Page 49 of 385

Fron
tairbags !
Do no
tplac eh eav yobject sont hefront-
passenger seat .This could caus ethe system
to identify th eseat as bein goccupied. In the
event of an accident, th erestrain tsystems on
th ef ront-pa ssenger side may be triggered
and have to be replaced. Driver's airbag
:deploys in fron tofthesteer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger fron tairbag ;
deploys in fron tofand abov ethe glov ecom-
partment.
When deployed, th efront airbags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for th eoccu-
pants in th efront seats.
The PASSENGER AI RBAG OFFa nd PASSENGER
AI RB AG ON indicator lamp sinform you about
th es tatus of th efront-pa ssenger fron tairbag
(Y page 40).
The front-passenger fron tairbag will only deploy
if:
R thea utomatic front-passenger fron tairbag
deactivation system has detected that the
front-passenger seat is occupied
(Y page 47) .The PASSENGER AI RBAG ON
indicator lamp is lit (Y page 48)
R ther estrain tsystem control unit predicts a
high acciden tseverity Driver'
skneebag Driver's kneebag
:deploys under th esteering
column .The driver' skneebag is triggered
together wit hthe fron tairbags.
The driver' skneebag offers additional thigh,
knee and lower leg protection for th eoccupant
in th edriver' sseat.
i The driver'
skneebag is only available in cer-
tai nc ountries.
Sidebags G
WARNING
Unsuitable seat cover scan obstruc torpre-
ven tthe deploymen toftheairbags integrated
int othe seats. Consequently, th eairbags can-
no tp rotect vehicl eoccupant sastheya re
designed to do. In addition ,the function of the
automatic front-passenger fron tairbag deac-
tivation system could be restricted. This
poses an increased ris kofinjury or eve nfatal
injury.
You should only use seat cover sthath ave
been approve dfor th ecorre sponding seat sby
Mercedes-Benz. 46
Occupant safetySafety
Page 50 of 385

Front sidebags
:and rea rsidebags ;deploy
next to the outer bolster of the sea tbackrest.
Whe ndeployed, the sideba goffers additional
thora xprotection. However, it doe snot protect
the:
R head
R neck
R arms
In the event of asidei mpact, the sideba gis
deployed on the sid eonwhich the impact
occurs.
Vehicles with the automatic front-passenger air- ba gd eactivation system: the sideba gonthe
front-passenger sid edeploy sunder the follow-
ing conditions:
R an occupant is detected on the front-
passenger sea tor
R the bel ttongu eise ngaged in the bel tbuckle
of the front-passenger seat
If the bel ttongu eise ngaged in the bel tbuckle,
the sideba gonthe front-passenger sid edeploys
if an appropriate accident situation occurs. In
this case ,deployment is independent of
whether the front-passenger sea tisoccupied or
not.
Windowbags Windowbags
:are integrate dinto the sid eof
the roof fram eand deploy in the are afrom the A-
pilla rtot he C-pillar.
Whe ndeployed, the windowba genhances the
level of protection for the head. However, it does not protect the chest or arms.
In the event of asidei mpact, the windowba gis
deployed on the sid ewhich the impact occurs.
If the system determine sthat it can offe raddi-
tiona lprotection to that provide dbythe seat
belt, awindowba gmay be deployed in other
accident situations (Y page 52). Automatic front-passenge
rfron tair-
bag deactivation
Introduction In orde
rtorecognise achildr estraint system on
the front-passenger seat, the automatic front-
passenger front airba gdeactivation system cat-
egorise sthe person in the front-passenger seat.
Depending on that result, the front-passenger
front airba giseither enabled or disabled .Ifa
rearward-facing chil drestraint system is fitted
to the front-passenger seat, the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp mus tlight up after
the system self-test and remain lit. The front-
passenger front airba gisdisabled.
The system doe snot disable:
R the sidebag
R the windowbag
R the sea tbeltt ensioner
Make sur ethat your vehicle is equipped with the
automatic front-passenger front airba gdeacti-
vation system (Y page 59). If this is not the
case ,alway sinstall achildr estraint system on a
suitabl erears eat(Y page 60).
If it is absolutel ynecessary to install achild
restraint system on the front-passenger seat, be
sur etoo bserve the correct positioning of the
chil drestraint system. Neve rplace objects
under or behind the chil drestraint system, e.g. a
cushion. Fully retract the sea tcushion length.
The entire base of the chil drestraint system
mus talway srest on the sea tcushion of the
front-passenger seat. The backrest of the
forward-facing chil drestraint system must, as
far as possible, be resting on the backrest of the
front-passenger seat. The chil drestraint system
mus tnot touch the roof or be pu tunder strai nby
the hea drestraint. Adjus tthe angl eofthe seat
backrest and the hea drestraint positio naccord-
ingly. Only then is the correct function of the
automatic front-passenger front airba gdeacti-
vation system guaranteed .Alway sobserve the
information on suitabl epositioning of the child
restraint system (Y page 60)inaddition to the
chil drestraint system manufacturer's installa-
tion instructions. Occupan
tsafety
47Safety Z
Page 51 of 385

