2004 Mercedes ML-Class Owner's Manual - Page 60

Safety and Security Occupant safety Adjust the passenger seat as far as possible rearward from the dashboard when the seat is occupied. Occupants, especially children, should never lean their heads in the area of the door where the side impact airbag inflates. This could result in serious injuries or death should the airbag be triggered. Always sit upright, properly use the seat belts and appropriate size infant or child restraint system. Children 12 years old and under must never ride in the front seat, except in a Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmartTM1 compatible child seat, which operates with the BabySmartTM system installed in the vehicle to deactivate the passenger front airbag when it is properly installed. Otherwise they will be struck by the airbag when it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or fatal injury will result. 1 Failure to follow these instructions can result in severe injuries to you or other occupants. If you sell your vehicle you are responsible to make the buyer aware of these points. Be sure to give the buyer this Operator's Manual. Warning G Accident research shows that the safest place for children in an automobile is in the rear seat. Should you choose to place a child 12 years old or under in the front passenger seat of your vehicle, you must properly use a BabySmartTM child restraint which will turn off the passenger front airbag ( page 70). BabySmartTM will not, however, turn off any side impact airbag. It should be noted that with respect to both front and rear side impact airbags there is a possibility for a side airbag related injury if occupants, especially children, are not properly seated or restrained when next to a side airbag which needs to deploy rapidly in a side impact in order to do its job. BabySmartTM is a trademark of Siemens Automotive Corp. 60