seconds or once the driver's seat belt is fas-
tened.
If the vehicle's speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h) once and the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are not fastened,awarning
tone sounds. Awarning tone also sounds with
increasing intensityf or 60 seconds or until the
driver or front passenger have fastened their
seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their
seat belts during the journey, the seat belt warn-
ing is activated again.
Air bags
Introduction
The installation point of an air bag can be rec-
ognized by the AIRBAG marking.
An air bag complements the correctly fastened
seat belt. It is no substitute for the seat belt. The
air bag provides additional protection in appli-
cable accident situations.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident. The
different air bag systems function independ-
ently from one another (
Ypage 52).
However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out arisk of injury
caused by an air bag due to the high speed at
which the air bag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you do not sit in the correct seat position,
the air bag cannot protect as intended and
could even cause additional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid hazardous situations, always make
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
Rare sitting correctly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags
Rfollow the following instructions
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants.
RAdjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the seat
is in an almost upright position. The center of
the head restraint must support the head at
about eye level.
RMove the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible.T he driver's seat posi-
tion must allow the vehicle to be driven safely.
ROnly hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allowst he air bag to be fully deployed.
RAlways lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forward or lean against the
door or side window. You may otherwise be in
the deployment area of the air bags.
RAlways 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 air bag.
RFor this reason, always secure persons less
than5ft(1.50 m) tall in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
If ac hild is traveling in your vehicle,a lso
observe the following notes:
RAlways secure children under twelve years of age and less than 5ft(1.50 m)tallins uitable
child restraint systems.
RChil drestraint systems shoul dbeinstalle don
the rea rseats.
ROnlys ecureac hild in arearward-facing child
restraint systemont he front-passengerseat
when the front-passengerf ront airbag is
deactivated .Ifthe PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is permanentl ylit,t he front-
passengerf ront airbag is deactivated
(
Ypage 41).
RAlway sobser ve the instructions and safety
notesont he "Occupant Classification System
(OCS) "(Ypage 47) and on "Children in the
vehicle" (Ypage 54 )ina ddit iontot he child
restraint systemm anufacturer's installation
and operating instructions.
Occupant safety45
Safety
Z
Objects in the vehicle interior may prevent
an air bag from functioning correctly.Before
starting your journey and to avoid risks resulting from the speed of the air bag as it deploys, make
sure that:
Rthere are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupantsa nd an air bag
Rthere are no objectsbetween the seat, door
and B-pillar
Rthere are no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers,
hanging on the grab handles or coat hooks
Rno accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors, side windows,
rear side trim or side walls
Rno heavy, sharp-edged or fragile object sare in
the pocket sofyour clothing. Store such
object sinas uitable place
GWARNING
If you modify the air bag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the air bag can no longer
function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objects
to it.
GWARNING
Sensors to control the air bags are located in
the doors. Modification sorwork not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ing, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the
function of the sensor sbeing impaired. The air
bags might therefore not function properly
anymore. Consequently, the air bags cannot
protec tvehicle occupantsast hey are
designed to do. There is an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
eling carried out at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Front air bags
!Do not place heavy object sonthe front-
passenger seat. This could cause the system
to identif ythe 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 air bag
:deploys in frontoft he steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger fronta ir bag;
deploys in frontofa nd above the glove box.
When deployed, the fronta ir bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the occu-
pants in the fronts eats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicato rlamp
informsy ou about the status of the front-
passenger fronta ir bag (
Ypage 41).
The front-passenger fronta ir bag will only
deploy if:
Rthe system, based on the OCS weight sensor
readings, detect sthat the front-passenger
seat is occupied (
Ypage 47). The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicato rlamp is
not lit (
Ypage 48)
Rthe restraint system control unit predictsa
high accident severity
Knee bags
Driver's knee bag :deploys under the steering
column and front-passenger knee bag ;under
the glove box. The driver's and front-passenger
knee bags are triggered together with the front
air bags.
