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Restra int sy stem
Pr otection byther estraint sy stem
The restra int sy stem includes thef ollowing:
RSeat belt sy stem
RAir bags
RChild restra int sy stem
RChild seat securing sy stem
The restra int sy stem can reduce ther isk of vehi‐
cle occupants coming int ocontact wit hparts of
th ev ehicle interior in thee vent of an accident. In
th ee vent of an accident, ther estraint sy stem
can also reduce thef orces towhic hthe vehicle
occupants ar esubjected.
As eat belt can onl yprovide theb estleve lofp ro‐
te ction if it is worncor rectl y.Depending on the
de tected accident situation, Emergency Tension‐
ing Device sand/or ai rbagss upplem entthep ro‐
te ction of fere dbyac orrectl yw orns eat belt.
Emer gency Tensioning Device sand/or ai rbags
ar en otdepl oyed in everyaccident. In order
fort he restra int sy stem toprov ide the
intended le velofp rotection, eac hvehicle occu‐
pant mus tobser vethef ollowing information:
RFasten seat belts cor rectl y.
RSit in an almos tupright seat position wi th
th eir bac kagains tthe seat backrest.
RSit wit htheir feet resting on thef loor ,ifp os‐
sible.
RAlw ayss ecur epersons under 5ft(1.50 m)
ta ll in an additional restra int sy stem suitable
fo rM ercedes-Benz vehicles.
Ho wever,no sy stem available toda yc an com‐
ple tely elimin atei njuries and fata lities in eve
ry
ac
cidents ituation. In particular ,the seat belt
and air bag generally do no tprotect against
objects penetrating thev ehicle from theo utside.
It is also no tpossible tocomplet elyr ule out the
ri sk of injur ycaused bythea ir bag deploying.
Reduce drestraint sy stem pr otection
&
WARNING Risk of injury or deathfrom
modifications tother estraint sy stem
The restra int sy stem can no longer function
cor rectly af tera lterations ha vebeen made.
The restra int sy stem ma ythen no tprotect
th ev ehicle occupants as intended byfailing
in an accident or triggering unexpec tedly ,for
ex ample
#Ne vera lter thep arts of ther estraint
sy stem.
#Ne vertamper wit hthe wiring or any
electronic component parts or their
software.
RIf it is necessar ytomodifythev ehicle to
accommodat eaperson wit hdisabilities, con‐
ta ct an au thorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
de tails.
RUS Ao nly: ford etails, con tact ourC ustomer
Assis tance Center on 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1‑800‑367‑63 72).
Occupant saf ety 31
Page 34 of 498

Restra int sy stem functionality
When thei gnition is switched on, asystems elf-
te st is per form ed, during whic hthe 6
re stra int sy stem warning lam plightsu p. It goes
out no later than afew second safter thev ehicle
is star ted. The components of ther estraint sys‐
te ma rethen functional.
Malfunctioning restra int sy stem
Am alfunction has occur redint herestra int sys‐
te mi f:
RThe 6 restra int sy stem warning lamp
does no tlight up when thei gnition is
switched on.
RThe 6 restra int sy stem warning lamp
lightsupc ontinuousl yorrepeatedly during a
journe y.
&
WARNING Risk of injury orfata linjury
due toam alfunctio nintherestra int sys‐
te m
If th er estraint sy stem is malfunctioning,
re stra int sy stem components ma ybetrig‐
ge redu nintentionall yormight no tbetrig‐
ge redata ll inthee vent of an accident. This
ma yaffect theE mer gency Tensioning Device
or airbag, fore xamp le.
#Have ther estraint sy stem checkeda nd
re paired immediatel yataqualified spe‐
cialis tworks hop.
Fu nction of ther estraint sy stem in an acci‐
dent
Ho wt he restra int sy stem worksisd etermined by
th es eve rity of thei mp act de tected and thet ype
of accidenta nticipated:
RFrontal impact
RRe ar impact
RSid eimp act
RRollover The activation
thre sholds fort he components of
th er estraint sy stem ar edetermined based on
th ee valuatio nofthe sensor values measured at
va rious points in thev ehicle. This process is pre-
em ptiveinn ature. The triggering/deployment of
th ec omponents of ther estraint sy stem should
ta ke place in good time at thes tart of thec olli‐
sion.
