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
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions Front-Passenger
Front-Passenger
Airbag Disabled Airbag Disabled
See See
Operator's
Operator's Man‐
Man‐
ual
ual The front-passenger air bag and front-passenger knee bag are
deactivated during the journey, although:
R an adult
or
R a person larger than a certain size is occupying the front-
passenger seat
If additional forces are applied to the seat, the system may inter-
pret the occupant's weight as lower than it actually is.
G WARNING
The front-passenger front air bag and front passenger knee bag
may not be triggered in the event of an accident.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 171).
X Switch the ignition off.
X Have the occupant get out of the vehicle.
X Keep the seat unoccupied, close the front-passenger door and
switch on the ignition.
X Observe the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp in the
center console and the multifunction display and check the fol-
lowing:
Seat unoccupied and ignition switched on:
R the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp must light up
and remain lit. If the indicator lamp is on, OCS has deactivated
the front-passenger air bag and front-passenger knee bag
(Y page 59).
R the Front
Front Passenger Passenger Airbag
AirbagEnabled
Enabled See
See Operator's
Operator's
Manual
Manual orFront
Front Passenger
Passenger Airbag
AirbagDisabled
Disabled See
SeeOper‐
Oper‐
ator's Manual
ator's Manual display messages must not be shown in the
multifunction display.
X Wait for a period of at least 60 seconds until the necessary sys-
tem checks have been completed.
X Make sure that the display messages do not appear in the mul-
tifunction display.
If these conditions are fulfilled, the front-passenger seat can be
occupied again. Whether the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains lit or goes out depends on how OCS classifies the
occupant.
If the conditions are not fulfilled, the system is not operating cor- rectly. Display
messages
249On-board computer and displays Z
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions X
Visit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
For further information about the Occupant Classification System, see (Y page 59). Front-Passenger
Front-Passenger
Airbag Enabled Airbag Enabled
See See
Operator's
Operator's Man‐
Man‐
ual
ual The front-passenger air bag and front-passenger knee bag are
enabled during the journey, even though:
R a child, a small adult or an object weighing less than the sys-
tem's weight threshold is located on the front-passenger seat
or
R the front-passenger seat is unoccupied
The system may detect objects or forces applying additional
weight on the seat.
G WARNING
The front-passenger front air bag and front-passenger knee bag
may be triggered unintentionally.
There is an increased risk of injury. X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 171).
X Switch the ignition off.
X Open the front-passenger door.
X Remove the child and the child restraint system from the front-
passenger seat.
X Make sure that there are no objects on the seat adding to the
weight.
The system may otherwise detect the additional weight and
interpret the seat occupant's weight as greater than it actually
is.
X Keep the seat unoccupied, close the front-passenger door and
switch on the ignition.
X Observe the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp in the
center console and the multifunction display and check the fol-
lowing:
Seat unoccupied and ignition switched on:
R the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp must light up
and remain lit. If the indicator lamp is on, OCS has deactivated
the front-passenger air bag and front-passenger knee bag
(Y page 59).
R the Front
Front Passenger Passenger Airbag
AirbagEnabled
Enabled See
SeeOperator's
Operator's
Manual
Manual orFront
Front Passenger
Passenger Airbag
AirbagDisabled
Disabled See
SeeOper‐
Oper‐ 250
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays