Restraint system warninglamp
The functions of the restraint system are
checke dafterthe ignition is switched on and at
regular interval swhile the engine is running.
Therefore, malfunctions can be detected in
goodt ime.
The 6 restraint system warning lamp on the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on. It goeso utno later than afew sec-
onds afte rthe vehicl eisstarted. The compo-
nents of the restraint system are in operational
readiness.
Am alfunction haso ccurred if the6restraint
system warning lamp:
Rdoe snot light up afte rthe ignition is switched
on
Rdoe snot go outa fteraf ew seconds with the
engine running
Rlights up agai nwhile the engine is running
GWARNING
If the restraint system is malfunctioning,
restraint system components may be trig-
gered unintentionally or may not deplo yas
intended during an accident. Thisc an affect
for exampl ethe Emergency Tensioning
Device or the ai rbag.Thisp oses an increased
ris kofi njury or evenf atalinjury.
Have the restraint system checke dand
repaired in aquali fied specialist workshopa s
soona spossible.
PASSENGER AI RBAG indicator lamp
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp :and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp ;are
part of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS). The indicator lamps display the statu
softhe
front-passenger front ai rbag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for 60 sec-
onds ,sub sequently both indicator lamps are
off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and OFF):t he
front-passenger front ai rbag is able to deploy
in the event of an accident.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up :the front-
passenger front ai rbag is deactivated. It will
then not be deploye dinthe 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 statu softhe front-passenger
front ai rbag.T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp may be li tcontinuously or be off.
Depending on the person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger front ai rbag must
either be deactivated or enabled; see the fol-
lowing points. Yo umustm ake sure of this both
before and during ajourney.
RChildreninac hild restraintsystem:
whethert he front-passenger front ai rbag is
enabled or deactivated depends on the instal- le dc hild restraint system, and the ag eand
size of the child .Therefore, be sure to observe
the notes on the "Occupant Classification
System (OCS)" (
Ypage 47 )and on "Chil-
dre nint he vehicle" (Ypage 54). There you
will also find instructions on rearward and
forward-facing child restraint systems on the
front-passenger seat.
RAl lo the rpersons: depending on the classi-
fication of the person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger front ai rbag is ena-
bled or deactivated (
Ypage 47). Be sure to
observe the notes on "Seat
belts“ (
Ypage 41 )and "Ai rbags"
(Ypage 45). There yo ucan also find infor-
mation on the correct seatp osition.
Seat belts
Introduction
Seatb elts are the most effective means of
restricting the movement of vehicl eoccupants
in the event of an accident or the vehicl erolling
over. Thisr educesthe ris kofvehicleoccupants
coming into contact with parts of the vehicle
interio rorbeing ejecte dfrom the vehicle. Fur-
thermore,t he seatbelth elps to keep the vehicle
Occupan tsafety41
Safety
Z
Infants and childrenmust never travel sitting
on the lap of avehicle occupant. In the event
of an accident, they could be crushed
between the vehicle occupant and seat belt.
Robjects are never secured with aseat belt if
the seat belt is also being used by one of the
vehicle's occupants
Also ensure that there are never objects
between aperson and the seat, e.g. cushions.
Seat belts are only intended to secure and
restrain vehicle occupants. Alway sobserve the
"Loading guidelines" for securing objects, lug-
gage or loads(
Ypage 237).
Fastening and adjusting the seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Ypage 42) and the notes on correct use of seat
belts (Ypage 43).
Basic illustration
XAdjust the seat (Ypage 90).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
upright position.
XPul lthe seat belt smoothly from the belt out-
let.
XEngage seat belt tongue ;in belt buckle :.
XIf necessary,pullupont he shoulder section
of the seat belt to tighten the belt across your
body. The shoulder section of the seat belt must
always be routed across the center of the shoul-
der. Adjust the belt outlet if necessary.
XTo raise:
slidethe belt outlet up.
The belt outlet wille ngage in variousposi-
tions.
XTo lower: hold belt outlet release =and slide
the belt outlet down.
XLet go of belt outlet release =in the desired
positiona nd make sure that the belt outlet
engages.