46Occupant safety
Safety
GWARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularl yonthe metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is arisk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you ,alway sensure that the child restraint
system is not exposedtod irect sunlight. Pro-
tect it with ablanket, for example. If the child
restraint system has been exposedtod irect
sunlight, let it cool downb efore securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors
You secure each door individually with the child-
proof locks on the rear doors. Adoor secured
with achild-proof lock cannot be opened from
insid ethe vehicle. When the vehicleisu nlocked,
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
leverd ownint he direction of arrow ;.
Override feature for the rear side win-
dows
XTo activate/deactivate: 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 coul dpress buttons or
switches, for example.
As aresult, they could:
Ractivate vehiclee quipment and become
trapped, for example
Ractivate or deactivate systems ,thereby
endangering other road users
Unsecure danimals coul dalsobef lung around
the vehicleint he event of an accident or sud-
den steering or braking, thereby injuring vehi-
cle occupants. There is arisk of an accident
and injury.
Never leave animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Always secure animals properly during
the journey ,e.g. use asuitable anima ltrans-
port box.
60Pets in the vehicle
Safety
Drivingsafet ys ystems
Overview of drivin gsafet ys ystems
In this section ,you will fin dinformati on about
th ef ollowin gdrivin gsafet ysystems :
RABS(Anti-lock Brakin gSystem)
(Ypage 61)
RBA S(Brak eAssist System) (Ypage 61)
RActive Brak eAssist(Ypage 62 )
RESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
(Ypage 64)
REB D( Electroni cBrak eforce Distribution )
(Ypage 67 )
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 68 )
RSTEERCONTROL (Ypage 68)
Important safet ynotes
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle or if you are
inattentive ,the drivin gsafet ysystems can nei-
ther reduce th eriskofana ccidentnor override
th el aws of physics. Driving safet ysystems are
merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible fo rmaintainin gthe distanc etothe
vehicle in front, fo rvehicle speed, fo rbraking in
goo dtime, and fo rstayin ginl ane. Always adapt
your drivin gstyle to suit th eprevailin groada nd
weather condition sand maintain asafed istanc 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 econtac tbetween th etires and th eroad
surface. Please pay special attention to th e
note sont ires ,recommended minimum tire
tread depths, etc. (
Ypage 288).
In wintr ydrivin gconditi ons, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )a nd if necessary,s now chains.
Onlyint hiswaywill the driving safety systems
describe dinthissection work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Brakin gSystem)
General information
ABS regulate sbrake pressure in such awaythat
the wheels do not lock when yo ubrake. This
allows yo utocontinue steering the vehicl ewhen
braking. The
! ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goe soutwhen the engine is running.
ABS works from aspeed of about5m ph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, eve nwheny ou
onlyb rake gently.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes "sec-
tio n(Ypage 61).
GWARNING
If ABS is faulty ,the wheels could lock when
braking .The steerability and braking charac-
teristic smaybe severely impaired.A ddition-
ally ,further driving safety systemsa re deac-
tivated.T here is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Driv eonc arefully. Hav eABS checked imme-
diately at aquali fied specialist workshop.
Whe nABS is malfunctioning ,othe rsystems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 220 )and dis-
play messages which maybes hown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 192).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake peda lvigorously unti lthe braking sit-
uatio niso ver.
XTo make afullb rake application: depress
the brake peda lwithf ullf orce.
If ABS intervene swhenb raking ,you will fee la
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake peda lcan be an indication
of hazardousr oadconditions, and functions as a
reminder to take extra car ewhile driving.
BAS (Brak eAssis tSystem)
General information
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If yo udepress the brake peda lquickly, BAS
automaticall yboosts the braking force,t hus
shortening the stopping distance.
Driving safety systems61
Safety
Z
Characteristics when ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivatedand oneorm orew heels
start to spin,t he÷ ESP®warning lamp in the
instrumentc lusterflashes. In suchs ituations,
ESP
®will no tstabilizet hevehicle.
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improve sdriving stability.
REnginet orque is no longer limited and the
driv ewheels are able to spin.
RTractio ncontrol is still activated.
RActiv eBrake Assist is no longer available; nor
is it activated if you brak efirmly with assis-
tance from ESP
®.
RSTEER CONTROL is no longer active.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Deactivating/activatin gESP®
(Mercedes ‑AM Gvehicles)
Important safety notes
iObserv ethe "Important safety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 61).
