Problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test"(Ypage 52).
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up and remains lit,
even though the front-
passenger seat is occu-
pied by an adult oraper-
son of astature corre-
sponding to that of an
adult.The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is incor-
rect.
XMake sure the conditionsf orac orrect classification of the person
on the front-passenger seat are met (Ypage 50).
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, the front-
passenger seat may not be used.
XHave OCS checked as soon as possible at aMercedes-Benz Com-
mercial Van Center.
The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp
does not light up and/or
does not stay on.
The front-passenger seat
is:
Runoccupied
Roccupied with the
weight of achild up to
twelve months old in a
child restraint system
OCS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure there is nothin gbetween the seat cushion and the child
seat.
XMake sure that the entire base of the child restraint system rests 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. If necessary,
adjust the position of the front-passenger seat.
XWhen installing the child restraint system, make sure that the seat belt is tight. Do not pull the seat belt tight using the front-passenger
seat adjustment .This could result in the seat belt and the child
restraint system being pulled too tightly.
XCheck for correct installation of the child restraint system.
Make sure that the head restraint does not apply aload to the child
restraint system. If necessary, adjust the head restraint accord-
ingly.
XMake sure that no object sare applying additional weight onto the
seat.
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains off, do not
install achild restraint system on the front-passenger seat. It is
recommended that you install the child restraint system on asuit-
able rear seat.
XHave OCS checked as soon as possible at aMercedes-Benz Com-
mercial Van Center.
Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devices and air bags
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
been deployed. There is arisk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deploye dair bag replaced at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
GWARNING
Ad eployeda ir bag no longer offers any pro-
tection and cannot provide the intended pro-
tection in an accident. There is an increased
risk of injury.
54Occupant 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
Factors which can only be seenand measured
afte rthe collision has occurred do not pla ya
decisive roleint he deployment of an ai rbag,nor
do they provide an indication of ai rbag deploy-
ment.
The vehicle may be considerably deformed with-
outana irbagb eing deployed. Thisist he case if
only relativelye asilyd eformable parts have
bee nhit and ahighr ate of deceleration has not
bee nreached .Conversely ,anairbagm ay be
deployed even though the vehicle suffers only
minor deformation. Thisist he case if, for exam-
ple ,very rigid vehicle parts such as the longitu-
dina lbodym embers are hit in an accident and
the rate of deceleration is sufficient.
If the restraint system control uni tdetects aside
impact or that the vehicle is rolling over,t he rel-
evant restraint system components are
deployed independently of one another depend-
ing on the anticipated typ eofaccident.
RSide impact ai rbag and pelvis ai rbag on the
sid eonw hich an impact occurs, independ-
ently of the Emergency Tensioning Device and sea tbeltu sage
The sid eimpact ai rbag on the front-
passenger sid edeploy sunder the following
conditions:
-the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger sea tisoccupied or
-the bel ttongueh as engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat.
RWindow curtain ai rbag on the sid eofthe col-
lision, regardless of sea tbeltu se and whether
front-passeng er se
ati
so ccupied
REmergency Tensioning Devices, if the system
determinesthat they can offera dditional pro-
tection for the vehicle occupants in this sit-
uation
RWindow curtain ai rbagsont he driver's and
front-passenger sides in certain rollover sit-
uations if the system determine sthat they
can offera dditional protection to that provi-
ded by the sea tbelt
iNot al lairbags are deployed in an accident.
The variousa irbags ystems wor kindepend-
ently of each other. How the ai
rbag system works is determined
by the severity of the accident detected,
especiall ythe vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, and the apparent typ eofaccident:
Rfrontalc ollision
Rsideimpact
Rrollover
Automatic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately afte ranaccident, the following
measures are implemented ,depending on the
typ eand severity of the impact:
Rthe hazard warning lamps are activated
Rthe emergency lighting is activated
Rthe vehicle doors are unlocked
Rthe front sid ewindow sare lowered
Rthe engine is switched off and the fue lsupply
is cut off
Children in the vehicle
Important safety notes
Accident statistics show that childre nsecured
in the rears eats are safer than childre nsecured
in the front seats. For this reason, Mercedes-
Benz stronglya dvise sthat yo uinstall achild
restraint system on arears eat. Children are
generally better protected there.
