
Problems with automatic front-passenger front airbag deactivation
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test
"(Y page 50). Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up and remains lit,
even though the front-
passenger seat is occu-
pied by an adult or aper-
son with abuild corre-
sponding to that of an
adult. The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is false.
X Make sure the condition sfor ac orrect classification of the person
on the front-passenger seat are met (Y page 48).
X If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, the front-
passenger seat may not be used.
X Have the automatic front-passenger front airbag deactivation sys-
tem checked as soon as possible at aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre. The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp
does not light up and/or
does not stay on.
The front-passenger seatis:
R empty
R occupied with arear-
ward-facing child
restraint system The automatic front-passenger front airbag deactivation system is
malfunctioning.
X Make sure there is nothingb etween the seat and the child restraint
system.
X Make sure that the entire base of the child restraint system rests on
the seat cushion of the front-passenger seat.
X Make sure that the seat cushion length is fully retracted.
X When 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 and the child
restraint system being pulled too tightly.
X Check that the child restraint system is installed correctly.
X Make sure that no objectsa re applying additional weight to the
seat.
X If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains off and/or
the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp lights up, do not install
ar earward-facing child restraint system on the front-passenger
seat. It is recommended that you fit the child restraint system to a suitable rear seat.
X Have the automatic front-passenger front airbag deactivation sys-
tem checked as soon as possible at aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre. Deployment of belt tensioners and air-
bags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
After the airbag deploys, the airbag parts are
hot. There is arisk of injury.
Do not touch the airbag parts. Have a
deployeda irbag replaced at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible. G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic seat belt tensioners that have
been deployeda re no longer operational and
are unable to perform their intended protec-
tive function. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
Therefore, have pyrotechnic belt tensioners
which have been triggered immediately
replaced at aqualified specialist workshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have the
vehicle towed to aqualified specialist workshop 52
Occupant safetySafety

after an accident. Tak
ethisi ntoa ccount, par-
ticularly if aseat belt tensioner was triggered or
an airbag was deployed.
An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE ®
to trig-
ger th etightening of th eseat belt in hazardous
situations .This procedure is reversible.
If th ebelt tensioners are triggered or an airbag is
deployed, you will hear abang ,and asmall
amoun tofpowder may also be released. The
6 restraint system warning lamp light sup.
Only in rar ecases will th ebang affect your hear-
ing .Ing eneral, th epowder released is no thaz-
ardous to healt hbut may caus eshort-term
breathin gdifficulties to person ssufferin gfrom
asthma or other pulmonar yconditions. Provided
it is safe to do so, you shoul dleave th evehicle
immediately or open th ewindow in orde rtopre-
ven tbreathin gdifficulties.
Operation During th
efirst stage of acollision ,the restraint
system control unit evaluates important physi-
cal dat arelating to vehicle deceleratio noraccel-
eration ,suc ha s:
R duration
R direction
R intensity
Based on th eevaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit trigger sthe seat
belt tensioners in th eeven tofah ead-on or rear
collision.
As eat belt tensioner can only be triggered if:
R thei gnition is switched on
R thec omponent softherestraint system are
operational. You can fin dfurther information
under: "Restrain tsystem warning lamp"
(Y page 40)
R theb elt tongue has engaged in th ebelt buckle
of th erespectiv efront seat
The seat belt tensioners in th erear compart-
men tare triggered independently of th elock
status of th eseat belts.
If th erestraint system control unit detect sahigh
severit yaccident, in certain head-on collisions,
additional component softherestraint system
are deployed independently of each other:
R fron tairbag sand driver' skneebag
R windowbag, if th esystem determine sthat
deploymen tcan offer additional protection to
that provided by th eseat belt On vehicle
swith th eautomatic front-passenger
fron tairbag deactivatio nsystem: dependin gon
th ep erson in th efront-pa ssenger seat ,the
front-passenger fron tairbag is either disable dor
enabled. The front-passenger fron tairbag can
only be deployed in an acciden tifthe
PASSENGER AI RBAG ON indicator lamp is lit.
Observ ethe informatio nonthePASSENGER AIR
BA Gindicator lamps (Y page 40).
Your vehicle has two-stag efront airbags. In the
first deploymen tstage, th efront airbag is filled
with propellan tgas to reduc ethe risk of injuries.
The fron tairbag is fully deployed if th esecond
deploymen tstage is activated within afew mil-
liseconds.
The activation threshold for th eseat belt ten-
sioners and airbag sisdetermine dbased on the
evaluation of th evehicle's rat eofdeceleration
or acceleratio natvarious points in th evehicle.
This process is pre-emptive in nature. The trig-
gering/deployment process shoul dtakep lace
in good tim eatthestart of th ecollision.
The rat eofvehicle deceleratio noracceleration
and th edirection of th eforce are essentially
determine dby:
R thed istribution of forces durin gthe collision
R thec ollision angle
R thed eformatio ncharacteristics of th evehicle
R thec haracteristics of th eobject with which
th ev ehicle has collided
Factors whic hcan only be seen and measured
after acollision has occurre ddonotplay adeci-
sive role in th edeploymen tofanairbag,nor do
they provide an indication of airbag deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly with-out an airbag bein gdeployed. This is th ecaseif
only part swhicha re relatively easily deformed
are affected and th erateofd eceleratio nisnot
high .Conversely, an airbag may be deployed
even though th evehicle suffers only minor
deformation. This is th ecasei f, for example,
ver yrigidv ehicle part ssuchasl ongitudinal body
members are hit ,and sufficient deceleration
occurs as aresult.
If th erestraint system control unit detect saside
impact, th eapplicable component softhe
restraint system are activated independently of
each other.
R Sidebags on th eside on whic hanimpact
occurs, independen tfromt heseat belt ten-
sioner and seat belt usage
Vehicle swith th eautomatic front-passenger
airbag deactivatio nsystem: th esidebag on Occupant safety
53Safety Z

