2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV airbag disable

An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE
®
to trig-
ger the tightening of the seat belt in hazardous
situations. This procedure is reversible.
If the belt tensioners are triggered or an airbag is
deployed, you will hear a bang, and a small
amount of powder may also be released. The
6 restraint system warning lamp lights up.
Only in rare cases will the bang affect your hear-
ing. In general, the powder released is not haz-
ardous to health but may cause short-term
breathing difficulties to persons suffering from
asthma or other pulmonary conditions. Provided it is safe to do so, you should leave the vehicle
immediately or open the window in order to pre-
vent breathing difficulties.
Operation During the first stage of a collision, the restraint
system control unit evaluates important physi-
cal data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as:
R duration
R direction
R intensity
Based on the evaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit triggers the seat
belt tensioners in the event of a head-on or rear
collision.
A seat belt tensioner can be triggered only if:
R the ignition is switched on
R the components of the restraint system are
operational. You can find further information
under: "Restraint system warning lamp"
(Y page 43)
R the belt tongue has engaged in the belt buckle
of the respective front seat
The seat belt tensioners in the rear compart-
ment are triggered independently of the lock
status of the seat belts.
If the restraint system control unit detects a
high-severity accident, in certain head-on colli-
sions, additional components of the restraint
system are deployed independently of each
other:
R front airbags and driver's kneebag
R windowbag, if the system determines that
deployment can offer additional protection to
that provided by the seat belt
On vehicles with the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system: depending on the person in the front-passenger seat, the front-passenger front airbag is either disabled or
enabled. The front-passenger front airbag can
be deployed in an accident only if the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is off.
Observe the information on the PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps (Y page 43).
Your vehicle has two-stage front airbags. In the
first deployment stage, the front airbag is filled
with propellant gas to reduce the risk of injuries. The front airbag is fully deployed if the second
deployment stage is activated within a few mil-
liseconds.
The activation threshold for the seat belt ten-
sioners and airbags is determined based on the
evaluation of the vehicle's rate of deceleration
or acceleration at various points in the vehicle.
This process is pre-emptive in nature. The trig-
gering/deployment process should take place
in good time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or acceleration
and the direction of the force are essentially
determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the collision
R the collision angle
R the deformation characteristics of the vehicle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors that can be seen and measured only
after a collision has occurred do not play a deci-
sive role in the deployment of an airbag, nor do
they provide an indication of airbag deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly with-out an airbag being deployed. This is the case if
only parts that are relatively easily deformed are
affected and the rate of deceleration is not high. Conversely, an airbag may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor deforma-
tion. This is the case if, for example, very rigid
vehicle parts such as longitudinal body mem-
bers are hit, and sufficient deceleration occurs
as a result.
If the restraint system control unit detects a side
impact or if the vehicle overturns, the applicable components of the restraint system are activa-
ted independently of each other depending on
the apparent type of accident.
R Sidebags on the side on which an impact
occurs, independently of the seat belt ten-
sioner and seat belt usage
Vehicles with the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system: the sidebag Occupant safety
55Safety Z

ment cover
:if luggage compartment
cover :is fitted
R Top Tether belt Bis routed between rear
seat backrest ;and the safety net if the
safety net is fitted
X Tension Top Tether belt B. Always comply
with the child restraint system manufactur-
er's installation instructions when doing so.
X If necessary, move head restraint =back
down again slightly (Y page 105). Make sure
that you do not interfere with the correct rout-
ing of Top Tether belt B. Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes Accident statistics show that children secured
in the rear seats are safer than children secured
in the front-passenger seat. For this reason,
Mercedes-Benz strongly advises that you install a child restraint system on a rear seat.
Vehicles with the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system: if it is abso-
lutely necessary to fit a child restraint system to the front-passenger seat, always observe the
information on the "Automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system" (Y page 50).
You can thus avoid the risks that could arise as
a result of:
R a child restraint system that is not detected
by the automatic front-passenger front airbag
deactivation system
R unintentional disabling of the front-passenger
front airbag
R unsuitable positioning of the child restraint
system, e.g. too close to the dashboard Please observe the warning notice on the
front-passenger sun visor; see illustration. G
WARNING
If you secure a child in a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the co-driver's seat and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
is off, the co-driver's front airbag can deploy in the event of an accident. The child could be
struck by the airbag. There is an increased risk
of injury, possibly even fatal.
In this case, always make sure that the co-
driver's front airbag has been disabled. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
must be lit.
NEVER use a rearward-facing child restraint on a
seat protected by an ACTIVE FRONT AIRBAG;
DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the child can
occur.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
goes out, the front-passenger front airbag is
enabled (Y page 43).
Vehicles without the automatic front-
passenger front airbag deactivation
system Children in the vehicle
61Safety Z