If ac hildy ounge rthan twelve years and under
5ft( 1.50 m) in height is traveling in the vehicle:
Ralways securethisc hild in arestraint system
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles .The
child restraint systemm ustbea ppropriate to
the age, weight and size of the child.
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and safety
note sint hissectio nina dditiontot he child
restraint systemm anufacturer's installation
instructions.
Ralways observe the instructions and safety
note sont he "Occupant Classification System
(OCS) "(
Ypage 50).
56Children in the vehicle
Safety
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
correctly routed from the vehicle beltoutlet to
the shoulder bel tguide on the chil drestraint
system. The shoulder bel tstrapm ustb erouted
forward sand downwards from the vehicle belt
outlet. If necessary, adjust the vehicle bel tout-
le ta nd the front-passenger seata ccordingly.
Alway sobserve the chil drestraint system man-
ufacturer's installation and operating instruc-
tions.
Override features/Child-proof locks
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If childre nare traveling in the vehicle ,they
could:
Rope ndoors, thus endangering otherp eople
or roadu sers
Rexit the vehicle and be caught by oncoming
traffic
Roperate vehicle equipment and become
trapped
There is ariskofana ccident and injury.
Alway sactivate the child-proof locks and
overrid efeature if childre nare traveling in the
vehicle .Whenl eaving the vehicle ,alway stake
the key with yo uand lock the vehicle .Never
leave childre nunattende dinthe vehicle.
Child-proof lock/override feature for:
RSliding doors (Ypage 61)
GWARNING
If yo ulea ve childre nunsupervised in the vehi-
cle ,they could set it in motio nby,for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission outoft he
parking position P.
Rstartthe engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped .There is arisko f
an accident and injury.
Whe nleaving the vehicle ,alway stake the
SmartKey with yo uand lock the vehicle .Never
leave childre nunsupervised in the vehicle.
GWARNING
If persons, particularly childre nare subjected
to prolonged exposure to extrem eheato r
cold ,there is ariskofi njury, possibly even
fatal. Neve rlea ve childre nunattende dinthe
vehicle.
GWARNING
If the chil drestraint system is subjecte dto
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dre nm ay burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metalp arts of the child
restraint system. There is ariskofi njury.
If yo uleave the vehicle ,taking the chil dwith
you, always ensure that the chil drestraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight. Pro- tect it with ablanket, for example. If the child
restraint system hasb eene xposed to direct
sunlight, le titcool dow nbefore securing the
chil dini t. Neve rlea ve childre nunattende din
the vehicle.
Child-proof lock for sliding door
Sliding doo r(example: lef tsideoft he vehicle)
:
Chil dsafety bolt
2Sliding doo rreleased
3Sliding doo rsecured –then make sure that
the child-proof locks are working properly.
You can secure each sliding doo rindividually
with the child-proof locks on the sliding doors.
As ecured sliding doo rcannot be opened from
inside the vehicle .Whent he vehicle is unlocked,
the sliding doo rcan be opened from the outside.
If the electri csliding doo rissecured ,only the
sliding doo rrea rc ontrolsa re deactivated. If the
electrics liding doo risunlocked ,you can open
Children in the vehicle61
Safety
Z
the electricslidin gdoorusing the corresponding
Å orÆ sliding door button in the center
consol e(
Ypage 75).
Pets in the vehicle
GWARNING
If yo uleave animals unattended or unsecured
in the vehicle, theyc ould press buttons or
switches ,for example.
As aresult, theyc ould:
Ractivate vehicl eequipment and become
trapped ,for example
Ractivate or deactivate systems, thereby
endangering othe rroa du sers
Unsecured animals could also be flung around
the vehicl einthe event of an accident or sud-
de ns teering or braking ,thereb yinjurin gvehi-
cle occupants. There is ariskofana ccident
and injury.
