light MERCEDES-BENZ E55AMG 2005 W211 User Guide

60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint system
components of the vehicle.

Seat belts (
page 67)


Child restraints (
page 80)


Lower anchors and tethers for children
(LATCH) (
page 81)
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with


Air bags (
page 61)


Air bag control unit (with crash sen-
sors)


Emergency tensioning device (ETD) for
seat belts (
page 70)Air bag system components with


75indicator lamp
(page 78)


Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 74)
As independent systems, their protective
functions work in conjunction with each
other. The SRS system conducts a self-test when
the ignition is switched on and in regular
intervals while the engine is running. This
facilitates early detection of malfunctions.
The
1
indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on and goes out no later than a
few seconds after the engine has been
started.
The SRS components are in operational
readiness if the
1
indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the
1
indicator lamp:


fails to go out after approximately
four seconds after the engine was
started


does not come on at all


comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and
restraint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 71).

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
The air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.
The passenger front air bag will only be
deployed if:

the system, based on OCS weight sen-
sor readings, senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied


the 75 indicator lamp in the
center console is not lit (
page 78)


the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment thresholdSide impact air bags, window curtain
air bags
1Side impact air bags
2Window curtain air bag
The side impact air bags and window cur-
tain air bags are deployed:


on the impacted side of the vehicle


in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold


independently of the front air bags
iThe front air bags in this vehicle have
been designed to inflate in two stages.
This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation that are based on the
rate of relevant vehicle deceleration as
assessed by the air bag control unit.
On the front passenger side, the front
air bag deployment is additionally influ-
enced by the passenger’s weight cate-
gory as identified by the Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 74).
The lighter the front passenger side oc-
cupant, the higher the vehicle deceler-
ation rate required for the second
stage inflation of the air bag.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances re-
quire you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the OCS senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropri-
ate child restraint on the front passen-
ger seat.


A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates in a collision
which could occur under some circum-
stances, even with the air bag technolo-
gy installed in your vehicle. The only
means to completely eliminate this risk
is to never place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


If you must install a rear-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the 75 in-
dicator lamp is illuminated, indicating
that the front passenger air bag is deac-
tivated. Should the light not illuminate
or go out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. Periodically
check the indicator lamp while driving to
make sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
75 indicator lamp goes out or
remains out, do not transport a child on
the front passenger seat until the sys-
tem has been repaired. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured
or even killed if the front passenger front
air bag inflates.


If you have to place a child in a
forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat, move the seat as
far back as possible, use the proper
child restraint recommended for the
age, size and weight of the child, and se-
cure child restraint with the vehicle's
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. For
children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
air bag may or may not be activated
(page 76).

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Furthermore, the occupant weight may ap-
pear to increase or decrease due to
objects hanging on the seat, other passen-
gers pushing on the seat, objects lodged
underneath the seat or stuffed between
seat and middle console or between seat
and door or due to objects applying pres-
sure on the back of the seat. Always make
sure that the seat has clearance in all di-
rections at all times.
Both driver and the front passenger should
always use the 75 indicator
lamp as an indication of whether or not the
front passenger is properly positioned.
iIf your seat, including your trim cover
and cushion needs to be serviced in
any way, take the vehicle to your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used.
Warning!
G
If the 75 indicator lamp illumi-
nates when an adult or someone larger than
a small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the light
goes out, or check whether objects are
caught under or around the seat.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 374).
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front
air bag deployment when the OCS classified
the front passenger seat occupant as being
up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint or if the front passenger seat is
sensed as being empty.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being up
to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint, the 75 indicator lamp will
illuminate when the engine is started and re-
main illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat is classified as being empty, the
75 indicator lamp will illuminate
when the engine is started and remain illu-
minated, indicating that the front passenger
front air bag is deactivated.


77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances re-
quire you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the system senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropri-
ate child restraint on the front passen-
ger seat.


A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates in a collision
which could occur under some circum-
stances, even with the air bag technolo-
gy installed in your vehicle. The only
means to completely eliminate this risk
is to never place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


If you must install a rear-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the 75 in-
dicator lamp is illuminated, indicating
that the front passenger air bag is deac-
tivated. Should the light not illuminate
or go out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. Periodically
check the indicator lamp while driving to
make sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
75 indicator lamp goes out or
remains out, do not transport a child on
the front passenger seat until the sys-
tem has been repaired. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured
or even killed if the front passenger front
air bag inflates.


If you have to place a child in a
forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat, move the seat as
far back as possible, use the proper
child restraint recommended for the
age, size and weight of the child, and se-
cure child restraint with the vehicle's
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. For
children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
air bag may or may not be activated
(page 76).

80 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyInstallation of infant and child restraint
systems
This vehicle is equipped with tether an-
chorages for a top tether strap at each of
the rear seating positions.
Not foldable rear seat backrest
1Cover
Remove cover1 from anchorage ring.

Guide tether strap between head re-
straint and top of the seat back.

Head restraint must be installed (if re-
movable) and positioned such that the
top tether strap can pass freely be-
tween the head restraint and the top of
the seat back.
Make sure the tether strap is not twist-
ed.
2Hook
3Anchorage ring

Securely fasten the hook2 to the an-
chorage ring3.Once the top tether anchorage hook is at-
tached, the child restraint itself can be se-
cured. Tighten the top tether strap
according to the child restraint manufac-
turer's instructions.
Foldable rear seat backrest*

Fold rear seat backrest slightly for-
ward.

Remove cover from anchorage ring.

Guide tether strap between head re-
straint and top of the seat back.

Head restraint must be positioned such
that the top tether strap can pass freely
between the head restraint and the top
of the seat back.
Make sure the tether strap is not twist-
ed.iFor safety, make sure the hook2 has
attached to the ring3 beyond the
safety catch, as illustrated.

85 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


SBC (S
ensotronic B
rake C
ontrol)


4MATIC (Four Wheel Electronic
Traction System)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even with light brake pressure.
iIn winter operation, the maximum ef-
fectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, the
ESP, SBC and 4MATIC is only achieved
with winter tires (M + S tires), or snow
chains as required.Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP, SBC and 4MATIC cannot
reduce this risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

97 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Dual-zone automatic climate control
4-zone automatic climate control*
Power windows
Power tilt /sliding sunroof*
Panorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel*
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features

112 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the trunk
Closing the trunk from the inside auto-
matically*
In vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system* you can close the trunk from the
inside using the remote trunk lid switch.
Press remote trunk lid switch
(page 111) until the indicator lamp in
the switch goes out and the trunk lid is
closed.
To interrupt the closing procedure:

Release the remote trunk lid switch.If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.iYou can also close the trunk by hand.
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
the door mounted switch. Monitor the clos-
ing procedure carefully to make sure that no
one is in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk lid switch.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the remote trunk
lid switch can be operated. Therefore, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle,
or with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as visibility blockage,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.

114 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Closing the trunk from the outside
(vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system* you can close the trunk separate-
ly from the outside using the trunk lid clos-
ing switch.
1Trunk lid closing switch
Press trunk lid closing switch1 brief-
ly.
The trunk lid closes.If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk lid reopens slight-
ly.
iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
To prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the trunk lid will open automatical-
ly if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
recognized inside the vehicle or in the
trunk.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally after closing it (
page 112). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.
iYou can also close the trunk by hand.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
do one of the following:

press the trunk lid closing switch1


press the Š button on the SmartKey


press the remote trunk lid switch (on the
driver’s door)
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the remote trunk lid switch
can be operated. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or