2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class SEDAN air bag

Center console
Center console, upper section
FunctionPage
:Climate control systems129
;£Hazard warning lamps120
=ØVehicle functions/
system settings button (see
the separate operating
instructions)
?% Telephone button (see
the separate operating
instructions)
APASSENGER AIR BAG indica-
tor lamp47
ATA indicator lamp79
BAnalog clock (not available
on all equipment levels)
FunctionPage
CÕ Media button (see the
separate operating instruc-
tions)
D$ Radio button (see the
separate operating instruc-
tions)
EØ Navigation button (see
the separate operating
instructions)
Fþ Inserts or ejects a CD
or DVD (see the separate
operating instructions)
Center console39
At a glance

Panic alarm
XTo activate:press!button :for at
least one second.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed.
XTo deactivate: press!button :again.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or, in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS ‑GO
XPress the Start/Stop button.
The SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
Occupant safety
Introduction to the restraint system
The restraint system can reduce the risk of vehi-
cle occupants coming into contact with parts of
the vehicle's interior in the event of an accident.
Furthermore, the restraint system may also
reduce the forces exerted on the vehicle occu-
pants when an accident occurs.
The restraint system includes:
RSeat belt system
RAir bags
RChild restraint system
RChild seat securing system
The components of the restraint system work in
conjunction with each other. They can only offer
the intended level of protection if all vehicle
occupants:
Rare correctly wearing their seat belts.
(Ypage 49)
Radjust their seat and head restraint properly
(Ypage 104). The driver is also responsible for ensuring that
the steering wheel has been correctly posi-
tioned. Observe the information relating to the
correct driver's seat position (
Ypage 104).
Always ensure the air bag can inflate properly if
deployed (
Ypage 51).
An air bag supplements a correctly fastened
seat belt. As an additional safety device, the air
bag increases the level of protection for vehicle
occupants in the event of an accident. For exam-
ple, if the protection already provided by a cor-
rectly fastened seat belt will suffice, the air bags
are not deployed. Furthermore, only the air bags that would increase the degree of protection
afforded to the vehicle occupants in the event of
an accident are deployed. Seat belts and air
bags generally do not protect against objects
penetrating the vehicle from the outside.
Information on restraint system operation can
be found under "Triggering of Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices and air bags" (
Ypage 58).
See “Children in the vehicle” for information on
children traveling with you as well as vehicle
restraint systems (
Ypage 62).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Modifications to the restraint system may
cause it to no longer work as intended. The
restraint system may then not perform its
intended protective function and may fail in an
accident or trigger unexpectedly, for example.
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify parts of the restraint system.
Never tamper with the wiring, the electronic
components or their software.
If it is necessary to modify an air bag system to
accommodate a person with disabilities, con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
details. USA only: for further information con-
tact our Customer Assistance Center at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (1‑800‑367‑6372).
Restraint system warning lamp
The functions of the restraint system are
checked after the ignition is switched on and at
46Occupant safety
Safety

regular intervals while the engine is running.
Therefore, malfunctions can be detected in
good time.
The6 restraint system warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on. It goes out no later than a few sec-
onds after the vehicle is started. The compo-
nents of the restraint system are in operational
readiness.
A malfunction has occurred if the 6restraint
system warning lamp:
Rdoes not light up after the ignition is switched
on
Rdoes not go out after a few seconds with the
engine running
Rlights up again while the engine is running
All vehicles, except hybrid vehicles:
GWARNING
If restraint system is malfunctioning, restraint
system components may be triggered unin-
tentionally or might not be triggered at all in
the event of an accident with a high rate of
vehicle deceleration. This can affect the Emer- gency Tensioning Device or air bag, for exam-
ple. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired in a qualified specialist workshop as
soon as possible.
Hybrid vehicles:
GDANGER
If the restraint system is malfunctioning, indi- vidual restraint system components may be
triggered unintentionally or might not be trig-
gered at all in the event of an accident with a
high rate of vehicle deceleration. This could
affect Emergency Tensioning Devices or air
bags, for example. The vehicle's high-voltage
electrical system may also not be deactivated
as intended in the event of an accident. You
could suffer an electric shock if you touch the
damaged components of the vehicle's high-
voltage electrical system. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. Immediately switch off the ignitionand remove the SmartKey from the ignition
lock after an accident.
PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamp
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp :and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp ;are
part of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS).
The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front air bag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights 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.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated. It will
then not be deployed in the event of an acci-
dent.
Depending on the person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger front air bag must
either be deactivated or enabled; see the fol-
lowing points. You must make sure of this both
before and during a journey.
RChildren in a child restraint system:
whether the front-passenger front air bag is
enabled or deactivated depends on the instal-
led child restraint system, and the age and
size of the child. Therefore, be sure to observe
the notes on the "Occupant Classification
System (OCS)" (
Ypage 54) and on "Chil-
dren in the vehicle" (Ypage 62). There you
will also find instructions on rearward and
forward-facing child restraint systems on the
front-passenger seat.
RAll other persons: depending on the classi-
fication of the person in the front-passenger
Occupant safety47
Safety
Z