Fa ctor swhich can only be seena nd measured
af te rac ollision has occur redc ann otpla yad eci‐
siv erole in air bag deployment, nor do they pro‐
vide an indication of air bag deployment.
The vehicle ma ybedeformed significantl ywith‐
out an air bag being deplo yed. This is thec ase if
onl yparts whic hare re lativel yeasil ydeformed
ar ea ffected and ther ateofv ehicle deceleration
is no thigh. Con versely ,ana ir bag ma ybe
deplo yede vent hough thev ehicle suf fers only
minor deformation. If very rigid vehicle parts
suc hasl ongitudinal member sarehit, fore xam‐
ple, thev ehicle deceleration ma ybehigh enough
fo rt his tohappen.
32
Occupant saf ety
Page 35 of 498

The componentsoft herestra int sy stem can
be activated or deplo yedi ndependentl yof
eac hother:
Component De tected deploy‐
men tsituation
Emer gency Tension‐
ing Devices Fr
ontal impact, rear
impact ,side impact,
ro llo ver
Driver' sairbag, front
passenger ai rbag Fr
ontal impact
Knee air bag Frontal impact
Side air bag Side impact
Wi ndo wairba gS ide impact,rollo ver,
frontal impact
Belt air bag Frontal impact
PRE-SAFE®Impulse
Side Side impact
The front-passenger air bag can be deplo
yedi n
an accidento nlyift hePASSENGER AIR BAGO FF indicator lam
pisoff.Ift he front passenger seat
is occupied, mak esure, bo thbefor eand during
th ej ourne y,that thes tatus of thef ront
passenger air bag is cor rect (
→page 42).
&
WARNING Risk of burn sfromh otair bag
components
The air bag parts ar ehotafte rana ir bag has
been deploy ed.
#Do nottouc hthe air bag parts.
#Ha ve ad eplo yeda ir bag replaced at a
qu alified specialis tworks hop as soon
as possible.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that youh avet he
ve hicle towe dtoaq ualified specialis tworks hop
af te rana ccident. Take this int oaccount ,partic‐
ularly if an Emer gency Tensioning Device is trig‐
ge redorana ir bag is deplo yed.
If th eE mer gency Tensioning Device saretrig‐
ge redorana ir bag is deplo yed, youw ill hear a
bang, and po wdermayalso be released:
RThe bang will no tgene rallya ffect your hear‐
ing.
RIn general ,the powder released is no thaz‐
ardous tohealt hbut ma ycause short-term
breathing dif ficulties topersons suf fering
from as thma or other pulmonar yconditions.
Pr ov ided it is saf etodoso, leavethev ehicle
immediately or open thew indo wino rder to
pr eve nt brea thing dif ficulties.
Air bags and pyrotech nic Emergency Tensioning
Device scontai nperch lorat ematerial, whic hmay
re qu ires pecial handlin gorenvironmental pro‐
te ction measure s.Na tional guideline smustb e
obser vedd uring disposal. In California, see
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWas te/
Pe rchlorate/index.cfm.
Seat belts
Pr otection pr ovided bythes eat belt
Alw aysf asteny our seat belt cor rectly before
st artin gajourney .As eatb eltc an only pr ovide
th eb estlev el of pr otection if it is worncor rectl y.
Occupant saf ety 33
Page 36 of 498

&WARNING Risk of injury or deathdueto
incor rectl yfastened seat belt
If th es eat belt is no twornc orrectly ,itc an‐
no tp erform its intended pr otectiv efunction.
In addition, an incor rectly fastened seat belt
can also cause injuries, fore xamp le, in the
ev ent of an accidentorw hen braking or
ch anging direction suddenly .
#Alwayse nsur ethat all vehicle occu‐
pants ha vetheir seat belts fastened
cor rectl ya nd ar esitting prope rly.
In order fort he cor rectly wornseat belt topro‐
vide thei ntended le velofp rotection, eac hvehi‐
cle occupant mus tobser vethef ollowing infor‐
mation:
RThe seat belt mus tnotbe twis teda nd must
fi tt ightly and snugl yacross theb ody.
RThe seat belt mus tberouted across thec en‐
te roft he shoulder and as lo wdowna cross
th eh ips as possible.
