tow MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 2019 User Guide

Potential protection from each airbag:
AirbagPotential protectionfor…
Knee airbag Thigh, knee and lower leg
Driver's airbag,front passengerfront airbag
Head andribcage
Window curtainairbagHead
Side impact air‐bagRibcage, also pelvisforfront seat occupants
The front passenger front airbag can only bedeployed in an accident ifthePASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is off. Ifthe frontpassenger seat is occupied, make sure, bothbefore and duringthe journey,thatthestatus ofthe front passenger front airbag is correct(→page43).
*NOTEImportant pointstoremember ifthe front passenger seat is unoccupied
In an accident,the components oftherestraint system may deploy unnecessarilyonthe front passenger side if:
RThere are heavy objects onthe frontpassenger seat.
RThe seat belttongue is engaged intheseat belt buckle ofthe front passengerseat andthe front passenger seat isunoccupied.
#Stowobjects in a suitable place.
#Only one person should use each seatbelt at any one time.
Cushionbag intherecliningrear seatIfthe seat backrest inclination is significant,thecushionbag provides additional occupant protec‐tion intheevent of a frontal impact. When acti‐vated,the cushionbag deploysunderthe seatcushion. This helps preventthevehicle occupantfrom slipping offthe seat cushion.
Ifyou install achildrestraint system ontherecliningrear seat, always observethe additionalnotes (→page 48).
Protectionbythe airbags
Depending onthe accident situation, an airbagmay supplementthe protection offeredbya cor‐rectlyfastened seat belt.
&WARNINGRisk of injuryor death duetoincorrect seat position
Ifyou deviate fromthe correct seat position,the air bag cannotperformits intended pro‐tective function and deployment mayevencause further injuries.
Toavoid hazardous situations, always makesurethat allvehicle occupants:
RHavetheir seat beltfastened correctly,including pregnantwomen.
RAre seated properlyandthat distancetothe air bags is as largeas possible.
RObservethefollowing information.
Occupant safety39

#Always make surethatthere are noobjects betweenthe air bag andthevehicle occupant.
Toavoidtherisksresulting fromthe deploymentof an airbag, eachvehicle occupant mustobservethefollowing information:
RBeforestartingyour journey,adjustyour seatcorrectly;the driver's seat and front-passenger seat should be moved asfar backas possible.
When doing so, always observethe informa‐tion onthe correct driver's seat position(→page92).
ROnly holdthesteering wheelbythesteeringwheelrim. This allowsthe airbagtobe fullydeployed.
RAlways lean againstthe seat backrest whenthevehicle is in motion. Do not leanforwardsor againstthe door or side window.You mayotherwise be inthe deployment area oftheairbags.
RAlwayskeepyourfeetonthefloor. Do notputyourfeetonthe cockpit,forexample.
Yourfeetmayotherwise be inthe deploy‐ment area ofthe airbag.
RIfchildren are traveling inthevehicle,observethe additional notes (→page 48).
RAlwaysstowand secure objects correctly.
Objects inthevehicle interior may prevent anairbag from functioning correctly. Eachvehicleoccupant must always make sure ofthefollow‐ing:
RThere are no people, animals or objectsbetweenthevehicle occupants and an air‐bag.
RThere are no objects betweenthe seat, doorand door pillar (B-pillar).
RThere are no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers,hanging onthe grab handles or coat hooks.
RThere are no accessory parts, such as PNDs(PersonalNavigation Devices), mobilephones or cup holders attachedtothevehi‐cle withinthe deployment area of an airbag,e.g. onthe cockpit, on doors, side windowsor side paneling.
In addition, no connecting cable,tensioningstrap orretainingstrap may beroutedthrough or attached inthe deployment areaof an airbag. Always observethe accessorymanufacturer's installation instructions, inparticularthe information on suitable placesfor installation.
RThere are no heavy, sharp-edged or fragileobjects inthe pockets ofyour clothing.Storesuch objects in a suitable place.
Limited protection from airbags
&WARNINGRisk of injuryduetomodifi‐cationstothe airbag cover
Ifyou modifythe cover of an airbag or affixobjects such asstickerstoit,the airbag mayno longer function correctly.
#Never modifythe cover of an airbag anddo not affix objectstoit.
The installation location of an airbag is identifiedbythe AIRBAGsymbol (→page 38).
40Occupant safety

