Operating safety
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you do not have the prescribed service/
maintenance work or any required repairs
carried out, this can result in malfunctions or system failures. There is a risk of an accident.
Always have the prescribed service/mainte-
nance work as well as any required repairs
carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.
GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system. There is a risk of fire.
When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
GWARNING
Modifications to electronic components, their software as well as wiring can impair their
function and/or the function of other net-
worked components. In particular, systems
relevant to safety could also be affected. As a
result, these may no longer function as inten-
ded and/or jeopardize the operating safety of
the vehicle. There is an increased risk of an
accident and injury.
Never tamper with the wiring as well as elec-
tronic components or their software. You
should have all work to electrical and elec-
tronic equipment carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
!There is a risk of damage to the vehicle if:
Rthe vehicle becomes stuck, e.g. on a high
curb or an unpaved road
Ryou drive too fast over an obstacle, e.g. a
curb, speed bumps or a pothole in the road
Ra heavy object strikes the underbody or
parts of the chassis
In situations like this, the body, the under-
body, chassis parts, wheels or tires could be
damaged without the damage being visible.
Components damaged in this way can unex-
pectedly fail or, in the case of an accident, no longer withstand the strain they are designed
to.
If the underbody paneling is damaged, com-
bustible materials such as leaves, grass or
twigs can gather between the underbody and
the underbody paneling. If these materials
come in contact with hot parts of the exhaustsystem, they can catch fire.
In such situations, have the vehicle checked
and repaired immediately at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. If on continuing your jour-
ney you notice that driving safety is impaired,
pull over and stop the vehicle immediately,
paying attention to road and traffic condi-
tions. In such cases, consult a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Declarations of conformity
USA: "The wireless devices of this vehicle com-
ply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the two following two conditions: 1)
These devices may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and 2) These devices must accept any
interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation. Changes
or modifications not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the
user’s authority to operate the equipment."
Canada: "The wireless devices of this vehicle
comply with Industry Canada license-exempt
RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions: (1) These devices may
not cause interference, and (2) These devices
must accept any interference, including inter-
ference that may cause undesired operation of
the device."
26Operating safety
Introduction
The following text is reproduced as required of
all manufacturers under Title 49, Code of U.S.
Federal Regulations, Part 575 pursuant to the
National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of
1966.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury
or death, you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety
defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order
a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA
cannot become involved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or Mercedes-Benz
USA, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go tohttp://
www.safercar.gov; or write to: Administrator,
NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,
DC 20590.
You can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from
http://www.safercar.gov
Limited Warranty
!
Follow the instructions in this manual about
the proper operation of your vehicle as well as
about possible vehicle damage. Damage to
your vehicle that arises from culpable contra-
ventions against these instructions is not cov-
ered either by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty or by the New or Used-Vehicle War-
ranty.
QR codes for the rescue card
The QR codes are secured in the fuel filler flap
and on the opposite side on the B-pillar. In the
event of an accident, rescue services can use
the QR code to quickly find the appropriate res-
cue card for your vehicle. The current rescue
card contains the most important information
about your vehicle in a compact form, e.g. the
routing of the electric cables.
You can find more information under
www.mercedes-benz.de/qr-code.
Data stored in the vehicle
Data storage
A wide range of electronic components in your
vehicle contain data memories.
These data memories temporarily or perma-
nently store technical information about:
Rthe vehicle's operating state
Rincidents
Rmalfunctions
In general, this technical information docu-
ments the state of a component, a module, a
system or the surroundings.
These include, for example:
Roperating conditions of system components,
e.g. fluid levels
Rthe vehicle's status messages and those of its
individual components, e.g. number of wheel
revolutions/speed, deceleration in move-
ment, lateral acceleration, accelerator pedal
position
Rmalfunctions and defects in important system
components, e.g. lights, brakes
Rvehicle reactions and operating conditions in
special driving situations, e.g. air bag deploy-
ment, intervention of stability control sys-
tems
Rambient conditions, e.g. outside temperature
This data is of an exclusively technical nature
and can be used to:
Rassist in recognizing and rectifying malfunc-
tions and defects
Ranalyze vehicle functions, e.g. after an acci-
dent
Roptimize vehicle functions
The data cannot be used to trace the vehicle's
movements.
When your vehicle is serviced, technical infor-
mation can be read from the event data memory
and malfunction data memory.
Services include, for example:
Rrepair services
Rservice processes
Rwarranties
Rquality assurance
The vehicle is read out by employees of the ser-
vice network (including the manufacturer) using special diagnostic testers. More detailed infor-
mation is obtained from it, if required.
28Data stored in the vehicle
Introduction
After a malfunction has been rectified, the infor-
mation is deleted from the malfunction memory
or is continually overwritten.
When operating the vehicle, situations are con-
ceivable in which this technical data, in connec-
tion with other information (if necessary, under
consultation with an authorized expert), could
be traced to a person.
Examples include:
Raccident reports
Rdamage to the vehicle
Rwitness statements
Further additional functions that have been con- tractually agreed upon with the customer allow
certain vehicle data to be conveyed by the vehi-
cle as well. The additional functions include, for
example, vehicle location in case of an emer-
gency.