You can selectb etween thefollowings tate so f
ESP
®:
RESP®is activated.
RSPORT handlingm ode is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
When SPORT handlingm ode is activated,
there is agreate rrisk of skiddinga nd acci-
dents.
Only activat eSPORT handlingm ode in thesit-
uations describe dinthefollowing.
GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®,E SP®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle .Thereisani ncreased risk
of skiddinga nd an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in th esituations descri-
bed in th efollowing. In th
efollowings ituations,itmay be bette rto
activat eSPORT handlingm ode or deactivate
ESP
®:
Rwhen usings nowc hains
Rind eep snow
Ron sandorg ravel
Ron specially designated roads when th evehi-
cle's own oversteering and understeering
characteristics are desired
Drivin ginSPORT handlingm ode or without
ESP
®requires an extremely qualified and expe-
rienced driver.
iActivate ESP®as soon as th esituations
describe dabovenol onger apply. ESP®will
otherwise no tbeable to stabilizet hevehicle if
th ev ehicle start stoskidoraw heel start sto
spin.
!Avoid spinnin gthe driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP®deactivated. You
coul dotherwise damage th edrivetrain.
Deactivating/activatin gESP®
XTo activate SPORTh andling mode: briefly
pres sbutton :.
The M SPORT handlingm ode warning
lamp in th einstrumentc lusterlightsu p. The
SPORT handling mode
message appearsi n
th em ultifunction display.
XTo deactivat eSPORTh andling mode:
briefly pres sbutton :.
The M SPORT handlingm ode warning
lamp in th einstrumentc lustergoes out.
66Driving safety systems
Safety
You should therefore adapt your drivingstyle
to the differenth andlingcharacteristics. Have
the brakes ystemchecked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Please observet he information on warnin gand
indicator lamps (
Ypage 220)
(
Ypage 220) as well as on display messages
(Ypage 194).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safetya nd
offers increased braking comfort.Ina ddition to
the braking function ,ADA PTIVE BRAKE also has
the HOLDf unction (
Ypage 157) and hill start
assist (Ypage 125).
STEER CONTROL
Genera linformation
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steeringf orcetothe steeringw heel
in the direction required for vehicle stabilization.
This steeringa ssistanceisprovided in particular
if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on a
wet or slippery road surfacew hen you brake
Rthe vehicle begins to skid
Important safetynotes
iObserve the "Importan tsafetyn otes" sec-
tion (Ypage 61).
No steeringa ssistanceisprovided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
RESP®is malfunctioning
Rthe steeringism alfunctioning
If ESP®is malfunctioning, you will be assisted
further by the electrical power steering.
Protection against theft
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevent syour vehicle from
being started without the correctS martKey.
XTo activatewith theSmartKey: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XTo activatew ith KEYLESS-GO start-func-
tion or KEYLESS-GO: switchthe ignition off
and open the driver's door.
XTo deactivate: switchont he ignition.
When leaving the vehicle, always tak ethe
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Anyone
can star tthe engin eifavalid SmartKey has been
left inside the vehicle.
iThe immobilizer is always deactivate dwhen
you star tthe engine.
In the eventt hat the engin ecannot be started
(yet the vehicle's battery is charged), the sys-
tem is not operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Ben zCenter or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA )or
1-800-387-0100( in Canada).
ATA (anti-theft alarms ystem)
XTo arm:lock the vehicle with the SmartKe yor
KEYLESS-GO.
Indicator lamp :flashes. The alarm system
is armed after approximately 15 seconds.
XTo disarm: unlock the vehicle with the Smart-
Key or KEYLESS-GO.
or
XInsert the SmartKe yintot he ignition lock.
Av isual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed and you open:
Rad oor
Rthe vehicle with the mechanical key
Rthe trun klid
Rthe hood
68Protection against theft
Safety
Correct driver's seat position
GWARNING
You coul dlose control of your vehicle if you do
th ef ollowingw hile driving:
Radjust thedriver'ss eat,head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten th eseat belt
Thereisar iskofana ccident.
