
When the air bags are deployed, a small
amount of powder is released. The powder
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 where the side
impact air bag inflates. This could result in
serious or fatal injuries should the side
impact air bag be deployed. Always sit as
upright as possible, wear the seat belt prop-
erly 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 there is 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
45Safety Z

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.
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 53). G
WARNING
Objects between the seat surface and the
child restraint system could affect OCS oper- ation. This could result in the front-passengerair 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 thechild restraint system manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions. 52
Occupant safetySafety

Problems with the Occupant Classification System
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lights up and remains
on.
The person on the
front-passenger seat:
R
has the weight of a
typical adult
R has been determined
by the system not to
be a child The OCS is malfunctioning.
X Make sure that the front passenger is sitting in a correct, upright
position.
X Have the OCS checked as soon as possible at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display (Y page 242). G
WARNING
If the 00730074 indicator lamp illuminates and remains illuminated when the weight of a typical
adult or someone larger than a small individual has been detected on the passenger seat, do not allow any occupant to use the passenger seat until the system has been repaired. Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050 0050Solutions The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp does not light up
and/or stays on.
The front-passenger
seat is:
R unoccupied
R occupied with a
weight up to that of a typical twelve-
month-old child in a
standard child
restraint system The OCS is malfunctioning.
X Make sure there is nothing between the seat cushion and the
child seat.
X Make sure that the backrest and base of the child restraint sys-
tem are resting securely on the front-passenger seat. If neces-
sary, adjust the position of the front-passenger seat.
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
being pulled too tightly.
X Check the installation of the child restraint system.
X Make sure that no objects are applying additional weight onto
the seat.
X If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains off, have
the OCS system checked as soon as possible at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. Do not transport a child on the front-passenger seat until the OCS has been repaired.
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display (Y page 242). Occupant safety
53Safety Z

Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger Regardless of whether the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts have already been fas-
tened, the 0076seat belt warning lamp lights
up for six seconds each time the engine is
started. It then goes out if the driver and the
front passenger have already fastened their
seat belts.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened when
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. This warning tone stops after a maximum of six seconds or once the driv-
er's seat belt is fastened.
If after six seconds the driver or front
passenger have not fastened their seat belts
and the doors are closed, the 0076seat belt
warning lamp lights up:
R until the driver's or front passenger's seat
belt is fastened
R if a vehicle speed of 15 mph (25 km/h) is
exceeded, a warning tone also sounds with
increasing intensity for a maximum of
60 seconds or until the driver or front-
passenger seat belt has been fastened
If the driver/front passenger unfasten their
seat belt while the vehicle is in motion, the
0076 seat belt warning lamp lights up and a
warning tone sounds again.
The warning tone ceases even if the driver or
front-passenger seat belt has still not been
fastened after 60 seconds. The 0076seat belt
warning lamp stops flashing but remains illu-
minated.
After the vehicle comes to a standstill, the
warning tone is reactivated and the 0076seat
belt warning lamp flashes again if the vehicle
speed again exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h).
The 0076 seat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
R both the driver and the front passenger
have fastened their seat belts.
or R the vehicle is stationary and a door is open. i
For more information on the
0076seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrument cluster, seat
belts" (Y page 261).
Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat
belt force limiters G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed are no longer opera- tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Therefore, have pyrotechnic Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices which have been triggered
immediately replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
! 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.
i Vehicles with PRE-SAFE ®
: an electric
motor is used by PRE-SAFE ®
to trigger the
tightening of the seat belt in hazardous sit- uations. This procedure is reversible.
The seat belts for the front seats and rear
outer seats are equipped with Emergency
Tensioning Devices and seat belt force limit-
ers.
The ETDs tighten the seat belts in an accident,
pulling them close against the body.
The ETDs do not correct incorrect seat posi-
tions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
The ETDs do not pull vehicle occupants back
towards the backrest.
The ETDs can only be activated when:
R the ignition is switched on
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp "(Y page 43)60
Occupant safetySafety