seat, the front-passenger front air bag is ena-
bled or deactivated (Ypage 54). Be sure to
observe the notes on "Seat
belts“ (
Ypage 48) and "Air bags"
(Ypage 51). There you can also find infor-
mation on the correct seat position.
Seat belts
Introduction
A correctly fastened seat belt is the most effec-
tive means of restraining the movement of vehi- cle occupants in the event of an accident or the
vehicle rolling over. This reduces the risk of
vehicle occupants coming into contact with
parts of the vehicle interior or being thrown from
the vehicle. Furthermore, the seat belt helps to
keep the vehicle occupants in the best position
in relation to the air bag.
The seat belt system consists of:
RSeat belts
REmergency Tensioning Devices for the front
seat belts and the outer seat belts in the rear
compartment
RSeat belt force limiters for the front seat belts
and the outer seat belts in the rear
If the seat belt is pulled quickly or suddenly from
the belt outlet, the inertia reel locks. The belt
strap cannot be pulled out further.
Emergency Tensioning Devices tighten the seat belts in an accident, pulling them close against
the occupant's body. They do not, however, pull
vehicle occupants back towards the backrest.
Emergency Tensioning Devices do not correct
an incorrect seat position or incorrectly worn
seat belts.
When triggered, the seat belt force limiter
reduces 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
makes it possible to reduce the forces to which
vehicle occupants are subjected during an acci-
dent.
!If the front-passenger seat is unoccupied,
do not insert the belt tongue into the buckle of
the front-passenger seat. This may otherwise lead to the triggering of the Emergency Ten-
sioning Device in the event of an accident,
which will then need to be replaced.
Important safety notes
The use of seat belts and child restraint systems
is required by law in:
Rall 50 states
Rthe U.S. territories
Rthe District of Columbia
Rall Canadian provinces
Even where this is not required by law, all vehicle
occupants should correctly fasten their seat
belts before starting the journey.
GWARNING
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.
GWARNING
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
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 backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder.
GWARNING
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
48Occupant safety
Safety

XPress the release button in the belt buckle,
hold the belt tongue firmly and guide the belt
back.
Seat belt adjustment
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE®convenience function. This func-
tion adjusts the driver's and front-passenger
seat belt to the upper body of the occupants.
The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
Rthe belt tongue is engaged in the buckle and
Rthe ignition is switched on
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a certain
retraction 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 adjust-
ing.
You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on and
off using the multimedia system. Information on
activating and deactivating the seat-belt adjust-
ment function can be found in the Digital Oper-
ator's Manual or in the separate operating
instructions for the multimedia system.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
The 7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder that all vehicle occu- pants must wear 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 7seat belt warn-
ing lamp lights up for six seconds each time the
engine is started. If the front doors are closed
and the driver or front-passenger seat belt has
not been fastened, the 7seat belt warning
lamp lights up again after the six seconds. As
soon as the driver's and front-passenger seat
belts are fastened or a front door is opened
again, the 7seat 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. The warning tone switches off after six
seconds or once the driver's seat belt is fas-
tened.
If the vehicle speed exceeds 15 mph (25 km/ h)
an d the driver's or front-passenger seat belt is
not fastened, a warning tone sounds again. The
warning tone sounds with increasing intensity
for a maximum of 60 seconds or until the driver or front passenger have fastened their seat
belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their
seat belt while the vehicle is in motion, the belt
warning automatically reactivates.
iFor more information on the
7seat belt
warning lamp, see "Warning and indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster, seat belts"
(
Ypage 287).
Air bags
Introduction
The air bag installation point is identified by the
label AIR BAG.
An air bag supplements a correctly fastened
seat belt. However, it is not intended as a sub-
stitute for the seat belt. Air bags provide addi-
tional protection in the event of an accident.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident. The
various air bag systems work independently of
each other (
Ypage 58).
There is, however, no system available today
that can completely rule out injury or death.
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
GWARNING
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:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
Rare sitting correctly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags
Rfollow the following instructions
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants.
Occupant safety51
Safety
Z

