SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
Introduction
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with:
R The 6 SRS warning lamp
R Air bags
R Air bag control unit (with crash sensors)
R Emergency Tensioning Device (ETD) for
seat belts
R Seat belt force limiters
SRS reduces the risk of vehicle occupants
coming into contact with parts of the vehi-
cle's interior in the event of an accident. It can also reduce the forces to which vehicle occu-
pants are subjected during an accident.
SRS warning lamp
GWARNING
If SRS is malfunctioning, restraint system
components may be triggered unintentionally
or might not be triggered at all in the event of
an accident with a high rate of vehicle decel-
eration. There is an increased risk of injury,
possibly even fatal.
Have SRS checked and repaired immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop.
SRS functions are checked regularly when
you switch on the ignition and when the
engine is running. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The 6 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than a few seconds
after the engine is started.
The SRS components are in operational read-
iness when the 6 SRS warning lamp goes
out while the engine is running. There is a malfunction if: R
the 6 SRS warning lamp does not light
up when the ignition is switched on
R the engine is running and the 6 SRS
warning lamp does not go out after a few
seconds
R the engine is running and the 6 SRS
warning lamp lights up again
Safety guidelines for seat belts, Emer-
gency Tensioning Devices (ETDs) and
air bags
GWARNING
R Damaged seat belts or seat belts that have
been subjected to stress in an accident
must be replaced. Their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use seat belts
installed or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
R Air bags and pyrotechnic Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices (ETDs) contain perchlorate
material, which may require special han-
dling and regard for the environment.
Check your national disposal guidelines.
California residents, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/
Perchlorate/index.cfm .
R Air bags and ETDs are designed to function
on a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETDthat has deployed must be replaced.
R Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
R Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat belts.
R Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
R No modifications of any kind may be made
to any components or wiring of the SRS.
R Do not change or remove any component or
part of the SRS.
R Do not install additional trim material, seat
covers, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, front-passenger front air bag
Occupant safety43
Safety
Z
When the air bags are deployed, a small
amount of powder is released. The powder
generally does not constitute a health hazardand 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.
GWARNING
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 thereis a fire in the vehicle. The dust might cause
some temporary breathing difficulty for peo-
ple with asthma or other breathing trouble. To
avoid this, you may wish to get out of the
vehicle or open the windows as soon as it is
safe to do so. The 6 SRS 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 safety45
Safety
Z
In the event of other types of impacts and
impacts below air bag deployment thresh-
olds, the air bags will not deploy. The driver
and passenger will then be protected to the
extent possible by a properly fastened seat
belt. A properly fastened seat belt is also nee-ded to provide the best possible protection in
a rollover.
Air bags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
All vehicle occupants must fasten their seat
belts regardless of whether your vehicle is
equipped with air bags or not.
It is important for your safety and that of your passenger to have deployed air bags replaced
and to have any malfunctioning air bags
repaired. This will help to make sure the air
bags continue to perform their protective
function for the vehicle occupants in the
event of a crash.
iAfter an air bag has been deployed, have
the vehicle towed to the nearest qualified
specialist workshop, even if your vehicle is
ready to drive.
Front air bags
The front air bags increase protection for the driver's and front passenger's head and
chest.
Driver's air bag : deploys in front of the
steering wheel; front-passenger front air
bag ; deploys in front of and above the glove
box. They are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate of
vehicle acceleration or deceleration in a
longitudinal direction
R if the system determines that air bag
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
R independently of other air bags in the vehi-
cle
The release time of the front air bags is
dependent upon the use of the seat belt.
If the vehicle rolls over, the front air bags are
generally not deployed. If the system detects
high vehicle deceleration in a longitudinal
direction, the front air bags are deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air bags. In the event of a collision, the air bag
control unit evaluates the vehicle decelera-
tion. In the first deployment stage, the front
air bag is filled with enough propellant gas to
reduce the risk of injuries. The front air bag is fully deployed if a second deployment thresh-
old is exceeded within a few milliseconds.
The deployment of front-passenger front air
bag ; is also influenced by the weight cate-
gory of the front passenger, which is deter-
mined by the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) ( Y page 49).
The lighter the passenger-side occupant, the
higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
(predicted at the start of the impact) for sec- ond stage inflation of the front-passenger
front air bag. In the second stage, the front air
bags are inflated with the maximum amount
of propellant gas available.
The front air bags are not deployed in situa-
tions where a low impact severity is predic-
ted. You will then be protected by the fas-
tened seat belt.
46Occupant safety
Safety
Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information aboutthe following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
( Y page 68)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System) ( Y page 69)
R BAS PLUS ( Brake Assist System Plus)
( Y page 69)
R ESP ®
(E lectronic Stability Program)
( Y page 70)
R EBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
( Y page 73)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake ( Y page 73)
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you
are inattentive, the driving safety systems can
neither 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 the distance
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.
