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, but are not 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 and have adopted a normal sitting position, and that their seat backrest 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.

• 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, pens, 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 in the vehicle while sitting on the lap of another occupant. It would not be possible to restrain the child, and the child and 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 fitted on appropriate seats for protection in an accident. Always follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions when fitting a child seat.

A seat belt only offers its intended degree of protection if the backrest is positioned as close to the vertical as possible and if the occupant is sitting upright. Avoid seat positions that prevent the seat belt from being correctly routed. You will find further information under "Seat" in the index. You should therefore position the backrest as close to the vertical as possible. Never drive with the backrest tilted too far back. You could otherwise 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.

• 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.

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

Only adjust the belt height when the vehicle is stationary and the handbrake is applied.

You could otherwise lose control of the vehicle as a result of seat adjusting movements and thereby endanger yourself and others.

• 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 may not be triggered in the event of an accident with a high rate of vehicle deceleration. In such cases, have the SRS checked and repaired immediately at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools to perform 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.

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. The regulations can be obtained from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.

To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injuries in the event of an accident with a high rate of deceleration, e.g. due to an airbag deploying within milliseconds or sudden braking, you should observe the following points:

• All vehicle occupants must select a seat position which allows them to wear their seat belt correctly and which is as far back from the airbag as possible. The driver’s seat position must be such that the vehicle can be driven safely. The distance from the driver’s seat to the pedals must be such that the driver is able to depress them fully. The distance between the driver’s chest and the centre of the airbag cover must be more than 25 cm. The driver’s arms should 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 should support the back of the head at about eye level.

• Move the co-driver's 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 co-driver's seat in vehicles which have a co-driver's front airbag. Children should be secured in a rearward-facing child restraint system fitted to a suitable rear seat.

  If you secure a forward-facing child restraint system to the co-driver's seat, you must move the co-driver's 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 deploy fully. If you hold the inner part of the steering wheel you could injure yourself when the airbag deploys.

• Do not lean on the doors from the inside.

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

• Do not place objects in the stowage space above the co-driver's front airbag if they protrude. Only in this way can the co-driver's front airbag deploy fully.

• 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.

Due to the high speed of airbag deployment, it is not possible to entirely rule out the risk of injuries caused by the airbag deploying.

• do not cover or affix badges or stickers to the padded boss of the steering wheel, the co-driver's front airbag cover, the thorax/side-impact airbag cover on the side cushions of the front seats and the windowbag covers in the roof frame

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

Immediately after the airbag has been triggered the airbag parts are hot. Do not touch them, or you could be burned.

After the airbags have been triggered they 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.

All 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 is deployed. This powder is not hazardous to health and does not indicate that there is a fire in the vehicle. The powder could cause short-term breathing difficulties in people with asthma or other respiratory problems. To avoid breathing difficulties, leave the vehicle immediately if it is safe to do so, or open the window to allow fresh air to enter the interior.

For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use seat covers that have been tested for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which have a special recess for thorax/side-impact airbags. A thorax/side-impact airbag may otherwise not deploy correctly and may fail to provide the intended degree of protection in the event of a collision. You can obtain these covers from a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre, for example.

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

• no persons, animals or objects are between the vehicle occupants and the thorax/side-impact airbag’s deployment range

• 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

To reduce the risk of severe or fatal injury when the thorax/side-impact airbag is deployed, you must make sure that:

• vehicle occupants in particular, children never lean their head in the windowbag's deployment range around the window.

• vehicle occupants 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

• children less than 1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age are secured 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 in the thorax/side-impact airbag’s deployment range around the window.

• vehicle occupants must always have their seat belts fastened correctly.

• children less than 1.50 m tall or under 12 years of age must be secured in suitable child restraint systems.

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 seriously 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, metal 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:

• thereby cause injury to other persons

• get out of the vehicle and injure themselves in the process or they could be injured by passing traffic

• sustain serious injuries if they were to fall out of the vehicle, due to its height from the ground

Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside the vehicle unless they are secured.

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 children in the event of an accident, braking or sudden change in direction:

• Always secure children less than 1.50 m tall and under 12 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.

• Rearward-facing child restraint systems must not be fitted to the co-driver's seat in vehicles which have a co-driver's front airbag. Secure children in a rearward-facing child restraint system fitted to a suitable rear seat.

• If you secure a forward-facing child restraint system to the co-driver's seat, you must move the co-driver's seat as far back as possible.

• On no account should children travel sitting on the lap of another occupant. The forces produced in the event of an accident, sharp braking or a sudden change in direction make it impossible for children to be held securely. 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 the child restraint system is not fitted correctly to a suitable vehicle seat, the child may not be secured in the event of an accident or sudden braking and may be seriously or even fatally injured. Therefore, when fitting a child restraint system, you must observe the manufacturer’s installation instructions as the notes on use of the child restraint system.

Child restraint systems should preferably be fitted to the rear seats. Children are 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.

A child restraint system must not be used without the genuine cover designed for it. Only replace damaged covers with genuine covers.

On the rear seats, only use child restraint systems that have been recommended for use in Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

If you no longer require the child restraint system, remove it from the vehicle or secure it with the seat belt.

The restraint system could otherwise be thrown through the vehicle interior in the event of an accident.

If the child restraint system or its securing system has already been damaged or subjected to a load in an accident, a child subsequently secured in it could be seriously or even fatally injured in the event of an accident, braking or a sudden change in direction.

Have restraint systems and their securing systems which have been damaged or subjected to a load in an accident checked and, if necessary, replaced immediately at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools for the work required.

Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this purpose. All work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.

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 may not be secured in the event of an accident or sudden braking and may be seriously or 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. the ISOFIX child seat securing system has been damaged or subjected to a load in an accident, the child secured in the restraint system may be seriously or even fatally injured in the event of an accident, heavy braking or sudden change in direction.

Have child restraint systems and their securing systems which have been damaged or subjected to a load in an accident checked and, if necessary, replaced immediately at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge and tools for 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. The children could:

• injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

• be seriously 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, metal 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:

• thereby cause injury to other persons

• get out of the vehicle and injure themselves in the process or they could be injured by passing traffic

• sustain serious injuries if they were to fall out of the vehicle, due to its height from the ground

Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside the vehicle unless they are secured.

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

Activate the child-proof door locks if children are travelling in the vehicle. The children could otherwise open the doors while the vehicle is in motion, injuring themselves and others.