ROnly hold the steering wheel on the out-
side. 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 other-
wise 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
dashboard, for example. Your feet may oth-
erwise 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
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:
RAlways secure children under twelve years
of age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m) 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 49).
RAlways observe the instructions and safety notes on the "Occupant Classification Sys-
tem (OCS)" (
Ypage 58) and on "Children
in the vehicle" (
Ypage 68) 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:
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
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.
Rno heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects
are in the pockets of your clothing. Store
such objects in a suitabl
e 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
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 safety55
Safety
Z
Front air bags
Driver's air bag:deploys in front of the
steering wheel. Front-passenger front air
bag ;deplo ysinfront of and above the glove
box.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the
occupants inthe front seats.
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
informs you about the status of the front-
passenger front air bag (
Ypage 49).
The front-passenger front air bag will only
deplo y if:
Rthe system, based on the OCS weight sen-
sor readings, detects that the front-
passenger seat isoccupied (
Ypage 58)
Rthe PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp isnot lit(
Ypage 58)
Rthe restraint system control unit predicts a
high acc ident severity
Driver's knee bag
Driver 's knee bag :deplo ys under the steer-
ing column. The driver's knee bag istriggered
together with the front air bag.
The driver's knee bag offers additional thigh,
knee and lower leg protection for the occu-
pant inthe driver's seat.
Side impact air bags
GWARNIN G
Unsuitable seat cover scould restrict or eve n
preven tth edeploymen tof th eair bags inte-
grated int oth eseats. Consequently, th eair
bags canno tprotect vehicl eoccupant sas
they are designed to do. In addition ,th efunc-
tion of th eOccupant Classification Syste m
(OCS )could be restricted. This poses an
increased ris kof injury or eve nfatal injury.
You should only use seat cover sthat have
been approve dfor th erespective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.
Example: Sedan
Front side impact air bags :and rear side
impact air bags ;deploy next to the outer
bolster of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers
additional thorax protection. Ho wever,itdoes
not protect the:
Rhead
Rneck
Rarms
In the event of a side impact, the side impact
air bag isdeployed on the side on which the
impact occurs.
56Occupant safety
Safety
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side (front) deploys under the fol-
lowing conditions:
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 acci-
dent situation occurs. In this case, deploy-
ment is independent of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not.
Pelvis 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.
Pelvis air bags :deploy below next to the
outer seat cushions.
When activated, the pelvis air bag enhances
the level of protection of the vehicle occu-
pants on the side of the vehicle on which the
impact occurs. The pelvis air bag is deployed on the side of
the impact.
The pelvis air bag on the front-passenger side
does not deploy under the following condi-
tions:
ROCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
Rthe front-passenger seat belt is not fas-
tened.
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle, the pelvis air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys if an appropriate acci-
dent situation occurs. In this case, deploy-
ment is independent of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not.
Window curtain air bags
Example: Sedan
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 cur- tain 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 63).
Occupant safety57
Safety
Z
the restraint system are activated independ-
ently of each other in certain frontal collision
situations:
RFront air bags and driver's knee bag
RWindow curtain air bag, if the system deter-
mines that deployment can offer additional
protection to that provided by the seat belt
The front-passenger front air bag is activated
or deactivated depending on the person on
the front-passenger seat. The front-
passenger front air bag can only deploy in an
accident if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-
cator lamp is off. Observe the information on
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
(
Ypage 49).
Your vehicle has two-stage front air bags.
During the first deployment stage, the front
air bag is filled with propellant gas to reduce
the risk of injuries. The front air bag is fully
deployed with the maximum amount of pro-
pellant gas if a second deployment threshold
is reached within a few milliseconds.
The activation threshold of the Emergency
Tensioning Devices and the air bag are deter-
mined by evaluating the rate of vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration which occurs at vari-
ous points in the vehicle. Th is p
rocess is pre-
emptive in nature. Deployment should take
place in good 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:
Rthe distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
Rthe collision angle
Rthe deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
Rthe characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an air bag.