RThe shoulder section of thes eat belt should
no ttouc hyour nec knor be routed under
yo ur ar morb ehindy our bac k.
RAvoid wearing bulkyc loth ing, e.g. awinter
coat.
RPush thel ap belt down as farasp ossible
across your hips and pull tight wit hthe shoul‐
der section of theb elt. Ne verrout ethe lap
belt across your abdomen.
RNe verrout ethe seat belt across sharp, poin‐
te d, abrasiv eorfragile objects.
ROnl yone person should use eac hseat belt at
an yo ne time. Ne vera llow babies and chil‐
dren totrave lsitting on thel ap of ano ther
ve hicle occupant.
RNe vers ecur eobjects wit haseat belt if the
seat belt is also being used byone of the
ve hicle's occupants. Alw ayso bser vethe
instructions forl oading thev ehicle when
securing objects, luggag eorloads
(
→pag e97).
Also ensu rethat no objects, e.g .acushion,
ar ee verp laced between aperson and the
seat. The seat belts on
thef ollowing seats ar eequip‐
ped wit hachild seat saf etyf eature:
RFront passenger seat
RRe ar seats
Ac ti
vat eord eacti vate thec hild seat saf etyf ea‐
tur eoft he seat belt (
→page49).
If ch ildren ar etrave ling in thev ehicle, be sur eto
obser vethei nstruction sand saf etyn otes on
"Children in thev ehicle" (
→pag e46).
Reduce dseatb eltp rote ction
&
WARNING Risk of injury or deathdueto
incor rect seatp osition
The seatb eltd oesn otoffert he intended
le ve lofp rotection if youh ave notm oved the
seat backres ttoanalmostvertical position.
When braking or in thee vent of an accident,
yo uc ould slide underneat hthe seat belt and
sus tain abdominal or nec kinjuries, fore xam‐
ple.
34 Occupant saf ety
Page 37 of 498

#Adjus tthe seat proper lybefor ebegin‐
ning your journe y.
#Alwayse nsur ethat thes eat backres tis
in an almos tvertical position and that
th es houlder section of your seat belt is
ro uted across thec enter of your shoul‐
der.
& WARNING Risk of injury or deathwhen
additional restra int sy stems ar enotused
fo rp ersons wit hasmaller build
Pe rsons under 5ft(1.50 m) tall canno twear
th es eat belt cor rectly wi thout asuitable
additional restra int sy stem.
If th es eat belt is no twornc orrectly ,itc an‐
no tp erform its intended pr otectiv efunction.
In addition, an incor rectly fastened seat belt
can also cause injuries, fore xamp le, in the
ev ent of an accidentorw hen braking or
ch anging direction suddenly .
#Alwayss ecur epersons under 5ft
(1.50 m) tallinas uitable restra int sys‐
te m.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or deathdueto
bloc keds eat belt buckle or seat belt
anchorage
Objects next tothef ront seat that bloc kthe
seat belt buckle or them oving seat belt
anchorag eonthe front seat impair thef unc‐
tion of theE mer gency Tensioning Devices.
The Emergency Tensioning Device scan,
th en, no tfunction as intended and thes eat
belt can no longer pr ovide thei ntended pro‐
te ction.
#Befor estarti ngthej ourne y,mak esure
th at ther ea reno objects around the
seat belt buckle or between thef ront
seat and door.
& WARNING Risk of injury or deathdueto
damaged or modified seat belts
Seat belts cann otprov ide pr otection in the
fo llowing situations:
RIf th es eat belts ar edamaged, modified,
ex treme lydirty ,bleached or dyed
RIfth es eat belt buckle is damaged or
ex treme lydirty
RIfth eE mer gency Tensioning Devices,
sea tbelta nchorages or sea tbeltr etra c‐
to rs have been modified
Seat belts ma ybedamaged in an accident,
although thed amag emaynotbev isible, e.g.
due tosplinter sofglass.
Modified or damaged seat belts ma ytear or
fa il, e.g. in an accident.
Modified Emer gency Tensioning Device scan
accidental lytrig gerorf ailtofunction as
intended.
#Ne verm odify thes eat belts, Emer gency
Te nsioning Devices, sea tbelta ncho‐
ra ge sors eat belt retractors.
#Make surethat thes eat belts are
undamaged, no tworna nd clean.
