2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS Owners Manual

G WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front-passenge rf ront air bag is
disabled. It wil ln ot be deploye dint he event of
an accident and cannot perform its intended
protective function. Ap erso nint he front-
passenger seat coul dt hen, for example, come
into contact with the vehicle's interior, espe-
cially if the perso niss itting too close to the
dashboard. This pose sani ncreased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
When the front-passenge rs eat is occupied,
alway se nsure that:R
the classification of the perso nint he front-
passenger seat is correct and the front-
passenger front air bag is enabled or disa-
ble dina ccordance with the perso nint he
front-passenge rs eatR
the front-passenge rs eat has been moved
back as far back as possible. R
the perso niss eated correctly.
Make sure ,b oth before and during the jour-
ney, that the status of the front-passenger
front air bag is correct.
G WARNING
If you secure ac hild in ar earward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenge rs eat
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is off, the front-passenge rf ront air bag
can deploy in the event of an accident. The
child coul dbes truck by the air bag .T his poses
an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that the front-passenge rf ront air
bag has been deactivated. The PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit.
NEVER use ar earward-facing child restraint
on as eat protected by an ACTIVE FRONT AIR-
BAG in front of it; DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY
to the child can occur.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
stays off, do not instal lar earward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenge rs eat.
You can find more information on OCS under
"Problems with the Occupant Classification Sys-
tem" ( Y
pag e4 9). G WARNING
If you secure ac hild in af orward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenge rs eat
and you position the front-passenge rs eat too
close to the dashboard, in the event of an
accident, the child could: R
come into contact with the vehicle's inte-
rior if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-
cator lamp is lit, for example R
be struck by the air bag if the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is off
This poses an increased risk of injury or even
fatal injury.
Move the front-passenge rs eat as far back as
possible .A lways make sure that the shoulder
bel ts trap is correctly routed from the vehicle
bel tg uide to the shoulde rb el tg uide on the
child restraint system. The shoulde rb el ts trap
must be routed forwards and downwards
from the vehicl eb el tg uide. Always observe
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions.
If OCS determines that: R
The front-passenge rs eat is unoccupied ,t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up after the system self-test and
remains lit. This indicates that the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated. R
The front-passenge rs eat is occupied by a
child of up to twelve months old, in as tandard
child restraint system, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up after the
system self-test and remains lit. This indi-
cates that the front-passenge rf ront air bag is
deactivated.
But even in the case of at welve-month-old
child ,inas tandard child restraint system, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp can
go out after the system self-test. This indi-
cates that the front-passenge rf ront air bag is
activated. The result of the classification is
dependent on, among other factors, the child
restraint system and the child's stature. Make
sure that the conditions for ac orrect classi-
ficatio na re met. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp remains off, do not install
ac hild restraint system on the front-
pa ss
enger seat.Occupant safety 47
Safety Z

R
The front-passenger seat is occupied by a
person of smaller stature (e.g. at eenager or
small adult), the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp lights up and remains lit after
the system self-test depending on the result
of the classification or, alternatively, goes out. -
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is off, move the front-passenger seat
as far back as possible. -
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, ap erson of smaller stature
should not use the front-passenger seat. R
The front-passenger seat is occupied by an
adult or ap erson of adult stature, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
goes out after the system self-test. This indi-
cates that the front-passenger front air bag is
activated.
If children are traveling in the vehicle, be sure to
observe the notes on "Children in the vehicle"
( Y
page 53).
When the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) is malfunctioning, the red u restraint
system warning lamp on the instrument cluster
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp light up simultaneously. The front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated in this
case and does not deploy during an accident.
Have the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
checked and repaired immediately at aq ualified
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center for this purpose.
If the front-passenger seat, the seat cover or the
seat cushion are damaged, have the necessary
repair work carried out at aq ualified specialist
workshop. Mercedes-Benz recommends that
you use an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for this purpose.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use seat accessories that
have been approved by Mercedes-Benz.
If the driver's air bag deploys, this does not
mean that the front-passenger front air bag will
also deploy. The Occupant Classification Sys-
tem (OCS) categorizes the occupant on the
front-passenger seat. Dependin gont hat result,
the front-passenger front air bag is either ena-
bled or deactivated. System self-test
G DANGER
If both the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps do
not light up during the system self-test, the
system is malfunctioning. The front-
passenger front air bag might be triggered
unintentionally or might not be triggered at all
in the event of an accident with high deceler-
ation. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
In this case the front-passenger seat may not
be used. Do not install ac hild restraint system
on the front-passenger seat. Have the Occu-
pant Classification System (OCS) checked
and repaired immediately at aq ualified spe-
cialist workshop.
G WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains lit after the system self-test, the
front-passenger front air bag is disabled. It will
not be deployed in the event of an accident .I n
this case, the front-passenger front air bag
cannot perform its intended protective func-
tion, e.g. when ap erson is seated in the front-
passenger seat.
That person could, for example, come into
contact with the vehicle's interior, especially
if the person is sittin gt oo close to the dash-
board. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
alway se nsure that: R
the classification of the person in the front-
passenger seat is correc ta nd the front-
passenger front air bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordanc ew ith the person in the
front-passenger seat R
the person is seated properly with ac or-
rectly fastened seatbelt R
the front-passenger seat has been moved
as far back as possible
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains lit when it should not ,t he front-48
Occupant safety
Safety

passenger seat may not be used. Do not
install ac hild restraint system on the front-
passenger seat. Have the Occupant Classifi-
cation System (OCS) checked and repaired
immediately at aq ualified specialist work-
shop.
G WARNING
Objects between the seat surface and the
child restraint system could affect OCS oper-
ation. This could result 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
always rest on the seat cushion of the front-
passenger seat. The backrest of the forward- facin gc hild restraint system must, as far as
possible, be resting on the backrest of the
front-passenger seat. Always comply with the
child restraint system manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions.
After the system self-test, the PASSENGER AIR
BA GO FF or PASSENGER AIR BA GONi ndicator
lamp displays the status of the front-passenger
fron ta ir bag ( Y
page 46). If the front-passenger
fron ta ir bag is enabled, the PASSENGER AIR
BA GONi ndicator lamp lights up for 60 seconds
and then goes out.
If the PASSENGER AIR BA GONi ndicator lamp is
off, only the PASSENGER AIR BA GO FF indicator
lamp shows the status of the front-passenger
fron ta ir bag. The PASSENGER AIR BA GO FF
indicator lamp may be lit continuously or be off.
For more information about the OCS, see "Prob-
lems with the Occupant Classification System"
( Y
page 49).
Problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS) Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test" ( Y
page 48).Occupant safety 49
Safety Z

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up and remains lit,
even though the front-
passenger seat is occu-
pied by an adult or ap er-
son of as tature corre-
sponding to that of an
adult. The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is incor-
rect. X
Make sure the condition sf or ac orrect classification of the person
on the front-passenger seat are met ( Y
page 46).X
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, the front-
passenger seat may not be used. X
Have 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: R
unoccupied R
occupied by the
weight of ac hild up to
twelve months old in a
child restraint system OCS is malfunctioning. X
Make sure there is nothin gb etween the seat cushion and the child
seat. X
Make 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. X
When 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 .T his could result in the seat belt and the child
restraint system being pulled too tightly. X
Check for correct installation of the child restraint system.
Make sure that the head restraint does not apply al oad to the child
restraint system. If necessary, adjust the head restraint accord-
ingly. X
Make sure that no object sa re applying additional weight onto the
seat. X
If 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. X
Have OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devices and air bags
Important safety notes
G WARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
been deployed. There is ar isk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deploye da ir bag replaced at aq ualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible. G WARNING
Ad eploye da 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 aq ualified special-
ist workshop in order to have ad eploye da ir
bag replaced.
For your own safety and that of your front
passenger, it is important that you have
deploye da ir bags replaced and faulty air bags
repaired. This will help to make sure the air bags50
Occupant safety
Safety

