
Proper use of the seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y page 42).
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.
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 notes in the "Stowage options/compart-
ments" section for securing objects, luggage
or loads (Y page 256).
Fastening seat belts Please take note of the safety notes on seat
belts (Y
page 42) and the notes on their cor-
rect use (Y page 44). X
Adjust the seat (Y page 96).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
upright position.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly out of belt loop
0087 and engage belt tongue 0044into belt
buckle 0043.
The driver's and front-passenger's seat
belts are automatically pulled taut as
required, see “Belt adjustment”
(Y page 45).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body. 44
Occupant safetySafety

In order to attach the child restraint system
securely in the vehicle, the seat belt on the co-
driver's seat is equipped with a child seat
lock. Further information on the "Child seat
lock" (Y page 58).
Releasing seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt. Dam- aged seat belts can no longer fulfill their
protective function and must be replaced.
Visit a qualified specialist workshop. X
Press release button 0043, hold belt
tongue 0044and guide it back towards belt
loop 0087.
Seat belt adjustment AMG vehicles:
the "seat-belt adjustment"
function is not available.
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. This
function adjusts the driver's and front-
passenger seat belt to the upper body of the
occupants. The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
R the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle
and
R the ignition is switched on
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a certain
tightening force if any slack is detected
between the vehicle occupant and the seat
belt. Do not hold on to the seat belt tightly
while it is adjusting.
You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on
and off in the on-board computer
(Y page 208).
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 again. 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. The warning tone
sounds with increasing intensity for
60 seconds or until the driver or front
passenger have fastened their seat belts. Occupant safety
45Safety Z

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 244). 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 54).
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.
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 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 41).
R Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification Sys- tem (OCS)" (Y page 49) and on "Children
in the vehicle" (Y page 57) in addition to
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions. 46
Occupant safetySafety

The headbag on the front-passenger side
does not deploy under the following condi-
tions:
R OCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
R the front-passenger seat belt is not fas-
tened.
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle, the headbag on the front-passenger
side deploys if an appropriate accident situa- tion occurs. In this case, it will deploy regard- less of whether the front-passenger seat is
occupied or not. Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
Introduction The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
categorizes the person in the front-passenger
seat. Depending on that result, the front-
passenger front air bag and front-passenger
knee bag are either enabled or deactivated.
The system does not deactivate:
R the side impact air bag
R the front-passenger head bag
R the Emergency Tensioning Devices
Prerequisites To be classified correctly, the front passenger
must sit:
R with the seat belt fastened correctly
R in an almost upright position with their
back against the seat backrest
R with their feet resting on the floor, if possi-
ble
If the front passenger does not observe these
conditions, OCS may produce a false classi-
fication, e.g. because the front passenger:
R transfers their weight by supporting them-
selves on a vehicle armrest
R sits in such a way that their weight is raised
from the seat cushion If you install a child restraint system on the
front-passenger seat, be sure to observe the
correct positioning of the child restraint sys-
tem. Never place objects under or behind the
child restraint system, e.g. cushions. 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.
The child restraint system must not touch the
roof or be put under strain by the head
restraint. Adjust the angle of the seat back-
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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp 0043
informs you whether the front-passenger
front air bag is deactivated.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock, or press the Start/Stop but-
ton once or twice on vehicles with KEY-
LESS-GO.
The system carries out a self-diagnosis.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
is inoperative. It lights up briefly when the Occupant safety
49Safety Z

ignition is switched on and then goes out
again.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
must light up for approximately six seconds.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
then displays the status of the front-
passenger front air bag. If the status of the
front-passenger front air bag changes while
the vehicle is in motion, an air bag display
message may appear in the instrument clus-
ter (Y page 224). When the front-passenger
seat is occupied, always pay attention to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp. Be aware of the status of the front-passenger
front air bag both before and during the jour-ney.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp:
R is lit, the front-passenger front air bag is
deactivated. They will then not be deployed in the event of an accident.
R does not light 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. 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 child restraint system on the front-passenger seat and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
off, the front-passenger front air bag can
deploy in the event of an accident. The child
could be struck by the air bag. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that the front-passenger front air
bag has been disabled. The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit. 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 OFF indicator lamp is off
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Move the front-passenger seat as far back as
possible. Always make sure that the shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from the vehicle
belt loop to the shoulder belt guide on the
child restraint system. The shoulder belt strap
must be routed forwards and downwards
from the vehicle belt loop. Always observe the child restraint system manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions. 50
Occupant safetySafety

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 OFF indicator lamp
can go out 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. Make sure that the condi-
tions for a correct classification are met. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains off, do not install a child
restraint system on the front-passenger
seat.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied by a
person of smaller stature (e.g. a teenager
or small adult), the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp lights up and remains lit
after the system self-test depending on the result of the classification or, alternatively,
goes out.
- if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is off, move the front-passenger
seat as far back as possible.
- 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 OFF indicator lamp goes out after the
system self-test. This indicates 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 57).
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- ted in this case and does not deploy during an
accident. Have the system checked by quali-
fied technicians as soon as possible. Consult
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. The
front-passenger seat should only be repaired at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If the front-passenger seat, the seat cover or the seat cushion is damaged, have the nec-
essary repair work carried out at an author-
ized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use seat accessories
that have been approved by Mercedes-Benz.
If the driver's air bag deploys, this does not
mean that the front-passenger front air bag
will also deploy. The Occupant Classification
System (OCS) categorizes the occupant in the
front-passenger seat. Depending on that
result, the front-passenger front air bag is
either enabled or deactivated.
System self-test G
DANGER
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp does not light up during the system self- test, then the system is malfunctioning. The
front-passenger front air bag might be trig-
gered unintentionally or might not be trig-
gered at all in the event of an accident with
high deceleration. This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
In this case the front-passenger seat may not be used. Do not install a child restraint system
on the front-passenger seat. Have the Occu-
pant Classification System (OCS) checked
and repaired immediately at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. Occupant safety
51Safety Z

G
DANGER
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains lit after the system self-test, the front-passenger front air bag is disabled. It willnot be deployed in the event of an accident. In
this case, the front-passenger front air bag
cannot perform its intended protective func-
tion, e.g. when a person is seated in the front- passenger seat.
That person could, for example, come into
contact with the vehicle's interior, especially
if the person is sitting too close to the dash-
board. 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 person is seated properly with a cor-
rectly fastened seatbelt
R the front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains lit when it should not, the front- passenger seat may not be used. Do not
install a child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat. Have the Occupant Classifi-
cation System (OCS) checked and repaired
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop. 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 the child restraint system manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions.
After the system self-test, the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp displays the sta-
tus of the front-passenger front air bag
(Y page 49).
For more information about the OCS, see
"Problems with the Occupant Classification
System" (Y page 53). 52
Occupant safetySafety

Problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test" (Y
page 51).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 49).
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 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. Occupant safety
53Safety Z