All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are
equipped with aspecials eat belt retractor to
securelyf asten child restraint systems in the
vehicle.F urther information can be found under
"Specials eat belt retractor" (
Ypage 55).
Releasing seat belts
!Make sure that the seat belt is fullyr olledup.
Otherwise,t he seat belt or belt tongue willb e
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 fulfill their protective function
and must be replaced. Visit aqualifieds pe-
cialist workshop.
XPress the release button in the belt buckle,
hold the belt tongue firmly and guide the belt
back.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
The 7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is areminder that all vehicle occu-
pants must weart heir seat belts. It may light up
continuously or flash. In addition, there may be
aw arning tone.
Regardless of whether the driver's seat belt has
already been fastened, the 7seat belt warn-
ing lamp lights up for six seconds each time the engine is started. If the front doors are closed
and the driver's or front-passenger seat belt has
not been fastened, the 7seat belt warning
lamp lights up again after the six seconds. As
soon as the driver's and front-passenger seat
belts are fastened or afront door is opened
again, the 7seat belt warning lamp goes out.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened after the
engine is started, an additional warning tone will sound. The warning tone switches off after six
44Occupant safety
Safety
Requirements
To be classifiedcorrectly ,the front passenger
mus tsit:
Rwith the seatb eltf astened correctly
Rin an almost upright position with theirb ack
against the seatb ackrest
Rwith theirf eetresting on the floor, if possible
If the front passenger doe snot observe these
conditions ,OCS may produce afalse classifica-
tion, e.g. because the front passenger:
Rtransfers theirw eightbys uppo rting them-
selves on avehicl earmrest
Rsits in such awaythat theirw eightisr aised
from the seatc ushion
If it is absolutely necessary to install achild
restraint system on the front-passenger seat, be
sure to observe the correct positioning of the
child restraint system. Neverp lace objects
under or behind the child restraint system, e.g. a
cushion. The entir ebaseoft he child restraint
system mus talway srestont he seatc ushionof
the front-passenger seat. The backrest of the
forward-facing child restraint system mus tlie as
fla tasp ossible against the backrest of the front-
passenger seat.
The child restraint system mus tnot touch the
rooforbes ubjecte dtoal oadbyt he head
restraint. Adjust the angle of the seatb ackrest
and the headr estraint position accordingly.
Only then can OCSbeg uaranteed to function
correctly .Alway sobserve the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer'si nstallationand o
perating
instructions.
OperationofO ccupant Classification
System (OCS)
:PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
;PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp The indicator lamps inform yo
uwhethe rthe
front-passenger front ai rbag is deactivated or
enabled.
XPress the Start/Sto pbutton once or twice, or
turn the SmartKey to position 1or2 in the
ignition lock.
The system carrie soutself-diagnostics.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON indicator lamps mus tlight up simul-
taneously for approximately six seconds.
The indicator lamps display the statu softhe
front-passenger front ai rbag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for 60 sec-
onds ,sub sequently both indicator lamps are
off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and OFF):t he
front-passenger front ai rbag is able to deploy
in the event of an accident.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up :the front-
passenger front ai rbag is deactivated. It will
then not be deploye dinthe 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 statu softhe front-passenger
front ai rbag.T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp may be li tcontinuously or be off.
If the statu softhe front-passenger front ai rbag
changes whil ethe vehicl eisinmotion, an ai rbag
display message appears in the instrument clus-
ter (
Ypage 200). Whent he front-passenger
seati soccupied, always pa yattention to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indica tor l
amp. Be
aware of the statu softhe front-passenger front
ai rb ag both before and during the journey.
GWARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front-passenger front ai rbag is
disabled. It will not be deploye dinthe event of
an accident and canno tperform its intended
protectiv efunction. Aperson in the front-
passenger seatc ould then, for example, come
into contact with the vehicle's interior, espe-
ciall yift he person is sitting too close to the
dashboard. Thisp oses an increased ris kof
injury or evenf atalinjury.
Whent he front-passenger seati soccupied,
always ensure that:
Rthe classification of the person in the front- passenger seati scorrect and the front-
48Occupan tsafety
Safety
passenger frontair bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordance with the person in the
front-passenger seat
Rthe front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible.
