Problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test" (Ypage 56).
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 or a
person of a stature cor-
responding to that of an
adult.The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is
incorrect.
XMake sure the conditions for a correct classification of the per-
son on the front-passenger seat are met (
Ypage 54).
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 an authorized
Mercedes-Benz 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 a child up
to twelve months old
in a child restraint
system
OCS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure there is nothing between 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 pos-
sible against the backrest of the front-passenger seat. If nec-
essary, adjust the position of the front-passenger seat.
XMake sure that the seat cushion length is fully retracted.
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 a load to the
child restraint system. If necessary, adjust the head restraint
accordingly.
XMake sure that no objects are applying additional weight onto
the seat.
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains off and/
or the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp lights up, do notinstall a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat. It is
recommended that you install the child restraint system on a
suitable rear seat.
XHave OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
58Occupant safety
Safety
Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devicesan dair bags
Important safet ynotes
GWARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
bee ndeployed .There is aris kof injury.
Do no ttouch th eair bag parts .Hav e a
deployed air bag replaced at aqualified spe -
cialis tworkshop as soo nas possible.
GWARNING
A deployed air bag no longer offers any pro -
tection and canno tprovid eth eintended pro -
tection in an accident. There is an increase d
ris kof injury.
Hav eth evehicle towed to aqualified special-
ist workshop in order to hav e adeployed air
bag replaced.
It is important fo ryour safet yand that of your
passenger to hav edeployed air bags replaced
and to hav eany malfunctionin gair bags
repaired. Thi swill help to mak esur eth eair
bags continue to perform their protective
function fo rth evehicle occupant sin th e
event of acrash .
GWARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that hav ebee ndeployed are no longer opera-
tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function .Thi sposes an
increase dris kof injury or eve nfatal injury.
Therefore, hav epyrotechni cEmergency Ten -
sioning Devices whic hhav ebee ntriggere d
immediately replaced at aqualified specialis t
workshop .
An electric moto ris used by PRE-SAF E®to
trigger th etightenin gof th eseat belt in haz -
ardous situations. Thi sprocedur eis reversi-
ble.
If Emergency Tensioning Devices are trig-
gered or air bags are deployed ,you will hear a
bang, and asmall amount of powder may also be released. The
6restrain tsystem warn -
in g lamp lights up.
Only in rar ecases will th eban gaffec tyour
hearing. The powder that is release dgener-
ally doe sno tconstitute ahealth hazard ,but it
may caus eshort-term breathin gdifficulties in
people wit hasthm aor other respirator yprob-
lems. To avoid this, you may wish to get out of
th evehicle or ope nth ewindows as soo nas it
is saf eto do so.
Ai rbags and pyrotechni cEmergency Tension-
in gDevices (ETDs) contain perchlorat emate-
rial ,whic hma
y require special handlin gand
regard fo rth eenvironment. National guide-
lines mus tbe observed durin gdisposal. In
California, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/
index.cfm .
Method of operation
Duringth efirst stage of acollision ,th e
restrain tsystem contro luni tevaluates impor -
tant physical dat arelatin gto vehicle deceler -
ation or acceleration ,suc has:
Rduration
Rdirection
Rintensit y
Based on th eevaluation of this data, th e
restrain tsystem contro luni ttriggers th e
Emergency Tensioning Devices durin g afron -
ta lor rea rcollision .
An Emergency Tensioning Devic ecan only be
triggered, if:
Rth eignition is switched on
Rth ecomponent sof th erestrain tsystem are
operational; see "Restrain tsystem warnin g
lamp " (
Ypage 45)
Rthebelt tongue is engage din th ebuckl eon
th erespective front-passenger seat
The Emergency Tensioning Devices in th e
rea rcompartmen tare triggere dindepend -
entl yof th eloc kstatus of th eseat belts.
If th erestrain tsystem contro luni tdetects a
more severe accident, further component sof
Occupant safety59
Safety
Z
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
In certain hazardous situations, PRE-SAFE®
takes pre-emptive measures to protect the
vehicle occupants.
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 are
closed so that only a small gap remains.
Rif the vehicle skids, the panorama roof with
power tilt/sliding panel and the side win-
dows are closed so that only a small gap
remains.
Rthe front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is
in an unfavorable position.
Rvehicles with a multicontour seat: the air
pressure in the side bolsters of the seat
backrest is increased.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE
®slackens
the belt pre-tensioning. On vehicles with mul-
ticontour seats, the air pressure in the side
bolsters is reduced again. 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 re
leased.
