2015 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class Owner's Manual

Problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test" (Y
page 61).Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions 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 a
person of a stature cor-
responding to that of an
adult. The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is
incorrect.
X Make sure the conditions for a correct classification of the per-
son on the front-passenger seat are met (Y page 59).
X If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, the
front-passenger seat may not be used.
X Have OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp does not light up
and/or does not stay
on.
The front-passenger
seat is:
R unoccupied
R occupied by the
weight of a child up
to 12 months old in a
child restraint sys-
tem OCS is malfunctioning.
X Make sure there is nothing between the seat cushion and the
child seat.
X Make sure that the entire base of the child restraint system rests
on the seat cushion of the front-passenger seat. The backrest of
the forwards-facing child restraint system must, as far as pos-
sible, be resting on the backrest of front-passenger seat. If nec- essary, adjust the position 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 the installation of the child restraint system.
Make sure that the head restraint does not apply a load to the
child restraint system. If necessary, adjust the head restraint
accordingly.
X Make sure that no objects are applying additional weight onto
the seat.
X If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains off, do
not install a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat.
X Have OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Roll bar
G
DANGER
If the roll bar has developed a malfunction, it
may not function, e.g. in the event of an acci- dent. The roll bars may then not protect the
vehicle occupants as intended. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have roll bars checked immediately at a quali-
fied specialist workshop. Occupant safety
63Safety Z

G
WARNING
If you place objects or clothing on the roll bar covers, these could impair roll bar extension.
The roll bars may then not protect the vehicle occupants as intended. In addition, objects
could endanger the vehicle occupants when
the roll bar is extending. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Ensure that the movement area of the roll bar covers is kept clear. Always stow all objects in
the vehicle correctly. The roll bars are located in the rear area of the
vehicle under the two outer rear compart-
ment trim covers.
They extend if systems detect that the vehicle
is in danger of rollover. The two outer rear
compartment trim covers are opened and the roll bars are extended within fractions of a
second.
Once the roll bars are extended, you can no
longer lower them. An open roof can no lon-
ger be closed. In this case, visit the nearest
qualified specialist workshop. Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devices and air bags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
been deployed. There is a risk of injury. Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deployed air bag replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
G
WARNING
A deployed air bag no longer offers any pro-
tection and cannot provide the intended pro-
tection in an accident. There is an increased
risk of injury.
Have the vehicle towed to a qualified special- ist workshop in order to have a deployed air
bag replaced.
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. 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.
An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE ®
to
trigger the tightening of the seat belt in haz-
ardous situations. This procedure is reversi-
ble.
If the Emergency Tensioning Devices or air
bags are deployed, you will hear a bang and a small amount of powder may also be
released. The 0075restraint system warning
lamp will light up.
Only in rare cases will the bang affect your
hearing. The powder released is generally not hazardous to health, it could however cause
short-term breathing difficulties in people
with asthma or other respiratory problems. In
order to prevent breathing difficulties, you 64
Occupant safetySafety

should leave the vehicle as soon as it is safe to
do so, or open the window.
Air bags and pyrotechnic seat belt tensioners
contain perchlorate material, which may
require special handling or environmental
protection measures. Check with your local
government’s disposal guidelines. California
residents, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/
index.cfm.
Method of operation During the first stage of a collision, the
restraint system control unit evaluates impor-
tant physical data relating to vehicle deceler-
ation or acceleration, such as:
R Duration
R Direction
R Intensity
Based on the evaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit triggers the belt
tensioners in the event of a frontal or rear
collision.
An Emergency Tensioning Device can only be
triggered if:
R the ignition is switched on
R the restraint system components are ready
for operation, see “Restraint system warn-
ing lamp” (Y page 51)
R the belt tongue is inserted into the buckle
on the respective front seat
If the restraint system control unit detects a
high accident severity, additional compo-
nents of the restraint system are activated
independently of one another in certain fron- tal collision situations:
R Front air bags as well as driver's and front-
passenger kneebag
Depending on the person occupying the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger air bag is activated or deactivated. The front-passenger front air bag can only be deployed in an acci-
dent if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indica-
tor lamp is off. Observe the information on the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
(Y
page 51).
Your vehicle has two-stage front air bags.
During the first deployment stage, the front
air bag fills with propellant gas which reduces the risk of injury. The second stage is then
triggered within milliseconds, filling the front
air bag with the maximum amount of propel-
lant gas.
The deployment thresholds for the Emer-
gency Tensioning Devices and air bags are
calculated on the basis of the vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration occurring at various
points in the vehicle. This process is pre-emp-
tive in nature. The air bag must be deployed
on time, at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen- tially determined by:
R distribution of the force during the impact
R collision angle
R deformation characteristics of the vehicle
R characteristics of the object with which the
vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured after the collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of air bag
deployment.
The vehicle may be considerably deformed
without an air bag being deployed. This is the
case if only relatively easily deformable parts
have been hit and a high rate of deceleration
has not been reached. Conversely, an air bag may be deployed even though the vehicle suf-
fers only minor deformation. This is the case
if, for example, very rigid vehicle parts such as the longitudinal body members are hit in an
accident and the rate of deceleration is suffi-
cient. Occupant safety
65Safety Z

