Air bags
Introduction The installation point of an airbag can be rec-
ognized by the AIRBAG marking.
An airbag complements the correctly fastened
seat belt. It is no substitute for the seat belt.
When deployed, an airbag can increase the
protection provided for the respective vehicle
occupant.
Not all airbags are deployed in an accident.
The various airbags work independently of
each other (Y page
58).
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 airbag due to the high speed at
which the airbag must be deployed.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
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.
When installing a child restraint system on the
front-passenger seat observe the vehicle-spe-
cific notes
(Y page 64). You must observe
the notes on rearward and forward-facing child
restraint systems on the front-passenger seat. G
WARNING
If you deviate from the correct seat position,
the air bag cannot perform its intended pro-
tective function and deployment may even
cause further injuries. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid any risks, each vehicle occupant
must always make sure of the following:
R Fasten the seat belt correctly. In the case
of pregnant women in particular, make sure that the lap belt is never routed
across the stomach or abdomen.
R Adopt the correct seat position and keep
as far away as possible from the air bags.
R Observe the following notes.
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and vehicle occupant.
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
position 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
dashboard, for example. Your feet may oth-
erwise 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
systems. 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 suit-
able child restraint systems.
R Child restraint systems should preferably 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 47).
R Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification Sys- Occupant safety
51
Safety Z
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsFront Passenger
Airbag Disabled
+ The co-driver's air bag is deactivated during the journey even
though the co-driver's seat is occupied by an adult or a person with
a stature corresponding to that of an adult.
If additional forces are applied to the seat or the occupant is not sit-
ting on the seat properly (Y page
54), the weight the system
detects may be too low.
G WARNING
The co-driver's front air bag will not deploy in the event of an acci-
dent.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions.
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling away ( Y page
138).
X Switch off the ignition.
X The co-driver must get out of the vehicle.
X Make sure that the co-driver's seat is unoccupied, close the co-
driver's door and switch on the ignition.
X Observe the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp in the cen-
ter console and the display messages and check the following:
Seat unoccupied and ignition switched on: R The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp must light up contin-
uously. If the indicator lamp is on, the Occupant Classification
System (OCS) has disabled the co-driver's air bag
(Y page 54).
R The display must not show the messages Front Passenger
Airbag Enabled or Front Passenger Airbag Disabled.
X Wait for at least one minute until the necessary system checks
have been completed.
X Ensure that the display does not show either of the two display
messages about the co-driver's front air bag.
If these conditions are met, the co-driver's seat can be occupied
again.
If these conditions are not met, the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) is malfunctioning.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
Further information on the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
can be found under "Occupant Classification System (OCS)"
(Y page
54). Display messages (vehicles without steering wheel buttons)
197
On-board computer and displays Z
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsFront Passenger
Airbag Disabled
See Operator's Man‐
ual The co-driver's air bag is deactivated during the journey even
though the co-driver's seat is occupied by an adult or a person with
a stature corresponding to that of an adult.
If additional forces are applied to the seat or the occupant is not sit-
ting on the seat properly (Y page
54), the weight the system
detects may be too low.
G WARNING
The co-driver's front air bag will not deploy in the event of an acci-
dent.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions.
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling away ( Y page
138).
X Switch off the ignition.
X The co-driver must get out of the vehicle.
X Make sure that the co-driver's seat is unoccupied, close the co-
driver's door and switch on the ignition.
X Observe the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp in the cen-
ter console and the display messages and check the following:
Seat unoccupied and ignition switched on: R The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp must light up contin-
uously. If the indicator lamp is on, the Occupant Classification
System (OCS) has disabled the co-driver's air bag
(Y page 54).
R The display must not show the messages Front Passenger
Airbag Enabled See Operator's Manual or Front
Passenger Airbag Disabled See Operator's Manual.
X Wait for at least one minute until the necessary system checks
have been completed.
X Ensure that the display does not show either of the two display
messages about the co-driver's front air bag.
If these conditions are met, the co-driver's seat can be occupied
again.
If these conditions are not met, the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) is malfunctioning.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
Further information on the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
can be found under "Occupant Classification System (OCS)"
(Y page
54). Display messages (vehicles with steering wheel buttons)
211
On-board computer and displays Z