There is, however, no system availabletoday
that can completely rule out injury or death.
It is also not possible to rule out arisk 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 corrects eat position,
the air bag cannot protec tasintended and
could even cause additional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid hazardous situations, alwaysm ake
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
Rare sittin gcorrectly 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.
RCorrectly adjust the seats before driving off.
Always make sure the seat backrest sare
positioned as close to the vertical as possible.
The center of the head restraints should sup-
port the back of the head at about eye level.
RMove the driver's and front-passenger seat as
far back as possible. The driver's seat position
must be such that the vehicle can be driven
safely.
RKeep hands on the outside of the steering
wheel rim. This allows the air bag to deploy
fully.
RAlways sit with your back against the seat
backrest when driving. Do not lean forward,
on the door or against the side window. Oth-
erwise, you are in the air bag deployment
area.
RAlways keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not,f or example, place your
feet on the dashboard. Otherwise, your feet
are in the air bag deployment area.
RSuitable restraint systems must alwaysb e
used for persons under 5ft(1.50 m) in height.
The seat belt cannot be worn correctly by
persons who do not reach this height. If children are also traveling in the vehicle,
please take note of the followingp
oints.
RChild restraint systems should preferably be
installed on the rear seats.
ROnly secureachild on the front-passenger
seat in arearward-facing child restraint sys-
tem if 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 44).
RMake sure you observe the instructions and
safety notes on "Occupan t Classification Sys-
tem (OCS)" (Ypage 50) and "Children in the
vehicle" (Ypage 56), as well as the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
instructions.
Objects in the passenger compartment
could prevent an air bag from functioning
properly. To prevent risks due to the required
air bag speed after deployment, ensure the fol-
lowing before starting the journey:
Rthere are no persons, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupantsa nd an air
bag.
Rthere are no object sbetween 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 deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors or side win-
dows.
Rthere are no heavy, sharp or fragile object sin
the pocketsofi tems of clothing. Such items
should be suitably stowed elsewhere.
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.
Vehicles with window curtain air bags for all
rows of seats:
GWARNING
Sensorstoc ontrol the air bags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
48Occupant safety
Safety
Have the vehicle towedtoaqualifiedspecial-
ist workshop in orde rtohavead eployed air
bagr eplaced.
It is important for your safety and that of any
passengers to hav edeployed ai rbagsr eplaced
and to hav eany malfunctioning ai rbags
repaired. Thisw illh elptom ake surethe ai rbags
continuetop erform theirp rotective functio nfor
the vehicle occupants in the event of acrash.
GWARNING
PyrotechnicE mergency Tensioning Devices
that hav ebeend eployed are no longer opera-
tiona land are unable to perform theiri nten-
ded protective function. Thisp oses an
increased risk of injury or even fata linjury.
Therefore, hav epyrotechnicE mergency Ten-
sioning Device swhich hav ebeent riggered
immediately replaced at aqualifie dspecialist
workshop.
If the Emergency Tensioning Device sorairbags
are deployed, yo uwillh earab angandasmall
amount of powder may also be released.T he
6 restraint system warning lamp will light up.
Only in rare case swillt he bang affect your hear-
ing. The powder released is generally not haz-
ardous to health, it coul dhowever cause short-
term breathing difficultie sinpeople with asthma
or other respiratory problems. If it is safe to do
so, yo ushould leave the vehicle immediately or
openaw indow in orde rtoprevent breathing
difficulties.
Air bags and pyrotechni cEmergency Tensioning
Device s(ETDs) contai nperchlorate material,
which may require specialh andling and regard
for the environment. Check with your loca lgov-
ernment’sd isposal guidelines .Calif ornia resi-
dents, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/index.cfm .
Methodofoperation
During the first stag eofacollision, the restraint
system control uni tevaluates important physi-
cal data relating to vehicle deceleratio noraccel-
eration, such as:
RDuration
RDirection
RIntensity Base
dont he evaluatio nofthis data, the
restraint system control uni ttriggers the Emer-
gency Tensioning Device sinthe event of afron-
tal or rear-end collision.
An Emergency Tensioning Device can only be
triggered if:
Rthe ignition is switched on
Rthe components of the restraint system are
operational .You can find furthe rinformation
unde r"Re straint system warning lamp"
(
Ypage 43)
Rthe bel ttongueisi nserted into the buckle on
the respective front seat
If the restraint system control uni tdetects ahigh
accident severity,a dditional components of the
restraint system are deployed independently of
one anothe rincertainfrontal collision situa-
tions:
RFront ai rbags
RWindow curtain ai rbag,ift he system deter-
mines that it can offer additional protection to
that provided by the seatb elt
Depending on the person occupying the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger ai rbag is
activated or deactivated. The front-passenger
front ai rbag can only be deployed in an accident
if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
is off. Observe the informatio nonthe
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
(
Ypage 44).