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE
®convenience function. Infor-
mation about the convenience function can
be found under "Belt adjustment"
(
Ypage 50).
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-
Occupant safety61
Safety
Z
Removingth echild restrain tsystem and
deactivatin gth especial seat belt retractor:
XMak esur eyou observ eth echild restrain t
system manufacturer' sinstallation instruc -
tions.
XPress th erelease butto nof th eseat belt
buckle, hold th eseat belt tongue and rout e
it to th eseat belt extender in fron tor th e
belt sash guide in th erear compartment.
The special seat belt retracto ris deactiva-
ted.
Chil drestraint system
The use of seat belt sand child restrain tsys-
tems is require dby law in :
Rall 50 state s
RtheU.S. territories
Rth eDistric tof Columbia
Rall Canadian province s
You can obtain further information about th e
correc tchild restrain tsystem from any
authorize dMercedes-Ben zCenter.
GWARNIN G
If th echild restrain tsystem is installed incor-
rectl yon asuitable seat ,it canno tprotect as
intended. The child canno tthen be restrained
in th eevent of an accident, heav ybrakin gor
sudden changes of direction .There is an
increase dris kof injury, possibl yeve nfatal.
Mak esur ethat you observ eth echild restrain t
system manufacturer' sinstallation instruc -
tion sand th enote son use. Pleas eensure,
that th ebase of th echild restrain tsystem is
always resting completely on th eseat cush-
ion .Never plac eobjects ,e.g. cushions, under
or behin dth echild restrain tsystem. Only use
child restrain tsystems wit hth eoriginal cover
designed for them. Only replac edamaged
cover swit hgenuin ecovers.
GWARNIN G
If th echild restrain tsystem is installed incor-
rectl yor is no tsecured ,it can come loos ein
th eevent of an accident, heav ybrakin gor a
sudden chang ein direction .The child
restrain tsystem could be throw nabout ,strik -
in g vehicl eoccupants. There is an increase d
ris kof injury, possibl yeve nfatal.
Always install child restrain tsystems prop-
erly, eve nif they are no tbein gused .Mak e
sur ethat you observ eth echild restrain tsys-
te m manufacturer' sinstallation instructions.
You will fin dfurther information on stowin g
objects ,luggag eor loads under "Loadin g
guidelines" (
Ypage 300).
GWARNING
Child restrain tsystems or their securin gsys-
tems whic hhav ebeen damaged or subjecte d
to aload in an acciden tcan no longer protect
as intended. The child canno tthen be
restrained in th eevent of an accident, heav y
brakin gor sudden changes of direction .There
is an increase dris kof injury, possibl yeve n
fatal.
Replac echild restrain tsystems whic hhav e
been damaged or subjecte dto aload in an
acciden tas soo nas possible. Hav eth esecur-
in g systems on th echild restrain tsystem
checke dat aqualified specialist workshop ,
before you install achild restrain tsystem
again .
The securin gsystems of child restrain tsys-
tems are:
Rth eseat belt system
Rth eLATCH-type (ISOFIX) securin grings
Rth eTop Tether anchorages (Coupe only)
If it is absolutely necessar yto carry achild on
th efront-passenger seat ,be sur eto observ e
th einformation on th e"Occupant Classifica-
tion Syste m(OCS)" (
Ypage 53). There you
will also fin dinformation on deactivatin gth e
front-passenger fron tair bag.
64Children 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
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) securing rings ;on the
rear seats are covered by folding upholstered
lining =with Velcro fastening.
XFold upholstered lining =upwards.
XTurn support :by 90°.
Upholstered lining =remains folded
upwards.
XInstall the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system on both LATCH-type (ISO-
FIX) securing rings ;.
After you have removed the LATCH-type (ISO-
FIX) child restraint system, you must turn
support :on upholstered lining =by 90°
again. Then fold upholstery lining =down.
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-
Children in the vehicle65
Safety
Z
Always observe the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation and operating
instructions.
Forward-facing child restraint system
If you secure a child in a forward-facing childrestraint system on the front-passenger seat,
always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible. Fully retract the seat cush-
ion length. 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 lie
as flat as possible against the backrest of the
front-passenger seat. The child restraint sys-
tem must not touch the roof or be subjected
to a load 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 front-passenger seat-belt
extender to the shoulder belt guide on the
child restraint system. The shoulder belt strap
must be routed forwards from the retracted
seat-belt extender for the front-passenger
seat.
Always observe the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation and operating
instructions.
Pets in the vehicle
GWARNING
If you leave animals unattended or unsecured
in the vehicle, they could press buttons or
switches, for example.
