The
driver's andfront -passenger kneebags
offer additional thigh,kneeandlower legpro-
tect ionforthe occupant sin the front seats.
Side impa ctair bags G
WARNIN
G
Unsuitable seatcovers canobstruct orpre-
vent deployment ofthe airbags integr ated
into theseats. Consequently, theairbags
cann otprotec tvehicle occupant sas they are
designed todo. Inaddition, theoperation of
the occupant classification system(OCS)
could beadversely affected.This poses an
increased riskofinjury oreven fatalinjury.
You should onlyuseseat covers thathave
been approved forthe respect iveseat by
Mercedes- Benz. Fron
tside impact airbags 0043and rear side
impact airbags 0044deploy nexttothe outer bol-
ster ofthe seat backrest .
When deployed, theside impact airbag offers
additional thoraxprotection.Italso offers addi-
tional pelvis protec tionforoccupant sin the
front seats. However, itdoes notprotec tthe:
R Head
R Neck
R Arms
If the restr aintsystem controlunit detect sa side
impact, theside impact airbag isdeployed on
the side onwhich theimpact occurs.
The side impact airbag onthe front -passenger
side deploys underthefollowing conditions:
R the OCS system detectsthat thefront -
passenger seatisoccupied or
R the seat beltbuckle tongue isengaged inthe
belt buckle ofthe front -passenger seat If
the belt tongue isengaged inthe belt buckle,
the side impact airbag onthe front -passenger
side deploys ifan appropriate accidentsituation
occurs. Inthis case, deployment isindependent
of whether thefront -passenger seatisoccupied
or not .
Window curtainairbags Window
curtainairbags 0043are integr atedinto
the side ofthe roof frame anddeployed inthe
area from theA-pillar tothe C-pillar.
When deployed, thewindow curtainairbag
enhanc esthe level ofprotec tionforthe head.
However, itdoes notprotec tthe chest orarms.
If the restr aintsystem controlunit detect sa side
impact, thewindow curtainairbag isdeployed
on the side onwhich theimpact occurs.
If the system determin esthat they canoffer
additional protectiontothat provided bythe
seat belt, awindow curtainairbag may be
deployed inother accident situations
(Y page 52). Occupant
Classification System
(OCS)
Introdu ction The
Occupant Classification System(OCS)cat-
egorizes theperson inthe front -passenger seat.
Dependin gon that result, thefront -passenger
front airbag and front -passenger kneebagare
either enabled ordeactivated.
The system doesnotdeactivate:
R the side impact airbag
R the window curtainairbag
R the Emergen cyTensionin gDevices Occupant
safety
47Safety Z
