2003 Mercedes S-Class Owner's Manual - Page 65

Safety and Security Occupant safety Emergency tensioning device (ETD), seat belt force limiter The seat belts for the front and rear outer seats are equipped with emergency tensioning devices and belt force limiters. The ETD is designed to activate in the following cases when the seat belts are fastened: in front-end or rear-end collisions where the force of impact exceeds a predetermined level in certain vehicle rollovers if the restraint systems are operational and are functioning correctly, see 1 indicator lamp ( page 56) In an impact, emergency tensioning devices remove slack from the belts in such a way that the seat belts fit more snugly against the body. Belt force limiters reduce the force exerted by the seat belts on occupants during a crash. Automatic comfort-fit feature* seat belt An automatic comfort-fit feature* for front seats and for the rear outer seats (only for vehicles with electrically adjustable rear bench seat* or with individual seats* in the rear) reduces the retracting force of the seat belts when they are in normal use. Warning! G An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that was activated must be replaced. When scrapping the emergency tensioning device, our safety instructions must be followed. These are available at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. ! Do not place objects heavier than 20 lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger seat. This could cause the front or side impact airbag on the front passenger side to deploy in a crash which exceeds the system's deployment threshold. 65