Modifications to or work performed incorrectly on restraint systems (seat belts, anchorages, belt tensioners, belt force limiters or airbags) or their wiring, as well as work on other networked electronic systems, may prevent the restraint systems from working correctly. Airbags and belt tensioners could fail, e.g. in the event of an accident, the deceleration force of which would normally be sufficient to trigger the systems, or could be triggered unintentionally. Never carry out any modifications on the restraint systems. Never tamper with electronic components and their software.

Airbags provide additional protection; they are not, however, a substitute for the seat belts. To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injuries, make sure that all occupants in particular, pregnant women wear their seat belt correctly at all times, have adopted a normal sitting position, and that their seat is positioned as close to the vertical as possible.

A seat belt which is not worn, which is worn incorrectly, or which has not been engaged in the seat belt buckle correctly, cannot perform its intended protective function. Under certain circumstances this could cause severe or even fatal injuries. Make sure that all vehicle occupants in particular, pregnant women wear their seat belt correctly at all times.

You must make sure that the belt:

• is routed as low as possible across your pelvic area, i.e. across your hip joints and not across your abdomen

• fits closely

• is not twisted

• is routed across the middle of your shoulder

• is not routed across your neck or under your arm

• fits closely across your pelvic area, by pulling upwards on the shoulder section of the belt

Do not secure any objects with a seat belt if the seat belt is being used by one of the vehicle's occupants.

Avoid wearing bulky clothing, e.g. a winter coat.

Do not route the belt strap across sharp-edged or fragile objects, especially if these are on or in your clothing, e.g. spectacles, pencils, keys, etc. The seat belt strap could be damaged and you could be injured.

Only one person should use each seat belt at any one time.

On no account should children travel sitting on the lap of another occupant. It would not be possible to restrain the child, and the child or other vehicle occupants could be injured seriously or even fatally in the event of abrupt braking.

Persons under 1.50 m tall or under twelve years of age cannot wear the seat belts properly. They therefore require additional suitable restraint systems on appropriate seats for protection in an accident. Always follow the manufacturer's installation instructions when fitting a child seat.

A seat belt can only afford its intended degree of protection if the backrest is positioned as close to the vertical as possible and the occupant is sitting upright. Avoid seat positions that do not allow the seat belt to be routed correctly. You will find further information under "Seat" in the index. Position the backrest as close to the vertical as possible. Do not drive with the backrest reclined too far back. Otherwise, you could be seriously or even fatally injured in the event of an accident or sudden braking.

The seat belt cannot function correctly if the belt or buckle is dirty or damaged. Keep the belt and buckle clean, otherwise the belt tongue cannot engage correctly.

Regularly check the seat belts to make sure that they:

• are not damaged

• are not routed over sharp edges

• are not trapped

Otherwise the belt could tear in the event of an accident. You or others could be seriously or even fatally injured.

Have seat belts which have been damaged or subjected to heavy loads in an accident replaced and have their anchorages checked.

Mercedes-Benz recommends that, for safety reasons, you only use seat belts which have been specially approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz.

A malfunction has occurred if the warning lamp:

• does not light up when you switch on the ignition

• does not go out after the engine has been running for a few seconds

• lights up again

Individual systems could be triggered inadvertently or could fail in the event of an accident with a high rate of vehicle deceleration. If any of the above occurs, have the SRS checked and repaired immediately at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.

The belt tensioners in the rear only function if the buckles can be pulled downwards unobstructed. The buckles must remain unobstructed at all times, therefore:

• do not grasp the buckles

• do not place any objects under the buckles

The belt tensioner will otherwise not be able to function correctly or might not function at all, and will not afford you any additional protection.

Have belt tensioners which have been triggered replaced at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.

Comply with safety regulations when disposing of belt tensioners. Any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre can provide details of these regulations.

To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injuries in the event of an accident or similar situation with a high rate of deceleration, e.g. injuries caused by an airbag inflating within milliseconds or sudden braking, please observe the following points:

• All vehicle occupants must select a seat position that allows the seat belt to be worn correctly and 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 must maintain a distance from the pedals that allows him/her to depress these fully. The driver's chest should be as far away as possible from the cover of the driver's front airbag. The driver's arms must be slightly bent when holding the steering wheel.

• Vehicle occupants should always wear their seat belt correctly and position their backrest as close to the vertical as possible. The head restraint must support the back of the seat occupant's head at about eye level.

• Move the front-passenger seat as far back as possible, especially if a child is secured in a restraint system on this seat.

• Rearward-facing child restraint systems must not be fitted to the front-passenger seat unless the front-passenger front airbag has been deactivated. In Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the front-passenger front airbag is deactivated if a child restraint system with automatic child seat recognition is fitted to the front-passenger seat of a vehicle with automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat* and the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp remains lit continuously.

  If either the rearward-facing child restraint system or your vehicle does not have automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat*, 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 possible.

• Do not lean forwards, e.g. over the padded boss of the steering wheel, particularly when the vehicle is in motion.

• Do not put your feet on the dashboard.

• Only hold the steering wheel by the rim. This allows the airbag to inflate fully. You could be injured if the airbag is deployed and you are holding the inside of the steering wheel.

