2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS Owners Manual

regular interval sw hile the engine is running.
Therefore, malfunctions can be detected in
good time.
The u restraint system warning lamp on the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignitio ni s
switched on. It goes out no later than af ew sec-
onds after the vehicl eiss tarted. The compo-
nents of the restraint system are in operational
readiness.
Am alfunction has occurred if the u restraint
system warning lamp: R
does not light up after the ignitio niss witched
on R
does not go out after af ew seconds with the
engine running R
lights up again while the engine is running
G WARNING
If the restraint system is malfunctioning,
restraint system components may be trig-
gered unintentionally or may not deploy as
intended during an accident. This can affect
for exampl et he Emergency Tensioning
Device or the air bag .T his poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired in aq ualified specialist workshop as
soon as possible.
PASSENGER AI RB AG indicator lamp
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp C and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp D are
part of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS). The indicator lamp sd isplay the status of the
front-passenge rf ront air bag. R
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for 60 sec-
onds, subsequently both indicator lamp sa re
off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and OFF): the
front-passenge rf ront air bag is abl etod eploy
in the event of an accident. R
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated. It will
then not be deploye dint he 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 status of the front-passenger
front air bag .T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp may be lit continuously or be off.
Depending on the person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenge rf ront air bag must
either be deactivated or enabled; see the fol-
lowing points. You must make sure of this both
before and during aj ourney.R
Children in ac hil dr estraint system:
whethe rt he front-passenge rf ront air bag is
enabled or deactivated depends on the instal-
led child restraint system, and the age and
size of the child .T herefore, be sure to observe
the notes on the "Occupant Classification
System (OCS)" ( Y
pag e4 5) and on "Chil-
dren in the vehicle" ( Y
pag e5 3). There you
wil la ls of ind instructions on rearward and
forward-facing child restraint systems on the
front-passenge rs eat. R
All other persons: depending on the classi-
ficatio noft he person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenge rf ront air bag is ena-
bled or deactivated ( Y
pag e4 5). Be sure to
observe the notes on "Seat
belts“ ( Y
pag e3 9) and "Air bags"
( Y
pag e4 3) .T here you can als of ind infor-
mation on the correct seat position.
Seat belts
Introduction
Seat belts are the most effective means of
restricting the movement of vehicl eo ccupants
in the event of an accident or the vehicl er olling
over. This reduces the risk of vehicl eo ccupants
coming into contact with parts of the vehicle
interior or being ejected from the vehicle. Fur-
thermore, the seat belt help stok eep the vehicleOccupant safety 39
Safety Z

occupant in the best position in relation to the
air bag.
The seat belt system comprises: R
Seat belts R
Emergency Tensionin gD evices and seat belt
force limiters
If the seat belt is pulled quickly or sharply by the
seat belt guide, the inertia reel locks. The belt
strap cannot be extracted any further.
The Emergency Tensionin gD evice tighten st he
seat belt in an accident ,p ulling the belt close
against the body. However it does not pull the
vehicle occupant back in the direction of the
backrest.
The Emergency Tensionin gD evice does not cor-
rect an incorrect seat position or the routing of
an incorrectly fastened seat belt.
When triggered, as eat belt force limiter helps to
reduce the force exerted by the seat belt on the
vehicle occupant.
The seat belt force limiters are synchronized
with the front air bags which absorb part of the
deceleration force. This can reduce the force
exerted on the vehicle occupant sd uring an acci-
dent.
! If the front-passenger seat is not occupied,
do not engage the seat belt tongue in the
buckle on the front-passenger seat. Other-
wise, in the event of an accident the Emer-
gency Tensionin gD evice and the side impact
air bag, in addition to other systems, may be
triggered and have to be replaced.
Important safety notes The use of seat belts and child restraint systems
is required by law in: R
all 50 states R
the U.S. territories R
the District of Columbia R
all Canadian provinces
Even where this is not required by law, all vehicle
occupant ss hould correctly fasten their seat
belts before starting the journey.
G WARNING
If the seat belt is not worn correctly, it cannot
perform its intended protective function. An
incorrectly fastened seat belt can also cause
injuries, for example, in the event of an acci- dent or when braking or changing direction
abruptly. This poses an increased risk of injury
or even fatal injury.
Always ensure that all vehicle occupant sh ave
their seat belts fastened correctly and are sit-
ting properly.
The components of the restraint system work in
conjunction with each other. They can only
deploy their protective function if, at all times, all
vehicle occupants: R
have fastened their seat belts correctly
( Y
page 41) R
have the seat and head restraint adjusted
properly ( Y
page 84)
G WARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level
of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident ,y ou could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal
injury.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder.
G WARNING
Persons less than 5ft( 1.50 m) tall cannot
wear the seat belt correctly without an addi-
tional and suitable restraint system. If the
seat belt is not worn correctly, it cannot per-
form its intended protective function. An
incorrectly fastened seat belt can also cause
injuries, for example, in the event of an acci-
dent or when braking or changing direction
abruptly. This poses an increased risk of injury
or even fatal injury.
For this reason, alway ss ecure persons under
5ft( 1.50 m) tall in suitable additional restraint
systems.40
Occupant safety
Safety