continu etop erform thei rp rotective function for
the vehicle occupants in the event of ac rash.
G WARNING
Emergency Tensioning Devices that have
deployed pyrotechnicall ya re no longer opera-
tiona la nd are unabl etop erform thei ri nten-
ded protective function. Thi sp oses an
increase dr is kofi njury or eve nf ata li njury.
Have pyrotechnicall yt riggere dE mergency
Tensioning Devices replaced immediatel yata
qualified specialist workshop.
An electri cm otor is used by PRE-SAFE ®
to trig-
ger the tightening of the sea tb el tinh az ardous
situations. Thi sp rocedure is reversible.
If Emergency Tensioning Devices are triggered
or ai rb ag sa re deployed, yo uw il lh ea rab an g,
and some powder may also be released .T he
u restraint system warning lamp lights up.
Only in rar ec ase sw il lt he bang affect your hear-
ing. The powder that is released generally does
not constitute ah ealth hazard ,b ut it may cause
short-term breathing difficulties in peopl ew it h
asthma or othe rr espiratory problems. Provided
it is saf etodos o, yo us houl dl ea ve the vehicle
immediatel yoro pe nt he window in order to pre-
vent breathing difficulties.
Air bags and pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) contai np erchlorate material,
which may require specia lh an dling and regard
for the environment. National guidelines must
be observe dd ur ing disposal .InC alif ornia, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/
Perchlorate/index.cfm .
Metho dofo perationDuring the firs ts tag eofac ollision, the restraint
system control uni te valuates important physi-
cal data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as: R
duration R
direction R
intensity
Base dont he evaluation of this data, the
restraint system control uni tt riggers the Emer-
gency Tensioning Devices during af ronta lo r
rea rc ollision. An Emergency Tensioning Device can only be
triggered, if: R
the ignition is switched on R
the components of the restraint system are
operational .Y ou can find further information
under "Restraint system warning lamp"
( Y
page 38) R
the sea tb el tb uc kle tongu eh as engaged in
the bel tb uc kle of the respectiv es eat
If the restraint system control uni td etects a
more severe accident, further components of
the restraint system are activate di ndepend-
ently of each othe rinc ertain fronta lc ollision
situations: R
Front ai rb ag sasw el lasd river' sa nd front-
passenger knee bags
The front-passenger front ai rb ag is activate do r
deactivated depending on the person on the
front-passenger seat. The front-passenger front
ai rb ag can only deploy in an accident if the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is off.
Observe the information on the PASSENGER AIR
BAG indicator lamps ( Y
page 39).
You rv ehicle ha st wo-stage front ai rb ag s. In the
firs td eployment stage, the front ai rb ag is filled
with propellant gas. The front ai rb ag is fully
deployed with the maximum amount of prop el-
l
ant ga sifas econd deployment threshol di s
reached within af ew milliseconds.
The activation threshol doft he Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices and the ai rb ag sisd etermined
by evaluating the rate of vehicle deceleration or
acceleration which occurs at variou sp oints in
the vehicle .T hi sp rocess is pre-emptive in
nature. Deployment shoul dt ake place in good
time at the star toft he collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or acceleration
and the direction of the force are essentially
determine db y: R
the distribution of force sd ur ing the collisionR
the collision angle R
the deformation characteristics of the vehicle R
the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle ha sc ollided
Factor sw hich can only be see na nd measured
afte rac ollision ha so ccurred do not play ad eci-
siv er ol eint he deployment of an ai rb ag .N or do
they provid eani ndication of ai rb ag deploy-
ment.
The vehicle can be deforme dc onsiderably ,w it h-
ou tana ir ba gb eing deployed. Thi sist he case if
only parts which are relativel ye as il yd eformedOccupan ts afety 51
Safety Z

are affected and th er at eofd eceleratio nisn ot
high .C onversely, air bags may be deployed even
though th ev ehicle suffers only minor deforma-
tion. This is th ec as ei f, for example, ver yr igid
vehicle part ss uc hasl ongitudinal body mem-
bers are hit ,a nd sufficient deceleratio no ccurs
as ar esult.
If th er estraint system control unit detect sas ide
impac torift he vehicle roll so ver, th ea pplicable
component soft he restraint system are
deployed independently of each other depend-
ing on th ea pparent type of accident.R
Sid ei mpac ta ir bag on th es ide of impact,
independently of th eE me rgenc yT ensioning
Devic ea nd th eu se of th es eat belt on the
driver' ss eat
The side impac ta ir bag on th ef ront -
passenger side deploys unde rt he following
conditions: -
th eO CS system detect st ha tt he front-
passenger seat is occupied or -
th es eat belt buckle tongue is engaged in
th eb elt buckle of th ef ront-pa ssenger seatR
Head bag on th es ide of impact, independ-
ently of th eu se of th es eat belt and inde-
pendently of whether th ef ront-pa ssenger
seat is occupied R
Emergenc yT ensioning Devices, if th es ystem
determine st ha td eploymen tc an offer addi-
tional protection in this situation R
Head bags on th ed river' sa nd front-
passenger side in certain situations when the
vehicle roll so ve r, if t h es ystem
determines
that deploymen tc an offer additional protec-
tio ntot ha tp rovided by th es eat belt
i Not all air bags are deployed in an accident.
The differen ta ir bag systems work independ-
ently of each other.
How th ea ir bag system work sisd etermined
by th es everit yoft he acciden td etected,
especially th ev ehicle deceleratio nora ccel-
eration and th ea pparent type of accident:R
Frontal collision R
Sid ei mpactR
Rollover NECK-PR Oh ea dr estraints
Important safety notes
G WARNING
The function of th eh ead restraint may be
impaired if you: R
attach object ss uc hasc oat hanger stot he
head restraints, for example R
use head restraint covers
If you do so, th eh ead restraint sc anno tf ulfill
their intended protective function in th ee vent
of an accident. In addition ,o bject sa ttached
to th eh ead restraint sc oul de ndanger other
vehicle occupants. Ther eisani ncreased risk
of injury.
Do no ta ttach any object stot he head
restraint sa nd do no tu se head restraint cov-
ers.
Method of operation NECK-PRO head restraint sr educ et he likelihood
of head and chest injuries .T he NECK-PRO head
restraint sont he driver' sa nd front-passenger
seat sa re moved forwards and upwards in the
even tofar ear-en dc ollision of ac ertain severity.
This provides bette rh ead support.
If th eN EC K-PRO head restraint sh ave been trig-
gered in an accident, you must reset th eN EC K-
PRO head restraint sont he driver’s and front-
passenger seat ( Y
page 53) .O th erwise, the
additional protection will no tbea vailabl eint he
even tofa nother rear-en dc ollision .Y ou can rec-
ognize when NECK-PRO head restraint sh ave
been triggered by th ef ac tt ha tt he yh ave moved
forwards and can no longer be adjusted.
Mercedes-Ben zr ecommend st ha ty ou have the
NECK-PRO head restraint sc he cked for func-
tionalit yataq ualified specialist workshop after
ar ear-en dc ollision.52
Occupant safety
Safety