Nor do they provide an indication of air bag
deployment. The vehicle can be deformed considerably,
without an air bag being deployed. This is the
case if only parts which are relatively easily
deformed are affected and the rate of decel-
eration is not high. Conversely, air bags may
be deployed even though the vehicle suffers
only minor deformation. This is the case if, for
example, very rigid vehicle parts such as lon-
gitudinal body members are hit, and sufficientdeceleration occurs as a result.
If the restraint system contr ol u
nit detects a
side impact or if the vehicle rolls over, the
applicable components of the restraint sys-
tem are activated independently of each
other depending on the apparent type of acci-
dent.
RSide impact air bags and pelvis air bag on
the side of impact, independently of the
Emergency Tensioning Device and the use
of the seat belt on the driver's seat and
outer seats in the second row
-the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
-the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat
RWindow curtain air bag on the side of
impact, independently of the use of the
seat belt and independently of whether the front-passenger seat is occupied
REmergency Tensioning Device, if the sys-
tem determines that deployment can offer
additional protection in this situation
RWindow curtain air bags on the driver's and
front-passenger side in certain situations
when the vehicle rolls over, if the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection to that provided by the
seat belt
iNot all air bags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The different air bag systems wo rk
i
ndependently of each other.
64Occupant safety
Safety
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:
Rfrontal collision
Rside impact
Rrollover
NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-
PRO luxury head restraints
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The function of the head restraint may be
impaired if you:
Rattach objects such as coat hangers to the
head restraints, for example
Ruse 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/NECK-PRO luxury
head restraints offer additional protection
against head and neck injuries. In the event of
a rear collision of a certain severity, the NECK-
PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head
restraints on the driver's and front-passenger
seats are moved forwards and upwards. This
provides better head support.
If the NECK-PRO head restraints/NECK-PRO
luxury head restraints have been triggered inan accident, reset the NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
on the driver's seat and the front-passenger
seat (
Ypage 65). Otherwise, the additional protection will not be available in the event of
another rear-end collision. You can see that a
NECK-PRO head restraint/NECK-PRO luxury
head restraint has been triggered if it is tilted
forward and can no longer be adjusted.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have
the functionality of the NECK-PRO head
restraints/NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
checked at a qualified specialist workshop
after a rear-end collision.
Resetting a triggered NECK-PRO head
restraint/NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint
NECK-PRO head restraints
Do not insert your finger between the cushion
of the head restraint and the cover. Pay par-
ticular attention while resetting the NECK-
PRO head restraints.
XTilt the top of the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion forwards in the direction of
arrow
:.
XPush the NECK-PRO head restraint cushion
down as far as it will go in the direction of
arrow ;.
XWith your hand flat, firmly push the NECK-
PRO head restraint cushion backwards in
the direction of arrow =until it engages.
XRepeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO head restraint.
iResetting the NECK-PRO head restraints
requires a lot of strength. If you have diffi-
culty resetting the NECK-PRO head
Occupant safety65
Safety
Z
restraints, have this work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
Do not insert your finger between the cushion
of the head restraint and the cover. Pay par-
ticular attention while resetting the NECK-
PRO luxury head restraints.
XRemove resetting tool :from the vehicle
document wallet.
XSlide resetting tool :into guide ;
between the NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint and the rear cover of the head
restraint.
XPush resetting tool :downwards until you
hear the head restraint deployment mech-
anism engage.
XPull out resetting tool :.
XWith your hand flat, firmly push the NECK-
PRO luxury head restraint cushion back-
wards in the direction of arrow =until it
engages.
XRepeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO luxury head restraint.
XPut resetting tool :back into the vehicle
document wallet.
iIf you have difficulty resetting the NECK-
PRO luxury head restraints, have this work
carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
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:
Rin emergency braking situations, e.g. when
BAS is activated
Rin critical driving situations, e.g. when phys-
ical limits are exceeded and the vehicle
understeers or oversteers severely
Ron vehicles with the Driving Assistance
package: if BAS PLUS intervenes power-
fully or the radar sensor system detects an
imminent danger of collision in certain sit-
uations
PRE-SAFE
®takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detec-
ted:
Rthe front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
Rthe front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is
in an unfavorable position.
