2023 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS Owners Manual

&WARNING Risk of injury due to deployed
airbag
A deployed airbag no longer o"Mers any protec-
tion.
Have the vehicle towed to a quali"Ned
specialist workshop in order to have the
deployed airbag replaced.Have deployed air bags replaced immediately.&WARNING Risk of injury or death from
deployed pyrotechnic Emergency Tension-
ing Devices
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices that have been deployed are no longer opera-
tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function.
Therefore, have deployed pyrotechnic
Emergency Tensioning Devices immedi-
ately replaced at a quali"Ned specialist
workshop.Seat belts
Information on the belt air bag in the rear seat
belt
The BELTBAG identi"Ncation indicates that a rear
seat belt is equipped with a belt air bag.
When activated, the belt air bag increases the
protected area of the vehicle occupant\bs ribcage.
&WARNING Risk of injury or death due to
use of an unsuitable child restraint system
If you attach a child restraint system using a
seat belt equipped with a belt air bag, the belt air bag may damage the child restraint systemin the event of an accident or the belt air bag
itself can be damaged.
Always secure a child restraint system with an integrated harness system withISOFIX.Also secure Top Tether if present.Never secure a child restraint system
with a seat belt equipped with a belt air
bag.Instead, mount the child restraint system e.g. on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger seat is occupied, ensure
that the status of the front passenger air bag is
correct for the current situation (  page 50).
Observe the information on the function of the automatic front passenger air bag shut o"M
(  page 53).
Straightening out a twisted rear seat belt with a
belt air bag
If the rear seat belt with a belt air bag is twisted, you must straighten it out before fastening the
seat belt tongue.
Slide the seat belt tongue upward to the seat belt outlet and hold it.Pull out the seat belt completely and hold it.The seat belt tongue is now at the more nar-
row part of the seat belt strap.Turn the seat belt strap in the seat belt tongue
slit until it is in the correct position.Occupant safety63

Slide the seat belt tongue downward and allow
the seat belt to retract completely.
Releasing seat belts
Press the release button in the seat belt buckle and guide the seat belt back with the
seat belt tongue.*NOTE Damage caused by trapping the
seat belt
If an unused seat belt is not fully retracted, it
may become trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism.
Always ensure that an unused seat belt
is fully retracted.Airbags
Overview of air bags
Driver\bs/front passenger seat:1Knee air bag2Driver\bs air bag3Front passenger air bag4Window air bag5Side air bag Rear seats:4Window air bag6Side air bag7Rear air bag
The installation location of an air bag is identi"Ned
by the AIRBAG symbol. An additional arrow sym-
bol P indicates the installation location for cer-
tain air bags.
Observe the information under "Overview of
deployment situations" (  page 57).
64Occupant safety

Information on the cushionbag in the reclining
rear seat
The cushionbag o"Mers additional occupant protec-
tion in the event of frontal impacts. When trig- gered, the cushionbag deploys under the seatcushion. This helps prevent the vehicle occupant
from slipping o"M the seat cushion.
If you install a child restraint system on the reclin- ing rear seat, always observe the additional notes
(  page 67).
Information on the rear air bag in the seat back-
rest of the front seat
The rear air bag o"Mers the occupants on the outer
rear seats additional occupant protection in the
event of certain types of frontal impacts. When
triggered, the rear air bag deploys between the
rear seat occupant and the front seat. The rear air
bag can help prevent the occupants on the rear seats from coming into contact with parts of the vehicle interior in the event of an accident.
Always observe the legal requirements for the rel- evant country. If you are driving with a child in the
vehicle, you can disable the rear air bag according
to the legal requirements.
Observe the following information:
= Inform persons in the rear seats about the
rear air bag in the seat backrest of the front seat.
= A person in the rear seat must adopt the cor-
rect seating position:
= Make sure that the covers for the rear air bags
are not damaged.&WARNING Risk of injury due to a damaged
rear airbag cover
If a rear airbag cover is damaged, the rear air-
bag can no longer function correctly and can
even cause additional injuries when deployed.
Before starting a journey, make sure the
covers for the rear airbags are not dam-
aged. If a rear airbag cover is damaged,
disable the rear airbag. Have a damaged
rear airbag cover replaced at a quali"Ned
specialist workshop as soon as possible.To avoid risks resulting from the deployment of a
rear air bag, observe the following information on
the correct seating position:
= The occupants must always keep their feet on
the "Ooor. Otherwise, feet and legs of occu-
pants may be in the deployment area of the rear air bag.
If an occupant\bs feet cannot reach the "Ooor,
they must adopt the correct seating position and their legs must hang down the front of theseat.
= The feet or legs of the person on the rear seat
must not rest against the seat backrest of the
front seat, for example. Otherwise, their feet
and legs are in the deployment area of the
rear air bag. This should be taken into consid-
eration especially if you are traveling with a
child on the rear seat.
If you are traveling with a child in the le"s or
right rear seat, observe the information on the
child restrain systems .Occupant safety65