&WARNINGRisk of injuryor death duetothe use of unsuitable seat covers
Unsuitable seat coverscan obstruct or pre‐ventthe deployment of air bags integratedintothe seats.
Consequently,the air bags cannotprotectvehicle occupants astheyare designedtodo. In addition, operation ofthe automaticfront passenger air bag shutoff may berestricted.
#You should onlyuse seat coversthathavebeen approvedforthe correspond‐ing seatsbyMercedes-Benz.
&WARNINGRisk of injuryduetomalfunc‐tions ofthe sensors inthe door paneling
Sensorstocontrolthe airbags are located inthe doors. Modifications orworknot per‐formed correctlytothe doors or door panel‐ing, aswell as damaged doors, can leadtothe function ofthe sensors being impaired.The airbags mighttherefore not functionproperlyany more.
Consequently,the airbags cannotprotectvehicle occupants astheyare designedtodo.
#Never modifythe doors or parts ofthedoors.
#Always haveworkonthe doors or doorpaneling carried out at aqualified spe‐cialistworkshop.
&WARNINGRisk of injuryduetodeployedairbag
A deployed airbag no longer has a protectivefunction and cannotprotect as intended intheevent of an accident.
#Havethevehicletowedtoaqualifiedspecialistworkshop in ordertohavethedeployed airbagreplaced.
Havedeployed airbagsreplaced immediately.
Status ofthe front passenger front airbag
Function ofthe automatic front passengerfront airbag shutoffThe automatic front passenger front airbag shut‐off is abletodetect whetherthe front passengerseat is occupiedbya person or achildrestraintsystem. The front passenger front airbag is ena‐bled or disabled accordingly.
When installing achildrestraint system onthefront passenger seat, always make sure ofthefollowing:
REnsurethatthechildrestraint system is posi‐tioned correctly (→page47).
RAlways observethechildrestraint systemmanufacturer's installation instructions.
RNever place objects, e.g. cushions, under orbehindthechildrestraint system.
RFullyretractthe seat cushion length adjust‐ment.
RThe entire base ofthechildrestraint systemmust alwaysrestonthe seat cushion ofthefront passenger seat.
Occupant safety41

PRE-SAFE®system
PRE-SAFE®(anticipatoryoccupant protec‐tion)
PRE-SAFE®is abletodetect certain critical driv‐ing situations and implement pre-emptive meas‐urestoprotectthevehicle occupants.
PRE-SAFE®can implementthefollowing meas‐ures independently of eachother:
RTighteningthe seat belts onthe driver's seatand front passenger seat.
RClosingthe side windows.
RVehicles with sliding sunroof:Closingthesliding sunroof.
RVehicles with memory function:Movingthe front passenger seattoa morefavorableseat position.
RVehicles with memory function intherear passenger compartment:Movingtheouterrear seatstoa morefavorable seatposition.
RVehicles with multicontour seat:Increas‐ingthe air pressure inthe seat side bolstersofthe seat backrest.
RVehicles withrear seat belt buckleextenders:Tightening seat belts ontheouterrear seats.
RPRE-SAFE®Sound: providedthatthe multi‐media system is switched on,generates abrief noise signaltostimulatethe innate pro‐tective mechanism of a person's hearing.
*NOTEDamagecausedbyobjects inthefootwell or behindthe seat
The automatic adjustment ofthe seat posi‐tion mayresult in damagetothe seat and/orthe object.
#Stowobjects in a suitable place.
Reversingthe PRE-SAFE®system measures
If an accident did not occur,the pre-emptivemeasuresthatweretaken arereversed.
You will needtoperformcertain settingsyour‐self.
#Ifthe seat belt pre-tensioning is notreduced,movethe seat backrest back slightly.The locking mechanismreleases.
Function of PRE-SAFE®PLUS (anticipatoryoccupant protection plus)
PRE-SAFE®PLUS can detect certain impacts,particularlyan imminentrear impact, andtakepre-emptive measurestoprotectthevehicleoccupants. These measures cannot necessarilyprevent an imminent impact.
PRE-SAFE®PLUS can implementthefollowingmeasures independently of eachother:
RTighteningthe seat belts onthe driver's seatand front passenger seat.
RVehicles with electricrear seats:tighten‐ing seat belts onthe outerrear seats.
RIncreasing brake pressure whenthevehicleisstationary.This brake application is can‐celed automatically whenthevehicle pullsaway.
46Occupant safety