You rvehicle has dual-stage front ai rbags. Dur-
ing the first deployment stage, the front ai rbag
fills with propellant gas which reduces the risk of
injury .The second stag eisthen triggered withi
n
mi
lliseconds, filling the front ai rbag with the
maximum amount of propellant gas.
The deployment threshold sfor the Emergency
Tensioning Device sand ai rbagsa re calculated
on the basis of the vehicle deceleratio noraccel-
eration occurring at various points in the vehi-
cle. Thisp rocess is pre-emptiv einnature. The
ai rb ag mus tbed eployed on time, at the start of
the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleratio noracceleration
and the directio nofthe force are essentially
determine dby:
Rdistribution of the force during the impact
Rcollision angle
Rdeformation characteristics of the vehicle
Rcharacteristics of the object with which the
vehicle has collided
Occupants afety55
Safety
Z
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they coul dset 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 vehiclee quip-
ment and become trapped. There is arisk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alway stake the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
GWARNING
If persons, particularl ychildren are subjected
to prolonged exposure to extreme heato r
cold, there is arisk 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,
particularl yonthe metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is arisk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you ,alway sensure that the child restraint
system is not exposedtod irect sunlight. Pro-
tect it with ablanket, for example. If the child
restraint system has been exposedtod irect
sunlight, let it cool downb efore securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle.
Always make sure that all vehicleo ccupants are
positioned properly in their seats and have cor-
rectly fastened their seat belts. Take particular
care with children.
Please take note of the safety notes on seat
belts (
Ypag e45) and the notes on their correct
use (Ypag e45).
Ab ooster seat may be necessary to achieve
propers eat beltp ositioning for children over
41 lbs (18 kg )until they reach aheight where a lap/shoulder beltc
an be installed properly with-
out abooster seat.
Special seat bel tretractor
GWARNING
If the seat beltisr eleased while driving, the
child restraint system wil lnolonger be
secure dproperly.T he special seat beltr etrac-
tor is disableda nd the inertia real draw sina
portion of the seat belt. The seat beltc annot
be immediatel yrefastened. There is an
increased risk of injury ,possibly even fatal.
Stop the vehiclei mmediately, paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. Reactivate
the special seat beltr etractor and secure the
child restraint system properly.
All seat belts in the vehicle, except the driver's
seat belt, are equipped with aspecial seat belt
retractor. When activated, the special seat belt
retractor ensure sthat the seat beltc annot
slacken once the child seat is secured.
Installing achild restraint system:
XMake sure you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
XPul lthe seat belts moothly from the belto ut-
let.
XEngage seat beltt ongue in beltbuckle.
Activating the special seat beltr etractor:
XPullthe seat belto ut fullyand let the inertia
reel retract it again.
Whil ethe seat beltisr etracting, you should
hear aratcheting sound .The special seat belt
retractor is enabled.
XPush the child restraint system downsot hat
the seat beltist ight and does not loosen.
Removing the child restraint system and deac-
tivating the special seat beltr etractor:
XMake sure you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
XPress the release button of the seat belt
buckle and guide the seat beltt ongue back
toward sthe belts ash guide.
The special seat beltr etractor is deactivated.
Children in the vehicle57
Safety
Z
Child restraint system
The use of seat beltsand infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in:
Rall 50 states
Rth eU .S.t erri tories
RtheD istrict of Columbia
Rall Canadian provinces
You can obtain further informatio nabout the
correc tchild restraint system from any
Mercedes-Ben zCommercial Van Center.
GWARNING
If th echild restraint system is installed incor-
rectly on asuitable seat,itc annotprotect as
intended. The child canno tthe nber estrained
in th eevent of an accident, heavyb raking or
suddenc hanges of direction.T hereisan
increased ris kofinjury, possibly eve nfatal.
Makes ure that you observ ethe child restraint
system manufacturer'si nstallationinstruc-
tions and th enotes on use. Pleasee nsure,
that th ebase of th echild restraint system is
always restin gcompletely on th eseat cush-
ion.N ever placeo bjects, e.g.cushions, under
or behindt hechild restraint system. Only use
child restraint systems witht heoriginal cover
designe dfor them. Only replace damaged
covers withg enuine covers.