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 attention 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 driving 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 ! ABS 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
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion ( Y page 68).
GWARNING
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.
68Driving safety systems
Safety
Useful information............................100
Correct driver's seat position ..........100
Seats .................................................. 101
Steering wheel .................................. 106
Mirrors ............................................... 109
Memory function ............................... 112
99
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Useful information
iThis 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.
iRead the information on qualified special-
ist workshops ( Y page 27).
Correct driver's seat position
X
Observe the safety guidelines on seat
adjustment ( Y page 101).
X Make sure that seat = is adjusted prop-
erly.
Electrical seat adjustment ( Y page 101)
When adjusting the seat, make sure that:
R you are as far away from the driver's air bag
as possible.
R you are sitting in a normal upright position.
R you can fasten the seat belt properly. R
you have moved the backrest to an almost
vertical position.
R you have set the seat cushion angle so that
your thighs are gently supported.
R you can depress the pedals properly.
X Check whether the head restraint is adjus-
ted properly.
When doing so, make sure that you have
adjusted the head restraint so that the back of your head is supported at eye level by the
center of the head restraint.
X Observe the safety guidelines on steering
wheel adjustment ( Y page 106).
X Make sure that steering wheel : is adjus-
ted properly.
Adjusting the steering wheel manually
( Y page 106)
Adjusting the steering wheel electrically
( Y page 107)
When adjusting the steering wheel, make
sure that:
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent.
R you can move your legs freely.
R you can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly.
X Observe the safety guidelines for seat belts
( Y page 56).
X Check whether you have fastened seat
belt ; properly ( Y page 58).
The seat belt should:
R fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your shoul-
der
R be routed in your pelvic area across the hip
joints
X Before starting off, adjust the rear-view mir-
ror and the exterior mirrors in such a way
that you have a good view of road and traf-
fic conditions ( Y page 109).
X Vehicles with a memory function: save
the seat, steering wheel and exterior mirror
100Correct driver's seat position
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
settings with the memory function
(Y page 112).
Seats
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust
the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Neverleave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when there is
no SmartKey in the ignition lock.
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
R adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
R fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you orother vehicle occupants could be trapped and thereby injured. Children in particular could
accidentally press the electrical seat adjust-
ment buttons and become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
While moving the seats, make sure that your
hands or other body parts do not get under the
lever assembly of the seat adjustment sys-
tem.
GWARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no onehas any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
( Y page 44) and "Children in the vehicle" .
! To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
R keep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
R if the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat
heating should also not be used to dry
the seats.
R clean the seat covers as recommended;
see the "Interior care" section.
R do not transport heavy loads on the
seats. Do not place sharp objects on the
seat cushions, e.g. knives, nails or tools. The seats should only be occupied by
passengers, if possible.
R when the seat heating is in operation, do
not cover the seats with insulating mate-
rials, e.g. blankets, coats, bags, seat cov- ers, child seats or booster seats.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell under or behind the seats when
moving the seats back. There is a risk that
the seats and/or the objects could be dam- aged.
iThe rear-compartment head restraints
can be removed ( Y page 104).
For more information, contact a qualified
specialist workshop.
iFurther related subjects:
R Cargo compartment enlargement (fold-
ing down the rear bench seat)
(Y page 276)
Adjusting the seats
iVehicles without Memory function: the
seats can be adjusted within three minutes
of a front door being opened.
Seats101
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z
The time period starts over again if, within
these three minutes, you:R open or close a front door
R insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock
or remove it from the ignition lock
R switch the ignition on or off
If the SmartKey is in position 2 in the igni-
tion lock ( Y page 149), the seats can be
adjusted at any time.
Depending on the equipment, the seat adjust-
ment buttons are either located on the side of the seat or on the door control panel.
:Seat cushion angle
;Seat height
=Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
?Backrest angle
:Seat cushion angle
;Seat height
=Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
?Backrest angle
AHead restraint height 4
iYou can store the seat settings using the
memory function ( Y page 112).
Adjusting the head restraints
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do
the following while driving:
R adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
R fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If head restraints are not installed and adjus-
ted correctly, they cannot provide protection
as intended. There is an increased risk of
injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the
event of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
Do not rotate the head restraints of the front and rear seats. Otherwise, you cannot adjust
the height and angle of the head restraints to
the correct position.
Using the fore-and-aft adjustment, adjust the head restraint so that it is as close as possible to your head.
Pay attention to the important safety notes
( Y page 101).
4
For vehicles with memory function only.
102Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors