belt MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class 2016 R231 User Guide

Make sure that all vehicle occupants are
seated properly with a correctly fastened seatbelt.
GWARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident, you could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder.
GWARNING
Persons under 5 ft (1.50 m) in height cannot
fasten the seat belt correctly without an addi- tional suitable restraint system. If the seat
belt is incorrectly fastened, it cannot protect
as intended. Furthermore, an incorrectly fas-
tened seat belt can cause additional injury, for
example, in an accident, during braking or an
abrupt change of direction. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
For this reason, always secure persons under
5 ft (1.50 m) in height in suitable restraint
systems.
If a child younger than twelve years old and
under 5 ft (1.50 m) in height is traveling in thevehicle:
Ralways secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for this Mercedes-Benz
vehicle. The child restraint system must be
appropriate to the age, weight and size of
the child
Ralways observe the instructions and safety
notes in the "Children in the vehicle" sec-
tion of this Operator's Manual
(
Ypage 68) in addition to the child restraint system manufacturer's installa-
tion instructions
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes on the "Occupant classifica-
tion system (OCS)" (
Ypage 59)
GWARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended protective function if:
Rthey are damaged, modified, extremely
dirty, bleach or dyed
Rthe seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
anchorages or inertia reels have been modi-
fied
Seat belts may sustain non-visible damage in an accident, e.g. due to glass splinters. Modi-
fied or damaged seat belts may tear or fail,
e.g. in an accident. Modified Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices could accidentally trigger or
fail to deploy when necessary. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify the seat belts, Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices, belt anchorages or inertia
reels. Make sure that the seat belts are
undamaged, not worn out and clean. Follow-
ing an accident, have the seat belts checked
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.
Proper use of the seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(
Ypage 52).
All vehicle occupants must be wearing the
seat belt correctly before beginning the jour-
ney. Also make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants are always wearing the seat belt cor-
rectly while the vehicle is in motion.
Occupant safety53
Safety
Z

When fastening the seat belt, always make
sure that:
Rthe seat belt tongue is only inserted to thebelt buckle belonging to that seat.
Rthe seat belt is tight across your body.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter
coat.
Rthe seat belt is not twisted.
Only then can the forces which occur be
distributed over the area of the belt.
Rthe shoulder section of the belt is always
routed across the center of your shoulder.
The shoulder section of the belt must not
come into contact with your neck or be
routed under your arm.
Rthe lap belt passes tightly and as low down
as possible across your lap.
The lap belt must always be routed across
your hip joints and not across your abdo-
men. This applies particularly to pregnant
women. If necessary, push the lap belt
down to your hip joint and pull it tight using
the shoulder section of the belt.
Rthe seat belt is not routed across sharp,
pointed or fragile objects.
If you have such items located on or in your
clothing, e.g. pens, keys or eyeglasses,
store these in a suitable place.
Ronly one person is using a seat belt at a
time.
Infants and children must never travel sit-
ting on the lap of a vehicle occupant. In the
event of an accident, they could be crushed
between the vehicle occupant and seat
belt.
Robjects are never secured with a seat belt ifthe seat belt is also being used by one of the
vehicle's occupants.
Also ensure that there are never objects
between a person and the seat, e.g. cush-
ions.
Seat belts are only intended to secure and
restrain vehicle occupants. Always observe
the notes in the "Stowage options/compart- ments" section for securing objects, luggage
or loads (
Ypage 514).
Fastening seat belts
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(
Ypage 52) and the notes on correct use of
seat belts (
Ypage 53).
Basic illustration
XAdjust the seat (Ypage 108).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
vertical position.
XPull the seat belt smoothly out of seat belt
guide =and engage belt tongue ;into
belt buckle :.
The seat belt on the driver’s seat and the
front-passenger seat may be tightened
automatically, see "Belt adjustment"
(
Ypage 55).
XIf necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
In order to attach the child restraint system
securely in the vehicle, the seat belt on the
front-passenger seat is equipped with a spe-
cial seat belt retractor. Further information on
the "Special seat belt retractor"
(
Ypage 69).
54Occupant safety
Safety

Releasing seat belts
!Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt. Dam-
aged seat belts can no longer fulfill their
protective function and must be replaced.
Visit a qualified specialist workshop.
Basic illustration
XPress release button :, hold belt
tongue ;firmly and guide back towards
belt guide =.
Seat belt adjustment
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE®convenience function. This
function adjusts the driver's and front-
passenger seat belt to the upper body of the
occupants.
The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
Rthe belt tongue is engaged in the buckle
and
Rthe ignition is switched on
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a certain
retraction force if any slack is detected
between the vehicle occupant and the seat
belt. Do not hold on to the seat belt tightly
while it is adjusting. You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on
and off in the on-board computer
(
Ypage 235).
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
The
7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder that all vehicle
occupants must wear their seat belts. It may
light up continuously or flash. In addition,
there may be a warning tone.
Regardless of whether the driver's seat belt
has already been fastened, the 7seat belt
warning lamp lights up for six seconds each
time the engine is started. If, after
six seconds, the driver or front-passenger
seat belt has not been fastened and the doors
are closed, the 7seat belt warning lamp
lights up. As soon as the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are fastened or a front
door is opened again, the 7seat belt
warning lamp goes out.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened after
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. This warning tone stops after
six seconds or when the driver's seat belt is
fastened.
If the vehicle's speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h) once and the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are not fastened, a
warning tone sounds. A warning tone also
sounds with increasing intensity for
60 seconds or until the driver or front
passenger have fastened their seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their
seat belts during the journey, the seat belt
warning is activated again.
iFor more information on the 7seat
belt warning lamp, see "
Warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrument cluster, seat belts" (
Ypage 271).
Occupant safety55
Safety
Z

Air bags
Introd uction
The installation poin tof an air bag can be rec -
ognized by th eAI R BA Gsymbol.
An air bag complements th ecorrectl yfas -
tene dseat belt .It is no substitut efor th eseat
belt .The air bag provide sadditional protec-
tion in applicable acciden tsituations.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident.
The differen tair bag systems function inde-
pendentl yfrom on eanother (
Ypage 64) .
However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injurie sand fatalities.
It is also no tpossible to rule out aris kof injury
caused by an air bag due to th ehigh spee dat
whic hth eair bag mus tbe deployed.
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If you do no tsit in th ecorrec tseat position ,
th eair bag canno tprotect as intended and
could eve ncaus eadditional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased ris kof
injury or eve nfatal injury.
To avoi dhazardous situations, always mak e
sur ethat all of th evehicle's occupants:
Rhav efastene dtheir seat belt scorrectly,
includin gpregnant women
Rare sitting correctl yand maintai nth egreat-
est possibl edistanc eto th eair bags
Rfollow th efollowin ginstruction s
Always mak esur ethat there are no objects
between th eair bag and th evehicle's occu-
pants .
RAdjus tth eseat sproperly before beginning
your journey. Always mak esur ethat th e
seat is in an almost upright position .The
center of th ehead restrain tmus tsupport
th ehead at about eye level.
RMov eth edriver' sand front-passenger
seat sas far bac kas possible .The driver' s
seat position mus tallow th evehicl eto be
driven safely.
ROnly hold th esteering whee lon th eout -
side .This allows th eair bag to be fully
deployed.
RAlways lean again stthebackrest while driv -
ing .Do no tlean forwards or lean against
th edoor or side window. You may other -
wise be in th edeploymen tarea of th eair
bags .
RAlways keep your fee tin th efootwell in
fron tof th eseat .Do no tput your fee ton th e
dashboard, for example. Your fee tmay oth-
erwi sebe in th edeploymen tarea of th eair
bag.
RFo rthis reason ,always secure person sless
than 5ft (1.5 0m) tall in suitable restraint
systems. Up to this height, the seat belt
cannot be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
RAlways secure children under twelve years
of age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m)tall in
suitable child restraint systems.
ROnly secure a child in a rearward-facing
child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat when the front-passenger
front air bag is deactivated. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is permanently lit, the front-passenger front
air bag is deactivated (
Ypage 51).
RAlways observe the instructions and safetynotes on the "Occupant Classification Sys-
tem (OCS)" (
Ypage 59) and on "Children
in the vehicle" (
Ypage 68) in addition to
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may pre-
vent an air bag from functioning correctly.
Before starting yo ur jo
urney and to avoid risks
resulting from the speed of the air bag as it
deploys, make sure that:
Rthere are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an air
bag.
Rthere are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar.
56Occupant safety
Safety

Side impact air bags
GWARNING
Unsuitable seat covers could restrict or even
prevent the deployment of the air bags inte-
grated into the seats. Consequently, the air
bags cannot protect vehicle occupants as
they are designed to do. In addition, the func- tion of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) could be restricted. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.
Side impact air bags :deploy next to the
outer bolster of the seat backrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers
additional thorax protection. However, it does
not protect the:
Rhead
Rneck
Rarms
In the event of a side impact, the side impact
air bag is deployed on the side on which the
impact occurs.
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys under the following
conditions:
Rthe OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
Rthe belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle, the side impact air bag on the front- passenger side deploys if an appropriate acci-
dent situation occurs. In this case, deploy-
ment is independent of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not.
Head bags
Head bags :deploy in the area of the side
windows at the front.
When deployed, the headbag enhances the
level of protection for the head. However, it
does not protect the:
Rchest
Rarms
In the event of a side impact, the headbag is
deployed on the side on which the impact
occurs.
If the system determines that they can offer
additional protection to that provided by the
seat belt, a headbag may be deployed in other
accident situations (
Ypage 64).
The headbag on the front-passenger side
does not deploy under the following condi-
tions:
ROCS has detected that the front-passenger
seat is unoccupied.
Rthe front-passenger seat belt is not fas-
tened.
If the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle, the headbag on the front-passenger
side deploys if an appropriate accident situa-
tion occurs. In this case, deployment is inde-
pendent of whether the front-passenger seat
is occupied or not.
58Occupant safety
Safety

Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
Introduction
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
categorizes the person in the front-passenger
seat. Depending on that result, the front-
passenger front air bag and front-passenger
knee bag are either enabled or deactivated.
The system does not deactivate:
Rthe side impact air bag
Rthe front-passenger head bag
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices
Prerequisites
To be classified correctly, the front passenger
must sit:
Rwith the seat belt fastened correctly
Rin an almost upright position with their
back against the seat backrest
Rwith their feet resting on the floor, if possi-
ble
If the front passenger does not observe these
conditions, OCS may produce a false classi-
fication, e.g. because the front passenger:
Rtransfers their weight by supporting them-
selves on a vehicle armrest
Rsits in such a way that their weight is raised from the seat cushion
If you install a child restraint system on the
front-passenger seat, be sure to observe the
correct positioning of the child restraint sys-
tem. Never place objects under or behind the
child restraint system, e.g. cushions. Fully
retract the seat cushion length. The entire
base of the child restraint system must
always rest on the seat cushion of the front-
passenger seat. The backrest of the forward- facing child restraint system must lie as flat as
possible against the backrest of the front-
passenger seat.
The child restraint system must not touch the roof or be subjected to a load by the head
restraint. Adjust the angle of the seat back- rest and the head restraint position accord-
ingly.
Only then can OCS be guaranteed to function
correctly. Always observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
Occupant Classification System opera-
tion (OCS)
:PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
;PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
The indicator lamps inform you whether the
front-passenger front air bag is deactivated or
enabled.
XPress the Start/Stop button once or twice,
or turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in
the ignition lock.
The system carries out self-diagnostics.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamps
must light up simultaneously for approx-
imately six seconds.
The indicator lamps display the status of the
front-passenger front air bag.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG ON lights up: the
front-passenger front air bag is enabled. If,
in the event of an accident, all deployment
criteria are met, the front-passenger front
air bag is deployed.
RPASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lights up: the
front-passenger front air bag is deactiva-
ted. It will then not be deployed in the event of an accident.
Occupant safety59
Safety
Z

If the status of the front-passenger front air
bag changes while the vehicle is in motion, an
air bag display message appears in the instru-
ment cluster (
Ypage 251). When the front-
passenger seat is occupied, always pay atten-
tion to the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamps. Be
aware of the status of the front-passenger
front air bag both before and during the jour-
ney.
GWARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front-passenger front air bag is
disabled. It will not be deployed in the event of
an accident and cannot perform its intended
protective function. A person in the front-
passenger seat could then, for example, come
into contact with the vehicle's interior, espe-
cially if the person is sitting too close to the
dashboard. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensure that:
Rthe classification of the person in the front- passenger seat is correct and the front-
passenger front air bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordance with the person in the
front-passenger seat
Rthe front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible.
Rthe person is seated correctly.
Make sure, both before and during the jour-
ney, that the status of the front-passenger
front air bag is correct.
GWARNING
If you secure a child in a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp is lit up, the front-passenger front air bag may deploy in an accident. The child could be
struck by the air bag. This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that the front-passenger front air
bag has been disabled. The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains off and/or the PASSENGER AIR
BAG ON indicator lamp lights up, do not install
a rearward-facing child restraint system on
the front-passenger seat. You can find more
information on OCS under "Problems with the
Occupant Classification System"
(
Ypage 63).
GWARNING
If you secure a child in a forward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and you position the front-passenger seat too close to the dashboard, in the event of an
accident, the child could:
Rcome into contact with the vehicle's inte-
rior if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indi-
cator lamp is lit, for example
Rbe struck by the air bag if the PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON is lit up
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible and fully retract the seat
cushion length. Always make sure that the
shoulder belt strap is correctly routed from
the vehicle belt guide to the shoulder belt
guide on the child restraint system. The shoul-
der belt strap must be routed forwards and
downwards from the belt guide. Always
observe the child restraint system manufac-
turer's installation instructions.
If OCS determines that:
Rthe front-passenger seat is unoccupied, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up after the system self-test and
remains lit. This indicates that the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
Rthe front-passenger seat is occupied by a
child of up to twelve months old, in a stand-
ard child restraint system, the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up after
60Occupant safety
Safety

