warning MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2012 User Guide

Alw
ays specify theve hicle identification number
(VIN) (/ page 428) when ordering Mercedes-
Benz GenuineParts. Owner's Manual
This Owner's Manual describes all models and
all standard and optional equipment available for
yo ur vehicle at the time of this Owner's Manual
going topress. Countr y-specific dif fere nces are
possible. No tethat your vehicle may not be fit‐
te d with all features desc ribed. This is also the
case for sy stems and functions releva nt to
saf ety. Therefore, the equipment on your vehicle
may dif fer from that in the descriptions and illus‐
trations.
The original pur chase ag reement foryo ur vehicle
contains a list of all of the sy stems in your vehi‐
cle.
Should you ha veany questions concerning
equipment and operation, please consult a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
The Owner's Manual and Service Booklet are
impor tant documents and should be kept inthe
ve hicle. Operating saf
ety
* NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. &
WARNING Risk of injury duetomalfunc‐
tions or sy stem failure
In order toavo id malfunctions or sy stem fail‐
ures: #
Alw ays ha vethe specified service/
maintenance workas well as any nec‐
essary repairs car ried out at a qualified
specialist workshop. &
WARNING Risk of accident or inju rydue
to improper modifications toelectronic
components
Modifications toelectronic components,
th eir software or wiring can impair their func‐
tionality and/or the functionality of other networ
ked components or saf ety-re leva nt
sy stems.
This can endanger theve hicle's operating
saf ety. #
You must not tamp er with wiring, elec‐
tronic components, or their software. #
Alw ays ha vewo rkon electrical and
electronic devices car ried out at a quali‐
fi ed specialist workshop. If
yo u modify the on-board electronics, thege n‐
eral operating perm it isrende red in valid.
Obser vethe "On-board electronics" section in
"Technical data". &
WARNING Risk offire due toflammable
materials on hot parts of theex haust
sy stem
Flammable material such as lea ves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact
wi th hot parts of theex haust sy stem. General no
tes23
Internal use only

&
WARNING Risk of accident due tocon‐
necting devices tothe diagnostics con‐
nection
If yo u connect devices tothe diagnostics
connection of theve hicle, the function of
ve hicle sy stems and operating saf ety may be
impaired. #
For saf etyre asons, werecommend that
yo u on lyuse and connect products
appr ovedby yo ur Mercedes-Benz
service centre. &
WARNING Risk of accident due to
objects in the driver's foot we ll
Objects in the driver's foot we ll may impede
pedal tr avel or block a depressed pedal.
This jeopardises the operating and road
saf ety of theve hicle. #
Stow all objects in theve hicle securely
so that they cannot getinto the driver's
fo ot we ll. #
Alw aysfit th efloor mats securely and
as prescribed in order toensure that th
ere is alw ays suf ficient room forthe
pedals. #
Do not use loose floor mats and do not
place floor mats on top of one ano ther. *
NO
TEBattery discharging from using
devices connected tothe diagnostics
connection Using devices at
the diagnostics connection
drains the batter y. #
Check thech arge leve l of the batter y. #
Ifth ech arge leve l is lo w,charge the
batter y,e.g. bydriving a considerable
dis tance. Connecting and using ano
ther device with the
diagnostics connection can ha vethefo llowing
ef fects:
R malfunctions in theve hicle sy stem
R permanent damage tovehicle components
Please referto thewa rranty term s and condi‐
tions forth is matter. 30
General no tes
Internal use only

Moreo
ver,connecting equipment tothe diagnos‐
tics connection can lead toemissions monitor‐
ing information being reset, forex ample. This
may lead totheve hicle failing tomeet the
re qu irements of the next emissions inspection
during the main inspection. Qualified specialist
workshop
* NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. A
qu alified specialist workshop has the neces‐
sary special skills, tools and qualifications to
cor rectly car ryout any necessary workon your
ve hicle. This particularly applies tosaf ety-re le‐
va nt wo rks.
Alw ays ha vethefo llowing workcar ried out on
yo ur vehicle at a qualified specialist workshop:
R safety-re leva nt wo rks
R service and maintenance work R
repair work
R modifications as well as ins tallations and
con versions
R workon electronic components
R vehicles with 48 V on-board electrical
sy stem (EQ boost tech nology): workon
high voltage components of the 48 V on-
board electrical sy stem
Mercedes‑Benz recommends a Mercedes‑Benz
service centre. Ve
hicle registration
Mercedes-Benz may ask its service centres to
car ryout tech nical inspections on cer tain vehi‐
cles. The quality or saf ety of theve hicle is
impr oved as a result of the inspection.
Mercedes-Benz can only inform you about vehi‐
cle checks if Mercedes-Benz has your registra‐
tion data. It is possible
that your vehicle has not yet been
re gis tere d in your name in thefo llowing cases:
R ifyo ur vehicle was not pur chased at an
authorised specialist dealer.
R ifyo ur vehicle has not yet been examined at
a Mercedes-Benz service centre.
It is advisable toregis teryo ur vehicle with a
Mercedes-Benz service centre.
Inform Mercedes-Benz as soon as possible
about any change in address or vehicle owner‐
ship. You can do this at a Mercedes-Benz service
centre, forex ample. Cor
rect use of theve hicle
If yo ure mo veany warning sticke rs,yo u or others
could failto recognise cer tain dangers. Lea ve
wa rning sticke rs in position.
Obser vethefo llowing information in particular
when driving your vehicle:
R the saf ety no tes in this manual
R tech nical da taforth eve hicle
R traf fic ru les and regulations General no
tes31
Internal use only

R
laws and saf etyst andards per taining to
mo torve hicles Information on
the REA CHregulation
EU and EFTA countries onl y:
The REA CHregulation (Regulation (EC) No.
19 07 /2006, Article 33) stipulates a duty tosup‐
ply information about subs tances of very high
concern (SVHCs).
Mercedes‑Benz AGacts tothe best of its know l‐
edge topreve ntthese SVHCs from being used
and toenable cus tomers tosafely handle these
subs tances. The reare SVHCs known to
Mercedes‑Benz AG, according tosupplier infor‐
mation and internal product information, found
in individual co mponents of this vehicle in quan‐
tities of over 0.1 percent byweight.
Fu rther information can be obtained at thefo l‐
lowing addresses:
R https://reach.daimler.com/de/home/
R https://reach.daimler.com/en/home/ Note
sfo r persons with electronic medical
aids
* NO
TEPlug-in hybrid #
Obser vethe no tes in the Supplement.
Yo u could otherwise failto recognise
dangers. Mercedes-Benz
AGcannot, despite carefully
de veloping vehicle sy stems, comple tely rule out
th e interaction of vehicle sy stems with electronic
medical aids such as cardiac pacemakers.
In addition, there are components ins talled in
th eve hicle that, rega rdless of the operating sta‐
tus of theve hicle, can generate magnetic fields
on a par with permanent magnets. These fields
can be found, forex ample, in the area around
th e multimedia and sound sy stem or also in the
area of the seats, depending on theve hicle
equipment.
Fo rth is reason, thefo llowing can occur in isola‐
te d cases, depending on the aids used:
R Medical aids malfunctioning
R Adverse health ef fects Obser
vethe no tes and warnings of the manufac‐
turer of the medical aids; if in doubt, conta ctthe
device manufacturer and/or your doc tor.If th ere
is continuing uncer tainty concerning the possi‐
bility of medical aids malfunctioning, Mercedes-
Benz AGrecommends using only few electrical
ve hicle sy stems and/or maintaining a dis tance
from the components.
Only ha verepairs and maintenance workinthe
area of thefo llowing components car ried out by
a qu alified specialist workshop:
R vehicle components car rying live voltage
R transmission aerials
R multimedia sy stem and sound sy stem
If yo u ha veany queries or suggestions, consult a
qu alified specialist workshop. 32
General no tes
Internal use only

Re
stra int sy stem Pr
otection pr ovided bythere stra int sy stem The
restra int sy stem includes thefo llowing com‐
ponents:
R Seat belt sy stem
R Airbags
R Child restra int sy stem
R Child seat securing sy stems
The restra int sy stem can help pr eventtheve hi‐
cle occupants from coming into contact with
parts of theve hicle interior in theev ent of an
accident. In theev ent of an accident, the
re stra int sy stem can also reduce thefo rc es to
which theve hicle occupants are subjected.
A seat belt can only pr ovide the best le vel of pro‐
te ction if it is worncor rectl y.Depending on the
de tected accident situation, seat belt tensioners
and/or airbags supplement the pr otection
of fere dby a cor rectly wornseat belt. Seat belt
te nsioners and/or airbags are not depl oyed in
eve ryaccident. In order
forth ere stra int sy stem toprov ide the
intended le vel of pr otection, each vehicle occu‐
pant must obser vethefo llowing information:
R Fasten seat belts cor rectl y.
R Sit in an almost upri ght seat position with
th eir back against the seat backrest.
R Sit with their feet resting on thefloor, if pos‐
sible.
R Alw ays secure persons under 1.50 m tall in
an additional restra int sy stem suitable for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Ho wever,no sy stem available today can com‐
ple tely elimin ate injuries and fata lities in every
accident situation. In particular, the seat belt
and airbag generally do not pr otect against
objects penetrating theve hicle from the outside.
It is also not possible tocompl etely rule out the
ri sk of injury caused bythe airbag deploying. Re
duced restra int sy stem pr otection &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
modifications tothere stra int sy stem
Ve hicle occupants may no longer be pr otec‐
te d as intended if alterations are made tothe
re stra int sy stem. #
Never alter the parts of there stra int
sy stem. #
Neverta mp er with the wiring or any
electronic component parts or their
software. If it is necessary
tomodify theve hicle toaccom‐
modate a person with disabilities, con tact a
qu alified specialist workshop.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use driv‐
ing aids which ha vebeen appr ovedfo ryo ur vehi‐
cle byMercedes-Benz. Re
stra int sy stem functionality When
the ignition is switched on, a self-test is
per form ed, during which the6 restra int sys‐ Occupant saf
ety37
Internal use only

te
m wa rning lamp lights up. It goes out no later
th an a few seconds af terth eve hicle is star ted.
The components of there stra int sy stem are then
functional. Malfunctioning
restra int sy stem A malfunction has occur
red in there stra int sys‐
te m if:
R the6 restra int sy stem warning lamp does
not light up when the ignition is switched on
R the6 restra int sy stem warning lamp
lights up continuously or repeatedly during a
journey &
WARNING Risk of injury duetomalfunc‐
tions in there stra int sy stem
Components in there stra int sy stem may be
activated unintentionally or not deploy as
intended in an accident. #
Have there stra int sy stem checked and
re paired immediately at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop. Fu
nction of there stra int sy stem in an acci‐
dent How
there stra int sy stem works is de term ined by
th e se verity of the impact de tected and the type
of accident anticipated:
R Frontal impact
R Rear impact
R Side impact
R Onlyfor cer tain countries: rollo ver
The activation thre sholds forth e components of
th ere stra int sy stem are de term ined based on
th eev aluation of the sensor values measured at
va rious points in theve hicle. This process is pre-
em ptive in nature. The triggering/deployment of
th e components of there stra int sy stem must
ta ke place in good time at thest art of the colli‐
sion.
Fa ctors whi chcan only be seen and measu red
af te r a collision has occur red do not play a deci‐
sive role in the deployment of an airbag. Nordo
th ey prov ide an indication of airbag deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly with‐
out an airbag being deplo yed. This is the case if only parts which are
relatively easily deformed
are af fected and thera te ofvehicle deceleration
is not high. Con versely, an airbag may be
deplo yedev en though theve hicle suf fers only
minor deformation. If very rigid vehicle parts
such as longitudinal members are hit, this may
re sult in suf ficiently high le vels of vehicle decel‐
eration.
Depending on the de tected deployment situa‐
tion, the components of there stra int sy stem can
be activated or deplo yed independently of each
ot her:
R Front seat belt tensioner: frontal impact, rear
impact, side impact, rollo ver 1
R Rear seat belt tensioner: frontal impact, rear
impact, rollo ver 1
R Driver's airbag, front passenger airbag: fron‐
talimpact
R Knee airbag: frontal impact
R Side airbag: side impact
R Window airbag: side impact, rollo ver 1
, frontal
impact
1) Only for cer tain countries. 38
Occupant saf ety
Internal use only

The front passenger airbag can only be deplo
yed
in an accident if thePA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is off. If the front passenger seat
is occupied, make sure, bo thbefore and during
th e journe y,that thest atus of the front
passenger airbag is cor rect (/ page 48). &
WARNING Risk of burn s from hot airbag
components
The airbag parts are hot af ter an airbag has
been deploy ed. #
Do not touch the airbag parts. #
Have a deplo yed airbag replaced at a
qu alified specialist workshop as soon
as possible. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you ha vethe
ve hicle towe dto aqu alified specialist workshop
af te r an accident. Take this into account, partic‐
ularly if a seat belt tensioner is trigge red or an
airbag deplo yed. If
th e seat belt tensioners are trig gered or an air‐
bag is deplo yed, you will hear a bang, and a
small amount of powder may also be released:
R The bang will not generally af fect your hear‐
ing.
R Ingeneral, the powder released is not haz‐
ardous tohealth but may cause short-term
breathing dif ficulties topersons suf fering
from as thma or other pulmonary conditions.
Pr ov ided it is safe todo so, lea vetheve hicle
immediately or open the window in order to
pr eve nt brea thing dif ficulties. Seat belts
Pr
otection pr ovided bythe seat belt Alw
aysfast enyour seat belt corr ectlybefore
st arting a journe y.A seat belt can only pr ovide
th e best le vel of pr otection if it is worncor rectly. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
incor rectly fastened seat belt
If th e seat belt is not worncor rectly, it can‐
not per form its intended pr otective function.
In addition, an incor rectly fastened seat belt
can also cause injuries, forex ample, in the
ev ent of an accident or when braking or
ch anging direction sudden ly. #
Alw ays ensure that all vehicle occu‐
pants ha vetheir seat belts fastened
cor rectly and are sitting properl y. Alw
ays obser vethe instructions about the cor‐
re ct driver's seat position and adjusting the seat
(/ page 98).
In order forth e cor rectly wornseat belt topro‐
vide the intended le vel of pr otection, each vehi‐
cle occupant must obser vethefo llowing infor‐
mation:
R The seat belt must not be twis ted and must
fi t tightly and snu gly across the body. Occupant saf
ety39
Internal use only

R
The seat belt must be routed across the
centre of the shoulder and as low down
across the hips as possible.
R The shoulder section of the seat belt should
not touch your ne cknor be routed under
yo ur arm or behind your bac k.
R Avoid wearing bulky clo thing, e.g. a winter
coat.
R Push the lap belt down as far as possible
across your hips and pull tight with the shoul‐
der section of the belt. Ne verro ute the lap
belt across your abdomen.
Pregnant women must also take particular
care with this.
R Neverro ute the seat belt across sharp, poin‐
te d, abrasive or fragile objects.
R Only one person should use each seat belt at
any one time. Ne ver allow babies and chil‐
dren totrave l sitting on the lap of ano ther
ve hicle occupant.
R Never secure objects with a seat belt if the
seat belt is also being used byone of the
ve hicle's occupants. Alw ays obser vethe
instructions for loading theve hicle when securing objects, luggage or loads
(/
page 111).
Also ensure that no objects, e.g. a cushion,
are ever placed between a person and the
seat.
If ch ildren are tra velling in theve hicle, be sure to
obser vethe instructions and saf ety no tes on
"Children in theve hicle" (/ page 53). Limitations of
the pr otection pr ovided bythe
seat belt &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
incor rect seat position
The seat belt will not of ferth e intended le vel
of pr otection if you ha venot mo vedth e seat
backrest toan almost vertical position.
In particular, you may slip under the seatbelt
and injure yourself. #
Adjust the seat proper lybefore begin‐
ning your journe y. #
Alw ays ensure that the seat backrest is
in an almost vertical position and that th
e shoulder section of your seat belt is
ro uted across the cent reofyour shoul‐
der. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death when
additional restra int sy stems are not used
fo r persons with a smaller stature
Pe rsons under 1.50 m tall cannot wearthe
seat belt cor rectly wi thout a suitable addi‐
tional restra int sy stem. #
Alw ays secure persons under 1.50 m
ta ll in a suitable restra int sy stem. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death dueto
damaged or modified seat belts
Seat belts cannot prov ide pr otection in the
fo llowing situations:
R the seat belt is damaged, has been modi‐
fi ed, is extremely di rty, bleached or dyed
R the seat belt buckle is damaged or
ex treme lydirty 40
Occupant saf ety
Internal use only

R
modifications ha vebeen made tothe seat
belt tensioner, seat belt anchorage or
seat belt retractor
Seat belts may su stain non-visible damage in
an accident, e.g. due toglass splin ters.
Modified or damaged seat belts could tear or
fa il in theev ent of an accident, forex ample.
Modified seat belt tensioners could acciden‐
ta lly trigger or failto function as intended. #
Never modify the seat belt sy stem, for
ex ample the seat belt, seat belt buckle,
seat belt tensioner, seat belt anchorage
and seat belt retractor. #
Makesure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not wornand clean. #
Alw ays ha vethe seat belts checked
immediately af ter an accident at a
qu alified specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you use seat
belts which ha vebeen appr ovedfo ryo ur vehicle
by Mercedes-Benz. &
WARNING Risk of injury or death from
deplo yedpy rotech nic seat belt tension‐
ers
Py rotech nic seat belt tensioners that ha ve
been deplo yed are no longer operational and
are unable toper form their intended pr otec‐
tive function. #
Therefore, ha vedeplo yedpy rotech nic
seat belt tensioners immedia tely
re placed at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you ha vethe
ve hicle towe dto aqu alified specialist workshop
af te r an accident.
* NO
TEDama gecaused bytrapping the
seat belt If an unused seat belt is not fully
retracted, it
may become trapped in the door or in the
seat mechanism. #
Alw ays ensure that an unused seat belt
is fully retracted. Re
leasing there ar centre seat belt If
th e left-hand rear seat backrest is folded down
and back up again, it may not be possible topull
out there ar centre seat belt. The seat belt must
be released. #
Pull the seat belt out appr oximately 25 mm
at the seat belt outlet on the seat backrest
and then release it again.
The seat belt is retracted and released. Fa
stening and adjust ing seat belts If
th e seat belt is pulled quickly or sharpl y,the
seat belt retractor lo cks. The seat belt stra p can‐
not be pulled out any fur ther. Occupant saf
ety41
Internal use only

Re
leasing seat belts #
Press there lease button in the seat belt
buckle and guide the seat belt back with the
seat belt tongue. Seat belt
warning function for the driver and
front passen ger The
ü seat belt warning lamp in the instru‐
ment display is a reminder that all vehicle occu‐
pants must weartheir seat belts cor rectly.
In addition, a warning tone may sound.
As soon as the driver and front passenger fasten
th eir seat belts, the seat belt warning goes out. Fu
nction of there ar seat belt status display The
rear seat belt status display is on lyavailable
fo r cer tain countries. When
the ignition is switched on, there ar seat
belt status display informs youfo r a cer tain
amount of time which rear seat belt is not fas‐
te ned.
Yo u can immediately dismiss there ar seat belt
st atus display using the back button on the left-
hand side of thesteering wheel (/ page246).
If a vehicle occupant unfas tens a seat belt in the
re ar while theve hicle is motion, there ar seat
belt status display appears again.
In addition, a warning tone may sound. In this
case, there ar seat belt status display cannot be
hidden using the back button on the left-hand
side of thesteering wheel. Airbags
Overview of airbags
1
Knee airbag
2 Driver's airbag
3 Front passenger airbag
4 Window airbag
5 Side airbag
The ins tallation location of an airbag is identified
by the AIRB AGsymbol.
When enabled, an airbag can pr ovide additional
pr otection forth ere spective vehicle occupant. Occupant saf
ety43
Internal use only