If ac hild younger than twelve years old and
under 5ft( 1.5 0m)inh eight is travelin gint he
vehicle: R
always secur et he child in ac hild restraint
system suitable for this Mercedes-Ben zv ehi-
cle. The child restraint system must be appro-
priat etot he age, weight and size of the child.R
always observe the instructions and safety
notes on "Children in the vehicle"
( Y
page 53) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer' si nstallation and oper-
atin gi nstructionsR
always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant classification system
(OCS)" ( Y
page 45)
G WARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended
protective function if: R
the ya re damaged, modified, extremely
dirty, bleache dord yedR
the seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty R
the Emergency Tensionin gD evices, belt
anchorage sori nertia reels have been modi-
fied.
Seat belts may be damaged in an accident,
althoug ht he damage may not be visible, e.g.
due to splinters of glass. Modifie dord amaged
seat belts may tear or fail, e.g. in an accident.
Modifie dE me rgency Tensionin gD evices
could accidentally trigger or fail to deploy
when necessary. This poses an increased risk
of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modif yt he seat belts ,E me rgency Ten-
sioning Devices, belt anchorage sa nd inertia
reels. Make sure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not worn out and clean .F ollow-
ing an accident ,h ave the seat belts checked
immediately at aq ualified specialist work-
shop.
Only use seat belts that have been approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. Proper use of th es eat beltsObserve the safet yn otes on the seat belt
( Y
page 40).
All vehicle occupant sm ust be wearin gt he seat
belt correctly befor eb eginnin gt he journey. Also
make sure that all vehicle occupant sa re always
wearing the seat belt correctly while the vehicle
is in motion.
When fastenin gt he seat belt, always make sure
that: R
the seat belt buckle tongue is inserted only
int ot he belt buckle belonging to that seat R
the seat belt is pulled tigh ta cross your body
Avoid wearin gb ulky clothing ,e .g. aw inter
coat. R
the seat belt is not twisted
Only the nc an the forces which occur be dis-
tributed over the area of the belt. R
the shoulder section of the belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder
The shoulder section of the seat belt should
not touc hy our nec korber outed under your
arm or behin dy our back. R
the lap belt is taut and passes across your lap
as low down as possible
The lap belt must always be routed across
your hip joints and not across your abdomen.
This applies particularly to pregnant women.
If necessary, push the lap belt down to your
hip join ta nd pull it tigh tu sing the shoulder
section of the belt. R
the seat belt is not routed across sharp, poin-
ted or fragile objects
If you have such item sl ocated on or in your
clothing ,e .g. pens ,k eys or eyeglasses ,s tore
these in as uitable place. R
only one perso nisu sing as eat belt
Infant sa nd children must never travel sitting
on the lap of av ehicle occupant .Int he event
of an accident ,t he yc ould be crushed
betwee nt he vehicle occupant and seat belt. R
object sa re never secured with as eat belt if
the seat belt is also bein g used by one of the
vehicle's occupants
Also ensure that there are never objects
betwee nap erso na nd the seat, e.g. cushions.
Seat belts are only intended to secur ea nd
restrain vehicle occupants. Always observe the
notes in the "Stowage options/compartments"
section for securing objects, luggage or loads
( Y
page 219).Occupant safety 41
Safety Z

Fastening seat belts Observ et he safet yn otes on th es eat belt
( Y
page 40 )a nd the notes on correct us eofs eat
belts ( Y
page 41).
Basic illustration X
Adjust the sea t( Y
page 84).
The sea tb ac kres tm us tbeinana lm ost
upright position. X
Pull the sea tb el ts moothl yo ut of sea tb el t
guide