Operation of automatic front-passenger
front airba gdeactivation :
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
; PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
The indicator lamps show you whether the co-
driver's fron tairbag is disabled or enabled.
X Press the Start/Stop button onceort wice or
turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
The system carries out aself-diagnosis.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON indicator lamps must light up simul- taneously for approximately six seconds.
The indicator lamps then show the status of the
co-driver's fron tairbag.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG ON is lit: the co-driver's
fron tairbag is enabled. If, in the case of an
accident, all deployment criteria are met, the
co-driver's fron tairbag is deployed.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF is lit: the co-driv-
er's fron tairbag is disabled. It will then not be
deployed in the event of an accident.
If the status of the co-driver's fron tairbag
changes while the vehicle is in motion ,anairbag
display message appears in the instrument clus-
ter (Y page 263). When the co-driver's seat is
occupied, alway spay attention to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamps. Be aware of the status of the co-driver's fron tairbag both before and
during the journey.
If ap erson is occupying the co-driver's seat,
they must sit:
R with the seat belt fastened correctly
R in an almost upright position with their back
against the seat backrest
R with their feet restin gonthe floor, if possible If the co-driver does not observe this, the auto-
matic co-driver's fron tairbag deactivation sys-
tem may be influenced, for example if the co-
driver:
R transfers their weight by supportin gthem-
selves on avehicle armrest
R sits in such away that their weight is raised
from the seat cushion
This or similar behaviour can cause the co-driv-
er's fron tairbag to be deactivated when it
should not be. In this case, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up continuously. The
co-driver's fron tairbag is then not deployed in
an accident. G
WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIRBA GOFF indicator lamp
is lit, the front-passenger fron tairbag is disa-
bled. It will not be deployed in the event of an
acciden tand cannot perform its intended pro-
tective function .Aperson 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
injur yore ven fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
alway smake sure that:
R the classification of the person in the front-
passenger seat is correct and that the front-
passenger fron tairbag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordance with the person in the
front-passenger seat.
R the front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible.
R the person is seated correctly.
Make sure, both before and during the jour-
ney, that the status of the front-passenger
fron tairbag is correct. 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 struc kbythe airbag. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal. 48
Occupant safetySafety
Page 52 of 385

In this case, always ensure that the co-driver's
airbag is disabled.T he PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp must light up.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
remains off and/or the PASSENGER AIR BAG
ON indicator light is lit, do not fit arearward-
facing child restraint system on the co-driver's
seat. Further information can be obtained under
"Problems with the automatic co-driver's front
airbag deactivation system" (Y page 52).G
WARNING
If you secure achild in aforward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and you positio nthe 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 ON indicator lamp is lit
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Alwaysm ove the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible and fullyr etract the seat
cushio nlength. Alwaysm ake sure that the
shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from
the vehicle belt outlet to the shoulder belt
guideont he child restraint system. The shoul-
der belt strap must be routed forward sand
downwards from the vehicle belt outlet. If
necessary ,adjust the vehicle belt outlet and
the front-passenger seat accordingly .Always
observe the information abouts uitable posi-
tioning of the child restraint system in this
Owner's Manualasw ell as the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
If the automatic co-driver's front airbag deacti-
vation system detects that:
R the co-driver's seat is unoccupied, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up after the system self-test and remains lit. This indicates that the co-driver's
front airbag is disabled.
R the co-driver's seat is occupie dbyachild in a
rearward-facing child restraint system, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up after the system self-test and
remains lit. This indicates that the co-driver's front airbag is disabled.
But in the case of achild in arearward-facing
child restraint system, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON indicator lamp can be lit continuously
after the system self-test. This indicates that
the co-driver's front airbag is enabled. The
resultoft he classification is dependent on,
among other factors, the child restraint sys-
tem and the child's stature. It is recommen-
ded that you fit the child restraint system to a
suitable rear seat.
R the co-driver's seat is occupie dbyachild in a
forward-facing child restraint system, either
the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON or PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up after the
system self-test depending on the resultof
the classification and remains lit. The resultof the classification is dependent on, among
other factors, the child restraint system and
the child's stature.
Move the co-driver's seat as far back as pos-
sible. Alwayso bserve the information on
"Child restraint systems on the co-driver's
seat" (Y page 59) and on "Suitable posi-
tioning of the child restraint system"
(Y page 60). Alternatively ,fit the child
restraint system on asuitable rear seat.
R the co-driver's seat is occupie dbyaperson of
smaller stature (e.g. ateenager or small
adult), either the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON or the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up and remains lit after the system self- test depending on the resultoft he classifica-
tion.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp is lit, move the co-driver's seat as far
back as possible. Alternatively ,aperson of
smaller stature can sit on arear seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, aperson of smaller stature
shouldn ot use the co-driver's seat.
R the co-driver's seat is occupie dbyanadult or
ap erson of astature corresponding to that of
an adult, the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indi-
cator lamp is lit continuously after the system
self-test. This indicates that the co-driver's
front airbag is enabled. Occupant safety
49Safety Z
Page 53 of 385

