2019 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS airbag

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Daimler AG
Mercedesstraße 137
70327 Stuttgart
Germany
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In this Operator's Manual you will find the fol-lowing symbols:
GWARNING
Warning notes make you aware of dangers
which could pose a threat to your health or
life, or to the health and life of others.
HEnvironmental note
Environmental notes provide you with infor-
mation on environmentally aware actions or
disposal.
!Notes on material damage alert you todangers that could lead to damage to yourvehicle.
iPractical tips or further information thatcould be helpful to you.
XThis symbol indicates an instructionthat must be followed.
XSeveral of these symbols in succes-sion indicate an instruction with sev-eral steps.
(Ypage)This symbol tells you where you canfind more information about a topic.
YYThis symbol indicates a warning or aninstruction that is continued on thenext page.
Dis‐Dis‐playplayThis text indicates a message on themultifunction display/multimedia dis-play.
Example
GWARNING
If the front passenger air bag has been acti-
vated, a child on the front passenger seat
may be hit by the front passenger air bag in
the event of an accident. There is a risk of
injury or fatal injury.
NEVER use a rearward-facing child restraint
system on a seat protected by an ACTIVE
FRONT AIRBAG; DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY
to the CHILD can occur.
Read the chapter "Children in the vehicle" .
As at 19.03.2018

Restraint system warning lamp
The functions of the restraint system arechecked after the ignition is switched on andat regular intervals while the engine is running.Therefore, malfunctions can be detected ingood time.
Theurestraint system warning lamp onthe instrument cluster lights up when the igni-tion is switched on. It goes out no later than afew seconds after the vehicle is started. Thecomponents of the restraint system are inoperational readiness.
A malfunction has occurred if theurestraint system warning lamp:
Rdoes not light up after the ignition isswitched on
Rdoes not go out after a few seconds with theengine running
Rlights up again while the engine is running
GWARNING
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 lampCand PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lampDare part of the Occupant Classifica-tion System (OCS).
The indicator lamps display the status of thefront-passenger front air bag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for 60seconds, subsequently both indicator lampsare off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and OFF):the front-passenger front air bag is able todeploy in the event of an accident.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: thefront-passenger front air bag is deactivated.It will then not be deployed in the event ofan accident.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lampis off, only the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-cator lamp shows the status of the front-passenger front air bag. The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp may be lit continu-ously or be off.
Depending on the person in the front-passenger seat, the front-passenger front airbag must either be deactivated or enabled;see the following points. You must make sureof this both before and during a journey.
RChildren in a child restraint system:whether the front-passenger front air bag isenabled or deactivated depends on theinstalled child restraint system, and the ageand size of the child. Therefore, be sure toobserve the notes on the "Occupant Classifi-cation System (OCS)" (Ypage 48) and on"Children in the vehicle" (Ypage 57).There you will also find instructions on rear-ward and forward-facing child restraint sys-tems on the front-passenger seat.
RAll other persons:depending on the classi-fication of the person in the front-passengerseat, the front-passenger front air bag isenabled or deactivated (Ypage 48). Besure to observe the notes on "Seatbelts“ (Ypage 41) and "Air bags"(Ypage 45). There you can also find infor-mation on the correct seat position.
Seat belts
Introduction
Seat belts are the most effective means ofrestricting the movement of vehicle occupantsin the event of an accident or the vehicle roll-ing over. This reduces the risk of vehicle occu-
Occupant safety41
Safety
Z

