Page 33 of 549

Re
stra int sy stem functionality When
the ignition is switched on, a self-test is
per form ed, during which the6 restra int sys‐
te m wa rning lamp lights up. It goes out no later
th an a few seconds af terth eve hicle is star ted.
The components of there stra int sy stem are then
functional. Malfunctioning
restra int sy stem A malfunction has occur
red in there stra int sys‐
te m if:
R the6 restra int sy stem warning lamp does
not light up when the ignition is switched on
R the6 restra int sy stem warning lamp
lights up continuously or repeatedly during a
journey &
WARNING Risk of inju ryor fata l injury
due toa malfunction in there stra int sys‐
tem
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 seat belt tensioner or airbag,
fo rex ample. #
Have 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:
R Frontal impact
R Rear impact
R Side impact
R Rollover
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 in good time at thest art of the colli‐
sion.
Fa ctors whi chcan only be seen and measu red
af te r a collision has occur red do not play a deci‐
sive role in the deployment of an airbag. Nordo
th ey prov ide an indication of airbag deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly with‐
out an airbag 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 airbag may be
deplo yedev en though theve hicle suf fers only
minor deformation. If very rigid vehicle parts
such as longitudinal members are hit, forex am‐
ple, this may result in suf ficiently high le vels of
ve hicle deceleration. 30
Occupant saf ety
Page 34 of 549

The co
mponents of there stra int sy stem can
be activated or deplo yed independently of
each other: Component De
tected deploy‐
ment situation
Seat belt tensioner sFrontal impact, rear
impact, side impact,
ro llo ver Driver's airbag, front
passenger front air‐
bag
Fr
ontal impact Knee airbag
Frontal impact Side impact airbag Side impact
Wi ndow airba gS ide impact,rollo ver,
frontal impact The front passenger front airbag can only be
depl oyed in an accident if thePA SSENGER AIR
BA G OFF indicator lamp is off. If the front
passenger seat is occupied, make sure, bo th
before and during the journe y,that thest atus of th
e front passenger front airbag is cor rect
(/ page 40). &
WARNING Rick of burns from hot airbag
components
The airbag parts are hot af ter an airbag has
been depl oyed. #
Do not touch the airbag parts. #
Have a deplo yed airbag 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. Take this into account, partic‐
ularly if a seat belt tensioner is trig gered or an
airbag deplo yed.
If th e seat belt tensioners are trig gered or an air‐
bag is deplo yed, you will hear a bang, and a
small amount of powder may also be released:
R The bang will not generally af fect your hear‐
ing.
R Ingeneral, 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. Seat belts
Pr
otection pr ovided bythe seat belt Alw
aysfast enyour seat belt co rrectly before
st arting a journe y.A seat belt can only pr ovide
th e best le vel of pr otection if it is worncor rectly. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryor death due to
incor rectly fastened seat belt
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 sudden ly. Occ
upant saf ety31
Page 35 of 549

#
Alw ays ensure that all vehicle occu‐
pants ha vetheir seat belts fastened
cor rectly and are sitting prope rly. Alw
ays obser vethe instructions about the cor‐
re ct driver's seat position and adjusting the seat
(/ page 87).
In order forth e cor rectly wornseat belt topro‐
vide the intended le vel of pr otection, each vehi‐
cle occupant must obser vethefo llowing infor‐
mation:
R The seat belt must not be twis ted and must
fi t tightly and snu gly across the body.
R The seat belt must be routed across the
centre of the shoulder and as low down
across the hips as possible.
R The shoulder section of the seat belt should
not touch your ne cknor be routed under
yo ur arm or behind your bac k.
R Avoid wearing bulky clo thing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R Push the lap belt down as far as possible
across your hips and pull tight with the shoul‐ der section of
the belt. Ne verro ute the lap
belt across your abdomen.
R Neverro ute the seat belt across sharp, poin‐
te d, abrasive or fragile objects.
R Only one person should use each seat belt at
any one time. Ne ver allow babies and chil‐
dren totrave l sitting on the lap of ano ther
ve hicle occupant.
R Never secure objects with a seat belt if the
seat belt is also being used byone of the
ve hicle's occupants. Alw ays obser vethe
instructions for loading theve hicle when
securing objects, luggage or loads
(/ page 98).
Also ensure that no objects, e.g. a cushion,
are ever placed between a person and the
seat.
If ch ildren are tr avelling in theve hicle, be sure to
obser vethe instructions and saf ety no tes on
"Children in theve hicle" (/ page 45). Re
duced seat belt pr otection &
WARNING Risk of inju ryor death due to
incor rect seat position
The seat belt does not of ferth e intended
le ve l of pr otection if you ha venot mo vedthe
seat backrest toan almost vertical position.
When braking or in theeve nt of an accident,
yo u could slide underneath the seat belt and
sus tain abdominal or neck injuries, forex am‐
ple. #
Adjust the seat proper lybefore begin‐
ning your journe y. #
Alw ays 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 cent reofyour shoul‐
der. 32
Occupant saf ety
Page 36 of 549

