warning MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS ESTATE 2011 Owner's Manual

Warning and indicator lamps
Function Page
:
ESP
®
OFF 283
;
Diesel engine: preglow 157
=
Front foglamps 123
?
Rea
rfoglamp 123
A
Only for certain vehicles:
brakes (yellow)
281
B
SPORT handling mode in
AMG vehicles
284
C
Turn signal 124
D
ESP
® 283
E
Distance warning signal
287 Function Page
F
Main-beam headlamps 125
G
Dipped-beam headlamps 123
H
Seat belt 280
I
SRS 284
J
Engine diagnostics 285
K
Brakes (red) 281
L
Tyre pressure monitor 287
M
Coolant 285
N
ABS 282
O
Reserve fuel 28532
Instrument clusterAt a glance

Centre console
Centre console, upper section
Function Page
:
£
Hazard warning
lamps 125
;
ATA indicator lamp 77
=
4
PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp 56
?
Audio system/COMAND
APS; see the separate oper-
ating instructions
A
c
Seat heating 113
B
s
Seat ventilation 114 Function Page
C
¤
ECO start/stop func-
tion 158
D
c
PARKTRONIC 200
E
Ü
Retracts the rear seat
head restraints 108
F
u
Saloon :rear window
roller sunblind 310
G
&
Auxiliary heating 14534
Centre consoleAt a glance

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment
available to your vehicle at the time of pub-
lication of the Owner's Manual. Country-
specific deviations are possible. Please
note that your vehicle may not be equipped
with all features described. This also
applies to safety-relevan tsystems and
functions.
i Please read the information on qualified
specialist workshops (Y page 25).Occupant safety
Important safety notes
The seat belts, together wit hSRS (Supple-
mental Restrain tSystem), are complemen-
tary, co-ordinated restrain tsystems
(Y page 43). They reduce the ris kofinjury
in specific, pre-defined types of accident sit-
uations and thereby increase occupant
safety .However, seat belts and airbags gen-
erally do not protec tagainst objects pene-
trating the vehicle from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection, make
sure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 104).
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 51).
R the airbags can inflate unrestricted if
deployed (Y page 44).
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 104).
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied.
i An airbag increases the protection of
vehicle occupants wearing a seat belt.
However, airbags are only an additional
restraint system which complements, but
does not replace, the seat belt. All vehicle occupants must wear their seat belt cor-
rectly at all times, even if the vehicle is
equipped with airbags. The airbags are not
deployed in all types of accidents. For
example, if the protective capacity of cor-
rectly fastened seat belts is not increased
by deploying the airbags, the airbags will
not deploy. Airbag deployment only pro-
vides increased protection if the seat belt
is worn correctly because:
R
the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
occupant in the best position in relation
to the airbag.
R in a head-on collision, for example, the
seat belt prevents the vehicle occupant
from being propelled towards the point
of impact. It can thus reduce the risk of
injury.
In accidents in which an airbag is deployed,
it provides increased protection only if the
seat belt is worn correctly. G
WARNING
If service work is not carried out correctly, the
operating safety of your vehicle may be affec-
ted. This could cause you to lose control of
your vehicle and cause an accident .More-
over, the safety systems may no longer be
able to protect you or others as they are
designed to do.
Always have service work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
Modifications to or work performed incor-
rectly on the following parts can result in the
restraint systems not functioning as intended:
R the restraint system, consisting of seat
belts and their anchorage points, belt ten-
sioners, belt force limiters and airbags
R the wiring
R networked electronic systems
Airbags and belt tensioners could fail to
deploy or be triggered in an accident despite
the deceleration force being sufficient to trig-
ger the systems, or could be triggered unin- 42
Occupant safetySafety

