2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER Owners Manual

Door control panel
Function Page
:
Opens the door 83
;
%&Unlocks/locks
the vehicle
83
=
Adjusts the seats 101
?
r
45=
Stores seat, exterior mirror
and steering column adjust-
ment settings 111
w
Adjusts the front-
passenger seat from the
driver’s seat 103 Function Page
A
o
Opens/closes the boot
lid 88
B
7Zö\
Adjusts and folds the exterior
mirrors in/out electrically 108
C
W
Opens/closes the side
windows 8938
Door control panelAt a glance

Panic alarm
X
To activate: press!button :for
approximately one second.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is primed.
X To deactivate: press the!button :
again.
or
X Insert the key into the ignition lock.
or X Press the KEYLESS-GO Start/Stop button.
The KEYLESS-GO key must be in the vehicle.
The panic alarm function is only available in cer- tain countries. Occupant safety
Introduction to the restraint system
The restraint system can reduce the risk of vehi-
cle occupants coming into contact with parts of
the vehicle's interior in the event of an accident. Furthermore, the restraint system can also
reduce the forces to which vehicle occupants
are subjected during an accident.
The restraint system includes:
R Seat belt system
R Airbags
R Child restraint system
R Child seat securing system The various components of the restraint system
work complementary to one another. They can
only perform their intended protective function
if all vehicle occupants:
R have correctly fastened their seat belt
(Y page 42)
R have correctly adjusted their seat and head
restraint (Y page 101).
As the driver, you must also ensure that the
steering wheel is correctly adjusted. Observe
the information relating to the correct driver's
seat position (Y page 101).
Additionally, you must ensure that an airbag can
deploy freely (Y page 43).
The airbag is supplementary to a correctly fas-
tened seat belt. As an additional safety device,
the airbag increases the level of protection for
vehicle occupants in the event of an accident. If the protection provided by the seat belt is suf-
ficient, the airbags do not deploy. Furthermore,
in the event of an accident, only airbags which
provide greater protection in the given accident situation deploy. However, seat belts and air-
bags generally do not protect against objects
penetrating the vehicle from the outside.
Information on how the restraint system oper-
ates can be found in "Deployment of the seat
belt tensioner and airbags" (Y page 51).
See "Children in the vehicle" for information on
infants and children traveling with you in the
vehicle restraint systems for infants and chil-
dren(Y page 54). Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the restraint system is modified, it may no
longer work as intended. The restraint system
may then not perform its intended protective function by failing in an accident or triggering
unexpectedly, for example. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Never modify parts of the restraint system. Do not attempt to modify the wiring as well as
electronic components or their software.
If it is necessary to modify an airbag system to
accommodate a person with disabilities, con-
tact a qualified specialist workshop for details. Occupant safety
39Safety Z

Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Restraint system warning lamp
The functions of the restraint system are
checked after the ignition is switched on and at
regular intervals while the engine is running.
Therefore, malfunctions can be detected in
good time.
The 6 restraint system warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is switched on. It goes out no later than a few sec-
onds after the vehicle is started. The compo-
nents of the restraint system are in operational
readiness.
A malfunction has occurred if the 6restraint
system warning lamp:
R does not light up after the ignition is switched
on
R does not go out after a few seconds with the
engine running
R lights up again while the engine is running G
WARNING
If the restraint system is malfunctioning,
restraint system components may be trig-
gered unintentionally or may not deploy as
intended during an accident. This may affect
the seat belt tensioner or airbag, for example. This poses an increased risk of injury or even
fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamp PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
:and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp ;are
part of the automatic deactivation system of the front-passenger front airbag.
The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front airbag.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up: the front-
passenger front airbag is enabled. If, in the
event of an accident, all deployment criteria
are met, the front-passenger front airbag is
deployed.
R PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: the front-
passenger front airbag is disabled. It will then
not be deployed in the event of an accident.
Depending on the person in the front-passenger seat, the front-passenger front airbag must
either be disabled or enabled; see the following
points. You must make sure of this both before
and during a journey.
R Children in a rearward-facing child
restraint system: the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp must be lit. The front-
passenger front airbag is disabled. It is imper-
ative to observe the notes on the "Automatic front-passenger front airbag deactivation sys-
tem" (Y page 46) and on "Children in the
vehicle" (Y page 54).
R Children in a forward-facing child
restraint system: depending on the installed
child restraint system and the age and size of the child, the front-passenger front airbag is
either disabled or enabled. Therefore, it is
imperative to observe the notes on the "Auto-
matic front-passenger front airbag deactiva-
tion system" (Y page 46) and on "Children in
the vehicle" (Y page 54).
R All other persons: the PASSENGER AIR BAG
ON indicator lamp must be lit. The front-
passenger front airbag is enabled. Depending on the build of the person on the front-
passenger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp may light up. The front-
passenger front airbag is disabled. It will then
not be deployed in the event of an accident. In
this case, the front-passenger seat should not be used.
It is imperative to observe the notes on the
"Automatic front-passenger front airbag
deactivation system" (Y page 46) as well as
on "Seat belts" (Y page 41) and "Airbags"
(Y page 43). There you can also find infor-
mation on the correct seat position. 40
Occupant safetySafety