COMAND/mbrace
If the vehicle is equipped with COMAND or
mbrace, additional data about the vehicle's
operation, the use of the vehicle in certain sit-
uations, and the location of the vehicle may be
compiled through COMAND or the mbrace sys-
tem.
For additional information please refer to the
COMAND User Manual or the Digital Operator's
Manual and/or the mbrace Terms and Condi-
tions.
Event data recorders
This vehicle is equipped with an event data
recorder (EDR). This vehicle is equipped with an
event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of
an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near
crash-like situations, such as an air bag deploy-
ment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a vehicle's systems
performed. The EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds
or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record
such data as:
RHow various systems in your vehicle were
operating
RWhether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened
RHow far (if at all) the driver was depressing theaccelerator and/or brake pedal and
RHow fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better under-
standing of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded
by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situa-
tion occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR
under normal driving conditions and no personal
data (e.g. name, gender, age and crash location)
are recorde d. Ho
wever, other parties, such as
law enforcement could combine the EDR data
with the type of personally identifying data rou-
tinely acquired during a crash investigation.
Access to the vehicle and/or the EDR is needed
to read data that is recorded by an EDR, and
special equipment is required. In addition to the
vehicle manufacturer, other parties that have
the special equipment, such as law enforce-
ment, can read the information by accessing the
vehicle or the EDR.
EDR data may be used in civil and criminal mat- ters as a tool in accident reconstruction, acci-
dent claims and vehicle safety. Since the Crash
Data Retrieval CDR tool that is used to extract
data from the EDR is commercially available,
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC ("MBUSA") expressly
disclaims any and all liability arising from the
extraction of this information by unauthorized
Mercedes-Benz personnel.
MBUSA will not share EDR data with others
without the consent of the vehicle owners or, if
the vehicle is leased, without the consent of the
lessee. Exceptions to this representation
include responses to subpoenas by law enforce- ment; by federal, state or local government; in
connection with or arising out of litigation involv-
ing MBUSA or its subsid
iaries and affiliates; or,
as required by law.
Warning: The EDR is a component of the
Restraint System Module. Tampering with, alter-
ing, modifying or removing the EDR component
may result in a malfunction of the Restraint Sys-
tem Module and other systems.
State laws or regulations regarding EDRs that
conflict with federal regulation are pre-empted.
This means that in the event of such conflict, the
federal regulation governs. As of February 2013, 13 states have enacted laws relating to EDRs.
Data stored in the vehicle29
Introduction
Z
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.
Front side impact air bags:and rear side
impact air bags ;deploy next to the outer bol-
ster of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers
additional thorax protection. It also offers addi-
tional pelvis protection for occupants in the
front seats. However, it does not protect the:
Rhead
Rneck
Rarms
In the event of a side impact, the side impact air
bag is deployed on the side on which the impact
occurs.
The side impact air bag on the front-passenger
side deploys under the following conditions:
Rthe OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
Rthe seat belt buckle tongue is engaged in the belt buckle of the front-passenger seat
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt buckle,
the side impact air bag 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.
Window curtain air bags
Window curtain air bags :are integrated into
the side of the roof frame and deployed in the
area from the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
When deployed, the window curtain air bag
enhances the level of protection for the head.
However, it does not protect the chest or arms.
In the event of a side impact, the window curtain
air bag is deployed on the side on which the
impact occurs.
If the system determines that they can offer
additional protection to that provided by the
seat belt, a window curtain air bag may be
deployed in other accident situations
(
Ypage 51).
Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
Introduction
The Occupant Classification System (OCS) cat-
egorizes the person in the front-passenger seat.
Depending on that result, the front-passenger
front air bag and front-passenger knee bag are
either enabled or deactivated.
The system does not deactivate:
Rthe side impact air bag
Rthe window curtain air bag
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices
46Occupant safety
Safety
Requirements
To be classified correctly, the front passenger
must sit:
Rwith the seat belt fastened correctly
Rin an almost upright position with their back
against the seat backrest
Rwith their feet resting on the floor, if possible
If the front passenger does not observe these
conditions, OCS may produce a false classifica-
tion, e.g. because the front passenger:
Rtransfers their weight by supporting them-
selves on a vehicle armrest
Rsits in such a way that their weight is raised
from the seat cushion
If it is absolutely necessary to install a child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat, be
sure to observe the correct positioning of the
child restraint system. Never place objects
under or behind the child restraint system, e.g. a
cushion. The entire base of the child restraint
system must always rest 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.
The child restraint system 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.
Only then can OCS be guaranteed to function
correctly. Always observe the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's instal
lation and operating
instructions.
Operation of Occupant Classification
System (OCS)
:PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
;PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp The indicator lamps inform you whether the
front-passenger front air bag is deactivated or
enabled.
XPress the Start/Stop button once or twice, or
turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
The system carries out self-diagnostics.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON indicator lamps must light up simul-
taneously for approximately six seconds.
The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front air bag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for 60 sec-
onds, subsequently both indicator lamps are
off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and OFF): the
front-passenger front air bag is able to deploy
in the event of an accident.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated. It will
then not be deployed in the event of an acci-
dent.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp is
off, only the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp shows the status of the front-passenger
front air bag. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp may be lit continuously or be off.