&
WARNING Risk of inju ryor death when
additional restra int sy stems are not used
fo r persons with a smaller build
Pe rsons under 1.50 m tall cannot wearthe
seat belt cor rectly wi thout a suitable addi‐
tional 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 sudden ly.#
Alw ays secure persons under 1.50 m
ta ll in a suitable restra int sy stem. &
WARNING Danger of inju ryor death due
to bloc ked seat belt anchorages
The restra int ef fect of the seat belt is
impaired if objects between the front seat
and the door are blocking the mo vable seat
belt anchorage on the front seat.
The seat belt may not then pr ovide the
proper pr otection. #
Before starting a journe y,make sure
th at there are no objects between the
front seat and the door. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryor death due to
damaged or modified seat belts
Seat belts cann otprov ide pr otection in the
fo llowing situations:
R Ifth e seat belts are damaged, modified,
ex treme lydirty, bleached or dyed
R Ifth e seat belt buckle is damaged or
ex treme lydirty
R Ifth e seat belt tensioners, seat belt
anchorages or seat belt retractors ha ve
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 seat belt tensioners could acciden‐
ta lly trigger or failto function as intended. #
Never modify the seat belts, seat belt
te nsioners, seat belt anchorages or
seat belt retractors. #
Makesure that 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. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you use seat
belts which ha vebeen appr ovedfo ryo ur vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryor death from
deplo yedpy rotech nic seat belt tension‐
ers
Py rotech nic seat belt tensioners that ha ve
been deplo yed are no longer operational and
are unable toper form their intended pr otec‐
tive function. #
Therefore, ha vedeplo yedpy rotech nic
seat belt tensioners immedia tely
re placed at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. Occupant saf
ety33
Page 37 of 549

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. Fa
stening and adju sting seat belts If
th 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. #
Alw ays engage seat belt tongue 2ofthe
seat belt into seat belt buckle 1ofthe cor‐
re sponding seat. #
Press and hold the seat belt outlet release
and slide seat belt outlet 3into the desired
position. #
Let go of the seat belt outlet release and
ensure that seat belt outlet 3locksinto
position. Ve
hicles with automatic front passen ger
front airbag shu toff:
* NO
TEDeployment of the seat belt ten‐
sioner and side impact airbag when the
front passenger seat is unoccupied If
th e seat belt tongue is engaged in the seat
belt buckle of the unoccupied front
passenger seat, the seat belt tensioner and
th e side impact airbag may also deploy in the
ev ent of an accident along with other sys‐
te ms. #
Only one person should use each seat
belt at any one time. Ve
hicles without automatic front passen ger
front airbag shu toff:
* NO
TEDeployment of the seat belt ten‐
sioner when the front passenger seat is
unoccupied If
th e seat belt tongue is engaged in the seat
belt buckle of the unoccupied front
passenger seat, the seat belt tensioner may 34
Occupant saf ety
Page 38 of 549

also deploy in
theev ent of an accident along
with other sy stems. #
Only one person should use each seat
belt at any one time. Left and
right rear seat:
* NO
TEDeploying the seat belt tensioner
when there ar seat is unoccupied If
th e seat belt tongue is engaged in the seat
belt buckle of the unoccupied rear seat, the
sear belt tensioner may also depl oyin addi‐
tion to ot her sy stems in theev ent of an acci‐
dent. #
Only one person should use each seat
belt at any one time. Seat belt adjustment function
Ve
hicles with PRE-SAFE ®
:if th e front seat belt
is not pulled tight across your body, the seat belt
adjustment may automatically apply a cer tain
tigh tening forc e. Do not hold the seat belt tightly
while it is adjusting. Yo
u can activate and deactivate the seat belt
adjustment function using the multimedia sys‐
te m (/ page 35). Re
leasing a seat belt #
Press there lease button in the seat belt
buckle and guide the seat belt back with the
seat belt tongue. Ac
tivating/deactivating seat belt adjustment
via the multimedia sy stem Multimedia sy
stem:
4 Vehicle 5
î Vehicle settings
5 Belt adjustment #
Activate Oor deacti vate ª the function. Seat belt
warning function for the driver and
front passen ger The
ü seat belt warning lamp in the instru‐
ment display is a reminder that all vehicle occu‐
pants must weartheir seat belts cor rectly.
In addition, a warning tone may sound. As soon as
the driver and front passenger fasten
th eir seat belts, the seat belt warning goes out. Fu
nction of there ar seat belt status display The
rear seat belt status display is on lyavailable
fo r cer tain countries. The
rear seat belt status display informs you
which rear seat belt is not fastened.
Yo u can immediately dismiss there ar seat belt
st atus display using the back button on the left-
hand side of thesteering wheel (/ page 226). Occupant saf
ety35
Page 39 of 549