As a result, they could:
Ractivate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
Ractivate or deactivate systems, thereby
endangering other road users
Unsecured animals could also be flung around
the vehicle in the event of an accident or sud-
den steering or braking, thereby injuring vehi-
cle occupants. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Never leave animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Always secure animals properly during
the journey, e.g. use a suitable animal trans-
port box.
Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
RABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
(
Ypage 68)
RBAS ( Brake Assist System) (Ypage 68)
RBAS PLUS ( Brake Assist System PLUS) with
Cross-Traffic Assist (
Ypage 69)
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS
(distance warning function and Adaptive
Brake Assist) (
Ypage 70)
RESP®( E lectronic StabilityProgram)
(
Ypage 73)
REBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
(
Ypage 75)
RADAPTIVE BRAKE (Ypage 75)
RPRE-SAFE®Brake (Ypage 75)
RSTEER CONTROL (Ypage 77)
Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you
are inattentive, the driving safety systems can
neither reduce the risk of an accident nor
override the laws of physics. Driving safety
systems are merely aids designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for maintaining
the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time, and for stay-
ing in lane. Always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions and maintain a safe distance from the
vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
Driving safety systems67
Safety
Z
BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System
PLUS) with Cross-Traffic Assist
General information
BAS PLUS can help you to minimize the risk of
a collision with a vehicle or a pedestrian and
reduce the effects of such a collision. If BAS
PLUS detects a danger of collision, you are
assisted when braking.
iPay attention to the important safety
notes in the "Driving safety systems" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67).
BAS PLUS is only available on vehicles with
the Driving Assistance Plus package.
For BAS PLUS to assist you when driving, the
radar sensor system and the camera system
must be operational.
With the help of a sensor system and a cam-
era system, BAS PLUS can detect obstacles:
Rthat are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time
Rthat cross the path of your vehicle
In addition, pedestrians in the path of your
vehicle can be detected.
BAS PLUS detects pedestrians by using typi-
cal characteristics such as the body contours
and posture of a person standing upright.
If the radar sensor system or the camera sys-
tem is malfunctioning, BAS PLUS functions
are restricted or no longer available. The
brake system is still available with complete
brake boosting effect and BAS.
iObserve the restrictions described in the
"Important safety notes" sec-
tion“ (
Ypage 69).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
BAS PLUS cannot always clearly identify
objects and complex traffic situations.
In such cases, BAS PLUS may:
Rintervene unnecessarily
Rnot intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation.
GWARNING
BAS PLUS cannot always clearly identify peo- ple, this is especially the case if they are mov-
ing. BAS PLUS cannot intervene in these
cases. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
GWARNING
BAS PLUS does not react:
Rto small people, e.g. children
Rto animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rwhen cornering
As a result, BAS PLUS may not intervene in all
critical situations. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
In the event of snowfall or heavy rain, the rec-
ognition can be impaired.
Recognition by the radar sensor system is
also impaired in the event of:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything elsecovering the sensors
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for
example in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle traveling in front on a different line
Rvehicles quickly moving into the radar sen-
sor system detection range
Driving safety systems69
Safety
Z
XKeep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if:
Ryou release the brake pedal.
Rthere is no longer any danger of a collision.
Rno obstacle is detected in front of your
vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
If adaptive Brake Assist demands particularly
high braking force, preventative passenger
protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®) are activa-
ted simultaneously.
Up to a speed of approximately 155 mph
(250 km/h), adaptive Brake Assist is capable
of reacting to moving objects that have
already been detected as such at least once
over the period of observation.
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), adaptive Brake Assist reacts to
stationary obstacles.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67).
ESP
®monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between the tires and
the road surface.
If ESP
®detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilize the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified to
keep the vehicle on the desired course within
physical limits. ESP
®assists the driver when
pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP®
can also stabilize the vehicle during braking.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67). ETS traction control is part of ESP
®. On vehi-
cles with 4MATIC, 4ETS is part of ESP®.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. In addition, more drive torque is trans-
ferred to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP
®.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv-
ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP
®checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Vehicles without 4MATIC: observe the notes
on ESP®(Ypage 356) when towing the vehi-
cle with a raised rear axle.
ESP
®is only deactivated if the åwarning
lamp is lit continuously.
If the ÷ warning lamp lights up continu-
ously, ESP
®is not available due to a malfunc-
tion.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 290) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 252).
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP
®function properly.
Characteristics of ESP®
General information
If the ÷ ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP
®is automatically
active.
If ESP
®intervenes, the ÷ESP®warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
Driving safety systems73
Safety
Z