2015 MERCEDES-BENZ E-Class SEDAN belt

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip- ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (Y page 27). Panic alarm
X
To activate: press0033button 0043for at
least one second.
An alarm sounds and the exterior lighting
flashes.
X To deactivate: press0033button 0043
again.
or
X Insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or, on vehicles with KEYLESS‑GO: X Press the Start/Stop button.
The SmartKey must be in the vehicle. Occupant safety
Restraint system: introduction
The restraint system reduces the risk of vehi-
cle occupants coming into contact with parts of the vehicle's interior in the event of an
accident. The restraint system can also
reduce the forces to which vehicle occupants
are subjected during an accident.
The restraint system comprises:
R Seat belt system
R Air bags
R Child restraint system
R Child seat securing systems
The components of the restraint system work
in conjunction with each other. They can only deploy their protective function if, at all times,
all vehicle occupants:
R have fastened their seat belts correctly
(Y page 45)
R have adjusted their seat and head restraint
properly (Y page 111).
As the driver, you also have to make sure that
the steering wheel is adjusted correctly.
Observe the information relating to the cor-
rect driver's seat position (Y page 110).
You also have to make sure that an air bag can inflate properly if deployed (Y page 48).
An air bag supplements a correctly worn seat
belt. As an additional safety device, the air
bag increases the level of protection for vehi-
cle occupants in the event of an accident. For example, if, in the event of an accident, the
protection offered by the seat belt is suffi-
cient, the air bags are not deployed. When an
accident occurs, only the air bags that
increase protection in that particular accident
situation are deployed. However, seat belts
and air bags generally do not protect against objects penetrating the vehicle from the out-
side.
Information on restraint system operation
can be found under "Triggering of the Emer-
gency Tensioning Device and air bags"
(Y page 57). 42
Occupant safetySafety

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 air bag is
enabled or deactivated depends on the
installed child restraint system, and the age
and size of the child. Therefore, be sure to
observe the notes on the "Occupant Clas-
sification System (OCS)" (Y page 52) and
on "Children in the vehicle" (Y page 62).
There you will also find instructions on rear-
ward and forward-facing child restraint sys- tems on the front-passenger seat.
R All other persons: depending on the clas-
sification of the person in the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger front
air bag is enabled or deactivated
(Y page 52). Be sure to observe the notes
on "Seat belts“ (Y page 44) and "Air bags"
(Y page 48). There you can also find infor-
mation on the correct seat position. Seat belts
Introduction Seat belts are the most effective means of
restricting the movement of vehicle occu-
pants in the event of an accident or the vehi-
cle rolling over. This reduces the risk of vehi- cle occupants coming into contact with parts
of the vehicle interior or being ejected from
the vehicle. Furthermore, the seat belt helps
to keep the vehicle occupant in the best posi- tion in relation to the air bag.
The seat belt system comprises:
R Seat belts
R Emergency Tensioning Devices for the
front seat belts and the outer seat belts in
the rear
R Seat belt force limiters for the front seat
belts and the outer seat belts in the rear If the seat belt is pulled out of the belt outlet
quickly or with a jerky movement, the belt
retractor locks. The belt strap cannot be
extracted any further.
The Emergency Tensioning Device tightens
the seat belt in an accident, pulling the belt
close against the body. However it does not
pull the vehicle occupant back in the direction
of the backrest.
The Emergency Tensioning Device does not
correct an incorrect seat position or the rout- ing of an incorrectly fastened seat belt.
When triggered, seat belt force limiters help
to reduce the force exerted by the seat belt on
the vehicle occupant.
The seat belt force limiters for the front seats
are synchronized with the front air bags,
which absorb part of the deceleration force.
This can reduce the force exerted on the vehi-
cle occupants during an accident.
! If the front-passenger seat is unoccupied,
do not insert the belt tongue into the buckle of the front-passenger seat. This may oth-
erwise lead to the triggering of the Emer-
gency Tensioning Device in the event of anaccident, which will then need to be
replaced.
Important safety notes The use of seat belts and child restraint sys-
tems is required by law in:
R all 50 states
R the U.S. territories
R the District of Columbia
R all Canadian provinces
Even where this is not required by law, all
vehicle occupants should correctly fasten
their seat belts before starting the journey. G
WARNING
If the seat belt is incorrectly fastened, it can-
not protect as intended. Furthermore, an
incorrectly fastened seat belt can cause addi- tional injury, for example, in an accident, dur-
ing braking or when abruptly changing direc- 44
Occupant safetySafety

