2019 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV warning

Restraint system warning lamp
The functions of the restraint system are
checked after the ignition is switched on and at
regular intervals while the engine is running.
Therefore, malfunctions can be detected in
good time.
The 0075 restraint system warning lamp on the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is switched on. It goes out no later than a few sec-
onds after the vehicle is started. The compo-
nents of the restraint system are in operational
readiness.
A malfunction has occurred if the 0075restraint
system warning lamp:
R does not light up after the ignition is switched
on
R does not go out after a few 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 example the Emergency Tensioning
Device or the air bag. This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired in a qualified specialist workshop as
soon as possible. PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamp
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
0043and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp 0044are
part of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS). 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.
Depending on the person in the front-passenger seat, the front-passenger front air bag must
either be deactivated or enabled; see the fol-
lowing points. You must make sure of this both
before and during a journey.
R Children in a child restraint system:
whether the front-passenger front air bag is
enabled or deactivated depends on the instal-
led child restraint system, and the age and
size of the child. Therefore, be sure to observe
the notes on the "Occupant Classification
System (OCS)" (Y page 51) and on "Chil-
dren in the vehicle" (Y page 59). There you
will also find instructions on rearward and
forward-facing child restraint systems on the
front-passenger seat.
R All other persons: depending on the classi-
fication of the person in the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger front air bag is ena-
bled or deactivated (Y page 51). Be sure to
observe the notes on "Seat
belts“ (Y page 45) and "Air bags"
(Y page 49). There you can also find infor-
mation on the correct seat position. Seat belts
Introduction Seat belts are the most effective means of
restricting the movement of vehicle occupants
in the event of an accident or the vehicle rolling
over. This reduces the risk of vehicle occupants
coming into contact with parts of the vehicle
interior or being ejected from the vehicle. Fur-
thermore, the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle Occupant safety
45Safety Z

occupant in the best position in relation to the
air bag.
The seat belt system comprises:
R Seat belts
R Emergency Tensioning Devices for the front
seat belts and the outer seat belts in the sec- ond row of seats as well as the seat belts in
the third row
R Seat belt force limiters for the front seat belts
and the outer seat belts in the second row of
seats as well as the seat belts in the third row
If the seat belt is pulled out of the belt outlet
quickly or with a jerky movement, the belt
retractor locks. The belt strap cannot be extrac-
ted any further.
The Emergency Tensioning Device tightens the
seat belt in an accident, pulling the belt close
against the body. However it does not pull the
vehicle occupant back in the direction of the
backrest.
The Emergency Tensioning Device does not cor- rect an incorrect seat position or the routing of
an incorrectly fastened seat belt.
When triggered, a seat belt force limiter helps to
reduce the force exerted by the seat belt on the vehicle occupant.
The seat belt force limiters for the front seats are
synchronized with the front air bags, which
absorb part of the deceleration force. This can
reduce the force exerted on the vehicle occu-
pants during an accident.
! 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 addition to other systems, the Emer-
gency Tensioning Device could also be trig-
gered in the event of an accident and would
need 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 occupants should 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 occupants have 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 47)
R have the seat and head restraint adjusted
properly (Y page 97) 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, you 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 5 ft (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. 46
Occupant safetySafety

For this reason, always secure persons under
5 ft (1.50 m)tall in suitable additional restraint
systems.
If a child younger than twelve years old and
under 5 ft (1.50 m) in height istraveling in the
vehicle:
R always secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for this Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cle. The child restraint system must be appro-
priate to the age, weight and size of the child.
R always observe the instructions and safety
notes on "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 59) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation and oper-
ating instructions
R always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification System (OCS)" (Y page 51) G
WARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended protective function if:
R they are damaged, modified, extremely
dirty, bleached or dyed
R the seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty
R the Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
anchorages or inertia reels have been modi-
fied.
Seat belts may be damaged in an accident,
although the damage may not be visible, e.g.
due to splinters of glass. Modified or damaged
seat belts may tear or fail, e.g. in an accident. Modified Emergency Tensioning Devices
could accidentally trigger or fail to deploy
when necessary. This poses an increased risk
of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify the seat belts, Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices, belt anchorages and inertia
reels. Make sure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not worn out and clean. Follow-
ing an accident, have the seat belts checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Only use seat belts that have been approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz. Proper use of the seat belts Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y
page 46).
Every vehicle occupant must observe the fol-
lowing notes to ensure a properly worn seat belt can provide full protection. Also make sure that all vehicle occupants are always wearing the
seat belt correctly while the vehicle is in motion.
When fastening the seat belt, always make sure
that:
R the seat belt buckle tongue is inserted only
into the belt buckle belonging to that seat
R the seat belt is pulled tight across your body
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R the seat belt is not twisted
Only then can 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 touch your neck or be routed under your
arm or behind your back. Where possible,
adjust the seat belt to the appropriate height.
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 joint and pull it tight using the shoulder
section of the belt.
R the seat belt is not routed across sharp, poin-
ted or fragile objects
If you have such items located on or in your
clothing, e.g. pens, keys or eyeglasses, store
these in a suitable place.
R only one person is using a seat belt
Infants and children must never travel sitting
on the lap of a vehicle occupant. In the event
of an accident, they could be crushed
between the vehicle occupant and seat belt.
R objects are never secured with a seat belt if
the seat belt is also being used by one of the
vehicle's occupants
Also ensure that there are never objects
between a person and the seat, e.g. cushions.
Seat belts are only intended to secure and
restrain vehicle occupants. Always observe the
"Loading guidelines" for securing objects, lug-
gage or loads (Y page 295). Occupant safety
47Safety Z