If a
vehicle occupant unfas tens a seat belt in the
re ar while theve hicle is motion, there ar seat
belt status display appears again.
In addition, an acoustic warning tone may sound.
In this case, there ar seat belt status display
cannot be hidden using the back button on the
left-hand side of thesteering wheel. Airbags
Overview of airbags
1
Driver's knee airbag
2 Driver's airbag
3 Front passenger front airbag 4
Front passenger knee airbag
5 Window airbag
6 Side impact airbag
The ins tallation location of an airbag is identified
by the AIRB AGsymbol.
When activated, an airbag can pr ovide additional
pr otection forth ere spective vehicle occupant.
Pot ential pr otection from each airbag: AIRB
AG Potential pr otection for
…
Knee airbag Thigh, knee and lo wer leg
Driver's airbag,
front passenger
front airbag Head and
ribcage
Wi ndow airba gHead
Side impact air‐
bag Ribcage, also pelvis
for
front seat occupants The front passenger front airbag can only be
depl
oyed in an accident if thePA SSENGER AIR
BA G OFF indicator lamp is off. If the front passenger seat is occupied, make sure, bo
th
before and during the journe y,that thest atus of
th e front passenger front airbag is cor rect
(/ page 40).
* 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:
R There are heavy objects on the front
passenger seat.
R The seat belt tongue is engaged in the
seat belt buckle of the front passenger
seat and the front passenger seat is
unoccupied. #
Stow objects in a suitable place. #
Only one person should use each seat
belt at any one time. 36
Occupant saf ety
Page 40 of 549

Pr
otection bythe airbags Depending on
the accident situation, an airbag
may supplement the pr otection of fere dby a cor‐
re ctly fastened seat belt. &
WARNING Risk of inju ryor death due to
incor rect seat position
If yo u deviate from the cor rect seat position,
th e airbag cann otper form 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:
R Have their seat belt fastened cor rectly,
including pregnant women.
R Are seated properly and keep as faraw ay
as possible from the airbags.
R Obser vethefo llowing information. #
Alw ays make sure that there are no
objects between the airbag and vehicle
occupant. To
avo idtherisks resulting from the deployment
of an airbag, each vehicle occupant must
obser vethefo llowing information:
R Before 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 87).
R Only hold thesteering wheel bythesteering
wheel rim. This allows the airbag tobe fully
deplo yed.
R Alw 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.You may
ot herwise be in the deployment area of the
airbags.
R Alw ayske ep your feet on thefloor. Do not
put your feet on the cockpit, forex ample.
Yo ur feet may otherwise be in the deploy‐
ment area of the airbag.
R Ifch ildren are tra velling in theve hicle,
obser vethe additional no tes (/ page 45). R
Alw aysstow and secure objects cor rectly.
Objects in theve hicle interior may pr event an
airbag from functioning cor rectly. Each vehicle
occupant must alw ays make sure of thefo llow‐
ing:
R There are no people, animals or objects
between theve hicle occupants and an air‐
bag.
R There are no objects between the seat, door
and door pillar (B-pillar).
R There are no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers,
hanging on the grab handles or coat hooks.
R There are no accessory parts, such as PNDs
(Personal Navigation Devices), mobile
phones or cup holders attached totheve hi‐
cle within the deployment area of an airbag,
e.g. on the cockpit, on doors, side windo ws
or side panelling.
In addition, no connecting cable, tensioning
st ra p or retai ning stra p may be routed
th ro ugh or attached in the deployment area
of an airbag. Alw ays obser vethe accesso ry
manufacturer's ins tallation instructions, in Occupant saf
ety37