Important safety notes
The intervention of PRE-SAFE
®
PLU Scannot
preven tanimminent collision.
The driver is no twarned before th eintervention
of PRE-SAFE ®
PLUS.
PRE-SAFE ®
PLU Sdoes no tintervene:
R if th evehicl eisr eversing
R when th evehicl eist owingat railer and there
is ar iskofar ear-end collision
When driving ,orwhen parking or exiting apark-
ing spac ewitha ssistanc efromA ctiveParking
Assist ,PRE-SAFE ®
PLU Swill no tapply the
brakes.
Function PRE-SAFE
®
PLU Sintervenes in certain situa-
tion sift heradar sensor system detects an
imminent head-on or rear-end collision.
PRE-SAFE ®
PLU Stakes th efollowin gmeasures
depending on th ehazardous situation detected:
R if th eradar sensor system detects that a
head-on collision is imminent ,the seat belts
are pre-tensioned
R if th eradar sensor system detects that arear-
en dc ollision is imminent:
- ther ear hazard warning lamp sare activa-
te da nd flas hatah igher frequency
- theb rak epressur eisincreased if th edriver
applie sthe brakes when th evehicl eiss ta-
tionary
- thes eat belt sare pre-tensioned
The PRE-SAFE ®
PLU Sbraking application is can-
celled:
R if th eaccelerato rpedal is depressed when a
gear is engaged
R if th eriskofac ollision passes or is no longer
detected
R if DISTRONI CPLUSindicates an intention to
pull away
If th ehazardous situation passes without result-
ing in an accident, th eoriginal setting sare
restored. Automati
cmeasures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, th efollowing
measures are implemented, depending on the
typ eand severity of th eimpact:
R theh azard warning lamp sare activated
R thee mergenc ylighting is activated
R thev ehicl edoor sare unlocked
R thef ront side windows are lowered
R vehicles wit hamemory function :the electri-
call yadjustable steering whee lisraised
R thee ngineiss witched off and th efuel supply
is cut off
R vehicles wit hthe Mercedes-Ben zemergency
call system: automatic emergenc ycall Children in th
evehicle Important safety notes
Acciden tstatistics sho wthatc hildren secured
in th erear seat sare safer than children secured
in th efront seats. Fo rthisr eason ,Mercedes-
Ben zstrongly advises that you fit achild
restrain tsystem on arear seat .Children are
generally bette rprotected there.
If ac hild younger than twelve years old and
under 1.50 minh eight is travellin ginthe vehi-
cle:
R always secur ethe child in achild restraint
system suitable for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
The child restraint system must be appropri-
ate to the age, weight and size of the child.
R be sure to observe the instructions and safety
notes in this section in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer' sinstallation
instructions.
R always pay attention to the instructions and
safet ynotes on the automatic co-driver's
front airbag deactivation system (Y page 47). Children in thev
ehicle
55Safety Z