Fastening and adjusting the seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y
page 46) and the notes on correct use of seat
belts (Y page 47). Basic illustration
X Adjust the seat (Y page 97).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
upright position.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly from the belt outlet
and engage belt tongue 0044into belt
buckle 0043.
The seat belt on the driver’s seat and the
front-passenger seat may be tightened auto-
matically, see "Belt adjustment"
(Y page 48).
X If necessary, pull up on the shoulder section
of the seat belt to tighten the belt across your
body.
The shoulder section of the seat belt must
always be routed across the center of the shoul- der. Adjust the belt outlet if necessary.
X To raise: slide the belt outlet up.
The belt outlet will engage in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: hold belt outlet release 0087and slide
the belt outlet down.
X Let go of belt outlet release 0087in the desired
position and make sure that the belt outlet
engages.
All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are
equipped with a special seat belt retractor to
securely fasten child restraint systems in the
vehicle. Further information can be found under "Special seat belt retractor" (Y page 60).Releasing seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled up.
Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue will be
trapped in the door or in the seat mechanism. This could damage the door, the door trim
panel and the seat belt. Damaged seat belts
can no longer fulfill their protective function
and must be replaced. Visit a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
X Press the release button in the belt buckle,
hold the belt tongue firmly and guide the belt
back.
Seat belt adjustment The belt adjustment is a convenience function
integrated into PRE-SAFE
®
. With this function,
the driver's and front-passenger seat belts are
adjusted to the upper body of the vehicle occu-
pant.
The seat belt strap will slightly tighten if:
R the belt tongue is inserted into the buckle and
R the ignition is switched on
The seat belt adjustment will apply a certain
tightening force if any slack is detected between
the vehicle occupant and the seat belt. Do not
grab hold of the seat belt.
The belt adjustment can be switched on and off using the on-board computer (Y page 241).
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger The
0076 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder that all vehicle occu-
pants must wear their seat belts. It may light up
continuously or flash. In addition, there may be
a warning tone.
Regardless of whether the driver's seat belt has
already been fastened, the 0076seat belt warn-
ing lamp lights up for six seconds each time the
engine is started. If the front doors are closed
and the driver's or front-passenger seat belt has not been fastened, the 0076seat belt warning
lamp lights up again after the six seconds. As
soon as the driver's and front-passenger seat
belts are fastened or a front door is opened
again, the 0076seat belt warning lamp goes out.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened after the engine is started, an additional warning tone will
sound. The warning tone switches off after six 48
Occupant safetySafety

seconds or once the driver's seat belt is fas-
tened.
If the vehicle's speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h) once and the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are not fastened, a warning
tone sounds. A warning tone also sounds with
increasing intensity for 60 seconds or until the
driver or front passenger have fastened their
seat belts.
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.
When deployed, an air bag can increase the pro-
tection provided for the respective vehicle occu-
pant.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident. The
different air bag systems function independ-
ently from one another (Y page 56).
However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out a risk of injury
caused by an air 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. This 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 Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants.
All vehicle occupants must observe the follow-
ing notes to avoid risks posed by the air bag
when it deploys.
R Adjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the seat
is in an almost upright position. The center of the head restraint must support the head at
about eye 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 fully deployed.
R Always lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forward or lean against the
door or side window. You may otherwise be in the deployment area of the air bags.
R Always keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not put your feet on the dash-
board, for example. Your feet may otherwise
be in the deployment area of the air bag.
R For this reason, always secure persons less
than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
R Always secure children under twelve years of
age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m)tall in suitable
child restraint systems.
R Child restraint systems should be installed on
the rear seats.
R Secure a child to the front-passenger seat
only when the front-passenger front air bag is
deactivated, and then only in a rearward-
facing child restraint system. The front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated when
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
is lit continuously (Y page 45).
R Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification System
(OCS)" (Y page 51) and on "Children in the
vehicle" (Y page 59) in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
and operating instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may restrict
the air bag from functioning correctly. To
avoid risks resulting from the speed of the air Occupant safety
49Safety Z

