
instrument cluster (Y page 215). G
WARNING
If the 00730074 indicator lamp illuminates
when an adult or someone larger than a small individual is in the front passenger seat, have the front passenger reposition himself or her-
self in the seat until the 00730074indicator
lamp goes out.
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front air bag
deployment when the OCS has classified the
front passenger seat occupant as weighing as
much as or less than a typical 12-month-old
child in a standard child restraint or if the front passenger seat is classified as being empty.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat occupant is classified as
being up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child
restraint, the 00730074indicator lamp will
illuminate when the engine is started and Occupant safety
47Safety
Z

remain illuminated. This indicates that the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat is classified as being empty,
the 00730074 indicator lamp will illuminate
when the engine is started and remain illumi- nated. This indicates that the front passenger
front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat occupant is classified as
being heavier than the weight of a typical 12-
month-old child seated in a standard child
restraint or as being a small individual (such
as a young teenager or a small adult), the
00730074 indicator lamp will illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds when the engine is
started. Depending on occupant weight sen-
sor readings from the seat, it will then remain illuminated or go out. With the 00730074
indicator lamp illuminated, the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated. With
the 00730074 indicator lamp out, the front
passenger front air bag is activated.
When the OCS senses that the front
passenger seat occupant is classified as an
adult or someone larger than a small individ-
ual, the 00730074 indicator lamp will illumi-
nate for approximately six seconds when the
engine is started and then go out. This indi-
cates that the front passenger front air bag is
activated.
If the 00730074 indicator lamp is illuminated,
the front passenger front air bag is deactiva-
ted and will not be deployed.
If the 00730074 indicator lamp is not illumi-
nated, the front passenger front air bag is
activated and will be deployed
R in the event of certain frontal impacts
R if the impact exceeds a predetermined trig-
gering threshold
R independent of the side impact air bag or
pelvis air bag If the front passenger front air bag is
deployed, the rate of inflation will be influ-
enced by
R the rate of vehicle deceleration as assessed
by the air bag control unit
R the front passenger's weight category as
identified by the OCS G
WARNING
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 seats whenever possible.
Regardless of seating position, children 12
years old and under must be seated and prop- erly secured in an appropriate infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat recommen-
ded 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 impor- tant information when circumstances require
you to place a child in the front-passenger
seat:
R Your vehicle is equipped with air bag tech-
nology 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.
R A child in a rear-facing child restraint on the
front-passenger seat will be seriously
injured or even killed if the front-passenger 48
Occupant safetySafety

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 eliminate
this risk completely is never to place a child
in a rear-facing child restraint in the front-
passenger seat. We therefore strongly rec- ommend that you always place a child in a
rear-facing child restraint on the rear seat.
R If you install a rear-facing child restraint on
the front-passenger seat, make sure the
00730074 indicator lamp is illuminated,
indicating that the front-passenger front air bag is deactivated. Should the 00730074
indicator lamp not illuminate or go out while
the restraint is installed, please check
installation. Periodically check the
00730074 indicator lamp while driving to
make sure that the 00730074indicator
lamp is illuminated. If the 00730074indi-
cator lamp goes out or remains out, do not transport a child on the front-passenger
seat until the system has been repaired.
A child 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.
R If 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 recommen-
ded for the age, size and weight of the
child
- secure child restraint with the vehicle's
seat belt according to the child seat man-
ufacturer's instructions
R For children larger than the typical 12-
month-old child, the front-passenger front
air bag may or may not be activated.
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:
R is empty or occupied by the weight of a
typical child up to twelve months old,
seated in a child restraint system.
R is occupied by a small individual, such as a
young teenager or a small adult.
R is 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 deacti- vates the front-passenger front air bag. Deac-
tivation takes place although the collision ful- fills the criteria for deploying the driver's air
bag. If the SmartKey is removed from the ignition
lock or is in position
0, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp does not light up. G
WARNING
If the red 0075SRS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and the 00730074indica-
tor 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-Benz Center.
Only have the seat repaired or replaced at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Occupant safety
49Safety
Z

In order to ensure proper operation of the air
bag system and OCS:
R Sit with the seat belt properly fastened in a
position that is as upright as possible with
your back against the seat backrest.
R When seated, a passenger should not posi-
tion him/herself in such a way as to cause the passenger's weight to be lifted from theseat cushion as this may result in the OCS
being unable to correctly approximate the
passenger's weight category.
R Read and observe all warnings in this chap-
ter.
System self-test The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up if you:
R turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock
R press the KEYLESS-GO Start/Stop button
once or twice on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO
When an adult is sitting correctly on the front-
passenger seat and is categorized by the OCS system as an adult, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp lights up and goes off
again after approximately six seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the OCS sys-
tem classifies the front-passenger seat as
being empty, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp will continue to light up and not go out. G
WARNING
If the 00730074indicator lamp does not illu-
minate, the system is not functioning. You
must contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center before seating any child on the front
passenger seat.
For more information about the OCS, see
"Problems with the Occupant Classification
System" (Y page 51). G
WARNING
Objects between the seat surface and the
child restraint system could affect OCS oper- ation. This could result in the front-passenger
air bag not functioning as intended during an
accident. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
Do not place any objects between the seat
surface and the child restraint system. The
entire base of the child restraint system 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. Always comply with the child restraint system manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions. 50
Occupant safetySafety