2017 MERCEDES-BENZ E43AMG AIR

Restra int sy stem functionality
When the ignition is switched on, a sy stem self-
te st is per form ed, during which the6
re stra int sy stem warning lamp lights up. It goes
out no later than a few seconds af terth eve hicle
is star ted. The components of there stra int sys‐
te m are then functional.
Re stra int sy stem malfunction
RThe 6 restra int sy stem warning lamp
does not light up when the ignition is
switched on.
RThe 6 restra int sy stem warning lamp
lights up continuously or repeatedly during a
journe y.
&
WARNING Risk of injury orfata l injury
due toa malfunction in there stra int sys‐
te m
If th ere stra int sy stem is malfunctioning,
re stra int sy stem components may be trig‐
ge red unintentionally or might not be trig‐
ge red at all in theev ent of an accident. This
may af fect the Emer gency Tensioning Device
or airbag, forex ample.
#Ha ve there stra int sy stem checked and
re paired immediately at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop.
Fu nction of there stra int sy stem in an acci‐
dent
How there stra int sy stem works is de term ined by
th e se verity of the impact de tected and the type
of accident anticipated:
RFr ontal impact
RRe ar impact
RSide impact
RRo llover
The activation thre sholds forth e components of
th ere stra int sy stem are de term ined based on
th eev aluation of the sensor values measured at
va rious points in theve hicle. This process is pre-
em ptive in nature. The triggering/deployment of
th e components of there stra int sy stem must
ta ke place right at thest art of the collision. Fa
ctors whi chcan only be seen and measure d
af te r a collision has occur red cann otconstitute
a re ason for an air bag deploy ment. Neither do
th ey prov ide an indication of air bag deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly with‐
out an air bag being deplo yed. This is the case if
only parts which are relatively easily deformed
are af fected and thera te ofvehicle deceleration
is not high. Con versely, an air bag may ha ve
been deplo yedev en though theve hicle only suf‐
fe re d minor deformation. If very rigid vehicle
parts such as longitudinal members are hit, for
ex ample, this may result in suf ficiently high lev‐
els of vehicle deceleration.
Occupant saf ety 31

The components of there stra int sy stem can
be activated or deplo yed independently of
each other:
Component De tected deploy‐
ment situation
Emer gency Tension‐
ing Devices Fr
ontal impact, rear
impact, side impact,
ro llo ver
Driver's air bag, front
passenger air bag Fr
ontal impact
Knee air bag Frontal impact
Side air bag Side impact
Wi ndow air ba gS ide impact,rollo ver,
frontal impact
Belt air bag Frontal impact
PRE-SAFE®Impulse
Side Side impact
The front passenger air bag can only be
deplo
yed in an accident if thePA SSENGER AIR BA
G OFF indicator lamp is extinguished. If the
front passenger seat is occupied, make sure,
bo th before and during the journe y,that thest a‐
tus of the front passenger air bag is cor rect
(
→page 41).
&
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot air bag
components
The air bag parts are hot af ter an air bag has
been deploy ed.
#Do nottouch the air bag parts.
#Ha ve a deplo yed air bag replaced at a
qu alified specialist workshop as soon
as possible.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you ha vethe
ve hicle towe dto aqu alified specialist workshop
af te r an accident. This applies especial lyif an
Emer gency Tensioning Device or an air bag was
trig gered. If
th e Emer gency Tensioning Devices are trig‐
ge red or an air bag is deplo yed, youwill hear a
bang, and a small amount of po wdermay also be
re leased:
RThe bang will not generally af fect your hear‐
ing.
RIn general, the powder released is not haz‐
ardous tohealth but may cause short-term
breathing dif ficulties topersons suf fering
from as thma or other pulmonary conditions.
Pr ov ided it is safe todo so, lea vetheve hicle
immediately or open the window in order to
pr eve nt brea thing dif ficulties.
Air bags and pyrotech nic Emergency Tensioning
Devices contain pe rchlorate material, which may
re qu ire special handling or environmental pro‐
te ction measure s.Na tional guidelines rega rding
wa ste disposal must be obser ved. In California,
see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWas te/
Pe rchlorate/index.cfm.
32
Occupant saf ety