Key .Todo so, deactivatethe SmartKeyfunc‐tions.
#Todeactivate:pressthe7button ontheSmartKeytwice inquick succession.The batterycheck lamp ofthe SmartKeyflashes twice brieflyand lights up once.
#Toactivate:press any button onthe Smart‐Key.
%Whenthevehicle isstarted withthe Smart‐Key inthestowage compartment ofthe cen‐ter console,the SmartKeyfunctions areautomaticallyactivated (→page169).
Removing/inserting the emergencykey
#Toremove:pressrelease button1.Emergencykey2is pushed out slightly.
#Pull out emergencykey2until it engages inthe intermediate position.
%You can usethe intermediate position ofemergencykey2toattachthe SmartKeytoakeyring.
#Pressrelease button1again and fullyremoveemergencykey2.
#Toinsert:pressrelease button1.
#Insert emergencykey2tothe intermediateposition or fully until it engages.
Replacing the SmartKeybattery
&DANGERSerious damagetohealthcausedbyswallowing batteries
Batteries containtoxic and corrosive sub‐stances. Swallowing batteries may causeserious damagetohealth.
There is arisk offatal injury.
#Keep batteries out ofthereach ofchil‐dren.
#If batteries are swallowed, seek medicalattention immediately.
+ENVIRONMENTALNOTEEnvironmentaldamagecausedbyimproper disposal ofbatteries
Batteries contain pollutants. It isillegaltodispose ofthem withthe householdrubbish.
#
Dispose of batteries in anenvironmentallyresponsible manner.Takedischarged batteriestoaqualifiedspecialistworkshop ortoa collectionpointfor used batteries.
64Opening and closing

#Todeactivate:press and hold button1forapproximatelyfiveseconds until an acousticsignal sounds.
#Toactivate:press and hold button2forapproximatelyfiveseconds until an acousticsignal sounds.
Inthefollowing situations,there is a danger ofbeing locked out whenthe function is activated:
RThevehicle is beingtowed/pushed.
RThevehicle is beingtested on a dynamome‐ter.
Information onthe power closing functionfor the doors
Ifyou pushthe door intothe locktothefirstdetent position,the power closing function willautomatically pullthe door intothe lock.
Locking/unlockingthe driver's door withtheemergencykey
%Ifyou wishtolockthevehicle entirely usingthe emergencykey,first pressthe buttonforlocking fromthe inside whilethe driver'sdoor is open. Then proceedtolockthe driv‐er's door usingthe emergencykey.#Insertthe emergencykey asfar as it will gointo opening1inthe cover.
#Pull and holdthe door handle.
#Pullthe cover onthe emergencykey asstraight as possibleawayfromthevehicleuntil itreleases.
#Releasethe door handle.
Opening and closing69

#Vehicles with HANDS-FREEACCESS:Makea kicking movement withyourfootbelowthebumper (→page73).
Vehicles with trunk lid convenience closing:If an item obstructsthe trunk lid duringthe auto‐matic opening process,the obstacle detectionsystem willstopthe trunk lid. The obstacledetection function is only an aid and is not asubstituteforyour attentiveness.
Plug-inhybrid:observethe notes inthe Supple‐ment. Otherwise,you mayfailtorecognize dan‐gers.
Closingthe trunk lid
&WARNINGRisk of injuryfrom unsecureditems inthevehicle
If objects, luggage or loads are not securedor not secured sufficiently,theycould slip,tipover or bethrown around andthereby hitvehicle occupants.
There is arisk of injury,particularly intheevent of sudden braking or a suddenchangein direction.
#Alwaysstowobjects in such awaythattheycannot bethrown around.
#Beforethe journey,secure objects, lug‐gageor loads against slipping or tippingover.
Observethe notes on loadingthevehicle.
&WARNINGRisk of becoming trappedduring automatic closing ofthe trunk lid
Parts ofthe body could become trapped dur‐ing automatic closing ofthe trunk lid. More‐over,people, e.g.children, may bestandinginthe closing area or may enterthe closingarea duringthe closing process.
#Make surethat nobody is inthe vicinityofthe closing area duringthe closingprocess.
#Use one ofthefollowing optionstostopthe closing process:
RPressthe