tentionally. For this reason, never make any
modifications to the restraint systems.
Therefore, you must not tampe rwith elec-
tronic components or their software. SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
Introduction SRS consists of:
R
the 6 SRS warning lamp
R airbags
R airbag control unit (with crash sensors)
R belt tensioners
R belt force limiters
SRS reduces the risk of occupants coming
into contact with the vehicle's interior in the
event of an accident. It can also reduce the
effect of the forces to which occupants are
subjected during an accident.
SRS warning lamp SRS functions are checked regularly when
you switch on the ignition and when the
engine is running. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The 6 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than a few seconds
after the engine is started. G
WARNING
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be triggered unintentionally or might not
be triggered in the event of an accident with
a high rate of vehicle deceleration.
A malfunction has occurred if:
R the 6 SRS warning lamp does not light
up when the ignition is switched on.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp does not go out after a few
seconds.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp lights up again. In this case, have SRS checked immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop.
Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiters and airbags During the firs
tstage of a collision, the airbag
control uni tevaluates important physical
data relating to vehicle deceleratio noraccel-
eration, such as:
R duration
R direction
R magnitude
Based on the evaluation of this data, the air-
bag control uni tpre-emptively triggers the
beltt ensioners in the first stage.
i The fron tbelt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the seat belt tongues on the front
seats are correctly engaged in the seat belt
buckles.
If there is an even higher rate of vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration in a longitudinal direc-
tion, the fron tairbags are also deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air-
bags. The airbag control unit evaluates vehi-
cle deceleration or acceleration in the event
of a collision. In the firs tdeployment stage,
the fron tairbag is filled with enough propel-
lant gas to reduce the risk of injuries. The
front airbag is fully deployed if a second
deploymen tthreshold is exceeded within a
few milliseconds.
The belt tensioner and airbag triggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the
rate of deceleration or acceleration of the
vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in nature.
The triggering process must take place in
good time at the start of the collision.
i Airbags are not deployed in all types of
accidents. Also, not all airbags are
deployed together in an accident. The dif-
ferent airbag systems work independently
of each other. Occupant safety
43Safety Z

How the airbag system works is deter-
mined by the severity of the collision detec-
ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
R
head-on collision
R side impact
R overturn
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the directio nofthe force are essen-
tially determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle
R the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of airbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e.g. the bonnet or the wing, without an airbag
being deployed. This is the case if only parts
which are relatively easily deformed are affec-
ted and the rate of deceleration is not high.
Conversely, airbags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor defor-
mation. This is the case if, for example, very
rigid vehicle parts such as longitudinal body
members are hit, and sufficient deceleration
occurs as a result. Airbags
Important safety notes Airbag deployment slows down and restricts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang and a small amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is released generally does not constitute a
health hazard. The
6SRS warning lamp
lights up.
The airbag installation locations are identified
by the AIRBAG symbol. G
WARNING
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the risk
of serious or even fatal injury caused by airbag
deployment:
R all vehicle occupants –inparticular, preg-
nant women – must wear their seat belt
correctly at all times and lean back against
the backrest, which should be positioned
as close to the vertical as possible. The
head restraint must support the back of the
head at about eye level.
R always secure childre nless than
1.50mt all or unde r12years of age in suit-
able child restraint systems.
R all vehicle occupants must select a seat
position that is as far away from the airbag
as possible. The driver's seat position must
allow the vehicle to be driven safely. The
driver's chest should be as far away from
the centre of the driver's airbag cover as
possible.
R move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible. This is especially important if
you have secured a child in a child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R vehicle occupants –inparticular, children
–m ust no tlean their heads into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/window-
bag is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fitted to the front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger airbag has
been disabled. On the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger airbag is disabled
if a child restraint system with a trans-
ponder for automatic child seat recognition
is fitted to the front-passenger seat in a
vehicle equipped with automatic child seat 44
Occupant safetySafety

