belt MERCEDES-BENZ CLK-CLASS 2002 User Guide

53 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Seat belts
Important!
Laws i n mo st states and all Canadi an provi nc es require
seat belt use.
All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the U.S.
territories and all Canadian provinces require the use of
child restraints that comply with U.S. Fedral Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 210.2.
For your safety and that of your passengers we strongly
recommend their use.
Wa r n i n g !
Children 12 years old and under must never ride in
the front seat, except in a Mercedes-Benz
authorized BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM system
installed in the vehicle to deactivate the passenger
side front airbag when it is properly installed.
Otherwise they will be struck by the airbag when it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or fatal
injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
Infants and small children must ride in back seats
and be seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system, which is properly secured with
the vehicle's seat belt or lower anchors, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.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.
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54 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Note:
For cleaning and care of the seat belts, see page 304.
Seat belt nonusage warning system
With the electronic key in steering lock position 2, a
warning sounds for a short time if the driver’s seat belt
is not fastened. See also seat belt warning lamp on
page 228.
Wa r n i n g !
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the backrest
reclined. Sitting in an excessively reclined position
can be dangerous. You could slide under the seat
belt in a collision. If you slide under it, the belt
would apply force at the abdomen or neck. That
could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The
backrest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in an upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.
Wa r n i n g !
Failure to wear and properly fasten and position
your seat belt greatly increases your risk of
injuries and their likely severity in an accident.
You and your passengers should always wear seat
belts.If you are ever in an accident, your injuries can be
considerably more severe without your seat belt
properly buckled. Without your seat belt buckled,
you are much more likely to hit the interior of the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed.In the same crash, the possibility for injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your seat belt.Wa r n i n g !
Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there
are seat belts available. Be sure everyone riding in
the vehicle is correctly restrained with a separate
seat belt.
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55 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Fastening of seat belts
1Latch plate
2Buckle
3Release buttonPush latch plate (1) into buckle (2) until it clicks. Do not
twist the belt. A twisted seat belt may cause injury.
To help avoid severe or fatal injuries, the lap belt must
be positioned as low as possible on your hips and not
across the abdomen.
1
2
3
Wa r n i n g !
Always fasten your seat belt before driving off.
Always make sure your passengers are properly
restrained – even those sitting in the rear.
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56 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Tighten the lap portion to a snug fit by pulling shoulder
portion up.
The shoulder portion of the seat belt must be pulled
snug and checked for snugness immediately after
engaging it.
Adjust seat belt so that shoulder portion is located as
close as possible to the middle of your shoulder (it
should not touch the neck).Unfastening of seat belts
Push the release button (3) in the belt buckle (2). Allow
the device to completely rewind the seat belt by guiding
the latch plate (1).
Operation
The inertia reel stops the belt from unwinding during
sudden vehicle stops or when quickly pulling on the
belt. The locking function of the reel may be checked by
quickly pulling out the belt.
P91.40-2102-26
1
2
3
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57 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Caution!
For safety reasons, avoid adjusting the seat or backrest
into positions which could affect the correct seat belt
position.
Wa r n i n 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 section, as that could result
in serious injuries in case of an accident.• E ach oc c upan t s houl d wear t hei r s ea t bel t a t al l
times, because seat belts help reduce the
likelihood of and potential severity of injuries
in accidents, including rollovers. The
integrated restraint system includes SRS
(driver airbag, front passenger airbag, door
mounted side impact airbags), ETD (seat belt
emergency tensioning devices), and front seat
knee bolsters. The system is designed to
enhance the protection offered to properly
belted occupants in certain frontal (front
airbags) and side (side impact airbags) impacts
which exceed preset deployment thresholds.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys etc., as these might
cause injuries.• Never wear the shoulder belt under your arm,
against your neck or off your shoulder. 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 severely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.• Position the lap belt as low as possible on your
hips and not across the abdomen. If the belt is
positioned across your abdomen, it could cause
serious injuries in a crash.• Each seat belt should never be used for more
than one person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another person 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.
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58 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
• 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 pressure on the abdomen.• Never place your feet on the instrument panel
or on the seat. Always keep both feet on the
floor in front of the seat.Wa r n i n g !
USE CHILD RESTRAINTS PROPERLY.Children 12 years old and under must never ride in
the front seat, except in a Mercedes-Benz
authorized BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM system
installed in the vehicle to deactivate the passenger
front airbag when it is properly installed.
Otherwise they will be struck by the airbag when it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or fatal
injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
Infants and small children must ride in back seats
and be seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system, which is properly secured with
the vehicle's seat belt or lower anchors, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.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.Children too big for child restraint systems must
ride in back seats using regular seat belts. Position
shoulder belt across chest and shoulder, not face or
neck. A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper belt positioning.
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60 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Supplemental restraint system (SRS)
Airbags are intended as a supplement to seat belts.
Airbags alone cannot protect as well as airbags plus
seat belts in impacts for which the airbags were
designed to operate, and do not afford any protection
whatsoever in crashes for which the airbags are not
designed to deploy.
The SRS uses two crash severity levels (thresholds) to
activate either the Emergency tensioning device or front
airbag or both. Activation depends on the direction and
severity of the impact exceeding the preset thresholds
and whether the seat belt is fastened.
Seat belt fastened
•first threshold exceeded: ETD activates
•second threshold exceeded: airbag also activates
Seat belt not fastened
•first threshold exceeded:
airbag activates, but not ETD
Driver and front passenger systems operate
independently of each other.Emergency tensioning device (ETD)
The seat belts for the front seats are equipped with
Emergency tensioning devices. These tensioning
devices are located in each belt’s inertia reel and
become operationally ready with the electronic key in
steering lock position 1 or 2.
The Emergency tensioning devices are designed to
activate only when the seat belts are fastened during
frontal impacts exceeding the first threshold of the SRS
and in rear impacts exceeding a preset severity level.
They remove slack from the belts in such a way that the
seat belts fit more snugly against the body restricting its
forward Emergency tensioning device movement as
much as possible.
In cases of other frontal impacts, angled impacts,
roll-overs, certain side impacts, or other accidents
without sufficient frontal or rear impact forces, the
Emergency tensioning device will not be activated. The
driver and passengers will then be protected by the
fastened seat belts and inertia reel in the usual manner.
For seat belt and Emergency tensioning device safety
guidelines see page 67.
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62 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
3Side impact airbag
The side impact airbags are located in the doors.
The most effective occupant restraint system yet
developed for use in production vehicles is the seat belt.
In some cases, however, the protective effect of a seat
belt can be further enhanced by an airbag.
In conjunction with wearing the seat belts, the driver
and front passenger airbags can provide increased
protection for the driver and front passenger in certain
frontal impacts exceeding preset thresholds. Door mounted side impact airbags can provide increased
protection to belted front passengers on the impacted
side of the vehicle in side impacts exceeding its preset
threshold.
Important!
The operational readiness of the airbag system is
verified by the indicator lamp SRS in the instrument
cluster when turning the electronic key in steering lock
to position 1 or 2. If no fault is detected, the lamp will go
out after approximately 4 seconds; after the lamp goes
out, the system continues to monitor the components
and circuitry of the airbag system and will indicate a
malfunction by coming on again. If the lamp does not
come on at all or if it fails to extinguish after
approximately 4 seconds or if it comes on thereafter,
a malfunction in the system has been detected.
The following system components are monitored or
undergo a self-check: crash-sensor(s), airbag ignition
circuits, front seat belt buckles, Emergency tensioning
devices, seat sensor.
3
P91.60-2122-26
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63 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Initially, when the electronic key is turned from steering
lock position 0 to positions 1 or 2, malfunctions in the
crash-sensor are detected and indicated (the SRS
indicator lamp stays on longer than 4 seconds or does
not come on).
Have the system checked at your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
In the operational mode, after the indicator lamp has
gone out following the initial check, interruptions or
short circuits in the airbag ignition circuit and in the
driver and front passenger seat belt buckle harnesses,
and low voltage in the entire system are detected and
indicated.Front airbags
The driver and front passenger front airbags are
designed to activate only in certain frontal impacts
exceeding a preset threshold.
The front passenger airbag deploys only if the front
passenger seat is occupied and the indicator lamp on
the center console is not illuminated.
Note:
Objects heavier than 20 lbs (9 kg) on the front
passenger seat can appear to the SRS to indicate the
presence of an occupant in that seat which causes the
passenger front airbag to deploy in a crash exceeding
the appropriate threshold.
Wa r n i n g !
In the event a malfunction of the SRS is indicated
as outlined above, the SRS may not be operational.
For your safety, we strongly recommend that you
visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
immediately to have the system checked; otherwise
the SRS may not be activated when needed in an
accident, which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could also result in injury.
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64 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Side impact airbags
The side impact airbags are designed to activate only in
certain side impacts exceeding a preset threshold. Only
the side impact airbag on the impacted side of the
vehicle deploys.
The side impact airbag for the front passenger deploys
only if the front passenger seat is occupied.
Side impact airbags operate best in conjunction with a
properly positioned and fastened seat belt.
Note:
Objects heavier than 20 lbs (9 kg) on the front
passenger seat can cause the side impact airbag to
deploy in a crash.Important!
Airbags are designed to activate only in certain
frontal (front airbags) impacts, or side (side impact
airbags) impacts which exceed preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of sufficient
severity to meet the deployment thresholds, will
they provide their supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear their
seat belts, otherwise it is not possible for the airbags
to provide their intended supplemental protection.
In cases of other frontal impacts, angled impacts,
roll-overs, other side impacts, rear collisions, or
other accidents in which the airbags are not
designed to deploy, the airbags will not be activated.
The driver and passenger will then be protected by
the fastened seat belts.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
airbags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
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