passenger seat belts are not fastened, a warn-ing tone sounds. A warning tone also soundswith increasing intensity for 60 seconds oruntil the driver or front passenger have fas-tened their seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten theirseat belts during the journey, the seat beltwarning is activated again.
Air bags
Introduction
The installation point of an airbag can be rec-ognized by the AIRBAG marking.
An airbag complements the correctly fastenedseat belt. It is no substitute for the seat belt.When deployed, an airbag can increase theprotection provided for the respective vehicleoccupant.
Not all airbags are deployed in an accident.The various airbags work independently ofeach other (Ypage 53).
However, no system available today can com-pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out a risk of injurycaused by an airbag due to the high speed atwhich the airbag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
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:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
Rare sitting correctly and maintain the
greatest possible distance to the air bags
Rfollow 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 airbagwhen it deploys.
RAdjust the seats properly before beginningyour journey. Always make sure that theseat is in an almost upright position. Thecenter of the head restraint must supportthe head at about eye level.
RMove the driver's and front-passenger seatsas far back as possible. The driver's seatposition must allow the vehicle to be drivensafely.
ROnly hold the steering wheel on the outside.This allows the airbag to be fully deployed.
RAlways lean against the backrest while driv-ing. Do not lean forward or lean against thedoor or side window. You may otherwise bein the deployment area of the airbags.
RAlways keep your feet in the footwell infront of the seat. Do not put your feet on thedashboard, for example. Your feet may oth-erwise be in the deployment area of the air-bag.
RFor this reason, always secure persons lessthan 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suitable restraintsystems. Up to this height, the seat beltcannot be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, alsoobserve the following notes:
RAlways secure children under twelve yearsof age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suit-able child restraint systems.
RSecure a child to the front-passenger seatonly when the front-passenger front airbagis deactivated, and then only in a rearward-facing child restraint system. The front-passenger front airbag is deactivated whenthe PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicatorlamp is lit continuously (Ypage 41).
RAlways observe the instructions and safetynotes on the "Occupant Classification Sys-tem (OCS)" (Ypage 48) and on "Childrenin the vehicle" (Ypage 57) in addition tothe child restraint system manufacturer'sinstallation and operating instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may restrictthe airbag from functioning correctly.Toavoid risks resulting from the speed of the air-bag as it deploys, vehicle occupants mustensure the following points.
Occupant safety45
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Before commencing your journey, ensure that:
Rthere are no people, animals or objectsbetween the vehicle occupants and an air-bag
Rthere are no objects between the seat, doorand B-pillar
Rthere are no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers,hanging on the grab handles or coat hooks
Rno accessories, such as cup holders, areattached to the vehicle within the deploy-ment area of an airbag, e.g. to doors or sidewindows
Rno heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects arein the pockets of your clothing. Store suchobjects in a suitable place
GWARNING
If you modify the cover of an air bag or affix
objects such as stickers to it, the air bag
can no longer perform its intended function.
There is an increased risk of injury.
Never modify the cover of an air bag or affix
objects to it.
GWARNING
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 paneling carried out at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Front air bags
!Do not place heavy objects on the front-passenger seat. This could cause the sys-tem to identify the seat as being occupied.In the event of an accident, the restraintsystems on the front-passenger side may betriggered and have to be replaced.
Driver's air bagCdeploys in front of thesteering wheel. Front-passenger front airbagDdeploys in front of and above the glovebox.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi-tional head and thorax protection for the occu-pants in the driver's and front-passengerseats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lampinforms you about the status of the front-passenger front air bag (Ypage 41).
The front-passenger front air bag will onlydeploy if:
Rthe system, based on the OCS weight sen-sor readings, detects that the front-passenger seat is occupied (Ypage 48).The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicatorlamp is not lit (Ypage 48)
Rthe restraint system control unit predicts ahigh accident severity
Knee bags
Driver's knee bagCdeploys under the steer-ing column and front-passenger knee bagDunder the glove box. The driver's and front-passenger knee bags are triggered togetherwith the front air bags.
46Occupant safety
Safety

Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
Introduction
The Occupant Classification System (OCS) cat-egorizes the person in the front-passengerseat. Depending on that result, the front-passenger front air bag and front-passengerknee bag are either enabled or deactivated.
The system does not deactivate:
Rthe side impact air bag
Rthe headbag
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices
Requirements
To be classified correctly, the front passengermust sit:
Rwith the seat belt fastened correctly
Rin an almost upright position with their backagainst the seat backrest
Rwith their feet resting on the floor, if possi-ble
If the front passenger does not observe theseconditions, OCS may produce a false classifi-cation, e.g. because the front passenger:
Rtransfers their weight by supporting them-selves on a vehicle armrest
Rsits in such a way that their weight is raisedfrom the seat cushion
If you install a child restraint system on thefront-passenger seat, be sure to observe thecorrect positioning of the child restraint sys-tem. Never place objects under or behind thechild restraint system, e.g. a cushion. Fullyretract the seat cushion length. The entirebase of the child restraint system must alwaysrest on the seat cushion of the front-passenger seat. The backrest of the forward-facing child restraint system must lie as flat aspossible against the backrest of the front-passenger seat.
The child restraint system must not touch theroof or be subjected to a load by the headrestraint. Adjust the angle of the seat backrestand the head restraint position accordingly.
Only then can OCS be guaranteed to functioncorrectly. Always observe the child restraintsystem manufacturer's installation and operat-ing instructions.
Occupant Classification System opera-
tion (OCS)
CPASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
DPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
The indicator lamps inform you whether thefront-passenger front air bag is deactivated orenabled.
XPress the Start/Stop button once or twice,or turn the SmartKey to positionGorHinthe ignition lock.The system carries out self-diagnostics.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF andPASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps mustlight up simultaneously for approximately sixseconds.
The indicator lamps display the status of thefront-passenger front air bag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up for60 seconds, subsequently both indicatorlamps are off (PASSENGER AIR BAG ON andOFF): the front-passenger front air bag isable to deploy in the event of an accident.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: thefront-passenger front air bag is deactivated.It will then not be deployed in the event ofan accident.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lampis off, only the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-cator lamp shows the status of the front-passenger front air bag. The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp may be lit continu-ously or be off.
If the status of the front-passenger front airbag changes while the vehicle is in motion, anair bag display message appears in the instru-ment cluster (Ypage 215). When the front-passenger seat is occupied, always pay atten-tion to the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicatorlamp. Be aware of the status of the front-
48Occupant safety
Safety