Never leav eanimals unattended in the vehi-
cle .Alway ssecurea nimals properly during
the journey ,e.g.u se asuitabl eanimalt rans-
port box.
Driving safety systems
Overview
In thiss ection, yo uwillf indi nformation about
the following drivin gsafety systems:
REBD ( Ele ctronic Brake Force Distribution)
RABS ( Anti-lock Braking Sys tem)
RBAS ( Brake Assist System)
RESP®(E le ctronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes
If yo ufailtoa dapt your drivin gstyle or if yo uare
inattentive, the drivin gsafety systems can nei-
therr educe the ris kofaccident nor override the
laws of physics .Drivin gsafety systems are
merel yaidsd esig nedtoa ssistdriving. Yo uare
responsibl efor the distance to the vehicl ein
front, for vehicl espeed, braking in good time
and for staying in your lane. Alway sadapt your drivin
gstyle to the prevailing roa dand weather
conditions and maintain asufficient, safe dis-
tance fromo therroa du sers.D rive carefully.
Please note thatt he drivingsafety systems
describe donlyw orko ptimally when:
Rthere is adequate contact between the tires
and the roa dsurface
Ryo uu sewinter tire s(M+ Stires),w iths now
chains if necessary,w hent he roa dconditions
ar ew intry
Rthe spee dinformation determine dbythe
vehicl eiswithint he legall yprescribe ddisplay
accuracy
Pa yp articular attentio ntothe information
regarding tires, coding of the whee lsizeg roups,
tire trea dand winter operatio nunder "Wheels
and tires" (
Ypage 267).
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General notes
ABS regulate sbrake pressure in such awaythat
the wheels do not lock when yo ubrake. This
allows yo utocontinue steering the vehicl ewhen
braking.
The ò warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on. The
lamp goes ou twhent he engine starts running.
Important safety notes
Observe the important safety guideline sfor the
drivin gsafety system(Ypage 62).
ABS works fromas peedof abou t5mph
(8 km/h), regardles sofroad-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces ,evenw heny ou
onl ybrake gently.
GWARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking .The steerability an dbraking charac-
teristics maybes everel yimpaired. Addition-
ally ,fur the rdrivin gsafety systems ar edeac-
tivated .Ther eisani ncreasedd angerofs kid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Hav eABS checked imme-
diately at aquali fied specialis tworkshop.
62Driving safet ysystems
Safety
If ABS is malfunctioning, theòwarning lamp
(Ypage 221) lights up whil ethe engine is run-
ning and the display shows amessage:
Ron vehiclesw ithoutsteering wheel buttons
(Ypage 189)
Ron vehiclesw ith steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 203)
BAS, Hill Start Assist and ESP®and its driving
safety systems and other driving systems also
fail .Observe the notes on the òwarning
lamp and the display messages.
Braking
If ABS intervenes when braking, you wil lfeel a
pulsating in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedalc an be an indication
of hazardous road conditions and functions as a
reminder to take extra care whiled riving.
XIf ABS intervenes:continue to depresst he
brake pedalw ith force until the braking sit-
uatio niso ver.
XTo make afull brake application: depress
the brake pedalw ith full force.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General notes
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depresst he brake pedalq uickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes
Observe the important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (Ypage 62).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased .There is arisk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedalw ith full force. ABS prevents
the wheel sfrom locking.
If BAS is malfunctioning, the ÷warning lamp
lights up whil ethe engine is running
(
Ypage 221) and the display shows amessage:
Ron vehiclesw ithoutsteering wheel buttons
(Ypage 193)
Ron vehiclesw ith steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 207)
Braking
XKeep the brake pedalf irmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheel sfrom locking.
The brakes willf unction as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
EBD (electroni cbrake force distribu-
tion)
General notes
EBD monitors and controls the brake pressure
to the rear wheels. This enables EBD to improve handling during braking.