GWARNING
If ar earward facing child restraint system is
installed in th edirection of travel by mistake,
it canno tprotect as intended. This is th ecase
if, for instance, you install arearward-facing
child restraint system on arear seat opposite
to th edirection of travel. In th eevent of an
accident, achild migh tnotbe restraine dcor-
rectly. This posesani ncreased riskofinjury or
eve nfatal injury.
Always install th erear seat in th edirection of
travel before you install th erearward facing
child restraint system.
GWARNING
If th echild restraint system is installed incor-
rectly or is no tsecured, it can com eloosei n
th ee vent of an accident, heavyb raking or a
suddenchang eind irection.T he child
restraint system coul dbethrown about,s trik-
ing vehicle occupants .Thereisani ncreased
ris kofi njury, possibly eve nfatal.
Always install child restraint systems prop-
erly, eve niftheya re no tbeingu sed. Make
sure that you observ ethe child restraint sys-
te mm anufacturer'si nstallationinstructions.
You will fin dfurther informatio nonstowing
objects, luggagea nd loads securely under
"Loading guidelines" (
Ypage 232).
GWARNING
Child restraint systems or their securin gsys-
tems whichh ave been damaged or subjected
to aload in an accidentc an no longer protect
as intended. The child canno tthe nb e
restraine dintheevent of an accident, heavy
braking or suddenc hanges of direction.T here
is an increased ris kofinjury, possibly even
fatal.
Replacec hild restraint systems whichh ave
been damaged or subjected to aload in an
accidentass oon as possible. Hav ethe secur-
ing systems on th echild restraint system
checked at aqualified specialist workshop,
before you install achild restraint system
again.
Securin gsystems for child restraint systems
include:
Rth es eat belt system
RtheL ATCH-type (ISOFIX) securin grings
RTop Tether anchorage points
If it is absolutely necessary to carry achild on
th ef ront-pa ssenger seat,bes ure to observethe
instructionson“ OccupantClassificatio nSys-
te m( OCS)” (
Ypage 50). This includes informa-
tio nond eactivatin gthe front-passenger air bag.
All child restraint systems must mee tthe fol-
lowings tandards:
RU.S. Federal Motor Vehicle SafetyS tandards
21 3a nd 225
RCanadian Motor Vehicle SafetyS tandards
21 3a nd 210.2
As tatemen tbythechild restraint manufacturer
of compliance witht hese standards can be
foun dont heinstruction label on th
ec hild
58Children in th evehicle
Safety
When the ignition is switched on, the vehicle will
lock automatically fromaspeed of approx-
imately 9mph (15 km/h).
You could therefore be locked out if:
Rthe vehicle is being pushed.
Rthe vehicle is being towed.
Rthe vehicle is being tested on adynamometer.
If the vehicle has been automatically locked and
af rontd oor is opened from the interior while the
vehicle is stationary, the vehicle unlock scen-
trally.
Driver's door and front-passenger
door
Door handle (example driver's door)
You can open the driver's or front-passenger
door from the inside at any time, even if it is
locked.
XPull door handle ;.
If af rontd oor is locked, lockingk nob: pops
up. The door is unlocked and opens.
Sliding door
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When you open the sliding door, the sliding
door could hit other people as it moves back- wards. There is arisk of injury.
Only open the sliding door when traffic con-
ditions permit.
GWARNING
If the open sliding door is not engaged, it could
move on its own if the vehicle is on aslope.
This could trap you or other persons.T here is
ar isk of injury.
Always make sure that the open sliding door is
engaged.
!Do not use the lower sliding door guide (car-
riage) as astep. Otherwise, you could damage
the paneling and/or the sliding door mecha-
nism.
!When you open the sliding door, first make
sure that:
Rthe rear door is not opened to an angle of
270°.
Rthe rear door is not clipped into the door
retainer.
The sliding door could otherwise collide with
the opened rear door and the doors could be damaged.
Information on opening and closing the rear
doors can be found under "Rear doors"
(
Ypage 78).
Opening/closing from the outside
The sliding door is equipped with an active
retainer ,which engages the door at the end stop
when opened.
XTo open: pull door handle :in the direction
of the arrow.
The sliding door opens.
XPush back the sliding door using door han-
dle :until it engages.
XCheck the sliding door detent.
Sliding door73
Opening and closing
Z
!To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
Rkeep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilledont he seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
Rif the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat heat-
ing should also not be used to dry the seats.
Rclean the seat covers as recommended;
see the "Interior care" section.
Rdo not transport heavy loads on the seats.
Do not place sharp objects on the seat
cushions, e.g. knives, nails or tools. The
seats should only be occupied by passen-
gers, if possible.
Rwhen the seat heating is in operation, do
not cover the seats with insulating materi-
als, e.g. blankets, coats, bags, seat covers,
child seats or booster seats.