Resetting triggere dN ECK-PRO head
restraints
Do not insert your finger between the upholstery
of the hea dr estraint and the seat. Pa yp ar ticular
attention whil er esetting the NECK-PR Oh ead
restraints. X
Tilt the top of the NECK-PR Oh ea dr estraint
cushio nf orward sint he direction of arrow C .X
Push the NECK-PR Oh ea dr estraint cushion
dow na sf ar as it will go in the direction of
arrow D .X
Firmly push the NECK-PR Oh ea dr estraint
cushio nb ac kint he direction of arrow

G WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they coul ds et it in motion by, for example:R
release the parking brake. R
shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P .R
start the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicl ee quip-
ment and become trapped. There is ar isk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alway st ake the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
G WARNING
If persons, particularl yc hildren are subjected
to prolonged exposure to extreme hea to r
cold, there is ar isk of injury ,p ossibly even
fatal .N ever leave children unattended in the
vehicle.
G WARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularl yont he metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is ar isk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you ,a lway se nsure that the child restraint
system is not expose dtod irect sunlight. Pro-
tect it with ab lanket, for example. If the child
restraint system has been expose dtod irect
sunlight, let it cool dow nb efore securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle.
Always ensure that all vehicl eo ccupants have
their seat belts fastened correctly and are sitting
properly .P articular attention must be pai dt o
children.
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
( Y
pag e4 0) and the notes on correct use of seat
belts ( Y
pag e4 1).
Ab ooster seat may be necessary to achieve
prope rs eat bel tp ositioning for children over
40 lbs (18 kg )u ntil they reach ah eight where a three-point seat bel tc an be properly fastened
without ab ooster seat.
Special seatbelt retractor
G WARNING
If the seat bel tisr eleased while driving, the
child restraint system wil lnol onger be
secure dp roperly .T he special seat bel tr etrac-
tor is disable da nd the inertia real draw sina
portion of the seat belt. The seat bel tc annot
be immediatel yr efastened. There is an
increased risk of injury ,p ossibly even fatal.
Stop the vehicl ei mmediately, paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. Reactivate
the special seat bel tr etractor and secure the
child restraint system properly.
The seat bel tont he front-passenger's side is
equipped with as pecial seat bel tr etractor.
When activated, the special seat bel tr etractor
ensure st hat the seat bel tc annot slacken once
the child seat is secured.
Installing ac hild restraint system: X
Make sure you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions. X
Pul lt he seat bel ts moothly out of the belt
loop. X
Engage seat bel tt ongue in bel tb uckle.
Activating the special seat bel tr etractor:X
Pul lt he seat bel to ut full ya nd let the inertia
reel retract it again.
Whil et he seat bel tisr etracting, you should
hear ar atcheting sound .T he special seat belt
retractor is enabled. X
Push the child restraint system dow nsot hat
the seat bel tist ight and does not loosen.
Removing the child restraint system and deac-
tivating the special seat bel tr etractor:X
Make sure you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions. X
Press the release button of the seat belt
buckle ,h old the bel tt ongue and guide it back
toward st he bel tl oop.
The special seat bel tr etractor is deactivated.54
Children in the vehicle
Safety