G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they may be abletos et the vehiclein
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position Por shift manua ltransmission into
neutral
R start the engine
In addition, they may operate vehicl eequip-
ment and become trapped. There is arisk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alwayst ake the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. G
WARNING
If persons (particularly children) are exposed
to heatorc old foraprolonged period, there is
ar isk of serious or even fatal injuries. Never
leave persons (particularly children) unatten-
ded in the vehicle. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is placed in direct sunlight, the parts coul dbecome very hot.
Childre ncouldbes uffer burns by touching
these parts, in particular on the metallic parts
of the child restraint system. There is arisk of
injury.
If you and yourc hild leave the vehicle, always
make sure that the child restraint system is
not in direct sunlight. Cove ritwithablanket,
for example. If the child restraint system has
been expose dtodirect sunlight, leave it to
cool downb efore securing the child in it.
Never leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle.
Always ensure that all vehicl eoccupants have
their seat belts fastened correctly and are sitting
properly.P articular attention must be paidto
children.
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y page4 1) and the notes on how to use the seat
beltp roperly (Y page42). Chil
drestraint system
Observe the instructions for correct use of the
child restraint system (Y page60).
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use achild restraint system
recommende dbyMercedes-Benz
(Y page6 4). 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 asudden change in direction,
the child may not be held securely.T here 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 loos ein
the event of an accident, heav ybraking or a
sudden change in direction. The child
restraint system coul dbethrown about, strik-
ing vehicl eoccupants. 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.
You willf ind further information on stowing
objects, luggage and loads securely under
"Loading guidelines" (Y page308). G
WARNING
Child restraint systems or their securing sys-
tems that have been damaged or subjected to al oa dinana ccident cannot perform their 56
Children in the vehicleSafety

X
Move head restraint :upwards.
X Fold up cover ;of Top Tether anchorage =.
X Fit the ISOFIX child restraint system with Top
Tether. Always comply with the child restraint system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions when doing so. X
Route Top Tether belt Aunder head
restraint :between the two head restraint
bars.
X Hook Top Tether hook ?of Top Tether belt
A into Top Tether anchorage =.
Make sure that Top Tether belt Ais not twis-
ted.
X Tension Top Tether belt A.Always comply
with the child restraint system manufactur-
er's installation instructions when doing so.
X Fold down cover ;of Top Tether anchorage
=.
X If necessary, move head restraint :back
down again slightly. Make sure that you do
not interferew ith the correct routing of Top
Tether belt A. Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes Accident statisticss
how that children secured
in the rear seats are safer than children secured
in the front seats. For this reason, Mercedes-
Benz strongly advises that you fit achild
restraint system on arear seat.
Vehicles with the automatic co-driver's front air-
bag deactivation system: if it is absolutely nec-
essary to fit achild restraint system to the co-
driver's seat, always observe the notes on the
"Automatic co-driver's front airbag deactivation system" (Y page 47). You can thus avoid the risks that could arise as
ar esult of:
R ac hild restraint system that is not detected
by the automatic co-driver's front airbag
deactivation system
R the unintentional disabling of the co-driver's
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 co-
driver's sun visor, see the illustration. G
WARNING
If you secure achild on the co-driver's seat in
ar earward-facing child restraint system and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
lights up, the co-driver's airbag could be
deployed in the event of an accident. The child could be struck by the airbag. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
In this case, always ensure that the co-driver's
airbag is disabled. The PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp must light up.
NEVERu searearward-facing child restraint on a
seat protected by an ACTIVE AIRBAG in front of
it, DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can occur.
If the PASSENGER AIRBAG ON indicator lamp is
lit, the co-driver's front airbag is enabled
(Y page 40). Children in the vehicle
59Safety Z

Pets in the vehicle
G
WARNING
If you leave animals unsupervised or unse-
cured in the vehicle, they may push abutton
or as witch, 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 arisk of an
accident and injury.
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,y ou will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
(Y page 66)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System) (Y page 67)
R BAS PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist ( Brake
Assist System PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist)
(Y page 67)
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS
(Y page 69)
R Adaptive brake lights (Y page 71)
R ESP ®
(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Y page 71)
R EBD ( electronic brakeforce distribution)
(Y page 75)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE (Y page 75)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 75)
R STEERC ONTROL (Y page 77) Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are
inattentive, the driving safety systems can nei-
ther 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 maintaining the distance to the
vehicle in front,f or vehicle speed, for braking in
good time, and for staying in lane. Always adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather condition sand maintain asafe distance
from the vehicle in front.D rive carefully.
The driving safety systems described only work
as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quate contact between the tyres and the road
surface. Pay particular attention to the informa- tion regarding tyres, recommended minimum
tyre tread depths etc. in the "Wheels and tyres" section (Y page 353).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tyres (M+S tyres) and, if necessary, snow
chains. Only in this way will the driving safety
systems described in this section work as effec-
tively as possible. ABS (Anti-loc
kBraking System)
General notes ABS regulates brake pressure in such
away that
the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allowsy ou to continue steering the vehicle when
braking.
The ! ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out when the engine is running.
ABS works from aspeed of about 8km/h,
regardless of road-surface conditions. ABS
works on slippery surfaces, even when you only brake gently.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 66). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristic smay be severely impaired. Addition-
ally,f urther driving safety systems are deac- 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