R
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
each of the lap-shoulder belts in the front
R the front-passenger seat is occupied and
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the front-passenger side
The ETDs on the outside seats in the rear
compartment are triggered independently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The Emergency Tensioning Devices are trig-
gered depending on the type and severity of
an accident, if:
R in certain situations where the vehicle rolls
over and the system determines that it can
provide additional protection
R in the event of a head-on or rear-end colli-
sion, the vehicle decelerates or accelerates
rapidly in a longitudinal direction during the initial stages of the impact
R in the event of a side impact, the vehicle
decelerates or accelerates rapidly in a lat-
eral direction on the side opposite the
impact
If the ETDs 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 there is 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.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a seat
belt force limiter and this is triggered, the
force exerted by the seat belt on the vehicle
occupant is reduced.
The seat belt force limiters for the front seats
are synchronized with the front air bags,
which absorb part of the deceleration force.
This results in the force exerted on the occu-
pant being distributed over a greater area. Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes Mercedes-Benz recommends that you always
properly secure all infants and children with a child or infant seat restraint system for the
trip.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in:
R all 50 states
R the U.S. territories
R the District of Columbia
R all Canadian provinces
Infants and children must always be seated in an appropriate infant or child restraint systemrecommended for the size and weight of the
child. The infant or child restraint system
must be properly secured in accordance with
the manufacturer's instructions.
All infant or child restraint systems must meet
the following standards:
R U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand-
ards 213 and 225
R Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2
Confirmation that the child restraint system
corresponds to the standards can be found
on an instruction label on the child restraint
system. This confirmation can also be found
in the installation instructions that are inclu-
ded with the child restraint system.
Always read and follow the manufacturer's
instructions when using an infant or child
restraint system or booster seat.
Observe the warning labels in the vehicle inte-
rior or on the infant or child restraint. G
WARNING
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front seating
position. Thus, we strongly recommend that
children be placed in the rear seats whenever Children in the vehicle
61Safety
Z

Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about the following driving safety systems:
R ABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
R BAS (Brake AssistSystem)
R BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System Plus)
R ESP ®
(E lectronic StabilityProgram)
R EBD (Electronic Brake forceDistribution)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or
become distracted, the driving safety sys-
tems can neither reduce the risk of accident
nor override the laws of physics. Driving
safety systems are merely aids designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed and for braking in good time. Always adapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road,
weather and traffic conditions and maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front. Drive
carefully.
i The driving safety systems described only
work as effectively as possible when there
is adequate contact between the tires and
the road surface. Please pay special atten-
tion to the notes on tires, recommended
minimum tire tread depths, etc.
(Y page 332).
In wintry driving conditions, always use
winter tires (M+S tires) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section work as effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
The yellow 0025ABS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 68). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid- ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information on the ABS warning lamp (Y page 262) and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (Y page 236).
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/ h), regardless of road-surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even if
you only brake gently.
Brakes X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit- uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a pulsing in the brake pedal. 68
Driving safety systemsSafety

Important safety notes
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 68). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv- ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP ®
checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
! If you test the parking brake using a brake
dynamometer, switch the ignition off.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
Vehicles without 4MATIC: observe the notes
on ESP ®
(Y page 327) when towing the vehi-
cle with a raised rear axle.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC: function or per-
formance tests may only be carried out on
a 2-axle dynamometer. Before you operate the vehicle on such a dynamometer, please
consult a qualified workshop. You could
otherwise damage the drive train or the
brake system.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the 00BBwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running.
If the 00E5 warning lamp and the 00BBwarn-
ing lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not
available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 264) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(Y page 236).
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tire sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly. Characteristics of ESP
® General information
If the
00E5 ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP ®
is automatically
active.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the 00E5ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP ®
intervenes:
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle
stops moving. The engine starts automati-
cally when the driver wants to pull away again.
ESP ®
remains in its previously selected sta-
tus. Example: if ESP®
was deactivated before
the engine was switched off, ESP ®
remains
deactivated when the engine is switched on
again.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® Important safety notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 68).
You can select between the following sta-
tuses of ESP:
R ESP ®
is activated.
R ESP ®
is deactivated. G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in the situations descri-
bed in the following. Driving safety systems
71Safety Z

It may be best to deactivate ESP
®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
i Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
! Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP ®
deactivated.
You could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®X
To switch off: press button0043.
The 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To switch on: press button0043.
The 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Characteristics when ESP ®
is deactivated
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the 00E5ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster does not flash. In such
situations, ESP ®
will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R engine torque is restricted to a limited
degree and the drive wheels are able to
spin. The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-faces.
R traction control is still activated.
R PRE-SAFE ®
is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP ®
intervenes.
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is no longer available, it
is also not activated if you brake firmly and
ESP ®
intervenes.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
ESP ®
trailer stabilization G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center of gravity can
tip over before ESP ®
can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail- ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and can
detect if the vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by braking and limiting the engine output until the vehicle/trailer combination has stabi-
lized.
Trailer stabilization is active above speeds of
about 40 mph (65 km/h).
Trailer stabilization does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated because of a malfunction. 72
Driving safety systemsSafety