Seat belts
Introduction A correctly worn seat belt is the most effective
means of restraining the movement of vehicle
occupants in the event of a collision or if the
vehicle overturns. This reduces the risk of vehi- cle occupants coming into contact with parts of
the vehicle interior or being ejected from it. The
seat belt also helps to keep the vehicle occu-
pants in the best position in relation to the air-
bag being deployed.
The seat belt system consists of:
R seat belts
R belt tensioners and belt force limiters
If the seat belt is pulled quickly or sharply by the
seat belt guide, the inertia reel locks. The belt
strap cannot be pulled out any further.
The belt tensioner tightens the seat belt in the
event of a collision so that it fits tightly across
your body. However, it does not pull the vehicle occupants back in the direction of the seat
backrest.
The belt tensioner does not, however, correct an
incorrect seat position or correct the routing of
a seat belt that is worn incorrectly.
When triggered, seat belt force limiters help to
reduce the peak force exerted by the seat belt
on the vehicle occupant.
The belt force limiters are synchronised with the front airbags, which take on a part of the decel-
eration force. This can reduce the forces to
which the vehicle occupants are subjected dur- ing an accident.
! If the co-driver's seat is not occupied, do not
engage the seat belt tongue in the buckle on
the co-driver's seat. Otherwise, the belt ten-
sioner could be triggered in the event of an
accident and would have to be replaced.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the seat belt is worn incorrectly, it cannot
perform its intended protective function. Fur- thermore, an incorrectly worn seat belt can
cause additional injuries, e.g. in the event of
an accident, heavy braking or sudden
changes of direction. There is an increased
risk of injury, possibly even fatal. Always ensure that all vehicle occupants have
their seat belts fastened correctly and are sit- ting properly. G
WARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident, you could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seatbelt is routed
across the centre of your shoulder. G
WARNING
Persons under 1.50 mtall cannot wear the
seat belts correctly without an additional suit- able restraint system. If the seat belt is worn
incorrectly, it cannot perform its intended
protective function. Furthermore, an incor-
rectly worn seat belt can cause additional
injuries, e.g. in the event of an accident, heavy braking or sudden changes of direction. There
is an increased risk of injury, possibly even
fatal.
Always secure persons less than 1.50 mtall in
additional suitable restraint systems.
If a child younger than twelve years old and
under 1.50 m in height is travelling in the vehi-
cle:
R always secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for this Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cle. The child restraint system must be appro-
priate to the age, weight and size of the child.
R always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system"
(Y page 46)
R always observe the instructions and safety
notes on "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 54) in addition to the child restraint Occupant safety
41Safety Z