If the front-passenger seat of your vehicle is not
equipped with the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system, this is indica-
ted by a special sticker. The sticker is affixed to
the side of the dashboard on the front-
passenger side. The sticker is visible when you
open the front-passenger door.
If you turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps light
up briefly. However, they have no function and
do not indicate that there is an automatic front- passenger front airbag deactivation system.
In this case, never fit a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front passenger seat
(Y page 62).
Observe the following information under "Rear-
ward-facing child restraint system"
(Y page 62) and "Forward-facing child
restraint system" (Y page 62) as well as infor-
mation on the suitable positioning of the child
restraint system (Y page 62).
Rearward-facing child restraint system If it is absolutely necessary to fit a rearward-
facing child restraint system to the front-
passenger seat, always make sure that the
front-passenger front airbag is disabled. Only if
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is lit continuously (Y page 43) is the front-
passenger front airbag disabled.
Always observe the information on suitable
positioning of the child restraint system
(Y page 62) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation and operat-
ing instructions.
Forward-facing child restraint system If it is absolutely necessary to fit a forward-
facing child restraint system to the front-
passenger seat, always move the front-
passenger seat as far back as possible. The
entire base of the child restraint system must
always rest on the seat cushion of the front-
passenger seat. The backrest of the child
restraint system must, as far as possible, lie flat against 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 backrest
and the head restraint position accordingly.
Always make sure that the shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from the vehicle belt outlet to
the shoulder belt guide on the child restraint
system. The shoulder belt strap must be routed
forwards and downwards from the vehicle belt
outlet. If necessary, adjust the vehicle belt out-
let and the front-passenger seat accordingly.
Always observe the information on suitable
positioning of the child restraint system
(Y page 62) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation and operat-
ing instructions. Suitable positioning of the child
restraint system
Introduction Only child restraint systems that are approved in
accordance with ECE standard ECE R44 are per-
mitted for use in the vehicle.
"Universal"-category child restraint systems can
be recognised by their orange approval label and the text "Universal". Approval label for child restraint systems in
accordance with the ECE-R44 standard
Child restraint systems of the following "Univer-
sal" category can be used on seats marked U, UF or IUF in accordance with the tables "Suitabilityof seats for the attaching of belt-secured child
restraint systems" or "Suitability of seats for the
attaching of an ISOFIX child restraint system".
Semi-universal child restraint systems are indi-
cated by the text "semi-universal" on the
approval label. These can be used if the vehicle
and the seat are listed in the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's vehicle model list. For more information, contact the child restraint system
manufacturer or visit the manufacturer's web-
site. 62
Children in the vehicleSafety

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Front-passenger
Front-passenger
airbag airbag
disabled
disabled See
See
Owner's Manual
Owner's Manual The front-passenger front airbag is disabled during the journey
although:
R an adult
or
R a person of the corresponding stature is on the front-passenger seat
If additional forces are applied to the seat, the weight the system
detects may be too low.
G WARNING
The front-passenger front airbag does not deploy during an accident.
This poses an increased risk of injury.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 168).
X Switch the ignition off.
X Have the occupant on the front-passenger seat step out of the
vehicle.
X Make sure that the seat is unoccupied, close the front-passenger
door and switch on the ignition.
X Observe the PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps in the centre
console and the multifunction display and check the following:
Seat unoccupied and ignition switched on:
R A self-diagnosis is carried out. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps light up simultaneously for approximately six seconds.
R The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp must then light up
and remain lit after the self-diagnosis. If the indicator lamp is on,
the automatic front-passenger front airbag deactivation system
has disabled the front-passenger front airbag (Y page 50)
R The Front-passenger airbag enabled See Owner's Man‐
Front-passenger airbag enabled See Owner's Man‐
ual ual orFront-passenger airbag disabled See Owner's
Front-passenger airbag disabled See Owner's
Manual
Manual display messages must not be shown in the multifunction
display
X Wait for a period of at least 60 seconds until the necessary system
checks have been completed.
X Make sure that the display messages do not appear in the multi-
function display.
If these conditions are met, the front-passenger seat can be occupied again. Whether the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or ON indicator lamp
remains lit or goes out depends on how the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system classifies the occupant.
If the conditions are not met, the system is not operating correctly.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
Further information on the automatic front-passenger front airbag
deactivation feature (Y page 50).268
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Front-passenger
Front-passenger
airbag enabled See airbag enabled See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The front-passenger front airbag is enabled during the journey
although:
R a child, a small adult or an object weighing less than the system
weight threshold is located on the front-passenger seat
or
R the front-passenger seat is not occupied
The system may detect objects or forces that are placing additional
weight on the seat.
G WARNING
The airbag may deploy unintentionally.
This poses an increased risk of injury. X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 168).
X Switch the ignition off.
X Open the front-passenger door.
X Remove the child and child seat from the front-passenger seat.
X Make sure that no objects are present that are applying additional
weight to the seat.
The system might otherwise detect the additional weight and inter-
pret the seat occupant's weight as greater than it actually is.
X Make sure that the seat is unoccupied, close the front-passenger
door and switch on the ignition.
X Observe the PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps in the centre
console and the multifunction display and check the following:
Seat unoccupied and ignition switched on:
R A self-diagnosis is carried out. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps light up simultaneously for approximately six seconds.
R The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp must then light up
and remain lit after the self-diagnosis. If the indicator lamp is on,
the automatic front-passenger front airbag deactivation system
has disabled the front-passenger front airbag (Y page 50)
R The Front-passenger airbag enabled See Owner's Man‐
Front-passenger airbag enabled See Owner's Man‐
ual ual orFront-passenger airbag disabled See Owner's
Front-passenger airbag disabled See Owner's
Manual
Manual display messages must not be shown in the multifunction
display
X Wait for a period of at least 60 seconds until the necessary system
checks have been completed.
X Make sure that the display messages do not appear in the multi-
function display.
If these conditions are met, the front-passenger seat can be occupied again. Whether the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or ON indicator lamp
remains lit or goes out depends on how the automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system classifies the occupant.
If the conditions are not met, the system is not operating correctly. Display
messages
269On-board computer and displays Z