bag as it deploys, vehicle occupants must
ensure the following points.
Before commencing your journey, ensure that:
R there are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an air bag
R there are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar
R there are no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers,
hanging on the grab handles or coat hooks
R no accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors, side windows,
rear side trim or side walls
R no heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects are in
the pockets of your clothing. Store such
objects in a suitable place G
WARNING
If you modify the air bag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the air bag can no longer function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objects to it. G
WARNING
Sensors to control the air bags are located in the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ing, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the
function of the sensors being impaired. The air bags might therefore not function properly
anymore. Consequently, the air bags cannot
protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. There is an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
eling carried out at a qualified specialist work- shop.
Front air bags !
Do not place heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. This could cause the system
to identify the seat as being occupied. In the
event of an accident, the restraint systems on the front-passenger side may be triggered
and have to be replaced. Driver's air bag
0043deploys in front of the steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger front air bag 0044
deploys in front of and above the glove box.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the occu-
pants in the front seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
informs you about the status of the front-
passenger front air bag (Y page 45).
The front-passenger front air bag will only
deploy if:
R the system, based on the OCS weight sensor
readings, detects that the front-passenger
seat is occupied (Y page 51). The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
not lit (Y page 52)
R the restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity
Driver's knee bag Driver's knee bag
0043deploys under the steering
column. The driver's knee bag is deployed
together with the front air bag.
The driver's knee bag offers additional thigh,
knee and lower leg protection for the occupant
in the driver's seat. 50
Occupant safetySafety

Side impact air bags
G
WARNING
Unsuitable seat covers can obstruct or pre-
vent deployment of the air bags integrated
into the seats. Consequently, the air bags
cannot protect vehicle occupants as they are designed to do. In addition, the operation of
the occupant classification system (OCS)
could be adversely affected. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz. Front side impact air bags
0043and second row
rear side impact air bags 0044deploy next to the
outer bolster of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers
additional thorax protection. It also offers addi-
tional pelvis protection for occupants in the
front seats. However, it does not protect the:
R head
R neck
R arms
If the restraint system control unit detects a side
impact, the side impact air bag is deployed on
the side on which the impact occurs.
The side impact air bag on the front passenger
side deploys under the following conditions:
R the OCS system detects that the front
passenger seat is occupied or
R the seat belt buckle tongue is engaged in the
belt buckle of the front passenger seat
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt buckle,
the side impact air bag on the front passenger
side deploys if an appropriate accident situation
occurs. In this case, deployment is independent of whether the front passenger seat is occupied
or not.
Window curtain air bags Window curtain air bags
0043are integrated into
the side of the roof frame and deploy in the area
extending from the front door (A-pillar) to the
rear side window (D-pillar).
When deployed, the window curtain air bag
enhances the level of protection for the head.
However, it does not protect the chest or arms.
If the restraint system control unit detects a side
impact, the window curtain air bag is deployed
on the side on which the impact occurs.
If the system determines that they can offer
additional protection to that provided by the
seat belt, a window curtain air bag may be
deployed in other accident situations
(Y page 56). Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
Introduction The Occupant Classification System (OCS) cat-
egorizes the person in the front-passenger seat.
Depending on that result, the front-passenger
front air bag is either enabled or deactivated.
The system does not deactivate:
R the side impact air bag
R the window curtain air bag
R the Emergency Tensioning Devices Occupant safety
51Safety Z

G
WARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front-passenger front air bag is disabled. It will not be deployed in the event of
an accident and cannot perform its intended
protective function. A person in the front-
passenger seat could then, for example, come
into contact with the vehicle's interior, espe-
cially if the person is sitting too close to the
dashboard. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensure that:
R the classification of the person in the front-
passenger seat is correct and the front-
passenger front air bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordance with the person in the
front-passenger seat
R the front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible.
R the person is seated correctly.
Make sure, both before and during the jour-
ney, that the status of the front-passenger
front air bag is correct. G
WARNING
If you secure a child in a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is off, the front-passenger front air bag
can deploy in the event of an accident. The
child could be struck by the air bag. This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that the front-passenger front air
bag has been deactivated. The PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit.
NEVER use a rearward-facing child restraint
on a seat 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 install a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat.
You can find more information on OCS under
"Problems with the Occupant Classification Sys-
tem" (Y page 55). G
WARNING
If you secure a child in a forward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and you position the front-passenger seat too close to the dashboard, the child could, in the
event of an accident:
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-passenger seat as far back as possible. Always make sure that the shoulder
belt strap is correctly routed from the vehicle
belt sash guide to the shoulder belt guide on
the child restraint system. The shoulder belt
strap must be routed forwards and down-
wards from the vehicle belt sash guide. If nec- essary, adjust the vehicle belt sash guide and
the front-passenger seat accordingly. Always
observe the child restraint system manufac-
turer's installation instructions.
If OCS determines that:
R The front-passenger seat is unoccupied, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up after the self-test and remains lit.
This indicates that the front-passenger front
air bag is deactivated.
R The front-passenger seat is occupied by a
child of up to twelve months old, in a standard
child restraint system, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up after the
self-test and remains lit. This indicates that
the front-passenger front air bag is deactiva-
ted.
But even in the case of a twelve-month-old
child, in a standard child restraint system, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp can
go out after the self-test. This indicates that
the front-passenger front air bag is activated. The result of the classification is dependent
on, among other factors, the child restraint
system and the child's stature. It is recom-
mended that you install the child restraint
system on a suitable rear seat. Occupant safety
53Safety Z