system manufacturer's installation and oper-
ating instructions.
G
WARNING
Seat belts cannot protect as intended, if:
R they are damaged, have been modified, are
extremely dirty, bleached or dyed
R the seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty
R modifications have been made to the belt
tensioners, belt anchorages or inertia reels
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage in an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters. Modi-
fied or damaged seat belts can tear or fail, for example in the event of an accident. Modified
seat belt tensioners may be deployed unin-
tentionally or not function as intended. There is an increased risk of injury, possibly even
fatal.
Never modify seat belts, seat belt tensioners,
seat belt anchorages and inertia reels. Ensure that seat belts are not damaged or worn and
are clean. After an accident, have the seat
belts checked immediately at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use
seat belts which have been approved specifi-
cally for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. Other- wise, your vehicle's general operating permit
could be invalidated.
Correct seat belt use Pay attention to the safety notes about the seat
belt (Y page 41).
All vehicle occupants must fasten their seat
belts correctly before you start driving. You
must also make sure that all vehicle occupants
have fastened their seat belts correctly during
the journey.
When fastening your seat belt, always make
sure that:
R the seat belt tongue is inserted into the belt
buckle that belongs to the seat.
R the seat belt is tightened across your body.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R the seat belt is not twisted. Only then can the forces which occur be dis-
tributed over the area of the belt.
R the shoulder section of the belt is always
routed across the centre of your shoulder.
The shoulder section of the belt must not
come into contact with your neck or be routed under your arm.
R The lap belt must be taut and as low as pos-
sible over your lap.
The lap belt must always be routed across
your hip joints and not across your abdomen.
Pregnant women must take particular care
with this. If necessary, push the lap belt down
to your hip joint and pull it tight using the
shoulder section of the belt.
R The seat belt is not routed over sharp, pointed
or fragile objects.
If such objects are located on or in your cloth- ing, e.g. pens, keys, spectacles, etc. stow
these in a suitable location.
R Only one person should use each seat belt at
any one time.
Babies and children must never travel sitting
on the lap of another vehicle occupant. In the
event of an accident, they could be crushed
between the vehicle occupant and seat belt.
R Do not secure any objects with a seat belt if
the seat belt is being used by one of the vehi-
cle's occupants.
You must also make sure that objects, e.g.
cushions, are never placed between a person and the seat.
Seat belts are solely intended to secure and
restrain persons. To secure objects, luggage or
loads, always observe the information under
"Stowage options/compartments"
(Y page 262).
Fastening seat belts Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y
page 41) and the information on the correct
use of the seat belt (Y page 42).42
Occupant safetySafety

Basic illustration
X Adjust the seat (Y page 101).
The seat backrest must be in an almost ver-
tical position.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly out of seat belt
guide =and engage belt tongue ;into belt
buckle :.
The seat belt on the driver's seat and the
front-passenger seat may be tightened auto-
matically; see "Belt adjustment"
(Y page 43).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
Releasing the seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled up.
Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue will be
trapped in the door or in the seat mechanism. This could damage the door, the door trim
panel and the seat belt. Damaged seat belts
can no longer fulfil their protective function
and must be replaced. Visit a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
X Press release button in belt buckle, hold belt
tongue firmly and guide the seat belt back.
Seat belt adjustment The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. This func-
tion adjusts the driver's and front-passenger
seat belt to the upper body of the occupants. The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
R the seat belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle and
R the ignition is switched on
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a certain
tightening force if any slack is detected between
the vehicle occupant and the seat belt. Do not
hold on to the seat belt tightly while it is adjust-
ing.
You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on and
off in the on-board computer (Y page 212).
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger The
7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster reminds you that all vehicle occu-
pants must fasten their seat belts. It may light up continuously or flash. A warning tone may also
sound.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone stops as soon as the driver's
and the co-driver's seat belts have been fas-
tened. Airbags
Introduction The airbag installation location is identified by
the label AIRBAG.
An airbag supplements a correctly fastened seat
belt. It is not a substitute for seat belts. The air- bag provides additional protection in the corre-
sponding accident situations.
Not all airbags are deployed in an accident. The
various airbag systems work independently of
one another (Y page 51).
However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
Due to the required speed of the airbag after
deployment, it is also not possible to entirely
rule out the risk of injuries caused by the airbag.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you deviate from the correct seat position,
the airbag cannot perform its intended pro-
tective function and can even cause addi- Occupant safety
43Safety
Z