• Do not lean on the doors/rear side walls from the inside.

• Make sure that there are no people, animals or objects between the vehicle occupants and the area of deployment of the airbag.

• Do not place any objects between the seat backrest and the door.

• Do not hang any hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, on the grab handles or coat hooks.

It is not possible to rule out the risk of injuries caused by an airbag due to the high speed at which the airbag is required to deploy.

The airbag function is only guaranteed if you:

• do not cover or affix any badges or stickers to the padded boss of the steering wheel, the front-passenger airbag cover, the door trim (Coupé) or the front outer side cushions (Cabriolet) and the rear side walls

• do not modify the restraint system components, including the wiring

After an airbag has been deployed:

• airbag parts are hot. Do not touch them, or you could be burned

• it must be replaced at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop

A small amount of powder is released when an airbag deploys. This powder does not constitute a health hazard, nor does it indicate a fire in the vehicle. The powdery dust may cause short term breathing difficulties to persons suffering from asthma or pulmonary problems. In order to prevent possible breathing difficulties you should leave the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so, or open a window to get fresh air.

To reduce the risk of injury when a sidebag is deployed, you should make sure that:

• there are no other persons, animals or objects between the vehicle occupants and the deployment range of the sidebags

• no accessories, e.g. drinks can holders, are attached to the doors

• only light clothing is hung on the coat hooks in the vehicle

• there are no heavy or sharp objects in the pockets of items of clothing

Observe the following points to reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injuries if the sidebag is deployed:

• Vehicle occupants in particular, children must not lean their head on the area of the window in which a sidebag is deployed.

• Vehicle occupants must always wear their seat belt correctly and position their backrest as close to the vertical as possible.

• Always secure children less than 1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age in suitable child restraint systems.

In order for the windowbag to provide its intended level of protection, make sure that there are no objects between the vehicle occupants and the area of deployment of the windowbags.

Observe the following notes to reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injury if the windowbag is deployed:

• Vehicle occupants in particular, children must not lean their head on the area of the window in which the windowbag is deployed

• Vehicle occupants must always have their seat belts fastened correctly

• Always secure children less than 1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age in suitable child restraint systems.

For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use seat covers that have been tested for use in Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which are fitted with a special tear seam for head/thorax airbags. Otherwise, a head/thorax airbag might not be able to deploy correctly and fail to provide the intended protection in the event of an accident. You can obtain these covers from a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre, for example.

To reduce the risk of injury when a head/thorax airbag is deployed, you should make sure that:

• there are no other persons, animals or objects between the vehicle occupants and the deployment range of the head/thorax airbags

• no accessories, e.g. drinks can holders, are attached to the doors

• there are no heavy or sharp objects in the pockets of items of clothing

Observe the following notes to reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injury if a head/thorax airbag is deployed:

• Vehicle occupants in particular, children must not lean their head on the area of the window in which a head/thorax airbag is deployed.

• Vehicle occupants must always wear their seat belt correctly and position their backrest as close to the vertical as possible.

• Always secure children less than 1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age in suitable child restraint systems.

Make sure the roll-over bars can be moved freely to prevent injuries when extending the roll-over bars. For this reason, always pull out the head restraints of the rear seats as far as possible if rear seat passengers are travelling in the vehicle.

If the roll-over bar warning lamp in the instrument cluster is still on a long time after starting the engine, this means a fault has occurred.

In this case, the roll-over bar is not extended automatically in the event of an accident, if it has been identified that there is a risk of the vehicle overturning sideways. You or other vehicle occupants could be injured seriously or even fatally. For safety reasons, therefore, drive with the roll-over bar extended manually until the fault has been rectified. Have your vehicle checked at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.

Head restraint covers prevent the NECK-PRO head restraints from triggering correctly. Consequently, the NECK-PRO head restraints cannot provide the intended level of protection.

Do not leave children unsupervised in the vehicle, even if they are secured in a child restraint system. The children could:

• injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

• be severely or even fatally injured by prolonged exposure to intense heat or cold

Do not expose the child restraint system to direct sunlight, as this could cause, for example, metallic parts of the child restraint system to become very hot. Touching these parts could cause skin burns.

If the children open a door, they could:

• injure other people in doing so

• get out of the vehicle and thereby injure themselves or be injured by a passing vehicle

Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside the vehicle unless they are secured. Further information can be found in the index under "Loading guidelines" and "Features".

An unsecured or incorrectly positioned load increases the risk of injury to the child in the event of:

• sharp braking

• a sudden change in direction

• an accident

To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injury to the child in the event of an accident, braking or sudden change in direction:

• always secure children less than 1.50 m tall and under twelve years of age in a special child restraint system installed on a suitable vehicle seat, as the seat belts are not designed for passengers of this size

• do not allow children under twelve years of age to sit on the front-passenger seat unless they are secured in a child restraint system with automatic child seat recognition in a vehicle which also has automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat*

• never allow children to travel sitting on the lap of another occupant. It would not be possible to restrain the child due to the forces occurring in the event of an accident, heavy braking or sudden change in direction. They would be thrown against parts of the vehicle interior and be seriously or even fatally injured

• all vehicle occupants must always have their seat belt fastened correctly

• If you fit a child restraint system to the front-passenger seat, you must move the front-passenger seat as far back as possible

If the child restraint system is not fitted properly to an appropriate seat, the child cannot be secured in the event of an accident or sudden braking and may be injured seriously or even fatally. When fitting a child restraint system, you must observe the manufacturer's installation instructions and correct use of the child restraint system.

