and to have any malfunctioning air bags
repaired. This will help to make sure the air bags
continue to perform their protective function for
the vehicle occupants in the event of a crash.
GWARNING
Emergency Tensioning Devices that have
deployed pyrotechnically are no longer opera-
tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have pyrotechnically triggered Emergency
Tensioning Devices replaced immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop.
An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE
®to trig-
ger the tightening of the seat belt in hazardous
situations. This procedure is reversible.
If Emergency Tensioning Devices are triggered
or air bags are deployed, you will hear a bang,
and a small amount of powder may also be
released. The 6restraint system warning
lamp lights up.
Only in rare cases will the bang affect your hear-
ing. The powder that is released generally does
not constitute a health hazard, but it may cause short-term breathing difficulties in people with
asthma or other respiratory problems. Provided
it is safe to do so, you should leave the vehicle
immediately or open the window in order to pre-
vent breathing difficulties.
Air bags and pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) contain perchlorate material,
which may require special handling and regard
for the environment. National guidelines must
be observed during disposal. In California, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/
Perchlorate/index.cfm.
Method of operation
During the first stage of a collision, the restraint
system control unit evaluates important physi-
cal data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as:
Rduration
Rdirection
Rintensity
Based on the evaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit triggers the Emer-
gency Tensioning Devices during a frontal or
rear 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 further information
under: "Restraint system warning lamp"
(
Ypage 44)
Rthe seat belt buckle tongue has engaged in
the belt buckle of the respective front seat
The Emergency Tensioning Devices in the rear
compartment are triggered independently of the
lock status of the seat belts.
If the restraint system control unit detects a
more severe accident, further components of
the restraint system are activated independ-
ently of each other in certain frontal collision
situations:
RFront air bags and driver's knee bag
RWindow curtain air bag, if the system deter-
mines that deployment can offer additional
protection to that provided by the seat belt
The front-passenger front air bag is activated or
deactivated depending on the person on t
he
front-passenger seat. The front-passenger front
air bag can only deploy in an accident if the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is off.
Observe the information on the PASSENGER AIR
BAG indicator lamps (
Ypage 44).
Your vehicle has two-stage front air bags. During
the first deployment stage, the front air bag is
filled with propellant gas to reduce the risk of
injuries. The front air bag is fully deployed with
the maximum amount of propellant gas if a sec- ond deployment threshold is reached within a
few milliseconds.
The activation threshold of the Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices and the air bag are determined
by evaluating the rate of vehicle deceleration or acceleration which occurs at various points in
the vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in
nature. Deployment should take place in good
time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or acceleration
and the direction of the force are essentially
determined by:
Rthe distribution of forces during the collision
Rthe collision angle
Rthe deformation characteristics of the vehicle
Rthe characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a deci-
56Occupant safety
Safety
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, independently of the use of the seat belt and
independently of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied
RFront Emergency Tensioning Devices, if the
system determines that deployment can offer
additional protection for the vehicle occu-
pants in this situation
RRear Emergency Tensioning Devices in cer-
tain situations if the vehicle rolls over
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
PRE-SAFE®(anticipatory occupant
protection system)
Introduction
In certain hazardous situations, PRE-SAFE®
takes pre-emptive measures to protect the vehi-
cle occupants.
Important safety notes
!Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats. There is a danger
that the seats and/or objects could be dam-
aged when PRE-SAFE
®is activated.
Despite your vehicle being equipped with the
PRE-SAFE
®system, the possibility of personal
injuries occurring as a result of an accident can-
not be eliminated. Always adapt your driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions and maintain a safe distance from
the vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
Function
PRE-SAFE®intervenes:
Rin emergency braking situations, e.g. when
BAS is activated
Rin critical driving situations, e.g. when physi-
cal limits are exceeded and the vehicle under-
steers or oversteers severely
Rvehicles with the Driving Assistance package:
when a driver assistance system intervenes
powerfully or the radar sensor system detects
an imminent danger of collision in certain sit- uations
Occupant safety57
Safety
Z
PRE-SAFE®takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detected:
Rthe front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
Rif the vehicle skids, the side windows and the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel
are closed.
