2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GL belt

Depending on the person in the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger front air
bag must either be deactivated or enabled;
see the following points. You must make sure
of this both before and during a journey. R
Children in a child restraint system:
whether the front-passenger front air bag is
enabled or deactivated depends on the
installed child restraint system, and the age
and size of the child. Therefore, be sure to
observe the notes on the "Occupant Clas-
sification System (OCS)" ( Y
page 53) and
on "Children in the vehicle" ( Y
page 61).
There you will also find instructions on rear-
ward and forward-facing child restraint sys-
tems on the front-passenger seat. R
All other persons: depending on the clas-
sification of the person in the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger front
air bag is enabled or deactivated
( Y
page 53). Be sure to observe the notes
on "Seat belts“ ( Y
page 46) and "Air bags"
( Y
page 50). There you can also find infor-
mation on the correct seat position.
Seat belts
Introduction
Seat belts are the most effective means of
restricting the movement of vehicle occu-
pants in the event of an accident or the vehi-
cle rolling over. This reduces the risk of vehi-
cle occupants coming into contact with parts
of the vehicle interior or being ejected from
the vehicle. Furthermore, the seat belt helps
to keep the vehicle occupant in the best posi-
tion in relation to the air bag.
The seat belt system comprises: R
Seat belts R
Emergency Tensioning Devices for the
front seat belts and the outer seat belts in
the second row of seats as well as the seat
belts in the third row R
Belt force limiters for the front seat belts
and the outer seat belts in the second row of seats as well as the seat belts in the third
row
If the seat belt is pulled out of the belt outlet
quickly or with a jerky movement, the belt
retractor locks. The belt strap cannot be
extracted any further.
The Emergency Tensioning Device tightens
the seat belt in an accident, pulling the belt
close against the body. However it does not
pull the vehicle occupant back in the direction
of the backrest.
The Emergency Tensioning Device does not
correct an incorrect seat position or the rout-
ing of an incorrectly fastened seat belt.
W h
en triggered, a belt force limiter helps to
reduce the force exerted by the seat belt on
the vehicle occupant.
The belt force limiters for the front seats are
synchronized with the front air bags, which
absorb part of the deceleration force. This
can reduce the force exerted on the vehicle
occupants during an accident.
! If the front-passenger seat is unoccupied,
do not insert the belt tongue into the buckle
of the front-passenger seat. This may oth-
erwise lead to the triggering of the Emer-
gency Tensioning 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 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
Even where this is not required by law, all
vehicle occupants should correctly fasten
their seat belts before starting the journey.
G WARNING
If the seat belt is incorrectly fastened, it can-
not protect as intended. Furthermore, an
incorrectly fastened seat belt can cause addi-46
Occupant safety
Safety

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.
G WARNING
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.
G WARNING
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
abrupt change of direction. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
For this reason, always secure persons under
5 ft (1.50 m) in height in suitable restrain t
systems.
If a child younger than twelve years old 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 this Mercedes-Benz
vehicle. The child restraint system must be appropriate to the age, weight and size of
the child R
always observe the instructions and safety
notes in the "Children in the vehicle" sec-
tion of this Operator's Manual
( Y
page 61) in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installa-
tion instructions R
be sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes on the "Occupant classifica-
tion system (OCS)" ( Y
page 53)
G WARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended
protective function if: R
they are damaged, modified, extremely
dirty, bleach or dyed R
the seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty R
the Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
anchorages or inertia reels have been modi-
fied
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage in
an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters. Modi-
fied or damaged seat belts may tear or fail,
e.g. in an accident. Modified Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices could accidentally trigger or
fail to deploy when necessary. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify the seat belts, Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices, belt anchorages or inertia
reels. Make sure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not worn out and clean. Follow-
ing an accident, have the seat belts checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.
Proper use of the seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
( Y
page 46).
All vehicle occupants must be wearing the
seat belt correctly before beginning the jour-
ney. Also make sure that all vehicle occu- Occupant safety 47
Safety Z

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. Where possible,
adjust the seat belt to the appropriate
height. 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 "Loading guidelines" for securing objects,
luggage or loads ( Y
page 340).
Fastening and adjusting the seat belts Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
( Y
page 46) and the notes on correct use of
seat belts ( Y
page 47).
Basic illustration X
Adjust the seat ( Y
page 108).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
vertical position. X
Pull the seat belt smoothly from belt outlet

The shoulder section of the seat belt must
always be routed across the center of the
shoulder. Adjust the belt outlet if necessary. X
To raise: slide the belt outlet upwards.
The belt outlet will engage in various posi-
tions. X
To lower: hold belt outlet release C and
slide belt outlet downwards. X
Let go of belt outlet release C in the
desired position and make sure that the
belt outlet engages.
All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are
equipped with a special seat belt retractor to
securely fasten child restraint systems in the
vehicle. Further information can be found
under "Special seat belt retractor"
( Y
page 61).
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. Basic illustration X
Press release button C , hold belt
tongue D firmly and guide it back towards
belt outlet

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 v seat 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 v seat belt warning lamp
lights up. As soon as the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are fastened or a front
door is opened again, the v seat 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. A warning tone also
sounds with increasing intensity for
60 seconds or until the driver or front
passenger have fastened their seat belts.
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 v seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrument cluster, seat
belts" ( Y
page 325).
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 58). 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-50
Occupant safety
Safety

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 twelve years
of age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in
suitable child restraint systems. R
Child restraint systems should be installed
on the rear seats. 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 45).R
Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification Sys-
tem (OCS)" ( Y
page 53) and on "Children
in the vehicle" ( Y
page 61) 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: R
there are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an air
bag. R
there are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar. R
no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, hang on
the grab handles or coat hooks. R
no 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. R
no heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects
are in the pockets of your clothing. Store
such objects in a suitable place. G WARNING
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.
G WARNING
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
Driver's air bag C deploys in front of the
steering wheel. Front-passenger front air
bag D deploys in front of and above the glove
box.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the
occupants in the front seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
informs you about the status of the front-
passenger front air bag ( Y
page 45).Occupant safety 51
Safety Z

The front-passenger front air bag will only
deploy if: R
the system, based on the OCS weight sen-
sor readings, detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied ( Y
page 53)R
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is not lit ( Y
page 54)R
the restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity
Driver's knee bag
Driver's knee bag C deploys under the steer-
ing column. The driver's knee bag is triggered
together with the front air bag.
The driver's knee bag offers additional thigh,
knee and lower leg protection for the occu-
pant in the driver's seat.
Side impact air bags
G WARNING
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 C and second row
rear side impact air bags D deploy next to
the outer bolster of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers
additional thorax protection. It also offers
additional pelvis protection for occupants in
the front seats. However, it does not protect
the: R
head R
neck R
arms
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 fol-
lowing conditions: R
the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or R
the 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.52
Occupant safety
Safety

Window curtain air bags
Window curtain air bags C are integrated
into the side of the roof frame and deploy in
the area extending from the front door (A-pil-
lar) to the rear side window (D-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
( Y
page 58).
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 is either enabled or
deactivated.
The system does not deactivate: R
the side impact air bag R
the window curtain air bag R
the Emergency Tensioning Devices In the following situation, the side impact air
bag and the Emergency Tensioning Device
are deactivated: R
OCS has not categorized the person on the
front-passenger seat as an adult or a per-
son of corresponding stature and R
the seat belt tongue of the seat belt is not
inserted into the front-passenger seat belt
buckle.
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 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. 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 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 safety 53
Safety Z