Rthe person is seated correctly.
Make sure, both before and during the jour-
ney, that the status of the front-passenger
fronta ir bag is correct.
GWARNING
If you secure achild in arearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and the PASSENGER AIR BAGO FF indicator
lamp is off, the front-passenger fronta ir bag
can deploy in the event of an accident. The
child could be struck by the air bag. This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that the front-passenger fronta ir
bag has been deactivated. The PASSENGER
AIR BAGO FF indicator lamp must be lit.
NEVER use arearward-facing child restraint
on aseat protected by an ACTIVE FRONT AIR-
BAGinf rontofit; DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY
to the child can occur.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAGO FF indicator lamp
stays off, do not install arearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat.
You can find more information on OCS under
"Problems with the Occupant Classification Sys-
tem" (
Ypage 51).
GWARNING
If you secure achild in aforward-facingc hild
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and you position the front-passenger seat too close to the dashboard, in the event of an
accident, the child could:
Rcome int ocontact with the vehicle's inte-
rior if the PASSENGER AIR BAGO FF indi-
cator lamp is lit, for example
Rbe struck by the air bag if the PASSENGER
AIR BAGO FF indicator lamp is off
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible and fully retract the seat
cushion length. Always make sure that the
shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from
the vehicle belt sash guide to the shoulder
belt guide on the child restraint system. The
shoulder belt strap must be routed forwards
and downwards from the vehicle belt sash
guide. If necessary, adjust the vehicle belt
sash guide and the front-passenger seat
accordingly. Always observe the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
instructions.
If OCS determines that:
RThe front-passenger seat is unoccupied, the
PASSENGER AIR BAGO FF indicator lamp
lights up after the system self-test and
remains lit. This indicates that the front-
passenger fronta ir bag is deactivated.
RThe front-passenger seat is occupied by a
child of up to twelve months old, in astandard
child restraint system, the PASSENGER AIR
BAGO FF indicator lamp lights up after the
system self-test and remains lit. This indi-
cates that the front-passenger fronta ir bag is
deactivated.
But even in the case of atwelve-month-old
child, in astandard child restraint system, the
PASSENGER AIR BAGO FF indicator lamp can
go out after the system self-test. This indi-
cates that the front-passenger fronta ir bag is
activated. The result of the classification is
dependen ton, among other factors, the child
restraint system and the child's stature. It is
recommended that you install the child
restraint system on asuitable rear seat.
RThe front-passenger seat is occupied by a
person of smaller stature (e.g. ateenager or
small adult), the PASSENGER AIR BAGO FF
indicator lamp lights up and remains lit after
the system self-test dependin gonthe result
of the classification or, alternatively, goes out.
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAGO FF indicator
lamp is off, move the front-passenger seat
Occupant safety49
Safety
Z
GWARNING
Objects between the seat surface and the
child restraint system coul daffect OCS oper-
ation. This coul dresult in the front-passenger
air bag not functioning as intended during an
accident. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
Do not place any objects between the seat
surface and the child restraint system. The
entire base of the child restraint system must
alway srest on the seat cushion of the front-
passenger seat. The backrest of the forward-
facing child restraint system must, as far as
possible,ber esting on the backrest of the
front-passenge rseat. Always comply with the
child restraint system manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions. After the system self-test, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF or PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp display
sthe status of the front-passenger
front air bag (
Ypage4 8). If the front-passenger
front air bag is enabled, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON indicator lamp lights up for 60 seconds and then goes out.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp is
off, only the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp showst he status of the front-passenger
front air bag.T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp may be lit continuously or be off.
For more information about the OCS, see "Prob-
lems with the Occupant Classification System"
(
Ypage5 1).
Problems with the Occupant Classificatio nSystem (OCS)
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test" (Ypag e50).
Occupant safety51
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 oraper-
son of astature corre-
sponding to that of an
adult.The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is incor-
rect.
XMake sure the conditionsf orac orrect classification of the person
on the front-passenger seat are met (Ypage 48).
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 achild up to
twelve months old in a
child restraint system
OCS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure there is nothin gbetween 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 aload to the child
restraint system. If necessary, adjust the head restraint accord-
ingly.