G
WARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R when cornering
Thus ,the distance warning function cannot
provid eawarning in all critical situations.
There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay carefu lattention to the traffic sit-
uation and be read ytobrake. G
WARNING
The distance warning function cannot always
clearly identify objects and comple xtraffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give awarning
There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay carefu lattention to the traffic sit-
uation; do not rely on the distance warning
function alone.
Function The distance warning function issues awarning
at speeds:
R of approximately 30 km/h or more, if, over
severa lseconds, the distance maintained to
the vehicl etravelling in front is insufficient.
The · distance warning lamp then lights
up in the instrument cluster.
R of approximately 7km/h or more, if you rap-
idlya pproach avehicl einf ront. An intermit-
tent warning tone willt hen sound,and the
· distance warning lamp willl ight up in the
instrument cluster.
X Brake immediatel yinorder to increas ethe
distance from the vehicl einfront.
or
X Take evasive action provided it is safe to do
so.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may alsoc ausethe system to display awarning. With the help of the rada
rsensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obstacles
that are in the path of yourv ehiclefor an exten-
ded period of time.
Up to aspee dofa pproximatel y70k m/h, the
distance warning function can alsor eact to sta-
tionary obstacles, such as stoppe dorparked
vehicles.
Autonomous braking function If the drive
rdoes not react to the distance warn-
ing signa linacritical situation, COLLISION PRE-
VENTION ASSIST PLUS can assist with the
autonomous braking function.
The autonomous braking function:
R gives the drive rmore time to react to critical
driving situations
R can help the drive rtoavoidana ccident or
R reduces the effects of an accident
Vehicles without DISTRONIC PLUS: the
autonomous braking function is available in the
following spee dranges:
R 7-1 05 km/h for moving objects
R 7-50k m/h for stationary objects
Vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS: the autono-
mous braking function is available in the follow-
ing spee dranges:
R 7-2 00 km/h for moving objects
R 7-50k m/h for stationary objects
Due to the nature of the system, complicated
but non-critical driving situations may also
caus ethe autonomous braking function to inter-
vene.
If the autonomous braking function demands
particularl yhigh braking force, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)
are activated simultaneously (Y page54).
Adaptive Brake Assist General notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page66).
With the help of Adaptive Brake Assist, the dis-
tance warning signa lcan detect obstacles that
are in the path of yourv ehiclefor an extended
period of time.
If Adaptive Brake Assist detects arisk of acol-
lision with the vehicl einfront, it calculates the 70
Driving safety systemsSafety

brakin
gforc enecessary to avoid acollision. If
you apply the brakes forcefully, Adaptiv eBrake
Assist will automatically increase the braking
forc etoal evel suitable for the traffic conditions.
Adaptiv eBrakeA ssist provides brakin gassis-
tanc einh azardous situation satspeeds above
7k m/h. It uses radar sensor technology to
assess the traffic situation.
Up to aspeed of approximately 250 km/h,
Adaptiv eBrakeA ssist is capable of reacting to
movin gobjects that have already been detected
as such at least onc eover the period of obser-
vation.
Up to aspeed of approximately 70 km/h, Adap-
tive Brak eAssist react stostationary obstacles.
If Adaptiv eBrakeA ssist demands particularly
high brakin gforce, preventativ epassenger pro-
tection measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)a re activated
simultaneously (Y page 54).
X Keep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency brakin gsituation is over.
ABSp revents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if: R you release the brake pedal
R ther eisnol onger any danger of acollision
R no obstacle is detected in fron tofyour vehicle
Adaptiv eBrakeA ssist is then deactivated.
Important safet ynotes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 66).G
WARNING
Adaptiv eBrakeA ssist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
In such cases, Adaptiv eBrakeA ssist can:
R interven eunnecessarily
R not intervene
There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Terminate the
intervention in anon-critical driving situation. G
WARNING
Adaptiv eBrakeA ssist does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R when cornering
As aresult, the Adaptiv eBrak eAssist may not
interven einall critical conditions. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
Due to the natur eofthe system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving conditions
may also cause Brak eAssist to intervene.
If Adaptiv eBrak eAssist is not available due to a
malfunction in the radar sensor system, the
brake system remains available with full brake
boostin geffec tand BAS. Adaptive brake lights
The adaptive brake lights warn following traffic
in an emergency brakin gsituation:
R by flashing brake lamps
R by activating the hazard warning lamps
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more than
50 km/ horifb raking is assisted by BAS or BAS
PLUS, the brake lamp sflashr apidly.Int his way,
traffic travelling behind you is warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from aspee dofm ore than
70 km/h to astandstill, the hazard warning
lamp sare activated automatically. If the brakes
are applieda gain, the brake lamp slight up con-
tinuously.T he hazard warning lamp sswitch off
automatically if you travel faster than 10 km/h. You can alsos witch off the hazard warning
lamp susing the hazard warning button
(Y page1 20). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page66). Driving safety systems
71Safety Z