Adjust th edriver'ss eat,head restraint ,steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting th eengine.
Observ ethe followingw hen adjusting steering
wheel :,seat belt ;and driver'ss eat=:
Ryou are as far away from th edriver'sa ir bag as
possible
Ryou are sittin ginanormalupright position
Ryour thighs are slightly supported by th eseat
cushion
Ryour legs are no tentirely stretched and you
can depress th epedals properly
Rtheb ack of your head is supported at eye level
by th ecente roft hehead restraint
Ryou can hold th esteering wheel withy our
arm sslightly bent
Ryou can mov eyour legs freely
Ryou can see all th edisplays in th einstrument
cluste rclearly
Ryou should have agood overview of traffic
conditions
Rth es eat belt is pulled snugly against th ebody
and is routed across th ecente rofy our shoul-
der and across your hips in th epelvic area
Further related subjects:
RAdjustin gthe seatsm anually (Ypage 91)
RAdjustin gthe seatse lectrically
(Ypage 92)
RAdjustin gthe steering wheel manually
(Ypage 95)
RFastenin gthe seat belt correctly
(Ypage 44)
RAdjustin gthe rear-view mirror and exterior
mirror s(Ypage 96)
RVehicles with amemory function: saving
th es eat,s teering wheel and exterior mirror
settings usingt hememory function
(
Ypage 99)
Seats
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Children coul dbecome trapped if they adjust
th es eats, particularly when unattended.
Thereisar iskofi njury.
When leaving th evehicle ,always tak ethe
SmartKey withy ou and lockthevehicle .Never
leave childre nunsupervised in th evehicle.
The seatsc an still be adjusted when there is no
SmartKey in th eignition lock.
GWARNING
When you adjust aseat,y ou or other vehicle
occupants coul dbecome trapped, e.g .onthe
seat guide rail. Thereisar iskofi njury.
Makes ure when adjusting aseat that no one
has any body part sinthesweep of th eseat.
Observ ethe safety note son"Air bags"
(
Ypage 45 )and "Children in th evehicle"
(Ypage 54).
GWARNING
If th edriver'ss eat is no tengaged,itc ould
mov eunexpectedly while th evehicle is in
90Seats
Seats, steerin gwheel and mirrors
motion. This could cause you to lose control ofthe vehicle. There is arisk of an accident.
Always make sure that the driver'ss eat is
engagedb efore starting the vehicle.
GWARNING
You could lose control of you rvehicleify ou do
the following while driving:
Radjust the driver'ss eat, head restraint,
steering wheelorm irrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is arisk of an accident.
Adjust the driver'ss eat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheela nd mirror and fasten you rseat belt
before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly,y ou or
other vehicleo ccupants could be trappeda nd
thereby injured. Children in particular could
accidentally press the electricals eat adjust-
ment buttons and become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
Whilem oving the seats, make sure that your
hands or other body parts do not get under the
lever assembly of the seat adjustment sys-
tem.
!To avoidd amage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
Rkeep liquid sfrom spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
Rif the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat heat-
ing should als onot be used to dry the seats.
Rclean the seat covers as recommended;
see the "Interior care" section.
Rdo not transport heavy loads on the seats.
Do not place sharp objects on the seat
cushions, e.g. knives, nail sortools. The
seats should only be occupied by passen-
gers, if possible.
Rwhen the seat heating is in operation, do
not cover the seats with insulating materi-
als ,e.g. blankets, coats, bags ,seat covers,
child seats or booster seats.
!Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwellu nder or behind the seats when mov-
ing the seats back. There is arisk that the
seats and/or the objects could be damaged.
iFurther related subjects:
Rcargo compartment enlargement (folding
down the rear seats) (Ypage 240)
Adjusting the seats manually
Vehicles without the seating comfort
package
Seat fore-and-aft adjustment:
XLift handle :and slidet he seat forwards or
backwards.
XRelease lever :again.
Make sure that you hear the seat engage in
position.
Backrest angle:
XRelieve the pressure on the backrest.
XTurn handwheel =forwards or backwards.
Seat height:
XPullh andle ;upwards or push it down
repeatedly until the seat has reachedt he
desired height.
Seats91
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z