That person could, for example, come into
contact with the vehicle's interior, especially
if the person is sitting too close to the dash-
board. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensure that:
Rthe classification of the person in the front-passenger seat is correct and the front-
passenger front air bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordance with the person in the
front-passenger seat
Rthe person is seated properly with a cor-
rectly fastened seatbelt
Rthe front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp remains lit when it should not, the front-
passenger seat may not be used. Do not
install a child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat. Have the Occupant Classifi-
cation System (OCS) checked and repaired
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
GWARNING
Objects between the seat surface and the
child restraint system could affect OCS oper- ation. This could result in the front-passenger
air bag not functioning as intended during an
accident. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
Do not place any objects between the seat
surface and the child restraint system. The
entire base of the child restraint system must
always rest on the seat cushion of the front-
passenger seat. The backrest of the forward-
facing child restraint system must, as far as
possible, be resting on the backrest of the
front-passenger seat. Always comply with the
child restraint system manufacturer's instal-
lation instructions.
After the system self-test, the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF or PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp display the status of the front-
passenger front air bag (
Ypage 59).
For more information about the OCS, see
"Problems with the Occupant Classification
System" (
Ypage 63).
62Occupant safety
Safety

Problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
Be sure to observe the notes on "System self-test" (Ypage 61).
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp lights up and
remains lit, even
though the front-
passenger seat is occu-
pied by an adult or a
person of a stature cor-
responding to that of an
adult.The classification of the person on the front-passenger seat is
incorrect.
XMake sure the conditions for a correct classification of the per-
son on the front-passenger seat are met (
Ypage 59).
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, the
front-passenger seat may not be used.
XHave OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp does not light up
and/or does not stay
on.
The front-passenger
seat is:
Runoccupied
Roccupied with the
weight of a child up
to twelve months old
in a child restraint
system
OCS is malfunctioning.
XMake sure there is nothing between the seat cushion and the
child seat.
XMake sure that the entire base of the child restraint system rests on the seat cushion of the front-passenger seat. The backrest of
the forward-facing child restraint system must lie as flat as pos-
sible against the backrest of the front-passenger seat. If nec-
essary, adjust the position of the front-passenger seat.
XMake sure that the seat cushion length is fully retracted.
XWhen installing the child restraint system, make sure that the
seat belt is tight. Do not pull the seat belt tight using the front-
passenger seat adjustment. This could result in the seat belt and
the child restraint system being pulled too tightly.
XCheck for correct installation of the child restraint system.
Make sure that the head restraint does not apply a load to the
child restraint system. If necessary, adjust the head restraint
accordingly.
XMake sure that no objects are applying additional weight onto
the seat.
XIf the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains off and/
or the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp lights up, do notinstall a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat.
XHave OCS checked as soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Occupant safety63
Safety
Z

Roll bar
GDANGER
If the roll bar has developed a malfunction, it
may not function, e.g. in the event of an acci- dent. The roll bars may then not protect the
vehicle occupants as intended. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have roll bars checked immediately at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
GWARNING
If you place objects or clothing on the roll bar
covers, these could impair roll bar extension.
The roll bars may then not protect the vehicle occupants as intended. In addition, objects
could endanger the vehicle occupants when
the roll bar is extending. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Ensure that the movement area of the roll bar
covers is kept clear. Always stow all objects in
the vehicle correctly.
The roll bars are located in the rear area of the
vehicle under the two outer rear compart-
ment trim covers.
They extend if systems detect that the vehicle
is in danger of rollover. The two outer rear
compartment trim covers are opened and the roll bars are extended within fractions of a
second.
Once the roll bars are extended, you can no
longer lower them. An open roof can no lon-
ger be closed. In this case, visit the nearest
qualified specialist workshop.
Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devices and air bags
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
been deployed. There is a risk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deployed air bag replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
GWARNING
A deployed air bag no longer offers any pro-
tection and cannot provide the intended pro-
tection in an accident. There is an increased
risk of injury.
Have the vehicle towed to a qualified special-
ist workshop in order to have a deployed air
bag replaced.
For your own safety and that of your front
passenger, it is important that you have
deployed air bags replaced and faulty air bags
repaired. This will help to make sure the air
bags continue to perform their protective
function for the vehicle occupants in the
event of a crash.
GWARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed are no longer opera-
tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Therefore, have pyrotechnic Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices which have been triggered
immediately replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE®to
trigger the tightening of the seat belt in haz-
ardous situations. This procedure is reversi-
ble.
If Emergency Tensioning Devices are trig-
gered or air bags are deployed, you will hear a
bang, and a small amount of powder may also
64Occupant safety
Safety