Rif the vehicle skids, the sliding sunroof and
the side windows are closed so that only a
small gap remains. The panorama roof with
66Occupant safety
Safety
power tilt/sliding panel is completely
closed.
Rthe air pressure in the side bolsters of the
seat backrests of the front active multicon-
tour seats is raised.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE
®slackens
the belt pre-tensioning. On vehicles with
active multicontour seats, the air pressure in
the side bolsters is reduced again. All settings
made by PRE-SAFE
®can then be reversed.
If the seat belt pre-tensioning is not reduced:
XMove 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. You
will find information on the convenience func-
tion under "Belt adjustment" (
Ypage 53).
PRE-SAFE®PLUS (anticipatory occu-
pant protection system PLUS)
Introduction
PRE-SAFE®PLUS is only available in vehicles
with the Driving Assistance package.
Using the radar sensor system, PRE-SAFE
®
PLUS is able to detect that a head-on or rear-
end collision is imminent. In certain hazard-
ous situations, PRE-SAFE
®PLUS takes pre-
emptive measures to protect the vehicle
occupants.
Important safety notes
The intervention of PRE-SAFE®PLUS cannot
prevent an imminent collision.
The driver is not warned about the interven-
tion of PRE-SAFE
®PLUS.
PRE-SAFE
®PLUS does not intervene if the
vehicle is backing up. PRE-SAFE
®PLUS does not perform braking
actions while the vehicle is in motion or when
Parking Guidance is active.
Function
PRE-SAFE®PLUS intervenes in certain situa-
tions if the radar sensor system detects an
imminent head-on or rear-end collision.
PRE-SAFE
®PLUS takes the following meas-
ures depending on the hazardous situation
detected:
Rif the radar sensor system detects that a
head-on collision is imminent, the seat
belts are pre-tensioned.
Rif the radar sensor system detects that a
rear-end collision is imminent:
-the brake pressure is increased if the
driver applies the brakes when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
-the seat belts are pre-tensioned.
The PRE-SAFE
®PLUS braking application is
canceled:
Rif the accelerator pedal is depressed when
a gear is engaged
Rif the risk of a collision passes or is no lon-
ger detected
Rif DISTRONIC PLUS indicates an intention
to pull away
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, the original settings
are restored.
Automatic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, the following
measures are implemented, depending on
the type and severity of the impact:
Rthe hazard warning lamps are activated
Rthe emergency lighting is activated
Rthe vehicle doors are unlocked
Rthe front side windows are lowered
Occupant safety67
Safety
Z
Rvehicles with a memory function: the elec-
trically adjustable steering wheel is raised
Rthe engine is switched off and the fuel sup-ply is cut off
Rvehicles with mbrace: automatic emer-
gency call
Rvehicles with the hybrid drive system: the
hybrid system and the high-voltage electri-
cal system are deactivated
Children in the vehicle
Important safety notes
Accident statistics show that children
secured in the rear seats are safer than chil-
dren secured in the front-passenger seat. For
this reason, Mercedes-Benz strongly advises
that you install a child restraint system on a
rear seat. Children are generally better pro-
tected there.
If a child under 12 years of age and under 5 ft(1.50 m) in height is traveling in the vehicle:
Ralways 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
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes in this section in addition to
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes on the "Occupant classifica-
tion system (OCS)" (
Ypage 58)
Do not install a rearward-facing child restraint system on the center rear seat.
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart 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.
GWARNING
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.
GWARNING
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 child
restraint 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.
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(
Ypage 50) and the notes on correct use of
seat belts (
Ypage 51).
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children over
41 lbs (18 kg) until they reach a height where a three-point seat belt fits properly without a
booster seat.
68Children in the vehicle
Safety