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 .
RAlways observe the instructions and safety notes on the "Occupant Classification Sys-
tem (OCS)" (
Ypage 51) and on "Children
in the vehicle" (
Ypage 60) 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
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.
Occupant safety49
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 and
PASS ENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps
inform you about the status of the front-
passenger air bag (
Ypage 43).
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 is occupied (
Ypage 51).
The PASS ENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp is lit(
Ypage 52)
Rthe restraint system control unit predicts a
high acc ident severity
Driver's knee bag
Driver's knee bag :deploys 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.
Front side impact air bags :and rear side
impact air bags ;deploy next to the outer
bols ter 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.
50Occupant safety
Safety
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 ON indi-
cator lamp is lit. Observe the information on
the PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps
(
Ypage 43).
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. This proce
ss 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 sufficient
deceleration occurs as a result.
If the control unit of the restra int s
ystem
detects a side impact or a vehicle rollover, the
relevant components of the restraint system
are activated separately depending on the
anticipated type of accident.
RSide impact air bags on the side of impact, independently of the Emergency Tension-
ing Device and the use of the seat belt on
the driver's seat and outer seats in the sec-
ond row
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side (front) deploys under the
following conditions:
-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
RFront Emergency Tensioning Devices, if the
system determines that deployment can
offer additional protection for the vehicle
occupants in this situation
RRear Emergency Tensioning Devices in cer-
tain situations if the vehicle rolls over
RWindow curtain air bags on the driver's and
front-passenger side in certain situations
when the vehicle rolls over, if the system
determ ines th
at 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 work
independently of each other.
58Occupant 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
PRE-SAFE®(anticipatory occupant
protection system)
Introduction
PRE-SAFE®takes preemptive measures to
protect occupants in certain hazardous sit-
uations.
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.
Despite your vehicle being equipped with the
PRE-SAFE
®system, the possibility of per-
sonal injuries occurring as a result of an acci-
dent cannot be eliminated. Always adapt your
driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather conditions and maintain a safe dis-
tance from the vehicle in front. Drive care-
fully.
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
Rvehicles with the Driving Assistance pack-
age: when a driver assistance system inter-
venes powerfully or the radar sensor sys-
tem detects an imminent danger of colli-
sion in certain situations PRE-SAFE
®takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detec-
ted:
Rthe front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
Rif the vehicle skids, the side windows and
the panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel are closed.
Rvehicles with the memory function for the
front-passenger seat: the front-passenger
seat is adjusted if it is in an unfavorable
position.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE
®slackens
the belt pre-tensioning. 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 47).
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.
Occupant safety59
Safety
Z
PRE-SAFE®PLUS does not intervene if the
vehicle is backing up.
When driving, or when parking or exiting a
parking space with assistance from Active
Parking Assist, PRE-SAFE
®PLUS will not
apply the brakes.
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
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
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 younger than twelve years old 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 51)
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.
60Children in the vehicle
Safety
All child restraint systems must meet the fol-
lowing standards:
RU.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand-
ards 213 and 225
RCanadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2
Confirmation that the child restraint system
corresponds to the standards can be found
on an instruction label on the child restraint
system. This confirmation can also be found
in the installation instructions that are inclu-
ded with the child restraint system.
Observe the warning labels in the vehicle inte- rior and on the child restraint system.
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seat secur-
ing system
GWARNING
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint systems
do not offer sufficient protective effect for
children whose weight is greater than 48 lbs
(22 kg) who are secured using the safety belt integrated in the child restraint system. In the
event of an accident, a child might not be
restrained correctly. This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
If the child weighs more than 48 lbs (22 kg),
only use LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint
systems with which the child is also secured
with the vehicle seat belt. Also secure the
child restraint system with the Top Tether
belt, if available.
Always comply with the manufacturer's
installation and operating instructions for the
child restraint system used.
Before every trip, make sure that the LATCH-
type (ISOFIX) child restraint system is
engaged correctly in both LATCH-type (ISO-
FIX) securing rings
!When installing the child restraint system,
make sure that the seat belt for the middle
seat does not get trapped. The seat belt
could otherwise be damaged.
:LATCH-type (ISOFIX) securing rings
Vehicles with rear seat armrest: adjust the
rear seat armrest so that LATCH-type (ISO-
FIX) securing rings :for the LATCH-type
(ISOFIX) child restraint system are accessi-
ble.
XInstall the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system on both LATCH-type (ISO-
FIX) securing rings :.
ISOFIX is a standardized securing system for
specially designed child restraint systems on
the rear seats. LATCH-type (ISOFIX) securing
rings :for two LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint systems are installed on the left and
right rear seats.
Non-LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seats may
also be used and can be installed using the
vehicle's seat belt system. Install the child
seat according to the manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Top Tether
Introduction
Top Tether provides an additional connection
between the child restraint system secured
with a LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seat mount
and the vehicle. This helps reduce the risk of
injury even further. If the child restraint sys-
tem is equipped with a Top Tether belt, this
should always be used.
Children in the vehicle63
Safety
Z
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If th erear seat backrest sare no tlocked, they
could fol dforwards in th eevent of an acci-
dent, heav ybraking or sudde nchanges of
direction .As aresult ,child restrain tsystems
canno tperfor mtheir intended protective
function .Rear seat backrest sthat are no t
locke dcan also caus eadditional injuries, e.g.
in th eevent of an accident. This poses an
increased ris kof injury or eve nfatal injury.
Always loc krear seat backrest safter instal -
lin g a Top Tether belt .Observ eth eloc kveri-
fication indicator.
If the rear seat backrest isnot engaged and
locke d,this will be shownin the multifunction
disp layinthe instrument cluster. A warning
tone also sounds.
Top Tether anchorages
Top Tether anchorage points ?are located
on the rear sideof the backrests on both
outer rear seats.
XMove head restraint :upwards.
XInstall the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system with Top Tether. Always
co mply wit h the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation instructions
when doing so.
XRoute Top Tether beltBunder head
restraint :between the two head restraint
bars.
XGuide Top Tether belt Bdown between
cargo compartment cover =and rear seat
backrest ;.
XHook Top Tether hook Ainto Top Tether
anchorage ?on the back of rear seat
backrest ;.
XMake sure that Top Tether belt Bisnot
twisted.
XTension Top Tether belt B. Always comply
wit h the ch ildrestraint system manufactur-
er's installation instructions when doing so.
XIfnecessary, move head restraint :back
down again slightly. Make sure that you do
not interfere with the correct routing of Top
Tether beltB.
Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes
Accident statistics show that ch ildren
secured inthe rear seats are safer than ch il-
dren secured inthe front-passenger seat. For
th is reason, Mercedes-Benz strongly advises
that you install the ch ildrestraint system on a
rear seat.
If it is absolutely necessary to install a ch ild
restraint system on the front-passenger seat,
always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classific ation System
(OCS)" (
Ypage 51).
64Children in the vehicle
Safety
Useful information............................108
Correct driver's seat position ..........108
Seats .................................................. 109
Steering wheel .................................. 115
Mirrors ............................................... 118
Memory function ............................... 121
107
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors