Important safety notes
WARNING
Air bags are designed to reduce the incidence
of injuries and fatalities in certain situations:
• frontal impacts (driver's and frontpassenger front air bags and driver's knee
bag)
• side impacts (side impact air bags, window curtain air bags and pelvis air
bags)
However, no system available today can
completely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
When the air bags are deployed, a small
amount of powder is released. The powder
generally does not constitute a health hazard
and does not indicate that there is a fire in the
vehicle. In order to prevent potential
breathing difficulties, you should leave the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have any breathing difficulty but cannot get
out of the vehicle after the air bag inflates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or
door.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of injuries during front air
bag inflation, the driver and front-passenger
must always be seated correctly and have
their seat belts fastened accordingly.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision, you must always be in the normal
seat position with your back against the
backrest. Fasten your seat belt and make sure
that it is correctly positioned on your body.
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating position
and correct positioning of the hands on the
steering wheel will help to keep you at a safe
distance from the air bag. Occupants who are
not wearing their seat belt, are not seated
properly or are too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured or killed by an air bag as it
inflates with great force instantaneously:
• Sit with the seat belt properly fastened in a
position that is as upright as possible with
your back against the seat backrest.
• Move the driver's seat as far back as
possible, still permitting proper operation
of vehicle controls. The distance from the
center of the driver's chest to the center of
the air bag cover on the steering wheel
must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) or more.
You should be able to accomplish this by
adjusting the seat and steering wheel. If
you have any difficulties, please contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
• Do not lean your head or chest close to the
steering wheel or dashboard.
• Only hold the steering wheel by the rim.
Placing hands and arms inside the rim can
increase the risk and potential severity of
hand/arm injury when the driver front air
bag inflates.
• Adjust the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible from the dashboard when the
seat is occupied.
• Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their heads
in the area of the door where the side
impact air bag inflates. This could result in
serious injuries or death should the side
impact air bag be deployed. Always sit as
upright as possible, wear the seat belt
properly and use an appropriately sized
child restraint, infant restraint or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight
of the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can result
in severe injuries to you or other occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that you
make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator's Manual.
WARNING
Accident research shows that the safest place
for children in an automobile is in a rear seat.
A side impact air bag related injury may occur
if occupants, especially children, are not
properly seated or restrained when next to a
side impact air bag which needs to deploy
rapidly in a side impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Always sit as upright as possible
and use the seat belts properly.
Make sure that children 12 years
old and under use an appropriately
sized child restraint, infant
restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and
weight of the child.
(2) Always wear seat belts properly.
The air bags are only deployed if the air bag control unit detects the need for deployment.
Only in the event of such a situation will they provide their supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear their seat belts. Otherwise, it is not possible for the air bags to provide their supplemental protection.
In the event of other types of impacts and impacts below air bag deployment thresholds, the air bags will not deploy. The driver and passengers will then be protecte to the extent possible by a properly fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt is also needed to provide the best possible protection in a rollover.
Air bags provide additional protection; they are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
All vehicle occupants must fasten their seat belts regardless of whether your vehicle is equipped with air bags or not.
It is important for your safety and that of your passenger to have deployed air bags replaced and to have any malfunctioning air bags repaired. This will help to make sure the air bags continue to perform their protective function for the vehicle occupants in the event of a crash.
See also:
Parking
The following instructions refer to parking in
a space on the front-passenger side. To park
in a space on the driver's side, mirror the
instructions.
WARNING
The Parking Guidance is only an ...
Bar
Metric unit for tire pressure. There are
14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi) to
1 bar; there are 100 kilopascals (kPa) to
1 bar. ...
Cleaning the wheels
WARNING
Do not use power washers with circular-jet
nozzles (dirt grinders) to clean your vehicle, in
particular the tires. You could otherwise
damage the tires and cause an accident. ...