Important safety notes
Observe the important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (Ypage 62).
GWARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheelsc an
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the
risk of skidding and an accident.
You shoul dtherefore adapt you rdriving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at aqualifieds pe-
cialist workshop.
If EBD is malfunctioning, the $warning lamp
(
Ypage 220) lights up whil ethe engine is run-
ning and the display shows amessage.
Ron vehiclesw ithoutsteering wheel buttons
(Ypage 192)
Ron vehiclesw ith steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 206)
Other driving systems and driving safety sys-
tems then also fail.
Driving safety systems63
Safety
Z
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
ESP®monitors driving stabilitya nd detectsa
tendenc yofthevehicle to understeer or over-
steer (skidding) in good time. If ESP
®detects
that th evehicle is deviatin gfromt hedirection
desired by th edriver, oneorm orew heels are
braked to stabilizet hevehicle .The engine out-
put is also modified to keep th evehicle on the
desired course within physical limits. ESP
®can
also stabilizet hevehicle durin gbraking.
ESP
®also monitors traction,i .e.p ower trans-
mission between th etires and th eroad surface.
The integrate dtraction control support syou
when pullinga way or acceleratin gonwet,slip-
pery or slickr oads. Should th edrivew heels spin,
traction control brakes them individually. In
addition,g reaterdrivet orque is transmitte dto
th ew heel or wheels with traction.Ift raction on
th er oad surface is no tsufficient ,even ESP
®will
no tallow you to pull away without difficulty. The
type of tires and total weightoft hevehicle as
well as th egradientoft heroad also play acru-
cial role .Tractio ncontrol remains active if you
deactivate ESP
®.
If the h warning lamp in th einstrumen tclus-
te rg oes out before beginnin gthe journey, ESP
®
is automaticall yactive.
The h warning lamp in th einstrumen tcluster
flashes when ESP
®intervenes:
XDo no tdeactivate ESP®unde rany circum-
stances.
Xwhen driving off ,apply as little throttle as
possible.
Xadapt your speeda nd driving style to th epre-
vailin groad conditions.
Important safety notes
Observ ethe important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (Ypage 62).
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctionin gitwill notprovide
any vehicle stabilization. Thereisani ncreased
risk of skiddingorofana ccident.
Exercise caution when continuing to drive.
Hav eESP
®checked at aqualified specialist
workshop.
!Do no trun th evehicle on aroller dynamom-
eter (e.g. for performanc etests) .Ifyou must
operate th evehicle on aroller dynamometer,
please consult aqualified specialist workshop
in advance. You coul dotherwise damag ethe
driv etrain or th ebrak esystem.
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, the hwarning
lamp (Ypage 221) lightsupc ontinuously while
th ee ngine is runnin gand th edisplay showsa
message.
Ron vehicle swithout steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 193)
Ron vehicle swith steering wheel buttons
(Ypage 207)
ESP®is deactivate diftheå warning lamp in
th ei nstrumentc lusterislit when th eengine is
running.
Only use wheels with th erecommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP
®function properly.
Deactivating/activatin gESP®
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®,E SP®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle .Thereisani ncreased risk
of skiddinga nd an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in th esituations descri-
bed in th efollowing.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in th efollow-
ing situations:
Rwhen usings nowc hains
Rin deep snow
Ron sandorg ravel
Activate ESP®as soon as th esituations descri-
bed abovenol onger apply. Otherwise, ESP®
assistance for stabilizing th evehicle will remain
significantly reduced, even if th evehicle starts
to skid.
If you deactivate ESP
®:
Rthe å warning lamp in th einstrumen tclus-
te rlightsu p.
Rthe÷ warning lamp in th einstrumen tclus-
te rf lashes if th ewheels are spinning.
RESP®assistance for stabilizing th evehicle in
th el ower speedr ange up to approximately
37 mph (60 km/h) is significantly reduced.
Rengine torque is no longer limited and the
driv ewheels are able to spin
64Driving safety systems
Safety