2015 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class COUPE warning

and size of the child. Therefore, be sure to
observe the notes on the "Occupant Clas-
sification System (OCS)" (Y page 51) and
on "Children in the vehicle" (Y page 60).
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 51). 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 and seat
belt force limiters
If the seat belt is pulled by the seat belt
extender 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-
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 44
Occupant safetySafety

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 backrestis 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 height cannot
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 60) 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 51) 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.
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. Occupant safety
45Safety Z

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.
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 294).
Fastening 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). G
WARNING
If the seat-belt extender is extended during
the journey, the seat belt is not fitted properly
on the body. The seat belt can then no longer perform its intended protective function. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal
injury.
Always make sure that the seat-belt extender is retracted during a journey. Seat-belt extender
The seat-belt extender for the driver and front passenger helps you fasten your seat belt.
Seat-belt extender 0087is extended when the
respective door is closed and the SmartKey is
turned to position 1or 2in the ignition lock. You can also extend seat-belt extender
0087
with seat-belt extender button 0085.
X Press seat-belt extender button 0085.
Seat-belt extender 0087extends.
Seat-belt extender 0087is retracted again if:
R the belt tongue is engaged in the seat belt
buckle.
R the belt tongue is not engaged in the seat
belt buckle within 60 seconds.
In this case, you can extend seat-belt
extender 0087again. Press seat-belt
extender button 0085again. 46
Occupant safetySafety

You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on
and off using COMAND. Information on
switching the belt adjustment function on and
off can be found in the Digital Operator's
Manual or in the separate COMAND operating instructions.
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. 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. A warning tone also
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 279). 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 51) and on "Children
in the vehicle" (Y page 60) in addition to
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may pre-
vent an air bag from functioning correctly.
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. Do not place any objects on the dashboard
e.g. above the front-passenger front 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

Front air bags
Driver's air bag
0043deploys in front of the
steering wheel. Front-passenger front air
bag 0044deploys in front of and above the glove
box.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi- tional head and thorax protection for the
occupants in the front seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps
inform you about the status of the front-
passenger front air bag (Y page 43).
Front-passenger front air bag 0044will only
deploy if:
R the system, based on the OCS weight sen-
sor readings, detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied (Y page 51).
The PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp is lit (Y page 52)
R the restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity
Knee bags Driver's knee bag
0043deploys under the steer-
ing column and front-passenger knee bag 0044
under the glove box. The driver's and front-
passenger knee bags are triggered together
with the front air bags.
The driver's and front-passenger knee bags
offer additional thigh, knee and lower leg pro-
tection for the occupants in the front seats.
Side impact 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. Front side impact air bags
0043and rear side
impact air bags 0044deploy next to the outer
bolster of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers additional thorax protection. It also offers
additional pelvis protection for occupants in
the front seats. However, it does not protect
the:
R head
R neck
R arms 50
Occupant safetySafety

rest and the head restraint position accord-
ingly.
Only then can OCS be guaranteed to function correctly. Always observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
Occupant Classification System opera-
tion (OCS) 0043
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
0044 PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
The indicator lamps inform you whether the
front-passenger front air bag is deactivated or
enabled.
X Press the Start/Stop button once or twice,
or turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in
the ignition lock.
The system carries out self-diagnostics.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps
must light up simultaneously for approx-
imately six seconds.
The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front air bag.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 0043lights up: the
front-passenger front air bag is deactiva-
ted. It will then not be deployed in the event
of an accident.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG ON 0044lights up: the
front-passenger front air bag is enabled. If,
in the event of an accident, all deployment criteria are met, the front-passenger front
air bag is deployed. If the status of the front-passenger front air
bag changes while the vehicle is in motion, an
air bag display message appears in the instru-
ment cluster (Y page 259). When the front-
passenger seat is occupied, always pay atten-
tion to the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamps. Be aware of the status of the front-passenger
front air bag both before and during the jour- ney. G
WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front-passenger front air bag is disabled. It will not be deployed in the event of
an accident and cannot perform its intended
protective function. A person 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
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 air bag 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
front air bag is correct. G
WARNING
If you secure a child in a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp is lit up, the front-passenger front air bag may deploy in an accident. The child could be
struck by the air bag. This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury. 52
Occupant safetySafety

Make sure that the front-passenger front air
bag has been disabled. The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains off and/or the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp lights up, do not install a rearward-facing child restraint system on
the front-passenger seat. You can find more
information on OCS under "Problems with the Occupant Classification System"
(Y page 56). G
WARNING
If you secure a child in a forward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and you position the 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 air bag if the PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON is lit up
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible and fully retract the seat
cushion length. Always make sure that the
shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from
the vehicle seat-belt extender to the shoulder
belt guide on the child restraint system. The
shoulder belt strap must be routed forwards
and downwards from the retracted seat-belt
extender. If necessary, adjust the front-
passenger seat accordingly. Always observe
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions.
If OCS determines that: R the front-passenger seat is unoccupied, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up after the system self-test and
remains lit. This indicates that the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied by a
child of up to 12 months old in a standard child restraint system, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up after the
system self-test and remains lit. This indi-
cates that the front-passenger front air bag
is deactivated.
But in the case of a 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint system, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON can light up per-
manently after the system self-test. This
indicates that the front-passenger front air
bag is activated. The result of the classifi-
cation is dependent on, among other fac-
tors, the child restraint system and the
child's stature. It is recommended that you
install the child restraint system on a suit-
able rear seat.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied by a
person of smaller stature (e.g. a teenager
or small adult), either the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON or PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi- cator lamp lights up and remains lit after
the system self-test depending on the
result of the classification.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp lights up, move the front-passenger
seat as far back as possible. Alterna-
tively, a person of smaller stature can sit on a rear seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, a person of smaller stature
should not use the front-passenger seat.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied by an
adult or a person of a stature correspond-
ing to that of an adult, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON indicator lamp lights up after the
system self-test and remains lit. This indi-
cates that the front-passenger front air bag
is activated.
If children are traveling in the vehicle, be sure to observe the notes on "Children in the vehi-
cle" (Y page 60).
When OCS is malfunctioning, the red 0075
restraint system warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster and the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp light up simultaneously.
The front-passenger front air bag is deactiva- Occupant safety
53Safety Z