#Alw aysh ave thes eat belts checked
immediatel yafter an accident at a
qu alified specialis tworks hop.
Occupant saf ety 35
Page 38 of 498

Onlyuse seat belts that ha vebeen appr ovedfor
yo ur vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or deathfrom
deplo yedp yrot echni cEmergency Ten‐
sioning Devices
Pyro tech nic Emergency Tensioning Devices
th at ha vebeen deplo yeda reno longer opera‐
tional and ar eunable toper form their inten‐
ded pr otectiv efunction.
#Therefore, ha vedeplo yedp yrot echnic
Emer gency Tensioning Device simmedi‐
ately replaced at aqualified specialis t
wo rkshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that youh avet he
ve hicle towe dtoaq ualified specialis tworks hop
af te rana ccident.
* NO
TEDama gecaused bytrapping the
seat belt
If an unused seat belt is no tfully retracted ,it
ma ybecome trappe dinthe door or in the
seat mechanism.
#Alw ayse nsur ethat an unused seat belt
is full yretra cted.
In fo rm ation on theb elt air bag in ther ear
seat belt
Th eB ELTB AGidentification indicates that ar ear
seat belt is equippe dwithab elt air bag.
When activated, theb elt air bag increases the
pr otected area of thev ehicle occupant's ribcage.
&
WARNING Risk of injury or death
th ro ugh theu se of anon-appr ovedchild
re stra int sy stem
In an accident, theb elt air bag ma ydamage
an on-appr ovedorn on-authorized child
re stra int sy stem.
As aresult, thec hild restra int sy stem may
no tbea bletoprov ide thei ntended le velo f
pr otection.
#Therefore, alw aysu seLATC HorL ATCH -
type (ISOFIX)tof astenac hild seat
equippedw ithani ntegrated restra int
sy stem.
#Fo rv ehicles equipped wit hthe optional
re ar seat-belt air bags ("beltbag"), only
use aMercedes-Ben zappr oved boos ter
seat wit hintegrated backrest.
#Ne veru se an air bag equipped seat belt
to fast enafront or rear-facin gchild
seat or anon-appr ovedboos ters eat.
#Please contact an au thorized Mercedes-
Benz Center fori nformation on
app rove dc hild restra int sy stems.
Fa stening and adju sting thes eat belts
Ifth es eat belt is pulled quickl yors harply,the
seat belt retractor lo cks. The seat belt stra pc an‐
no tbep ulled out an yfurther.
36
Occupant saf ety
Page 39 of 498

#Alwayse ngag eseat belt tongue 2ofthe
seat belt int oseat belt buckle 1ofthec or‐
re sponding seat.
#Press and hold thes eat belt outle trelease
and slide seat belt outlet 3intot he desired
position.
#Le tgooft he seat belt outle trelease and
ensur ethat seat belt outlet 3locksinto
position. Ve
hicles with PRE-SAFE
®:If th ef ront seat belt
is no tpulled tight across your body ,the seat belt
adjustment ma yautomaticall yapply acertain
tigh tening forc e. Do no thold thes eat belt tightly
while it is adjusting .You can activat eand deacti‐
va te thes eat belt adjustmen tfunction using the
multimedia sy stem.
Ve hicles with automatic front passenge r
fron tair bag shu toff:
* NO
TEDeployment of theE mer gency
Te nsioning Device and side ai rbag when
th ef ront passenger seat is unoccupied
Ifth es eat belt tongueise ngaged in thes eat
belt buckle of theu noccupied front
passenger seat, theE mer gency Tensioning
Device and thes ide air bag ma yalso deploy
in thee vent of an accidenta long withother
sy stems.
#Onl yone person should use eac hseat
belt at an yone time.
Vehicles without automatic front passenge r
fron tair bag shu toff: *
NO
TEDeployment of theE mer gency
Te nsioning Device when thef ront
passenger seat is unoccupied
If th es eat belt tongueise ngaged in thes eat
belt buckle of theu noccupied front
passenger seat, theE mer gency Tensioning
Device ma yalsod eplo yint heevent of an
accidenta long withother sy stems.
#Onl yone person should use eac hseat
belt at an yone time.
Releasing seat belts
#Press ther elease button in thes eat belt
buckle and guide thes eat belt bac kwitht he
seat belt tongue.
Occupant safe ty37
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