If childre
nare travelling in the vehicle ,besure to
observe the notes on "Childrenint he Vehicle"
(Y page 55).
If the automatic co-driver's front airbag deacti-
vation system is malfunctioning, the red 6
restraint system warning lamp in the instrument cluster and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-
cator lamp light up simultaneously. The co-driv-
er's front airbag is disabled in this case and does not deploy during an accident. Have the system
checked as soon as possible by qualifiedt ech-
nicians. Consul taMercedes-Benz Service
Centre. The co-driver's seat shouldo nly be
repaired at aMercedes-Benz Service Centre.
If the co-driver's seat, the seat cover or the seat cushio nisdamaged, have the necessary repair
work carried out at aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use achild restraint system
which has been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz in combination with the auto-
matic co-driver's front airbag deactivation sys-
tem.
System self-test G
DANGER
If both the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lampsdo
not light up during the system self-test, the
system is malfunctioning. The front-
passenger front airbag might be triggered
unintentionally or might not be triggered at all in the event of an accident with high deceler-
ation. This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
In this case the front-passenger seat may notbe used.Don ot installachild restraint system
on the front-passenger seat. Have the auto-
matic front-passenger front airbag deactiva-
tion system checked and repaired immedi-
ately at aqualifieds pecialist workshop. G
WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit after the system self-test, the
front-passenger front airbag is disabled.Itw ill
not be deployed in the event of an accident. In
this case, the front-passenger front airbag cannot perform its intended protective func-
tion, e.g. when
aperson is seated in the front-
passenger seat.
That person could,f or example,come into
contact with the vehicle's interior, especially
if the person is sitting too close to the dash-
board.T his poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensure that:
R the classification of the person in the front-
passenger seat is correct and the front-
passenger front airbag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordance with the person in the
front-passenger seat.
R the person is seated properl ywithacor-
rectly fastened seat belt.
R the front-passenger seat has been moved
as far back as possible.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains lit when it shouldn ot, the front-
passenger seat may not be used.Don ot
install achild restraint system on the front-
passenger seat. Have the automatic front-
passenger front airbag deactivation system
checked and repaired immediately at aquali-
fied specialist workshop. G
WARNING
Objects betwee nthe seat surface and the
child restraint system could affect the func-
tion of the automatic front-passenger front
airbag deactivation system. This could result
in the front-passenger front airbag not func-
tioning as intended during an accident. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Do not place any objects betwee nthe seat
surface and the child restraint system. The
entire base of the child restraint system must always rest on the seat cushio nofthe front-
passenger seat. The backrest of the forwards-
facing child restraint system must, as far as
possible, be resting on the backrest of the
rear reclining seat. Alwaysc omply with the50
Occupant safetySafety
Page 54 of 385
chil
drestraint system manufacturer' sinstal-
lation instructions.
After the system self-test, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF or PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp display sthe statu softhe front-passenger
front airba g(Ypage 48).
Further information can be found under "Prob-
lems with the automatic front-passenger front
airba gdeactivation system" (Y page 52). Occupan
tsafety
51Safety Z
Page 55 of 385

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
Page 56 of 385

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