#Adjust the seat proper lybefore begin‐
ning your journe y.
#Always ensure that the seat backrest is
in an almost vertical position and that
th e shoulder section of your seat belt is
ro uted across the center of your shoul‐
der.
& WARNING Risk of injury or death when
additional restra int sy stems are not used
fo r persons with a smaller build
Pe rsons under 5 ft(1.50 m ) tall cannot wear
th e seat belt cor rectly wi thout a suitable
additional restra int sy stem.
If th e seat belt is not worncor rectly, it can‐
not per form its intended pr otective function.
In addition, an incor rectly fastened seat belt
can also cause injuries, forex ample, in the
ev ent of an accident or when braking or
ch anging direction suddenly .
#Always secure persons under 5 ft
(1.50 m) tall in a suitable restra int sys‐
te m.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
bloc ked seat belt buckle or seat belt
anchorage
Objects next tothe front seat that block the
seat belt buckle or the moving seat belt
anchorage on the front seat impair the func‐
tion of the Emer gency Tensioning Devices.
The Emergency Tensioning Devices can,
th en, not function as intended and the seat
belt can no longer pr ovide the intended pro‐
te ction.
#Before starting the journe y,make sure
th at there are no objects around the
seat belt buckle or between the front
seat and door.
& WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
damaged or modified seat belts
Seat belts cann otprov ide pr otection in the
fo llowing situations:
RIf th e seat belts are damaged, modified,
ex treme lydirty, bleached or dyed
RIfth e seat belt buckle is damaged or
ex treme lydirty
RIfth e Emer gency Tensioning Devices,
seat belt anchorages or seat belt retrac‐
to rs have been modified
Seat belts may be damaged in an accident,
although the damage may not be visible, e.g.
due tosplinters of glass.
Modified or damaged seat belts may tear or
fa il, e.g. in an accident.
Modified Emer gency Tensioning Devices can
accidental lytrig ger or failto function as
intended.
#Ne ver modify the seat belts, Emer gency
Te nsioning Devices, seat belt ancho‐
ra ge s or seat belt retractors.
#Make surethat the seat belts are
undamaged, not wornand clean.
#Alw ays ha vethe seat belts checked
immediately af ter an accident at a
qu alified specialist workshop.
34
Occupant saf ety

Only use seat beltsthat ha vebeen appr ovedfo r
yo ur vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death from
deplo yedpy rotech nic Emergency Ten‐
sioning Devices
Pyro tech nic Emergency Tensioning Devices
th at ha vebeen deplo yed are no longer opera‐
tional and are unable toper form their inten‐
ded pr otective function.
#Therefore, ha vedeplo yedpy rotech nic
Emergency Tensioning Devices immedi‐
ately replaced at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you ha vethe
ve hicle towe dto aqu alified specialist workshop
af te r an accident.
* NO
TEDama gecaused bytrapping the
seat belt
If an unused seat belt is not fully retracted, it
may become trapped in the door or in the
seat mechanism.
#Alw ays ensure that an unused seat belt
is fully retracted.
In fo rm ation on the belt air bag in there ar
seat belt
The designation BELTB AGindicates that a rear
seat belt is equipped with a belt air bag.
When activated, the belt air bag increases the
area pr otected around theve hicle occupant's
ri bcage.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death
th ro ugh the use of a non-appr ovedch ild
re stra int sy stem
In an accident, the beltbag may damage a
non-appr oved or non-authorized child
re stra int sy stem.
As a result, thech ild restra int sy stem may
not be able toprov ide the intended le vel of
pr otection.
#Therefore, alw ays use LATC H or ISOFIX
to fast en a child seat equipped with an
integ ratedre stra int sy stem.
#Fo rve hicles equipped with the optional
re ar seat-belt air bags ("beltbag"), only
use a Mercedes-Benz appr oved boos ter
seat with integrated backrest.
#Ne ver use an air bag equipped seat belt
to fast en a front or rear-facing child
seat or a non-appr oved boos ter seat.
#Please contact an au thorized Mercedes-
Benz Center for information on
app rove dch ild restra int sy stems.
Fa stening and adju sting the seat belts
Ifth e seat belt is pulled quickly or sharpl y,the
seat belt retractor lo cks. The seat belt stra p can‐
not be pulled out any fur ther.
Occupant saf ety 35