Objects behind the front seat
Objects in the deployment area of the rear air bags may prevent the rear air bags from function-ing correctly.&WARNING Risk of injury due to objects
placed in front of the rear airbag cover
Objects in front of the rear airbag cover can
hinder or prevent the correct deployment of
the rear airbag which is integrated into the front seat.
The rear airbag can potentially deploy in an
uncontrolled manner and can cause additional
injury to the person on the front seat.
Always stow and secure objects cor-
rectly.
Observe the notes on loading the vehicle
(  page 142).
Disabling the rear air bag
You can disable or enable the rear air bags individ-
ually via the multimedia system (  page 53). You
can determine the status of the rear air bag via
the REAR SEAT AIR BAG indicator lamp in the
overhead control panel (  page 52).
The rear air bags should be disabled in the follow-
ing situations in particular:
= A child restraint system is secured on the le"s
or right rear seat.
= The person in the rear seat, for example a
child, cannot sit in the correct seat position.
Their feet and legs are potentially in the deployment area of the rear air bag.
= Due to the position of the front seats, an
occupant\bs legs for example, are in the
deployment area of the rear air bag.
= Objects are stored behind the front seat which
are in the deployment area of the rear air bags.66Occupant safety

Brief overview of most important points
Safely transporting children in the vehicle
Always observe the following when transporting
children:
= Never leave children unattended in the vehicle
(  page 69).
=
Secure children up to a height of (1.50 m) on
the respective seat (see illustration above) properly with a suitable and approved child
restraint system , and secure small children in
a rearward-facing child restraint system.
= Observe the child restraint system manufac-
turer\bs installation instructions.
Le"s/right rear seat (preferred seats)
Preferred securing system:®ISOFIX mounting bracketand¯Also secure Top Tether if present
(  page 78).
Alternative securing system:
vVehicle seat belt¯Additionally attach Top Tether if recom-
mended by the manufacturer of the child
restraint system (  page 78).
Be sure to observe:
= If the rear seat is occupied, before commenc-
ing the journey ensure that the status of the
rear air bag is correct for the current situation
(  page 52).
Front passenger seat
Securing system:vVehicle seat belt
Be sure to observe:
= If the front passenger seat is occupied, ensure
that the status of the front passenger air bag
is correct for the current situation
(  page 50).
(*) rearward-facing child restraint system only in
combination with automatic air bag shuto"M
Center rear seat
Securing system:
vVehicle seat belt¯Additionally attach Top Tether if recom-
mended by the manufacturer of the child restraint system (  page 78).Safely transporting children in the vehicle67