If the restraint system control unit detects a
side impact or an overturn situation, the rel-
evant restraint system components are acti-
vated independently of one another depend-
ing on the apparent type of accident. If addi-
tional protection for the vehicle occupants is determined in this situation, the belt tension-
ers are also triggered.
R Sidebag on the side on which the impact
occurs, independently of the belt tensioner
and of the use of the seat belt on the driv-
er's seat
The sidebag on the front-passenger side
deploys under the following conditions:
- the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
- the belt tongue has engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat.
R Headbag on the side on which the impact
occurs, independently of the use of the seat belt and independently of whether the
front-passenger seat is occupied
R Headbags on the driver's and front-
passenger sides in certain overturn situa-
tions if the system determines that they
can offer additional protection to that pro-
vided by the seat belt
i Not all air bags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The various air bag systems work
independently of each other.
How the air bag system works is deter-
mined by the severity of the accident detec- ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the apparent type of acci- dent:
R frontal collision
R side impact
R rollover NECK-PRO head restraints
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The function of the head restraint may be
impaired if you:
R attach objects such as coat hangers to the
head restraints, for example
R use head restraint covers
If you do so, the head restraints cannot fulfill
their intended protective function in the event of an accident. In addition, objects attached
to the head restraints could endanger other
vehicle occupants. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Do not attach any objects to the head
restraints and do not use head restraint cov-
ers.
Method of operation NECK-PRO head restraints reduce the likeli-
hood of head and chest injuries. The NECK-
PRO head restraints on the driver's and front-
passenger seats are moved forwards and
upwards in the event of a rear-end collision of
a certain severity. This provides better head
support.
If the NECK-PRO head restraints have been
triggered in an accident, you must reset the
NECK-PRO head restraints on the driver’s and
front-passenger seat (Y page 67). Other-
wise, the additional protection will not be
available in the event of another rear-end col- lision. You can recognize when NECK-PRO
head restraints have been triggered by the
fact that they have moved forwards and can
no longer be adjusted.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have
the NECK-PRO head restraints checked for
functionality at a qualified specialist work-
shop after a rear-end collision. 66
Occupant safetySafety

Resetting triggered NECK-PRO head
restraints Do not insert your finger between the uphols-
tery of the head restraint and the seat. Pay
particular attention while resetting the NECK-PRO head restraints.
X Tilt the top of the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion forwards in the direction of
arrow 0043.
X Push the NECK-PRO head restraint cushion
down as far as it will go in the direction of
arrow 0044.
X Firmly push the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion back in the direction of arrow 0087
until the cushion engages.
X Repeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO head restraint.
i Resetting the NECK-PRO head restraints
requires a lot of strength. If you have diffi-
culty resetting the NECK-PRO head
restraints, have this work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. PRE-SAFE
®
(anticipatory occupant
protection system)
Introduction In certain hazardous situations, PRE-SAFE
®
takes pre-emptive measures to protect the
vehicle occupants. Important safety notes !
Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats. There is a dan- ger that the seats and/or objects could be
damaged when PRE-SAFE ®
is activated.
Although your vehicle is equipped with PRE-
SAFE ®
, the possibility of injury in the event of
an accident cannot be ruled out. Always
adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions and maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front. Drive
carefully.
Function PRE-SAFE
®
intervenes:
R in emergency braking situations, e.g. when
BAS is activated
R in critical driving situations, e.g. when phys-
ical limits are exceeded and the vehicle
understeers or oversteers severely
R on vehicles with the Active Driving Assis-
tance package: if BAS PLUS intervenes
powerfully or the radar sensor system
detects an imminent danger of collision in
certain situations
PRE-SAFE ®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detec-
ted:
R the seat belts are pre-tensioned.
R if the vehicle skids, the side windows are
closed so that only a small gap remains.
R the front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is
in an unfavorable position.
R vehicles with a multicontour seat: the air
pressure in the side bolsters of the seat
backrest is increased.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pre-tensioning. On vehicles with mul-
ticontour seats, the air pressure in the side
bolsters is reduced again. All settings made
by PRE-SAFE ®
can then be reversed. Occupant safety
67Safety Z