Rvehicles with the memory function for the
front-passenger seat: the front-passenger
seat is adjusted if it is in an unfavorable posi-
tion.
If the hazardous situation passes without result-
ing in an accident, PRE-SAFE
®slackens the belt
pre-tensioning. 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 released.
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE
®convenience function. Informa-
tion about the convenience function can be
found under "Belt adjustment" (
Ypage 47).
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 hazardous sit-
uations, PRE-SAFE
®PLUS takes pre-emptive
measures to protect the vehicle occupants.
Important safety notes
The intervention of PRE-SAFE®PLUS cannot
prevent an imminent collision.
The driver is not warned about the intervention
of PRE-SAFE
®PLUS.
PRE-SAFE®PLUS does not intervene:
Rif the vehicle is backing up
Rwhen the vehicle is towing a trailer and there
is a risk of a rear-end collision
When driving, or when parking or exiting a park- ing space with assistance from Active Parking Assist, PRE-SAFE
®PLUS will not apply the
brakes.
Function
PRE-SAFE®PLUS intervenes in certain situa-
tions if the radar sensor system detects an
imminent head-on or rear-end collision.
PRE-SAFE
®PLUS takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detected:
Rif the radar sensor system detects that a
head-on collision is imminent, the seat belts
are pre-tensioned.
Rif the radar sensor system detects that a rear-
end collision is imminent:
-the brake pressure is increased if the driver
applies the brakes when the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
-the seat belts are pre-tensioned.
The PRE-SAFE®PLUS braking application is can-
celed:
Rif the accelerator pedal is depressed when a
gear is engaged
Rif the risk of a collision passes or is no longer
detected
Rif DISTRONIC PLUS indicates an intention to
pull away
If the hazardous situation passes without result-
ing in an accident, the original settings are
restored.
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
Rvehicles with a memory function: the electri-
cally adjustable steering wheel is raised
Rthe engine is switched off and the fuel supply
is cut off
Rvehicles with mbrace: automatic emergency
call
58Occupant safety
Safety
Forward-facing child restraint system
Always moveth efront-passenger's seat as far
bac kas possible if th echild must be secured on
th efront-passenger seat in aforward-facing
child restrain tsystem. Full yretrac tth eseat
cushion length. The base of th echild restrain t
system must always res ton th eseat cushion of
th efront-passenger's seat .As muc has possible
of th ebackrest of th echild restrain tsystem
must be resting on th ebackrest of th efront-
passenger's seat .The child restrain tsystem
may no ttouch th eroo for be subjected to aload
by th ehead restraint. Adjus tth eangle of th e
seat backrest and th ehead restraint position
accordingly. Always mak esure th eshoulder belt
is correctly secured ,runnin gfrom th ebelt outlet
to th ebelt guide of th echild restrain tsystem.
The shoulder belt strap must be routed forward
and down from th evehicl ebelt outlet .Adjus tth e
belt outlet and front-passenger seat as required.
Always comply wit hth emanufacturer' sinstal -
lation and operating instruction sfor th echild
restrain tsystem.
Child-proof locks
Important safety notes
GWARNIN G
If children are traveling in th evehicle, they
could:
Ropen doors, thus endangering other people
or road user s
Rexit thevehicl eand be caught by oncomin g
traffic
Roperate vehicl eequipmen tand become
trapped
Ther eis aris kof an acciden tand injury.
Always activat eth echild-proof locks and
override feature if children are traveling in th e
vehicle. When leaving th evehicle, always tak e
th eke ywit hyou and loc kth evehicle. Never
leav echildren unattended in th evehicle.
Override feature for :
Rtherear door s (Ypage 64)
Rtherear side windows (Ypage 64)
GWARNING
If you leav echildren unsupervised in th evehi-
cle ,they could set it in motion by, for example :
Rrelease theparking brake.
Rshif tth eautomatic transmission out of th e
parking position P.
Rstart theengine.
In addition ,they may operate vehicl eequip-
men tand become trapped .Ther eis aris kof
an acciden tand injury.