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 provide sa dditional 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 ( Y
page 50).
However, no system available today can com-
pletel ye liminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out ar isk of injury
cause dbyana ir bag due to the high speed at
which the air bag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
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 .T his poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid hazardous situations, always make
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants: R
have fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women R
are sitting correctly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags R
follow the following instructions
Alway sm ake sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants. R
Adjust the seats properl yb efore beginning
you rj ourney. Alway sm ake sure that the seat
is in an almos tu pright position. The center of the head restraint must support the head at
abou te ye level. R
Move the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible. The driver's seat posi-
tion must allow the vehicle to be driven safely. R
Only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the air bag to be full yd eployed.R
Alway sl ea na gainst the backrest whil ed riv-
ing. Do not lea nf orward or lea na gainst the
door or side window .Y ou may otherwise be in
the deployment area of the air bags. R
Alway sk eep you rf eet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not put you rf eet on the dash-
board ,f or example .Y our feet may otherwise
be in the deployment area of the air bag. R
For this reason, always secure persons less
than 5f t( 1.5 0m )t all in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
If ac hil dist raveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes: R
Alway ss ecure childre nu nder twelve years of
age and less than 5f t( 1.50 m) tal lins ui table
child restraint systems. R
Onl ys ec ur eac hild in ar earward-facing child
restraint syste mont h e front-passenge rs e a t
when the front-passenge rf ront ai rb ag is
deactivated .Ift he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is permanentl yl it ,t he front-
passenge rf ront ai rb ag is deactivated
( Y
page 39). R
Alway so bser ve the instructions and safety
note sont he "Occupant Classification System
(OCS) "( Y
page 45) and on "Children in the
vehicle" ( Y
page 53 )i na ddit io ntot he child
restraint syste mm an ufacturer's installation
and operating instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may prevent
an air bag fro mf unctionin gc or rectly. Before
startin gy ou rj ourney and to avoi dr isks resulting
fro mt he spee doft he ai rb ag as it deploys, make
sure that: R
there ar enop eople, animals or objects
between the vehicl eo ccupants and an ai rb agR
there ar enoo bj ects between the seat, door
and B-pillar R
no accessories, such as cup holders, are
attache dtot he vehicl ew it hi nt he deploymentOccupant safety 43
Safety Z

area of an air bag, e.g .tod oor sors ide win-
dows R
no heavy, sharp-edged or fragile object sa re in
th ep ockets of your clothing .S to re such
object sinas uitable place
G WARNING
If you modify th ea ir bag cover or affix objects
suc hass ti ckers to it, th ea ir bag can no longer
function correctly. Ther eisani ncreased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objects
to it.
G WARNING
Sensor stoc ontrol th ea ir bags are locate di n
th ed oors. Modification sorw ork no tp er-
formed correctly to th ed oor sord oor panel-
ing ,asw ell as damage dd oors, can lead to the
function of th es ensor sb ein gi mpaired. The air
bags migh tt he refore no tf unction properly
anymore .C onsequently, th ea ir bags cannot
protect vehicle occupant sast he ya re
designed to do. Ther eisani ncreased risk of
injury.
Never modify th ed oor sorp art soft he doors.
Always have work on th ed oor sord oor pan-
elin gc arried out at aq ualified specialist work-
shop.
Fron ta ir bags
! Do no tp lace heav yo bject sont he front-
passenger seat .T his coul dc aus et he system
to identif yt he seat as bein go ccupied. In the
even tofana ccident, th er estraint systems on
th ef ront-pa ssenger side may be triggered
and have to be replaced. Driver's air bag C deploys in fron toft he steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger fron ta ir bag D
deploys in fron tofa nd abov et he glov eb ox.
When deployed, th ef ront air bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for th eo ccu-
pant sint he driver' sa nd front-passenger seats.
The PASSENGER AI RB AG OF Fi ndicator lamp
inform sy ou about th es ta tus of th ef ront -
passenger fron ta ir bag ( Y
page 39).
The front-passenger fron ta ir bag will only
deplo yi f: R
th es ystem, based on th eO CS weigh ts ensor
readings, detect st ha tt he front-passenger
seat is occupied ( Y
page 45). The
PASSENGER AI RB AG OF Fi ndicator lamp is
no tl it ( Y
page 46) R
th er estraint system control unit predict sa
high acciden ts everity
Knee bags
Driver's knee bag C deploys unde rt he steering
column and front-passenger knee bag D under
th eg lov eb ox .T he driver' sa nd front-passenger
knee bags are triggered together with th ef ront
air bags.
The driver' sa nd front-passenger knee bags
offer additional thigh, knee and lower leg pro-
tection.
Sid ei mpact air bags
G WARNING
Unsuitable seat covers can obstruc torp re-
ven td eploymen toft he air bags integrated
int ot he seats. Consequently, th ea ir bags
canno tp rotect vehicle occupant sast he ya re
designed to do. In addition ,t he operatio no f
th eo ccupant classification system (OCS)44
Occupant safety
Safety

