2008 Mercedes CLS-Class Owner's Manual - Page 69

Safety and Security Occupant safety i Air bags are designed to activate only in cer- Safety guidelines for the seat belt, tain frontal impacts (front air bags, driver-side knee bag), side impacts (side impact and window curtain air bags) which exceed preset thresholds and in certain rollovers (window curtain air bags). Only during these events will they provide their supplemental protection. The driver and passenger should always wear their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for the air bags to provide their supplemental protection. In case of other types of impacts and impacts below air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will not be deployed. The driver and passenger will then be protected to the extent possible by a properly fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt is also needed to provide the best protection in a rollover. We caution you not to rely on the presence of the air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt. It is important to your safety and that of your passengers that you replace deployed air bags and repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure that the vehicle will continue to provide supplemental crash protection for occupants. Emergency Tensioning Device and air bag Warning! G Damaged seat belts or seat belts that were highly stressed in an accident must be replaced and their anchoring points must also be checked. Use only seat belts installed or supplied by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Air bags and Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs) contain Perchlorate material, which may require special handling and regard for the environment. Check with your local government's disposal guidelines. California residents, see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/index.cfm. Air bags and Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs) are designed to function on a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETD that was activated must be replaced. No modifications of any kind may be made to any components or wiring of the SRS. This includes changing or removing any component or part of the SRS, the installation of additional trim material, badges etc. over the steering wheel hub, front passenger front air bag cover, outboard sides of the front seat backrests, door trim panels, or door frame trims, and installation of additional electrical/electronic equipment on or near SRS components and wiring. Keep area between air bags and occupants free from objects (e.g. packages, purses, umbrellas, etc.). Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges. They could tear. Do not make any modification that could change the effectiveness of the seat belts. Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may severely weaken them. In a crash they may not be able to provide adequate protection. 68