MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 2005 R171 Manual PDF

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this sec-
tion, as that could result in serious inju-
ries in case of an accident.


Each occupant should wear his or her
seat belt at all times, because seat belts
help reduce the likelihood and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver air bag,
passenger air bag, kneebags,
head-thorax air bags) and ETD (seat belt
emergency tensioning device).
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to properly belted oc-
cupants in certain frontal (front air bags,
kneebags, and EDT) and side (head-tho-
rax air bags and EDT) impacts which ex-
ceed preset deployment thresholds.


Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The
belt would also apply too much force to
the ribs or abdomen, which could se-
verely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.


Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
might cause injuries.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.


Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to manage impact forces. The
twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.


Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyEmergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts are equipped with
emergency tensioning devices (ETDs) and
seat belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing a preset severity level.


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
“1indicator lamp” (
page 62).In an impact emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Belt force limiters
reduce the force exerted by the seat belts
on occupants during a crash.
iThe ETDs for the seats will only activate
if the respective seat belt is fastened
(latch plate properly inserted into buck-
le).
Warning!
G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When scrapping the emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These are available at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the passenger seat.
This could cause the front air bag or
head-thorax air bag on the passenger
side and, with the seat belt fastened to
secure the object, the ETD to deploy in
a crash which exceeds the system’s
deployment threshold.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:

Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.


Ensure the infant or child is properly
secured at all times while the vehicle is
in motion.
Infant and child restraint seats and infor-
mation on choosing an appropriate re-
straint system can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Center.Infant and child restraint systems
Use only a BabySmart
TM1
compatible child
restraint for the passenger seat in this
vehicle.
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
The passenger lap-shoulder belt has a spe-
cial seat belt retractor for secure fastening
of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child re-
straint instructions for mounting. Then pull
the shoulder belt out completely and let it
retract. During seat belt retraction, a ratch-
eting sound can be heard to indicate that
the special seat belt retractor is activated.
The belt is now locked. Push down on child
restraint to take up any slack.To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual man-
ner.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.

74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
!
The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, the U.S. territo-
ries and all Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured by
a lap-shoulder belt that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213
and 210.2.
A statement by the child restraint man-
ufacturer of compliance with this stan-
dard can be found on the instruction
label on the restraint and in the instruc-
tion manual provided with the restraint.
When using any infant or child restraint
system, be sure to carefully read and
follow all manufacturer’s instructions
for installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels
affixed to inside of vehicle and to infant
or child restraints.
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in this vehicle, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM1

compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front
air bag when it is properly installed. Other-
wise they will be struck by the air bag when
it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious
or fatal injury can result.
Infants and small children must be seated in
an appropriate BabySmart
TM compatible in-
fant or child restraint system, which is prop-
erly secured with the vehicle’s seat belt,
fully in accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
BabySmart
TM1
air bag deactivation
system
175indicator lamp
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
Children too big for child restraint systems
should use regular seat belts. Position the
shoulder belt across chest and shoulder, not
face or neck. A booster seat may be neces-
sary to achieve proper belt positioning for
children from 41 lbs until they reach a
height where a lap/shoulder belt fits proper-
ly without a booster.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
When the child restraint is not in use, re-
move it from the vehicle or secure it with the
seat belt to prevent the child restraint from
becoming a projectile in the event of an ac-
cident.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle; even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised chil-
dren in a child restraint system may use ve-
hicle equipment and may cause serious
personal injury.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.

76 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetySpecial BabySmart
TM1
compatible child
seats, designed for use with the
Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center are
required for use with the BabySmart
TM
air bag deactivation system. With the spe-
cial child seat properly installed, the pas-
senger front air bag will not deploy.
The 75indicator lamp1 will be
illuminated, except with the SmartKey re-
moved or in starter switch position0.Self-test BabySmart
TM without special
child seat installed
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1or2, the
75indicator lamp1 comes on
for approximately six seconds and then
goes out.
If the 75indicator lamp should
not come on or is continuously lit, the sys-
tem is not functioning. You must see an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center before
seating any child on the passenger seat.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 347).
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
iThe system does not deactivate the
head-thorax air bag and the ETD (emer-
gency tensioning device).
Warning!
G
The BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation sys-
tem will ONLY work with a special child seat
designed to operate with it. It will not work
with child seats which are not BabySmart
TM
compatible.
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the deactivation sys-
tem. The bottom of the child seat must
make full contact with the passenger seat
cushion. An incorrectly mounted child seat
could cause injuries to the child in case of an
accident, instead of protecting the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of special child seats.

77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
When using a BabySmart
TM1
compatible
child seat on the passenger seat, the front
passenger air bag will not deploy only if the
75
indicator lamp remains illu-
minated.
Please be sure to check the
75
indicator lamp every time
you use the special system child seat.
Should the
75
indicator lamp go
out while the restraint is installed, please
check installation. If the
75
indicator lamp remains out,
do not use the BabySmart
TM restraint to
transport children on the passenger seat un-
til the system has been repaired.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Warning!
G
Do not place powered-on laptops, cell
phones and like electronic devices on the
passenger seat. Signals from such devices
may interfere with the BabySmart
TM system.
Such signal interference may cause the
75
indicator lamp not to come
on during self-test or be continuously lit, in-
dicating that the system is not functioning.

78 Safety and SecurityPanic alarmAn audible alarm and flashing exterior
lamps will operate for approximately
21/2minutes.
1Âbutton
Activating
Press and hold button1for at least
one second.
Deactivating
Press button1again.
or

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
iWithout the antenna on the left rear
side of the vehicle installed, the
SmartKey signaling range for the panic
alarm is considerably reduced. The
panic alarm then only functions if the
SmartKey is held in close proximity
towards the antenna base.

79 Safety and Security
Panic alarm
iUSA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.
iCanada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.

80 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsIn 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)
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
approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) indepen-
dent of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will
respond even to light brake pressure.
The -indicator lamp in the speedome-
ter dial (
page 24) comes on when you
switch on the ignition. It goes out when the
engine is running.
iIn winter operation, the maximum
effectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, and
the ESP is only achieved with winter
tires (M + S tires), or snow chains as
required.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of
accidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, and ESP 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.