Important safety notes
Basic information
Be diligent
Bear in mind that negligence when securing a
child in the child restraint system may have seri-
ous consequences. Always be diligent in securing
a child carefully before every journey.
Never allow babies and children to travel sitting
on the lap of another vehicle occupant.
To improve protection for children younger than
12 years old or under 5 "s (1.50 m) in height,
Mercedes-Benz recommends you observe the fol-
lowing information:
= Always secure the child in a child restraint sys-
tem suitable for this Mercedes-Benz vehicle.
= The child restraint system must be appropriate
to the age, weight and size of the child.
= The vehicle seat must be suitable for the child
restraint system to be installed:
Accident statistics show that children secured on
the rear seats are generally safer than children secured on the front seats. For this reason,
Mercedes-Benz strongly advises that you install a
child restraint system on a rear seat.
The generic term child restraint system The generic term child restraint system is used in this Operator\bs Manual. A child restraint systemis, for example:
= a baby car seat
= a rearward-facing child seat
= a forward-facing child seat
= a child booster seat !

Con"Nrmation that the child restraint system com-
plies with the standards can be found on an
instruction label on the child restraint system. This con"Nrmation can also be found in the instal-
lation instructions that are included with the child restraint system.
Important warning notices
Always secure a child restraint system correctly
&WARNING Risk of injury or death due to
incorrect installation of the child restraint
system
The child can then not be protected or
restrained as intended.
Be sure to comply with the manufactur-
er\bs installation instructions for the child
restraint system and its correct use.Make sure that the entire base of the child restraint system always rests on
the sitting surface of the seat.Never place objects (e.g. cushions)
under or behind the child restraint sys- tem.Use child restraint systems only with the
original cover designed for them.Always replace damaged covers with
genuine covers.
= Always observe the vehicle-speci"Nc informa-
tion.
- Installing the ISOFIX child restraint system
on the right and le"s rear seats
(  page 77).
- Securing the child restraint system with
the seat belt (  page 79).
= Observe the warning labels in the vehicle inte-
rior and on the child restraint system.
&WARNING Risk of injury or death due to
unsecured child restraint systems in the
vehicle
If the child restraint system is incorrectly
mounted or unsecured, it may come loose.
The child can then not be protected or
restrained as intended.
Unused child restraint systems could be "Oung
around and hit vehicle occupants.Always comply with the manufacturer\bs
installation instructions for the child
restraint system and its correct use.Always "Nt child restraint systems cor-
rectly, even if they are transported in the vehicle unused.
Do not modify the child restraint system
&WARNING Risk of injury due to modi"Nca-
tions to the child restraint system
The child restraint system can no longer func-
tion properly. This poses an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify a child restraint system.Only a"Px accessories which have been
specially approved for this child restraint
system by the child restraint system\bs manufacturer.Safely transporting children in the vehicle69

Use only child restraint systems that are in properworking condition&WARNING Risk of injury or death caused
by the use of damaged child restraint sys- tems
Child restraint systems or their retaining sys-tems that have been subjected to stress in an
accident may not be able to perform their
intended protective function.
It may be the case that the child cannot be
properly restrained.
Always immediately replace child restraint systems that have been dam-
aged or involved in an accident.Have the securing systems for the child restraint systems checked at a quali"Ned
specialist workshop before installing a
child restraint system again.Avoid direct sunlight&WARNING Risk of burns when the child
seat is exposed to direct sunlight
If the child restraint system is exposed to
direct sunlight or heat, parts could heat up
excessively.
Children could su"Mer burns from these parts,
particularly the metallic parts of the child
restraint system.
Always make sure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight.Cover the child restraint system with a blanket, for example.If the child restraint system has been
exposed to direct sunlight, allow it to
cool before securing a child into it.Never leave children unattended in the vehicle.Observe when stopping or parking&WARNING Risk of fatal injury due to expo-
sure to extreme heat or cold in the vehicle
If persons, particularly children, are subjected
to prolonged exposure to intense heat or cold,
there is a risk of severe injury or even death.
Never leave persons, particularly chil-
dren, unattended in the vehicle.&WARNING Risk of accident and injury due
to children le"s unattended in the vehicle
If you leave children unattended in the vehicle,
they could, in particular:
= open doors, thereby endangering other
persons or road users.
= get out and be struck by oncoming tra"Pc.
= operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example.
70Safely transporting children in the vehicle