Your seat must be adjusted in such away that
you can wear the seat belt correctly.
Observe the following points:
RPosition the backrest in an almost vertical
position so that you are sitting virtually
upright. Do not drive with the backrest
reclined too far back.
RYour arms should be slightly bent when you
are holding the steering wheel.
RAvoid seat positions that prevent the seat belt
from being correctly routed. The shoulder
section of the belt must be routed over the
middle of your shouldera nd be pulled tight
against your upper body. The lap belt must
always pass across your lap as low down as
possible,i .e. over your hip joints.
RAdjust the head restraint so that it supports
the back of the head at eye level.
RThe distance from the pedalss hould be such
that you can depress them fully.
Please also observe the important safety notes
on "Air bags" (
Ypage 48), "Seat belts"
(Ypage 45) and "Child restraint systems"
(Ypage 58).
Adjusting the seat manually
:Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
;Seat cushion angle adjustment
=Seat height adjustment
?Seat backrest adjustment
XTo adjust the seat fore-and-aft position:
pull lever :up.
XSlide the seat forwards or back until you can
depress the pedals.
XRelease lever :.
XSlide the seat forwards or back until you hear
it engage.
XTo adjust the seat height: press or pull lever
= repeatedly until you have reached the
desired seat height.
XTo adjust the backrest: turn handwheel?
towards the front.
The seat backrest moves to avertical posi-
tion.
XTurn handwheel ?towards the rear.
The seat backrest tilts towards the rear.
XTo adjust the seat angle: turn handwheel;
towards the front.
The front of the seat cushion tilts down.
XTurn handwheel ;towards the rear.
The front of the seat cushion tilts up.
Adjusting lumbar support
To support the lumbarr egion, you can set the
backrest contour of each front seat (4-way lum-
bar support) electrically.
84Seats
Seats, steering whee land mirrors
XPress new wiper blade:ontow iper arm =
until you hear retainin gclips ;engage.
XFold wiper arm =back ont othe rear window.
Windshield wipers105
Lights and windshield wipers
Z
Key positions
gTo insert/remove thekey,tol oc kt he steer -
ing whee l
1To unlockthe steering wheel, powe rsupply
for som econsum ers( e.g. th eradio)
2To switch on th eignition .Powe rsupply for
all consumer sand drive position
3To start th eengine
iIf th ekeydoes no tbelong to th evehicle, it
can still be turne dintheignition lock. How-
ever, th eignition will no tbeswitched on .The
engin ecanno tbes tarted.
Prepa ring for ajourne y
Visua lcheck ofthev ehicle exteri or
XIn particular, chec kthe followin gcom ponent s
on th evehicle, and on th etrailer as necessary:
Rlicense plates, vehicl elighting ,tur ns ignals,
brak elamp sand wiper blade sfor dir tand
damag e
Rtires and wheels for fir mseating ,correct
tire pressur eand general condition
Rtrailer to whitch for play and securit y
The trailer couplin gisoneof th emost
important vehicl epartsw ithr egard to roa d
safety. Observ ethe note sono peration ,
car eand maintenance of th etrailer to w
hitch (see th emanufacturer' soperating
instructions).
XRectify any noticeable defects before com-
mencin gthe journey.
Check sinthevehicle
Emergency equipment/first-aid kit
XChec kthe equipmen ttomakes uret hatiti s
accessible, complet eand read yfor use.
The first aid and breakdown assistanc eequip -
men tislocated:
Rin th efront door stowage compartments
Rin theseat base of th eleftf ront seat
Rin therear stowage compartmen tontheright -
han dside of th evehicl e(Ypage 260)
Vehicle lighting
XTurn th ekeyto position 2in th eignition lock.
XChec kthe lighting system wit hthe aid of a
secon dperson .
XReplac edefective bulbs (Ypage 98).
Before drivingo ff
GWARNING
Objects in th edriver's footwell may restrict
th ec learance around th epedal sorb locka
depressed pedal .This jeopardizes th eoper -
ating and roa dsafet yoft hevehicle. There is a
ris kofana ccident.
Stow all objects securel yint he vehicl esothat
they do no tget int othe driver's footwell.
Whe nusingfloormats or carpets, mak esure
that they are properly secured so that they do no tslip or obstruct th epedals. Do no tplac e
several floormats or carpet sontopof on e
another.
GWARNIN G
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correc tusage
of th epedals, e.g. :
Rshoes withthick sole s
Rshoes wit hhigh heel s
Rslippers
There is ariskofana ccident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensur ecorrect
usage of th epedals.
120Driving
Driving and parking