tion. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
Make sure that all vehicle occupants are
seated properly with a correctly fastened seat belt. 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
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder. G
WARNING
Persons under 5 ft (1.50 m) in heightcannot
fasten the seat belt correctly without an addi- tional suitable restraint system. If the seat
belt is incorrectly fastened, it cannot protect
as intended. Furthermore, an incorrectly fas-
tened seat belt can cause additional injury, for
example, in an accident, during braking or an
abrupt change of direction. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
For this reason, always secure persons under
5 ft (1.50 m) in height in suitable restraint
systems.
If a child younger than 12 years and under 5 ft
(1.50 m) in height is traveling in the vehicle:
R always secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for this Mercedes-Benz
vehicle. The child restraint system must be appropriate to the age, weight and size of
the child
R always observe the instructions and safety
notes in the "Children in the vehicle" sec-
tion of this Operator's Manual
(Y page 62) in addition to the child restraint system manufacturer's installa-
tion instructions
R be sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes on the "Occupant classifica-
tion system (OCS)" (Y page 52) G
WARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended protective function if:
R they are damaged, modified, extremely
dirty, bleach or dyed
R the seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty
R the Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
anchorages or inertia reels have been modi-
fied
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage in an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters. Modi-
fied or damaged seat belts may tear or fail,
e.g. in an accident. Modified Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices could accidentally trigger or
fail to deploy when necessary. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify the seat belts, Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices, belt anchorages or inertia
reels. Make sure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not worn out and clean. Follow-
ing an accident, have the seat belts checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. Any such
modifications could invalidate the vehicle's
general operating permit.
Proper use of the seat belts Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y
page 44).
All vehicle occupants must be wearing the
seat belt correctly before beginning the jour-
ney. Also make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants are always wearing the seat belt cor-
rectly while the vehicle is in motion. Occupant safety
45Safety Z

When fastening the seat belt, always make
sure that:
R the seat belt tongue is only inserted to the
belt buckle belonging to that seat.
R the seat belt is tight across your body.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R the seat belt is not twisted.
Only then can the forces which occur be
distributed over the area of the belt.
R the shoulder section of the belt is always
routed across the center of your shoulder.
The shoulder section of the belt must not
come into contact with your neck or be
routed under your arm. Where possible,
adjust the seat belt to the appropriate
height.
R the lap belt passes tightly and as low down
as possible across your lap.
The lap belt must always be routed across
your hip joints and not across your abdo-
men. This applies particularly to pregnant
women. If necessary, push the lap belt
down to your hip joint and pull it tight using the shoulder section of the belt.
R the seat belt is not routed across sharp,
pointed or fragile objects.
If you have such items located on or in your clothing, e.g. pens, keys or eyeglasses,
store these in a suitable place.
R only one person is using a seat belt at a
time.
Infants and children must never travel sit-
ting on the lap of a vehicle occupant. In the
event of an accident, they could be crushed
between the vehicle occupant and seat
belt.
R objects are never secured with a seat belt if
the seat belt is also being used by one of the
vehicle's occupants.
Seat belts are only intended to secure and
restrain vehicle occupants. Always observe
the "Loading guidelines" for securing objects,
luggage or loads (Y page 292). Fastening and adjusting the seat belts Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y
page 44) and the notes on correct use of
seat belts (Y page 45).
If the center rear seat belt is being used, also
observe the information about the seat belt
for the center rear seat (Y page 47). X
Adjust the seat (Y page 110).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
vertical position.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly from belt outlet
0087 and engage belt tongue 0044into belt
buckle 0043.
The seat belt on the driver’s seat and the
front-passenger seat may be tightened
automatically, see "Belt adjustment"
(Y page 47).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body. 46
Occupant safetySafety

Wagon:
you can also adjust the belt height on
the outer rear bench seats.
The shoulder section of the seat belt must
always be routed across the center of the
shoulder. Adjust the belt outlet if necessary.
X To raise: slide the belt outlet upwards.
The belt outlet will engage in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: hold belt outlet release 0043and
slide the belt outlet downwards.
X Let go of belt outlet release 0043in the
desired position and make sure that the
belt outlet engages.
All seat belts in the vehicle with the exception of the driver's seat belt and the seat belt on
the folding bench seat in the cargo compart-
ment are equipped with a special seat belt
retractor, to which a child restraint system
can be secured. Further information can be
found under "Special seat belt retractor"
(Y page 63).
Seat belt for the center rear seat If the left-hand rear seat backrest is folded
down and back up again, the rear center seat
belt may lock. The seat belt can then not be
pulled out.
X To release the rear center seat belt: pull
the seat belt out approximately 1 in
(25 mm) at the belt outlet on the backrest
and then release it again.
The seat belt is retracted and released. Releasing seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt. Dam- aged seat belts can no longer fulfill their
protective function and must be replaced.
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. X
Press release button 0043, hold belt
tongue 0044firmly and guide it back towards
belt outlet 0087.
Seat belt adjustment The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. This
function adjusts the driver's and front-
passenger seat belt to the upper body of the
occupants.
The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
R the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle
and
R the ignition is switched on
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a certain
retraction force if any slack is detected
between the vehicle occupant and the seat
belt. Do not hold on to the seat belt tightly
while it is adjusting. Occupant safety
47Safety Z