XMake sure that no object sare 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 ac hild restraint system on the front-passenger seat. It is recom-
mended that you install the child restraint system on asuitable 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 arisk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deployeda ir bag replaced at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
GWARNING
Ad eployeda ir 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 aqualified special-
ist workshop in order to have adeployeda ir
bag replaced.
It is important for your safety and that of your
passenger to have deployeda ir bags replaced
52Occupant safety
Safety
and to have any malfunctioningair bags
repaired. This will help to makes ure theair bags
continue to perform their protective function for
th ev ehicle occupant sintheeventofac rash.
GWARNING
Emergenc yTensioning Devices that have
deployed pyrotechnically are no longer opera-
tional and are unabl etoperform their inten-
ded protective function.T his posesan
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Hav epyrotechnically triggered Emergency
Tensioning Devices replaced immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop.
If Emergenc yTensioning Devices are triggered
or air bags are deployed, you will hear abang,
and asmall amountofp owder may also be
released. The 6restraint system warning
lamp lightsu p.
Only in rar ecases will th ebang affect your hear-
ing .The powder that is released generally does
no tconstitut eahealthh azard, but it may cause
short-term breathingd ifficulties in peoplewith
asthma or other respiratory problems.P rovided
it is safe to do so, you shouldl eave thevehicle
immediately or open th ewindow in orde rtopre-
ven tbreathingd ifficulties.
Air bags and pyrotechnic Emergenc yTensioning
Devices (ETDs )contain perchlorate material,
whichm ay require special handlinga nd regard
for th eenvironment. National guidelines must
be observed durin gdisposal. In California, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/
Perchlorate/index.cfm .
Method of operation
During thefirst stage of acollision,t herestraint
system control unit evaluates important physi-
cal datar elating to vehicle deceleratio noraccel-
eration,s uchas:
Rduration
Rdirection
Rintensity
Based on th eevaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit triggerst heEmer-
gency Tensioning Devices durin gafrontal or
rear collision. An Emergenc
yTensioning Devic ecan only be
triggered, if:
Rth ei gnition is switched on
Rthec omponent softherestraint system are
operational. You can fin dfurther information
unde r"Restrain tsystem warning lamp"
(
Ypage 41)
Rth es eat belt buckle tongue has engaged in
th eb elt buckle of th erespectiv efront seat
The Emergenc yTensioning Devices in th erear
compartmenta re triggered independently of the
locks tatus of th eseat belts.
If th erestraint system control unit detect sa
mores evere accident, further component sof
th er estraint system are activated independ-
ently of each other in certain frontal collision
situations:
RFronta ir bags as well as driver'sa nd front-
passenger knee bags
RWindow curtain air bag, if th esystem deter-
mines that deploymen tcan offer additional
protection to that provided by th eseat belt
The front-passenger fronta ir bag is activated or
deactivate ddependingont he
person on t
he
front-passenger seat.T he front-passenger front
air bag can only deployinana ccidentifthe
PASSENGER AI RBAG OFFi ndicator lamp is off.
Observ ethe informatio nonthePASSENGER AIR
BA Gindicator lamps (
Ypage 41).
Your vehicle has two-stag efront air bags. In the
first deploymen tstage, th efront air bag is filled
with propellantg as. The frontair bag is fully
deployed with th emaximum amountofp ropel-
lant gas if asecondd eploymen tthreshold is
reached within afew milliseconds.
The activation threshold of th eEme rgenc yTen-
sioning Devices and th eair bags is determined
by evaluating th erateofv ehicle deceleratio nor
acceleratio nwhicho ccurs at various points in
th ev ehicle .This process is pre-emptive in
nature. Deployment shouldt akep lace in good
tim eatt hestart of th ecollision.
The rat eofvehicle deceleratio noracceleration
and th edirection of th eforce are essentially
determine dby:
Rthed istribution of forces durin gthe collision
Rthec ollision angle
Rthed eformatio ncharacteristics of th evehicle
Rthec haracteristics of th eobject with which
th ev ehicle has collided
Factors whichc an only be seen and measured
after acollision has occurre ddonotplay adeci-
Occupant safety53
Safety
Z
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