passenger front air bag both before and duringthe journey.
GWARNING
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 exam-
ple, come into contact with the vehicle's
interior, especially 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:
Rthe classification of the person in the
front-passenger seat is correct and the
front-passenger front air bag is enabled or
disabled in accordance with the person in
the front-passenger seat
Rthe front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible.
Rthe 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.
GWARNING
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
AIRBAG in front of it; DEATH or SERIOUS
INJURY to the child can occur.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lampstays 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 ClassificationSystem" (Ypage 51).
GWARNING
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, in the event of
an accident, the child could:
Rcome into contact with the vehicle's inte-
rior if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-
cator lamp is lit, for example
Rbe 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.
Always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible and fully retract the seat
cushion length. Always make sure that the
shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from
the vehicle seat belt guide to the shoulder
belt guide on the child restraint system. The
shoulder belt strap must be routed forwards
and downwards from the seat belt guide.
Always observe the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation instructions.
If OCS determines that:
RThe front-passenger seat is unoccupied, thePASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamplights up after the self-test and remains lit.This indicates that the front-passenger frontair bag is deactivated.
RThe front-passenger seat is occupied by achild of up to twelve months old, in a stand-ard child restraint system, the PASSENGERAIR BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up afterthe self-test and remains lit. This indicatesthat the front-passenger front air bag isdeactivated.
But even in the case of a twelve-month-oldchild, in a standard child restraint system,the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicatorlamp can go out after the self-test. This indi-cates that the front-passenger front air bagis activated. The result of the classificationis dependent on, among other factors, the
Occupant safety49
Safety
Z

deactivated in accordance with the per-
son in the front-passenger seat
Rthe person is seated properly with a cor-
rectly fastened seatbelt
Rthe 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, the
front-passenger seat must not be used. Do
not install a child restraint system on the
front-passenger seat. Have the Occupant
Classification System (OCS) checked and
repaired immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop.
GWARNING
Objects between the seat surface and the
child restraint system could affect OCS
operation. This could result in the front-
passenger air bag not functioning as inten-
ded 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-facing child restraint system must,
as far as possible, be resting on the back-
rest of the front-passenger seat. Always
comply with the child restraint system man-
ufacturer's installation instructions.
After the self-test, the PASSENGER AIR BAGOFF or the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicatorlamp displays the status of the front-passenger front airbag (Ypage 48). If thefront-passenger front airbag is enabled, thePASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp lightsup for 60 seconds and then goes out.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lampis off, only the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-cator lamp shows the status of the front-passenger front airbag. The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp may be lit continu-ously or be off.
For more information about the OCS, see"Problems with the Occupant ClassificationSystem" (Ypage 51).
Problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test" (Ypage 50).
Occupant safety51
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ProblemPossible causes/consequences andPPSolutions
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamplights up and remainslit, even though thefront-passenger seat isoccupied by an adult ora person of a staturecorresponding to that ofan adult.
The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is incor-rect.
XMake sure the conditions for a correct classification of the per-son on the front-passenger seat are met (Ypage 48).
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, thefront-passenger seat may not be used.
XHave OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorizedMercedes-Benz Center.
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lampdoes not light upand/or does not stayon.
The front-passengerseat is:
Runoccupied
Roccupied by theweight of a child upto twelve months oldin a child restraintsystem
OCS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure there is nothing between the seat cushion and thechild seat.
XMake sure that the entire base of the child restraint system restson the seat cushion of the front-passenger seat. The backrest ofthe forward-facing child restraint system must lie as flat as possi-ble against the backrest of the front passenger seat. If necessary,adjust the position of the front-passenger seat.
XMake sure that the seat cushion length is fully retracted.
XWhen installing the child restraint system, make sure that theseat belt is tight. Do not pull the seat belt tight using the front-passenger seat adjustment. This could result in the seat belt andthe child restraint system being pulled too tightly.
XCheck for correct installation of the child restraint system.
Make sure that the head restraint does not apply a load to thechild restraint system. If necessary, adjust the head restraintaccordingly.
XMake sure that no objects are applying additional weight onto theseat.
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains offand/or the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp lights up, donot install a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat.
XHave OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorizedMercedes-Benz Center.
Roll bar
GDANGER
If the roll bar has developed a malfunction, it
may not function, e.g. in the event of an
accident. The roll bars may then not protect
the vehicle occupants as intended. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even
fatal injury.
Have roll bars checked immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop.
GWARNING
If you place objects or clothing on the roll
bar covers, these could impair roll bar exten-
sion. The roll bars may then not protect the
vehicle occupants as intended. In addition,
objects could endanger the vehicle occu-
pants when the roll bar is extending. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even
fatal injury.
Ensure that the movement area of the roll
bar covers is kept clear. Always stow all
objects in the vehicle correctly.
52Occupant safety
Safety