recognition. The
4PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp must be continuously
lit.
If the front-passenger seat of your vehicle
does not have automatic child seat recog-
nition, or yourr earward-facing child
restraint system does not have automatic
child seat recognition, children must be
secured in a child restraint system on a
suitable seat in the rear. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint system to the
front-passenger seat, you must move the
front-passenger seat as far back as possi-
ble.
R make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in the pockets of clothing.
R do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover of
the driver's/front-passenger front airbag,
particularly when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the airbag to be fully deployed.
You could be injured if the airbag is
deployed and you are holding the inside of
the steering wheel.
R do not lean on the doors from inside the
vehicle.
R make sure that there are no people, ani-
mals or objects between the vehicle occu-
pants and the area where the airbags are
deployed.
R do not place any objects between the seat
backrest and the door.
R do not hang any hard objects, for example,
coat hangers, on the grab handles or coat
hooks.
R do not attach accessories, e.g. cup holders,
to the doors.
It is not possible to rule out a risk of injury
being caused by an airbag, due to the high
speed at which the airbag must be deployed. G
WARNING
Airbag functionality can only be assured if the
following parts are not covered and no badges
or stickers are attached to them:
R padded steering wheel boss
R kneebag cover below the steering column
R front-passenger airbag cover
R outer side of fron tseat bolsters
R side trim next to the rear seat backrest
R roof frame cover between the fron tA-pillar
and the C-pillar in the rear compartment G
WARNING
Whe nana irbag deploys, a small amount of
powder is released .The powder may cause
short-term breathing difficulties to persons
suffering from asthma or other pulmonary
conditions.
In order to prevent potential breathing diffi-
culties, you should leave the vehicle as soon
as it is safe to do so. You can also open the
window to allow fresh air to enter the vehicle
interior. The powder does not constitute a
health hazard and does not indicate that there
is a fire in the vehicle. G
WARNING
The airbag parts are hot after the airbag has
been deployed. Do not touch them as you
could burn yourself.
Have the airbags replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. Otherwise, occupants are
not protected by the airbags in the event of
another accident.
Front airbags The front airbags increase protection for the
driver's and front-passenger's head and
chest. Occupant safety
45Safety Z

Driver's airbag
:deploys in front of the
steering wheel; front-passenge rfront air-
bag ;deploys in front of and above the glove
compartment.
They are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of vehicle acceleration or deceleratio nina
longitudinal direction
R if the system determines that airbag
deploymen tcan offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
R if the seat belt is fastened
R independently of other airbag sinthe vehi-
cle
If the vehicle overturns, the front airbags are
generally not deployed. The front airbags are
deployed if the system detects high vehicle
deceleration in a longitudinal direction.
Front-passenger airbag ;is only activated if
the system determines that the front-
passenger seat is occupied. The 4
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp on
the centre console is not lit (Y page 56).
This means that a child restraint system with-
out automatic child seat recognition has been
fitted to the front-passenger seat, or that a
child restraint system with automatic child
seat recognition has been fitted incorrectly.
! Do not place heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. The system may then
detect that the seat is occupied and if there
is an accident, the restraint systems on the
front-passenger side could be deployed. Have restraint systems that have been trig-
gered replaced.
Driver's kneebag i
The driver's kneebag is only available in
certain countries.
The driver's kneebag increases protection of
the driver against:
R knee injuries
R thigh injuries
R lower leg injuries Driver's kneebag
:is always deployed along
with the driver's airbag and inflates under-
neath the steering column.
Sidebags G
WARNING
If you wish to use seat covers, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that, for safety reasons, you
only use seat covers that have been approved
for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
The seat covers must have a special tear seam
for sidebags/pelvisbags. Otherwise, the side-
bag/pelvisbag cannot deploy correctly and
would fail to provide the intended protection
in the event of an accident. Appropriate seat
covers can be obtained, for example, from a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. 46
Occupant safetySafety

When deployed, the sidebags offer additional
protection for the thorax of the vehicle occu-
pants on the side of the vehicle on which the
impact occurs
.However, they do not protect
the:
R head
R neck
R arms Example: Saloon
Fronts
idebags :and rear sidebags ;
deploy nex tto the outer seat cushions.
The sidebags are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in a side impact
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front airbags
R independently of the belt tensioners
If the vehicle overturns, the sidebags are gen-
erally not deployed. Exception :ifthe system
detects high vehicle deceleration or acceler-
ation in a lateral direction and determines
that deployment can offer additional protec-
tion to that provided by the seat belt.
Pelvis bags i
Pelvisbags are only available in certain
countries. G
WARNING
If you wish to use seat covers, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that, for safety reasons, you only use seat covers that have been approved
for Mercedes-Ben
zvehicles.
The seat covers must have a special tear seam
for sidebags/pelvisbags. Otherwise, the side-
bag/pelvisbag cannot deploy correctly and
would fail to provide the intended protection
in the event of an accident. Appropriate seat
covers can be obtained, for example, from a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Pelvisbag deployment enhances the level of
protection of the vehicle occupants on the
side of the vehicle on which the impact
occurs. Pelvisbags
:deploy nextt o and below the
outer seat cushions. They are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in a side impact
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R independently of the front airbags
R independently of the belt tensioners
If the vehicle overturns, the pelvisbags are
generally not deployed. Exception :ifthe sys-
tem detects high vehicle deceleration or
acceleration in a lateral direction and deter-
mines that deployment can offer additional
protection to that provided by the seat belt.
Windowbags The windowbags enhance the level of protec-
tion for the head, but not chest or arms, of the Occupant safety
47Safety Z

vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs.
The windowbags are integrated into the side
of the roof frame and deploy in the area from
the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
Saloo
n(example)
Windowbags :are deployed:
R on the side on which an impact occurs
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in a side impact
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of seat belt use
R if the vehicle overturns, and the system
determines that it can provide the vehicle
occupants additional protection to that
provided by the seat belt
R independently of the fron tairbags PRE-SAFE
®
(preventative occupant
protection)
PRE-SAFE ®
takes pre-emptive measure sto
protect occupants in certain hazardous sit-
uations. PRE-SAFE
®
intervenes:
R when BAS PLUS intervenes powerfully on
vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS.
R if, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS, the
radar senso rsystem detects an imminent
danger of collision in certain situations.
R in critical driving situations, e.g. when phys-
ical limits are exceeded and the vehicle
understeers or oversteers severely.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detec-
ted:
R the fron tseat belts are pre-tensioned.
R vehicles with the memory function: the
front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is in an
unfavourable position.
R vehicles with a multicontour seat or active
multicontour seat: the air pressure in the
side bolsters of the seat cushion and back-
rest is increased.
R if the vehicle skids, the sliding sunroof/
panorama sliding sunroof and the side win-
dows are closed so that only a small gap
remains.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pretensioning. The air pressure in the
side bolsters on the multicontour seat/active
multicontour seat is reduced again. All set-
tings made by PRE-SAFE ®
can then be
reversed.
If the seat belts are not released:
X Move the backrest or seat back slightly, but
only when the vehicle is stationary.
The belt pretensioning is reduced and the
locking mechanism is released. G
WARNING
When adjusting the seat, make sure that
nobody can become trapped.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when moving
the seat back. There is a risk that the seats
and/or the objects could be damaged. 48
Occupant safetySafety

More information about seat-belt adjust-
ment,ac onvenience function integrated into
PRE-SAFE ®
, can be found in the "Seat-belt
adjustment" section (Y page 51).NECK-PRO head restraints
The NECK-PRO head restraints increase pro-
tection to the driver's and front passenger's
head and neck.T o this end, the NECK-PRO
head restraints on the driver's and front-
passenger seats are moved forwards and
upwards in the event of a rear-end collision of
a certain severity. This provides better head
support. G
WARNING
Only use head restraint covers which have
been tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz
for your vehicle model.
The use of non-approved head restraint cov-
ers may prevent NECK-PRO head restraints
from triggering properly. Consequently, the
NECK-PRO head restraints cannot provide the
intended level of protection.
Consult a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre
regarding availability.
If the NECK-PRO head restraints have been
triggered in an accident, reset the NECK-PRO
head restraints on the driver’s and front-
passenger seat (Y page 49). Otherwise, the
additional protection will not be available in
the event of another rear-end collision. You
can recognise when NECK-PRO head
restraints have been triggered by the fact that
they have moved forwards and can no longer
be adjusted. Resetting triggered NECK-PRO head
restraints
Following a rear-end collision, Mercedes-
Benz recommends that you have NECK-PRO
head restraints checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre. i
Resetting the NECK-PRO head restraints
requires a lot of strength. If you have diffi-
culty resetting the NECK-PRO head
restraints, have this work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop, e.g. a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Example: Saloon
X
Tilt the top of the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion forwards in the direction of
arrow :.
X Push the NECK-PRO head restraint cushion
down in the direction of arrow ;as far as
it will go.
X Firmly push the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion back in the direction of arrow =
until the cushion engages.
X Repeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO head restraint. Seat belts
Important safety notes Seat belts are the most effective means of
restraining the movement of vehicle occu-
pants in the event of an accident. This
reduces the risk of vehicle occupants coming
into contact with parts of the vehicle interior.
G
WARNING
A seat belt which is not worn correctly, or
which has not been engaged in the seat belt
buckle correctly, cannot provide the intended
level of protection. Under certain circumstan- Occupant safety
49Safety
Z