During a journey,th e seat belt warning lights up
if:
RThe vehicle speed exceeds 15mp h
(25 km/h) and the driver's or front
passenger seat belt is not fastened.
RThe driver or front passenger unfas tens their
seat belt while theve hicle is in motion.
Airbags
Overview of air bags
1Knee air bag
2Driver's air bag
3Front-passenger air bag
4Wi ndow air bag
5Side air bag
The ins tallation location of an air bag is identi‐
fi ed bythe AIRB AGsymbol.
When activated, an air bag can pr ovide addi‐
tional pr otection for the respective vehicle
occupant.
AIRB AG Potential pr otection for
…
Knee air bag Thigh, knee and lo wer leg
Driver's air bag,
front passenger
air bag Head and
ribcage
Wi ndow air ba gHead
Side air bag Ribcage, also pelvis for
front seat occupants
The front passenger air bag can be deploy ed in
an accident only if thePA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is off. If the front passenger seat is occupied, make sure, bo
thbefore and during
th e journe y,that thest atus of the front
passenger air bag is cor rect (
→page 41).
* NO
TEImpo rtant points toremember if
th e front passenger seat is unoccupied
In an accident, the components of the
re stra int sy stem may deploy unnecessarily
on the front passenger side if:
RThere are heavy objects on the front
passenger seat.
RThe seat belt tongue is engaged in the
seat belt buckle of the front passenger
seat and the front passenger seat is
unoccupied.
#St ow objects in a suitable place.
#Only one person should use each seat
belt at any one time.
Occupant saf ety 37

Protection po tential of air bags
Depending on the accident situation, an air bag
is able toinc rease the pr otection of fere dby a
cor rectly fastened seat belt.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
incor rect seat position
If yo ude viate from the cor rect seat position,
th e air bag cannot perform its intended pro‐
te ctive function and deployment may even
cause fur ther injuries.
To avo id hazardous situations, alw ays make
sure that all vehicle occupants:
RHa ve their seat belt fastened cor rectly,
including pregnant women.
RAre seated properly and that dis tance to
th e air bags is as large as possible.
RObser vethefo llowing information.
#Alw ays make sure that there are no
objects between the air bag and the
ve hicle occupant.
To avo idrisks resulting from the deployment of
th e air bag:
RBefore starting your journe y,adjust your seat
co rrectly ;th e driver's seat and front
passenger seat should be mo ved as far back
as possible.
When doing so, alw ays obser vethe informa‐
tion on the cor rect driver's seat position
(
→page 81).
ROnly hold thesteering wheel bythesteering
wheel rim. This all owsthe air bag tobe
deplo yed without restriction.
RAlw ays lean against the seat backrest when
th eve hicle is in motion. Do not lean forw ards
or against the door or side windo w.Other‐
wise youwill be in the deployment area of
th e air bags.
RAlw ayske ep your feet on thefloor. Do not
put your feet on the cockpit, forex ample.
Otherwise, your feet will be in the deploy‐
ment area of the air bag.
RIfch ildren are tra veling in theve hicle,
obser vethe additional no tes (→page 45).
RAlw aysstow and secure objects cor rectly. Objects in
theve hicle interior may restrict cor‐
re ct functioning of an air bag. There fore alw ays
ensure that:
RThere are no other persons, animals or
objects between theve hicle occupants and
an air bag.
RThere are no objects between the seat, door
and door pillar (B-pillar).
RThere are no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers,
han
ging on the grab handles or coat hooks.
RDo not fix any accessory parts, such as cup
holders, inside the deployment area of an air
bag, e.g. on doors, side windo wsor side pan‐
eling.
RThere are no heavy, sharp-edged or fragile
objects in the poc kets of your clo thing. Store
such objects in a suitable place.
38 Occupant saf ety