could be adversel ya ffected. Thi sp oses an
increase dr is kofi njury or eve nf ata li njury.
You shoul do nly us es ea tc over st hat have
bee na pp roved for the respectiv es ea tb y
Mercedes-Benz.
Sid ei mpact ai rb ag s C deploy next to the outer
bolster of the sea tb ac krest.
Whe nd eployed, the sid ei mpact ai rb ag offers
additiona lt hora xp rotection. However, it does
not protect the: R
Head R
Neck R
Arms
If the restraint system control uni td etects as ide
impact, the sid ei mpact ai rb ag is deployed on
the sid eonw hich the impact occurs.
The sid ei mpact ai rb ag on the front-passenger
sid ed eploy su nder the following conditions:R
the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger sea ti so ccupied orR
the sea tb el tb uc kle tongu eise ngaged in the
bel tb uc kle of the front-passenger seat
If the bel tt ongu eise ngaged in the bel tb uc kle,
the sid ei mpact ai rb ag on the front-passenger
sid ed eploy sifana pp ropriate accident situation
occurs. In this case ,d eployment is independent
of whether the front-passenger sea ti so ccupied
or not. Head air bags
Hea db ag s C deploy in the are aoft he sid ew in -
dow satt he front.
Whe nd eployed, the hea db ag enhances the
level of protectio nf or the head. However, it does
not protect the: R
chest R
arms
If the restraint system control uni td etects as ide
impact, the hea db ag is deployed on the sid eo n
which the impact occurs.
If the system determine st hat they can offer
additiona lp rotectio ntot hat provided by the
sea tb elt, ah ea db ag may be deployed in other
accident situations ( Y
page 50).
The hea db ag on the front-passenger side
deploy su nder the following conditions: R
the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger sea ti so ccupied orR
the sea tb el tb uc kle tongu eise ngaged in the
bel tb uc kle of the front-passenger seat
If the bel tt ongu eise ngaged in the bel tb uc kle,
the hea db ag on the front-passenger side
deploy sifana pp ropriate accident situation
occurs. In this case ,d eployment is independent
of whether the front-passenger sea ti so ccupied
or not.
Occupan tC la ssificatio nS ystem
(OCS)
Introduction
The Occupant Classification System (OCS) cat-
egorize st he person in the front-passenger seat.
Depending on that result, the front-passenger
front ai rb ag and front-passenger knee ba ga re
either enabled or deactivated.Occupan ts afety 45
Safety Z

The system does not deactivate: R
the side impact air bag R
the headbag R
the Emergency Tensionin gD evices
Requirements To be classified correctly, the front passenger
must sit: R
with the seat belt fastened correctly R
in an almost upright position with their back
against the seat backrest R
with their feet restin gont he floor, if possible
If the front passenger does not observe these
conditions, OCS may produce af alse classifica-
tion, e.g. because the front passenger: R
transfers their weight by supporting them-
selves on av ehicle armrestR
sits in such aw ay that their weight is raised
from the seat cushion
If you install ac hild restraint system on the
front-passenger seat, be sure to observe the
correc tp ositionin goft he child restraint system.
Never place object su nder or behind the child
restraint system, e.g. ac ushion. The entir eb ase
of the child restraint system must alway sr est 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.
The child restraint system must not touch the
roof or be subjected to al oad by the head
restraint. Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
and the head restraint position accordingly.
Only then can OCS be guaranteed to function
correctly. Always observe the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation and operating
instructions. Occupant Classification System opera-
tion (OCS)
C
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp D
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
The indicator lamps inform you whether the
front-passenger front air bag is deactivated or
enabled. X
Press the Start/Stop button once or twice, or
turn the SmartKey to position G or H in the
ignition lock.
The system carries out self-diagnostics.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON indicator lamps must light up simul-
taneously for approximately six seconds.
The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front air bag. R
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for 60 sec-
onds, subsequently both indicator lamps are
off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and OFF): the
front-passenger front air bag is able to deploy
in the event of an accident. R
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated. It will
then not be deployed in the 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 status of the front-passenger
front air bag. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp may be lit continuously or be off.
If the status of the front-passenger front air bag
changes while the vehicle is in motion ,ana ir bag
display message appears in the instrument clus-
ter ( Y
page 187). When the front-passenger
seat is occupied, alway sp ay attention to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp. Be
aware of the status of the front-passenger front
air bag both before and during the journey.46
Occupant safety
Safety