If the seat belt pre-tensioning is not reduced:
X Move the seat backrest or seat back
slightly when the vehicle is stationary.
The seat belt pre-tensioning is reduced and the locking mechanism is released.
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. Infor-
mation about the convenience function can
be found under "Belt adjustment"
(Y page 55). Automatic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, the following
measures are implemented, depending on
the type and severity of the impact:
R by activating the hazard warning lamps
R the emergency lighting is activated
R the vehicle doors are unlocked
R the front side windows are lowered
R the electrically adjustable steering wheel is
raised
R the engine is switched off
R vehicles with mbrace: automatic emer-
gency call Children in the vehicle
Important safety notes
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 Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles. The child restraint system must be
appropriate to the age, weight and size of
the child
R be sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes in this section in addition to the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions
R be sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes on the "Occupant classifica-
tion system (OCS)" (Y page 59) G
WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi- cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
R start the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle. G
WARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is a risk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you, always ensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight. Pro- tect it with a blanket, for example. If the childrestraint system has been exposed to direct
sunlight, let it cool down before securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in the vehicle.
Always ensure that all vehicle occupants have
their seat belts fastened correctly and are sit- ting properly. Particular attention must be
paid to children. 68
Children in the vehicleSafety

Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y page 52) and the notes on correct use of
seat belts (Y page 54).
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children over
41 lbs (18 kg) or until they reach a height
where a lap/shoulder belt can be fastened
properly without a booster seat. Special seat belt retractor
G
WARNING
If the seat belt is released while driving, the
child restraint system will no longer be
secured properly. The special seat belt retrac- tor is disabled and the inertia real draws in a
portion of the seat belt. The seat belt cannot
be immediately refastened. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Stop the vehicle immediately, paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. Reactivate
the special seat belt retractor and secure the
child restraint system properly.
The seat belt on the front passenger side is
equipped with a special seat belt retractor.
When activated, the special seat belt retrac-
tor ensures that the seat belt cannot slacken once the child seat is secured.
Installing a child restraint system:
X Make sure you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc- tions.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly out of the seat
belt guide.
X Engage seat belt tongue in belt buckle.
Activating the special seat belt retractor:
X Pull the seat belt out fully and let the inertia
reel retract it again.
While the seat belt is retracting, you should
hear a ratcheting sound. The special seat
belt retractor is enabled.
X Push the child restraint system down so
that the seat belt is tight and does not
loosen. Removing a child restraint system/deactivat-
ing the special seat belt retractor:
X Make sure you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
X Press the belt buckle release button, hold
the belt tongue and guide it back towards
the seat belt guide.
The special seat belt retractor is deactiva-
ted. Child restraint system
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
You can obtain further information about the correct child restraint system from any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is installed incor- rectly on a suitable seat, it cannot protect as
intended. The child cannot then be restrained in the event of an accident, heavy braking or
sudden changes of direction. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Make sure that you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions and the notes on use. Please ensure,
that the base of the child restraint system is
always resting completely on the seat cush-
ion. Never place objects, e.g. cushions, under or behind the child restraint system. Only use
child restraint systems with the original cover
designed for them. Only replace damaged
covers with genuine covers. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is installed incor- rectly or is not secured, it can come loose in
the event of an accident, heavy braking or a Children in the vehicle
69Safety
Z

sudden change in direction. The child
restraint system could be thrown about, strik- ing vehicle occupants. There is an increased
risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Always install child restraint systems prop-
erly, even if they are not being used. Make
sure that you observe the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation instructions.
Further information on stowing objects, lug-
gage and loads securely can be found under
“Stowing options/stowage compartments”
(Y page 512). G
WARNING
Child restraint systems or their securing sys-
tems which have been damaged or subjected to a load in an accident can no longer protect
as intended. The child cannot then be
restrained in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or sudden changes of direction. There is an increased risk of injury, possibly even
fatal.
Replace child restraint systems which have
been damaged or subjected to a load in an
accident as soon as possible. Have the secur-
ing systems on the child restraint system
checked at a qualified specialist workshop,
before you install a child restraint system
again.
If a child is carried on the front-passenger
seat, be sure to observe the information on
the "Occupant Classification System (OCS)"
(Y page 59). There you will also find informa-
tion on deactivating the front-passenger front
air bag.
All child restraint systems must meet the fol- lowing 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.
Observe the warning labels in the vehicle inte-
rior and on the child restraint system. Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes If you secure a child in a child restraint system
on the front-passenger seat, be sure to
observe the instructions and safety notes on
the "Occupant Classification System (OCS)"
(Y page 59).
You can thus avoid the risks that could arise
as a result of:
R an incorrectly categorized person in the
front-passenger seat
R the unintentional deactivation of the front-
passenger front air bag
R the unsuitable positioning of the child
restraint system, e.g. too close to the dash-
board
Rearward-facing child restraint system If it is absolutely necessary to install a rear-
ward-facing child restraint system on the
front-passenger seat, always make sure that
the front-passenger front air bag is deactiva-
ted. Only if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is permanently lit (Y page 51)
is the front-passenger front air bag deactiva-
ted.
Always observe the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation and operating
instructions.
Forward-facing child restraint system If you secure a child in a forward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat,
always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible. Fully retract the seat cush-
ion length. The entire base of the child
restraint system must always rest on the seat 70
Children in the vehicleSafety