RAdjust 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.
RMove the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible. The driver's seat posi-
tion must allow the vehicle to be driven safely.
ROnly hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the air bag to be fully deployed.
RAlways lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forwards or lean against the
door or side window. You may otherwise be in
the deployment area of the air bags.
RAlways keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not put your feet on the dash-
board, for example. Your feet may otherwise
be in the deployment area of the air bag.
RFor this reason, always secure persons less
than 5 ft (1.50 m)tall in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
RAlways secure children under twelve years of age and less than 5 ft (1.50m)tall in suitable
child restraint systems.
RChild restraint systems should be installed on
the rear seats.
ROnly 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
(
Ypage 47).
RAlways observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification System
(OCS)" (
Ypage 54) and on "Children in the
vehicle" (Ypage 62) in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
and operating instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may prevent
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:
Rthere are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an air
bag.
Rthere are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar.
Rno hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, hang on
the grab handles or coat hooks.
Rno accessories, such as cup holders, are
attache d to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors, side windows,
rear side trim or side walls.
Rno heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects are in
the pockets of your clothing. Store such
objects in a suitable place.
GWARNING
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 objects
to it.
GWARNING
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
anymore. 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.
Front air bags
52Occupant safety
Safety

Driver's air bag:deploys in front of the steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger front air bag ;
deploys in front of and above the glove box.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the occu-
pants 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 air bag
(
Ypage 47).
The front-passenger front air bag will only
deploy if:
Rthe system, based on the OCS weight sensor
readings, detects that the front-passenger
seat is occupied (
Ypage 54). The
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp is lit
(
Ypage 54)
Rthe restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity
Driver's knee bag
Driver's knee bag :deploys under the steering
column. The driver's knee bag is always
deployed along with the driver's front air bag.
The driver's knee bag offers additional thigh,
knee and lower leg protection for the occupant
in the driver's seat.
Side impact air bags
GWARNING
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 :and rear side
impact air bags ;deploy next to the outer bol-
ster of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers
additional thorax protection. However, it does
not protect the:
Rhead
Rneck
Rarms
In the event of a side impact, the side impact air
bag is deployed on the side on which the impact
occurs.
The side impact air bag on the front-passenger
side (front) deploys under the following condi-
tions:
Rthe OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
Rthe belt tongue is engaged in the belt buckle
of the front-passenger seat
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt buckle,
the side impact air bag on the front-passenger
side deploys if an appropriate accident situation
occurs. In this case, deployment is independent
of whether the front-passenger seat is occupied
or not.
Occupant safety53
Safety
Z

Window curtain air bags
Window curtain air bags:are integrated into
the side of the roof frame and deployed in the
area from the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
When deployed, the window curtain air bag
enhances the level of protection for the head.
However, it does not protect the chest or arms.
In the event of a side impact, the window curtain
air bag is deployed on the side on which the
impact occurs.
If the system determines that they can offer
additional protection to that provided by the
seat belt, a window curtain air bag may be
deployed in other accident situations
(
Ypage 58).
Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
Introduction
The Occupant Classification System (OCS) cat-
egorizes the person in the front-passenger seat.
Depending on that result, the front-passenger
front air bag is either enabled or deactivated.
The system does not disable:
Rthe side impact air bag
Rthe window curtain air bag
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices
Prerequisites
To be classified correctly, the front passenger
must sit:
Rwith the seat belt fastened correctly
Rin an almost upright position with their back
against the seat backrest
Rwith their feet resting on the floor, if possible If the front passenger does not observe these
conditions, OCS may produce a false classifica-
tion, e.g. because the front passenger:
Rtransfers their weight by supporting them-
selves on a vehicle armrest
Rsits in such a way that their weight is raised
from the seat cushion
If it is absolutely necessary to install a child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat, be
sure to observe the correct positioning of the
child restraint system. Never place objects
under or behind the child restraint system, e.g.
cushions. Fully retract the seat cushion length.
The entire base of the child restraint system
must always rest on the seat cushion of the
front-passenger seat. The backrest of the
forward-facing child restraint system must lie as
flat as possible against the backrest of the front-
passenger seat.
The child restraint system must not touch the
roof or be subjected to a load by the head
restraint. Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
and the head restraint position accordingly.
Only then can OCS be guaranteed to function
correctly. Always observe the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation instructions.
Occupant Classification System opera-
tion (OCS)
:PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
;PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
The indicator lamps inform you whether the
front-passenger front air bag is deactivated or
enabled.
XPress the Start/Stop button once or twice, or
turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
The system carries out self-diagnostics.
54Occupant safety
Safety