When makingthe kicking movement, make surethatyourfeetarefirmly onthe ground,other‐wiseyou could loseyour balance, e.g. on ice.
Requirements:
RThe SmartKeyis behindthevehicle.
RStand at least12in (30 cm)awayfromthevehicle while performingthe kicking move‐ment.
RDo not come into contact withthe bumperwhile makingthe kicking movement.
RDo not carryoutthe kicking movementtooslowly.
RThe kicking movement must betowardsthevehicle and back again.
1Sensor detectionrange
If several consecutive kicking movements arenot successful,waitten seconds.
System limitations
The system may be impaired or may not functionif:
RSnow or dirt, e.g. fromroad salt, coversthesensor area.
RThe kicking movement is made using a pros‐thetic leg.
The trunk lid could be opened or closed uninten‐tionally, inthefollowing situations:
RIf a person's arms or legs are moving inthesensor detectionrange, e.g. when polishingthevehicle, sitting onthe edge ofthe trunk,or picking up objects.
RIf objects are moved or placed behindthevehicle, e.g.charging cables,tensioningstraps or luggage.
RWhenworking onthe trailer coupling, trailersorrear bicycleracks.
Deactivate KEYLESS-GO (→page 63) or do notcarrythe SmartKeyaboutyour person intheseand similar situations.
Switching separate trunk locking on/off
Ifyou centrally unlockthevehicle while separatelocking is activated,the trunk willremain locked.
74Opening and closing

Notes onthe correct driver's seat position
&WARNINGRisk of injuryfrom adjustingthevehicle settings whilethevehicle is inmotion
You could lose control ofthevehicle inthefollowing situations:
Rifyou adjustthe driver's seat,the headrestraint,thesteering wheel orthe mirrorwhilethevehicle is in motion
Rifyoufastenyour seat belt whilethevehi‐cle is in motion
#Beforestartingthe engine: adjustthedriver's seat,the headrestraint,thesteering wheel orthe mirror andfastenyour seat belt.Ensurethefollowing when adjustingthesteeringwheel1, seat belt2and driver's seat3:
Ryou are asfarawayfromthe driver's airbagas possible
Ryou are sitting in an upright position
Ryourthighs are slightlysupportedbythe seatcushion
Ryour legs are not fullyextended andyou candepressthe pedals properly
Rthe back ofyour head is supported ateyelevelbythe center ofthe headrestraint
Ryou can holdthesteering wheel withyourarms slightly bent
Ryou can moveyour legs freely
Ryou can see allthe displaysonthe instru‐ment cluster clearly
Ryou havea goodoverview ofthe traffic con‐ditions
Ryour seat belt is pulled snuglyagainstyourbody and isrouted acrossthe center ofyourshoulder and acrossyour hips inthe pelvicarea
92Seats andstowing

Seats
Adjusting the front seat electrically
&WARNINGRisk of becoming trapped ifthe seats are adjustedbychildren
Children could become trapped iftheyadjustthe seats, particularly when unattended.
#When leavingthevehicle, alwaystakethe SmartKeywithyou and lockthevehicle.
#Never leavechildren unattended inthevehicle.
The seats can be adjusted whenthe ignition isswitched off.
&WARNINGRisk of becoming trappedwhen adjustingthe seats
Whenyou adjust a seat,you orothervehicleoccupants could become trapped, e.g. ontheseat guiderail.
#When adjusting a seat, make surethatno one has any body parts inthe sweepofthe seat.
Observethe safety notes on "Airbags" and "Chil‐dren inthevehicle".
&WARNINGRisk of injuryfrom adjustingthevehicle settings whilethevehicle is inmotion
You could lose control ofthevehicle inthefollowing situations:
Rifyou adjustthe driver's seat,the headrestraint,thesteering wheel orthe mirrorwhilethevehicle is in motion
Rifyoufastenyour seat belt whilethevehi‐cle is in motion
#Beforestartingthe engine: adjustthedriver's seat,the headrestraint,thesteering wheel orthe mirror andfastenyour seat belt.
&WARNINGRisk of becoming trapped ifthe seat height is adjusted carelessly
Ifyou adjustthe seat height carelessly,youorothervehicle occupants could be trappedandthereby injured.
Children in particular could accidentallypressthe electrical seat adjustment buttonsand become trapped.
#While movingthe seats, make surethathands orother body parts do notgetunderthe lever assembly ofthe seatadjustment system.
&WARNINGRisk of injuryduetoheadrestraints which are not installed or areadjusted incorrectly
If headrestraints are not installed or areadjusted incorrectly,the headrestraints can‐not provide protection as intended.
There is an increasedrisk of injury inthehead and neck area, e.g. intheevent of anaccident or when braking.
Seats andstowing93