You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on
and off in the on-board computer
(Y page 246).
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger The
0076 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder that all occupants
must fasten their seat belts. It may light up
continuously or flash. In addition, there may
be a warning tone.
Regardless of whether the driver's seat belt
has already been fastened, the 0076seat belt
warning lamp lights up for six seconds each
time the engine is started. If, after
six seconds, the driver or front-passenger
seat belt has not been fastened and the doors are closed, the 0076seat belt warning lamp
lights up again. As soon as the driver's and
front-passenger seat belts are fastened or a
front door is opened again, the 0076seat belt
warning lamp goes out.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened after
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. This warning tone stops after six seconds or when the driver's seat belt is
fastened.
If the vehicle's speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h) once and the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are not fastened, a
warning tone sounds. The warning tone
sounds with increasing intensity for
60 seconds or until the driver or front
passenger have fastened their seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their seat belts during the journey, the seat belt
warning is activated again.
i For more information on the
0076seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrument cluster, seat
belts" (Y page 280). Air bags
Introduction The installation point of an air bag can be rec-
ognized by the AIR BAG symbol.
An air bag complements the correctly fas-
tened seat belt. It is no substitute for the seat
belt. The air bag provides additional protec-
tion in applicable accident situations.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident.
The different air bag systems function inde-
pendently from one another (Y page 57).
However, no system available today can com- pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out a risk of injury
caused by an air bag due to the high speed at which the air bag must be deployed.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you do not sit in the correct seat position,
the air bag cannot protect as intended and
could even cause additional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid hazardous situations, always make
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants:
R have fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
R are sitting correctly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags
R follow the following instructions
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants.
R Adjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the
seat is in an almost upright position. The
center of the head restraint must support
the head at about eye level.
R Move the driver's and front-passenger
seats as far back as possible. The driver's
seat position must allow the vehicle to be
driven safely. 48
Occupant safetySafety

R
Only hold the steering wheel on the out-
side. This allows the air bag to be fully
deployed.
R Always lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forwards or lean against
the door or side window. You may other-
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 air bag.
R For this reason, always secure persons less
than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suitable restraint
systems. Up to this height, the seat belt
cannot be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
R Always secure children under 12 years of
age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m)in height in
suitable child restraint systems.
R Child restraint systems should be installed
on the rear seats.
R Only secure a child in a rearward-facing
child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat when the front-passenger
front air bag is deactivated. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
permanently lit, the front-passenger front
air bag is deactivated (Y page 43).
R Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification Sys- tem (OCS)" (Y page 52) and on "Children
in the vehicle" (Y page 62) in addition to
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions. Objects in the vehicle interior may pre-
vent the air bag from functioning cor-
rectly.
Before starting your journey and to
avoid risks resulting from the speed of the air bag 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 hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, hang on
the grab handles or coat hooks.
R no accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deploy-
ment area of an air bag, e.g. to doors, side windows, rear side trim or side walls.
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 the air bag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the air bag can no longer function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objectsto it. 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. Occupant safety
49Safety Z

The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side (front) deploys in the follow-
ing situations:
R the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
R the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle, the side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys if an appropriate acci-
dent situation occurs. In this case, deploy-
ment is independent 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 bags
0043deploy below next to the
outer seat cushions.
When activated, the pelvis air bag enhances
the level of protection of the vehicle occu-
pants on the side of the vehicle on which the
impact occurs. The pelvis air bag is deployed on the side of
the impact.
The pelvis air bag on the front-passenger side
does not deploy under the following condi-
tions:
R OCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
R the front-passenger seat belt is not fas-
tened.
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle, the pelvis air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys if an appropriate acci-
dent situation occurs. In this case, deploy-
ment is independent of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not.
Window curtain air bags Example: Sedan
Window curtain air bags 0043are integrated
into the side of the roof frame and deployed in
the area from the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
When deployed, the window curtain air bag
enhances the level of protection for the head.
However, it does not protect the chest or
arms.
In the event of a side impact, the window cur- tain air bag 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 window curtain air bag may be
deployed in other accident situations
(Y page 57). Occupant safety
51Safety Z