When leaving th evehicle, always tak eth e
SmartKey wit hyou and loc kth evehicle. Never
leav echildren unsupervised in th evehicle.
GWARNIN G
If persons, particularly children are subjected to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is aris kof injury, possibly eve n
fatal. Never leav echildren unattended in th e
vehicle.
GWARNIN G
If th echild restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, part smay get ver yhot .Chil-
dre nmay burn themselve son these parts,
particularly on th emetal part sof th echild
restraint system. Ther eis aris kof injury.
If you leav eth evehicle, taking th echild wit h
you, always ensure that th echild restraint
system is no texpose dto direct sunlight. Pro -
tect it wit h ablanket, for example .If th echild
restraint system has been expose dto direct
sunlight, let it cool down before securin gth e
child in it .Never leav echildren unattended in
th evehicle.
Children in the vehicle63
Safety
Z
Child-proof locks for the rear doors
You secure each door individually with the child-
proof locks on the rear doors. A door secured
with a child-proof lock cannot be opened from
inside the vehicle. When the vehicle is unlocked,
the door can be opened from the outside.
XTo activate:press the child-proof lock lever
up in the direction of arrow :.
XMake sure that the child-proof locks are work-
ing properly.
XTo deactivate:press the child-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow ;.
Override feature for the rear side win-
dows
XTo enable/disable:press button;.
If indicator lamp :is lit, operation of the rear
side windows is disabled. Operation is only
possible using the switches in the driver's
door. If indicator lamp :is off, operation is
possible using the switches in the rear com-
partment.
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 65)
RBAS (B rakeAssist System) (Ypage 65)
RBAS PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist ( Brake
Assist System PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist)
(
Ypage 66)
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS
(Ypage 67)
RESP®( Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Ypage 70)
REBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution)
(Ypage 73)
RADAPTIVE BRAKE (Ypage 73)
RPRE-SAFE®Brake (Ypage 73)
RSTEER CONTROL (Ypage 75)
64Driving safety systems
Safety
!The tailgate swings upwards and to the rear
when opened. Therefore, make sure that
there is sufficient clearance above and behind
the tailgate.
Unlocking
XRemove cargo compartment cover
(Ypage 285).
XFold the rear seat backrest forward
(Ypage 281).
XInsert mechanical key ;into opening :in
the paneling and push it in.
XOpen the tailgate.
When you lock the vehicle, the cargo compart-
ment is also locked again.
Side windows
Important safety notes
GWARNING
While opening the side windows, body parts
could become trapped between the side win-
dow and the door frame as the side window
moves. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that nobody touches the side win-
dow during the opening procedure. If some-
body becomes trapped, release the switch or
pull the switch to close the side window again.
GWARNING
While closing the side windows, body parts in
the closing area could become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
When closing make sure that no parts of the
body are in the closing area. If somebody
becomes trapped, release the switch or press
the switch to open the side window again.
GWARNING
If children operate the side windows they
could become trapped, particularly if they are left unsupervised. There is a risk of injury.
Activate the override feature for the rear side
windows. When leaving the vehicle, always
take the SmartKey with you and lock the vehi-
cle. Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle.
Side window reversing feature
The side windows are equipped with an auto-
matic reversing feature. If a solid object blocks
or restricts a side window from traveling
upwards during the automatic closing process,
the side window opens again automatically. Dur-
ing the manual closing process, the side windowonly opens again automatically after the corre-
sponding switch is released. The automatic
reversing feature is only an aid and is no substi-
tute for your attention when closing a side win-
dow.
GWARNING
The reversing feature does not react:
Rto soft, light and thin objects, e.g. small fin-
gers
Rwhile resetting
This means that the reversing feature cannot
prevent someone being trapped in these sit-
uations. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure that no body parts are in close
proximity during the closing procedure. If
someone becomes trapped, press the switch
to open the side window again.
Opening and closing the side win-
dows
The switches for all side windows are located on the driver's door. There is also a switch on each
door for the corresponding side window.
90Side windows
Opening and closing
The switches on the driver's door take prece-
dence.
:Front left
;Front right
=Rear right
?Rear left
XTurn the SmartKey to position1or2 in the
ignition lock.