Child restraint systems should preferably be fitted to the rear seats. The child is generally better protected there.

Never place objects, e.g. cushions, under the child restraint system. The entire base of the child restraint system must always be resting on the seat cushion.

Child restraint systems must not be used without their original cover. Only replace damaged covers with genuine Mercedes-Benz covers.

Only use child restraint systems which have been recommended for Mercedes-Benz on the rear seats.

The front-passenger front airbag is not deactivated:

• in vehicles without automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat*

• in vehicles with automatic child seat recognition on the front passenger seat*, if a special child restraint system with automatic child seat recognition has not been fitted to the front passenger seat or the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp is not lit

If the front-passenger front airbag is not deactivated, a child secured in a child restraint system on the front-passenger seat could be seriously or even fatally injured by the front-passenger front airbag deploying in the event of an accident, especially if the child is in the immediate vicinity of the front-passenger front airbag when it is deployed.

To draw attention to this danger, there is an appropriate warning sticker on the dashboard as well as on both sides of the sun visor on the front-passenger side.

If the front-passenger front airbag is not deactivated, a child must never be secured on the front-passenger seat in a rearward-facing child restraint system. Only secure a rearward-facing child restraint system to a suitable rear seat.

If you secure a child in a forward-facing child restraint system on the front-passenger seat and the front-passenger front airbag is not deactivated (e.g. in a vehicle without automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat* or in a vehicle with automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat* and if the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp is not lit), always position the front-passenger seat in its rearmost position.

Information about recommended child restraint systems is available at any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.

Do not place any objects, e.g. a cushion, under the child restraint system. The entire base of the child restraint system must always be resting on the seat cushion. An incorrectly fitted child restraint system cannot perform its intended protective function in the event of an accident, and could even lead to injuries.

If PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp does not light up when the child restraint system is fitted, the front-passenger front airbag has not been deactivated. The child could suffer life-threatening injuries if the front-passenger front airbag is deployed.

If the above warning lamp does not light up when the child seat is fitted, proceed as follows:

• Do not use a rearward-facing child restraint system on the front-passenger seat.

• Fit a rearward-facing child restraint system on a suitable rear seat.

or

• Only use a forward-facing child seat on the front-passenger seat and move the front-passenger seat to its rearmost position.

• Have the automatic child seat recognition checked at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.

To ensure that the automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat functions correctly, never place objects (e.g. a cushion) under the child restraint system. The entire base of the child restraint system must always be resting on the seat cushion. An incorrectly fitted child restraint system cannot perform its intended protective function in the event of an accident, and could even lead to injuries.

Do not place items of electronic equipment on the front-passenger seat, e.g.:

• laptops, if switched on

• mobile phones

• cards with transponders, e.g. ski passes or access passes

as the signals from electronic equipment can cause interference in the sensor system of the automatic child seat recognition system. This can lead to a system malfunction and cause the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp:

• to light up even when there is no child seat with automatic child seat recognition fitted, meaning that the front-passenger airbag will not be deployed in the event of an accident

• not to light up briefly when the key is turned to position 2 in the ignition lock.

A child restraint system secured by the ISOFIX child seat securing system does not provide sufficient protection for children weighing more than 22 kg. For this reason, do not secure children weighing more than 22 kg in a child restraint system secured by the ISOFIX child seat securing system. If the child weighs more than 22 kg, secure the child restraint system using a lap-shoulder belt.

If the child restraint system is not fitted correctly to a suitable vehicle seat, the child cannot be secured in the event of an accident or sudden braking and may be seriously or even fatally injured. Follow the manufacturer's installation instructions when fitting the child restraint system.

On the rear seats, only use child restraint systems with an ISOFIX child seat securing system* and which have been recommended for use in Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

An incorrectly fitted child restraint system could come loose and seriously or even fatally injure the child or other vehicle occupants. When fitting the child restraint system, make sure that it is engaged in the securing rings on both sides.

If the child restraint system or its securing system, e.g. ISOFIX child seat securing system, is damaged or has been subjected to a load in an accident, the child secured in it could be seriously or even fatally injured in the event of an accident, braking or sudden changes of direction.

Always have child restraint systems and their securing systems which are damaged or which have been subjected to a heavy load in an accident checked and, if necessary, replaced immediately at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to carry out the work required. Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop

Do not leave children unsupervised in the vehicle, even if they are secured in a child restraint system. They could:

• injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

• be severely or even fatally injured by prolonged exposure to intense heat or cold

Activate the child-proof locks in the rear compartment for the windows if children are travelling in the vehicle. The children could otherwise open the windows while the vehicle is moving and injure themselves or others.