Reduced air bag pr otection
&
WARNING Risk of injury from modifica‐
tions tothe airbag co ver
If yo u modify an airbag co ver or af fix objects
such assticke rs to it,the airbag can no lon‐
ge r function cor rectl y.
#Ne ver modify an airbag co ver and do
not af fix objects toit.
The ins tallation location of an air bag can be
identified bythe designation AIRB AG
(
→page 37).
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
th e use of unsuitable seat co vers
Uns uitable seat co vers can obstruct or pre‐
ve nt the deployment of air bags integrated
into the seats.
Consequentl y,the air bags cannot protect
ve hicle occupants as they are designed to
do. In addition, operation of the automatic
front passenger air bag shutoff may be
re stricted.
#Yo u should only use seat covers that
ha ve been appr oved forth e cor respond‐
ing seats byMercedes-Benz.
&
WARNING Risk of injury duetomalfunc‐
tions of the sensors in the door paneling
Sensors tocontrol the airbags are located in
th e doors. Modifications or worknot per‐
fo rm ed cor rectly tothe doors or door panel‐
ing, as well as damaged doors, can lead to
th e function of the sensors being impaired.
The airbags might therefore not function
proper lyany more.
Consequent ly,th e airbags cannot protect
ve hicle occupants as they are designed to
do.
#Ne ver modify the doors or parts of the
doors.
#Alw ays ha vewo rkon the doors or door
paneling car ried out at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop.
&
WARNING Risk of injury duetodeplo yed
airbag
A deplo yed airbag no longer has a pr otective
function and cann otprotect as intended in
th eev ent of an accident.
#Ha ve theve hicle towe dto aqu alified
specialist workshop in order tohave the
deplo yed airbag replaced.
Ha ve deplo yed air bags replaced immediately.
St atus of the front passenger airbag
Po ints toremember when the front
passen ger seat is occupied
The au tomatic front passenger air bag shutoff is
able todetect whe ther the front passenger seat
is occupied bya person or a child restra int sys‐
te m. The front passenger air bag is enabled or
disabled accordingly.
When ins talling a child restra int sy stem on the
front passenger seat:
REnsure that thech ild restra int sy stem is posi‐
tioned cor rectly (→page 45).
Occupant saf ety 39

RAlways obser vethech ild restra int sy stem
manufacturer's ins tallation instructions.
RNe ver place objects under or behind the
ch ild restra int sy stem, e.g. cushions.
RFu lly retract the seat cushion length adjust‐
ment.
RThe entire base of thech ild restra int sy stem
must alw aysre st on the seat cushion of the
front passenger seat.
RThe backrest of thefo rw ard-facing child
re stra int sy stem must, as far as possible, be
re sting on the seat backrest of the front
passenger seat.
RThe child restra int sy stem must not touch the
ro of or be put under stra in by the head
re stra ints. Adjust the seat backrest inclina‐
tion and the head restra int setting accord‐
ing ly.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
objects between the sitting sur face and
th ech ild restra int sy stem
Objects between the sitting sur face and the
ch ild restra int sy stem could af fect the func‐
tion of the automatic front passenger airbag
shutoff.
This could result in the front passenger air‐
bag not functioning as intended during an
accident.
#Do not place any objects between the
sitting sur face and thech ild restra int
sy stem.
#The entire base of thech ild restra int
sy stem must alw aysre st on the sitting
sur face of the front passenger seat.
#The backrest of thefo rw ard-facing child
re stra int sy stem must lie as flat as pos‐
sible against the backrest of the front
passenger seat.
#Alw ays comply with thech ild restra int
sy stem manufacturer's ins tallation
instructions.
A person in the front passenger seat mus t:
RHave their seat belt fastened cor rectly.
RSit in an almost up right seat position with
th eir back against the seat backrest.
RSit with their feet resting on thefloor, if pos‐
sible.
Otherwise, the front passenger air bag may be
deactivated bymis take ,fo rex ample, because
th e front passenger:
RTrans fers their weight bysupporting them‐
selves on a vehicle armrest.
RSits in such a wayth at their weight is raised
from the sitting sur face.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
deactivated front passenger airbag
If th ePA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front passenger airbag is disa‐
bled. It will not be deplo yed in theeve nt of
an accident and cannot pe rform its intended
pr otective function.
40
Occupant saf ety