XTo open manually: press and hold the cor-
responding switch.
XTo open fully: press the switch beyond the
pressure point and release it.
Automatic operation is started.
XTo close manually: pull the corresponding
switch and hold it.
XTo close fully: pull the switch beyond the
pressure point and release it.
Automatic operation is started.
XTo interrupt automatic operation: press/
pull the corresponding switch again.
If you press the switch beyond the pressure
point and release, automatic operation is star-
ted in the corresponding direction. You can stop
automatic operation by pressing/pulling the
switch again.
You can continue to operate the side windows
after you switch off the engine or remove the
SmartKey. This function remains active for five
minutes or until you open a front door.
When the override feature for the side windows
is activated, the side windows cannot be oper-
ated from the rear (
Ypage 64).
Information on opening and closing the roller
sunblinds on the rear side windows
(
Ypage 291).
Convenience opening
General notes
If the SmartKey is in close proximity to the vehi-
cle, the convenience opening function is availa-
ble.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or KEYLESS-GO
start function: you can ventilate the vehicle
before you start driving.
To do this, the SmartKey is used to carry out the
following functions simultaneously:
Runlock the vehicle
Ropen the side windows
Ropen the panorama roof with power tilt/slid-
ing panel and the roller sunblind
Rswitch on the seat ventilation for the driver's
seat
The "convenience opening" feature is also avail-
able when the vehicle is unlocked.
Convenience opening
XPress and hold the %button on the Smart-
Key until the side windows and the panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel are in the
desired position.
If the roller sunblinds of the panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panel are closed, the
roller sunblinds are opened first.
XPress and hold the %button again until the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel is
in the desired position.
XTo interrupt convenience opening: release
the % button.
Convenience closing feature
Important safety notes
GWARNING
When the convenience closing feature is oper- ating, parts of the body could become trapped
in the closing area of the side window and the
sliding sunroof. There is a risk of injury.
Observe the complete closing procedure
when the convenience closing feature is oper-
ating. Make sure that no body parts are in
close proximity during the closing procedure.
Side windows91
Opening and closing
Z
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or KEYLESS-GO
start function:if the SmartKey is in close prox-
imity to the vehicle, the convenience closing
function is available.
When you lock the vehicle, you can simultane-
ously:
Rclose the side windows
Rclose the panorama roof with power tilt/slid-
ing panel
On vehicles with a panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel, you can then close the roller
sunblinds.
Notes on the automatic reversing feature for:
Rthe side window (Ypage 90)
Rthe panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel (Ypage 94)
Using the SmartKey
XPress and hold the &button until the side
windows and the panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel are fully closed.
XMake sure that all the side windows and the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel
are closed.
XPress and hold the &button again until the
roller sunblinds of the panorama roof with
power tilt/sliding panel are closed.
XTo interrupt convenience closing: release
the & button.
Using KEYLESS-GO
The driver's door and the door at which the han-
dle is used, must both be closed. The SmartKey
must be outside the vehicle. The gap between
the SmartKey and the corresponding door han-
dle should not be greater than 3 ft (1 m).
XTouch recessed sensor surface :on the
door handle until the side windows and the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel
are fully closed.
Make sure you touch only recessed sensor
surface :.
XMake sure that all the side windows and the
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel
are closed.
XTouch recessed sensor surface :on the
door handle again until the roller sunblinds of
the panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel close.
XTo interrupt convenience closing: release
recessed sensor surface :on the door han-
dle.
Resetting the side windows
If a side window can no longer be closed fully,
you must reset it.
XClose all the doors.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 1or2 in the
ignition lock.
XPull the corresponding switch on the door
control panel until the side window is com-
pletely closed (
Ypage 90).
XHold the switch for an additional second.
If the side window opens again slightly:
XImmediately pull the corresponding switch on
the door control panel until the side window is
completely closed (
Ypage 90).
XHold the switch for an additional second.
XIf the respective side window remains closed
after the button is released, then it has been
set correctly. If this is not the case, repeat the
steps above.
92Side windows
Opening and closing