If the status of the front-passenger front air bag
changes while the vehicle is in motion, an air bag
display message appears in the instrument clus-
ter (
Ypage 197). When the front-passenger
seat is occupied, always pay attention to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF i
ndicator lamp. Be
aware of the status of the front-passenger front air bag both before and during the journey.
GWARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front-passenger front air bag is
disabled. It will not be deployed in the event of
an accident and cannot perform its intended
protective function. A person in the front-
passenger seat could then, for example, come
into contact with the vehicle's interior, espe-
cially if the person is sitting too close to the
dashboard. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensure that:
Rthe classification of the person in the front- passenger seat is correct and the front-
Occupant safety47
Safety
Z
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 per-
son of a stature corre-
sponding to that of an
adult.The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is incor-
rect.
XMake sure the conditions for a correct classification of the person
on the front-passenger seat are met (Ypage 47).
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 possible
against the backrest of the front-passenger seat. If necessary,
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 accord-
ingly.
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 not install a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat. It is recom-
mended 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.
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 a risk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deployed air bag replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
GWARNING
A deployed air bag no longer offers any pro-
tection and cannot provide the intended pro-
tection in an accident. There is an increased
risk of injury.
Have the vehicle towed to a qualified special-
ist workshop in order to have a deployed air
bag replaced.
It is important for your safety and that of your
passenger to have deployed air bags replaced
Occupant safety51
Safety
Z
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a deci-
sive role in the deployment of an air bag. Nor do
they provide an indication of air bag deploy-
ment.
The vehicle can be deformed considerably, with-
out an air bag being deployed. This is the case if only parts which are relatively easily deformed
are affected and the rate of deceleration is not
high. Conversely, air bags 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 rolls over, the applicable
components of the restraint system are activa-
ted independently of each other depending on
the apparent type of accident.
RSide impact air bags on the side where the
impact takes place, independently of the
Emergency Tensioning Device and the use of
the seat belt on the driver's seat and outer
seats in the second row
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys under the following
conditions:
-the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
-the seat belt buckle tongue is engaged in
the belt buckle of the front-passenger seat
RWindow curtain air bag on the side of impact, independ ently of the u se of the seat belt and
independently of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied
REmergency Tensioning Devices, if the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection in this situation
RWindow curtain air bags on the driver's and
front-passenger side in certain situations
when the vehicle rolls over, if the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection to that provided by the seat
belt
iNot all air bags are deployed in an accident.
The different air bag systems work independ- ently of each other. How the air bag system works is determined
by the severity of the accident detected,
especially the vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration and the apparent type of accident:
RFrontal collision
RSide impact
RRollover
Automatic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, the following
measures are implemented, depending on the
type and severity of the impact:
Rthe hazard warning lamps are activated
Rthe emergency lighting is activated
Rthe vehicle doors are unlocked
Rthe front side windows are lowered
Rthe engine is switched off and the fuel supply
is cut off
Rvehicles with mbrace: automatic emergency
call
Children in the vehicle
Important safety 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. Children are generally better protected there.
If a child younger than twelve years old and
under 5 ft (1.50 m) in height istraveling in the
vehicle:
Ralways secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The child restraint system must be appropri-
ate to the age, weight and size of the child
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and safety
notes in this section in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
instructions
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and safety notes on the "Occupant classification system
(OCS)" (
Ypage 46)
Children in the vehicle53
Safety
Z
Drivingsafet ysystems
Overview of drivin gsafet ysystems
In this section ,you will fin dinformation about
th efollowin gdrivin gsafet ysystems :
RABS (Anti-loc kBrakin gSystem)
(Ypage 60)
RBA S (B rakeAssist System) (Ypage 60)
RActive Brak eAssis t (Ypage 61 )
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Ypage 63)
REB D (Electroni cBrak eforc eDistribution )
(Ypage 66 )
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 66 )
RSTEERCONTROL (Ypage 66)
Important safet ynotes
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle or if you are
inattentive ,th edrivin gsafet ysystems can nei-
ther reduce th eris kof an acciden tno roverride
th elaws of physics. Driving safet ysystems are
merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible fo rmaintainin gth edistanc eto th e
vehicle in front, fo rvehicle speed, fo rbraking in
goo dtime, and fo rstayin gin lane. Always adapt
your drivin gstyle to suit th eprevailin groad and
weather condition sand maintain asaf edistanc e
from th evehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The drivin gsafet ysystems described only wor k
as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quat econtact between th etires and th eroad
surface. Please pay special attention to th e
note son tires ,recommended minimum tire
tread depths, etc. (
Ypage 282).
In wintr ydrivin gconditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )and if necessary, snow chains.
Only in this way will the driving safety systems
described in this section work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way that
the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allows you to continue steering the vehicle when
braking. The
! ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out when the engine is running.
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you
only brake gently.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 60).
GWARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 218) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 189).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit-
uation is over.
XTo make a full brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions, and functions as a reminder to take extra care while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
60Driving safety systems
Safety