tional injuries when deployed. There is an
increased risk of serious or even fatal injuries.
In order to avoid such risks, always ensure
that all vehicle occupants:
R fasten their seatbelts correctly, including
pregnant women
R are seated correctly and maintain the fur-
thest possible distance from the airbags
R observe the following notes
Always ensure that there are no objects loca-
ted between the airbag and the vehicle occu-
pant.
R Adjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the seat is in an almost upright position. The centre of
the head restraint must support the head at
about eye level.
R Move the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible. The driver's seat posi- tion must allow the vehicle to be driven safely.
R Only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the airbag to be fully deployed.
R Always lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forwards or lean against the
door or side window. You may otherwise be in
the deployment area of the airbags.
R Always keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not put your feet on the dash-
board, for example. Your feet may otherwise
be in the deployment area of the airbag.
R Always secure persons less than 1.50 mtall in
suitable restraint systems. Up to this height,
the seat belt cannot be worn correctly.
If a child is travelling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
R Always secure children under twelve years of
age and less than 1.50 mtall in suitable child
restraint systems.
R Only secure a child to the front-passenger
seat when the front-passenger front airbag is disabled, and only then in a rearward-facing
child restraint system. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is permanently lit, the
front-passenger front airbag is disabled
(Y page 40).
R Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Automatic front-passenger
front airbag deactivation system"
(Y page 46) and on "Children in the vehicle" (Y
page 54) in addition to the manufactur-
er's operating and installation instructions for the child restraint system.
Objects in the vehicle interior may prevent
the airbag from functioning correctly. Before
starting your journey and to avoid risks resulting from the speed of the airbag as it deploys, make
sure that:
R there are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an airbag.
R there are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar.
R no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, are hang-
ing on the grab handles or coat hooks.
R no accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an airbag, e.g. to doors or side win-
dows.
R no heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects are in
the pockets of your clothing. Store such
objects in a suitable place. G
WARNING
If you modify an airbag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the airbag can no longer function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an airbag cover or affix objects
to it. G
WARNING
Sensors to control the airbags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ling, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the function of the sensors being impaired. The
airbags might therefore not function properly any more. Consequently, the airbags cannot
protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. This poses an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
elling carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop. 44
Occupant safetySafety

Front airbags
!
Do not place heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. This could cause the system
to identify the seat as being occupied. In the
event of an accident, the restraint systems on the front-passenger side may be triggered
and have to be replaced. Driver's airbag
:deploys in front of the steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger front airbag ;
deploys in front of and above the glove com-
partment.
When deployed, the front airbags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the occu-
pants in the driver's and front-passenger seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON indicator lamps inform you about
the status of the front-passenger front airbag
(Y page 40).
The front-passenger front airbag will only deploy if:
R the automatic front-passenger front airbag
deactivation system has detected that the
front-passenger seat is occupied
(Y page 46). The PASSENGER AIR BAG ON
indicator lamp is lit (Y page 46)
R the restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity
Sidebags G
WARNING
Unsuitable seat covers may obstruct or even
prevent deployment of the airbags integrated into the seats. The airbags may then fail to
protect the vehicle occupants as intended.
Operation of the automatic co-driver's front
airbag deactivation system may also be impaired. There is an increased risk of injury,
possibly even fatal.
Use only seat covers which have been specif-
ically approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz. Sidebags
:deploy next to the outer bolster of
the seat backrest.
When deployed, the sidebag offers additional
thorax protection. However, it does not protect
the:
R head
R neck
R arms
In the event of a side impact, the sidebag is
deployed on the side on which the impact
occurs.
The sidebag on the front-passenger side deploys under the following conditions:
R the automatic front-passenger airbag deacti-
vation system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
R the belt tongue is engaged in the belt buckle
of the front-passenger seat
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt buckle,
the sidebag on the front-passenger side deploys if an appropriate accident situation occurs. In
this case, deployment is independent of
whether the front-passenger seat is occupied or not. Occupant safety
45Safety Z