2008 Mercedes R-Class Owner's Manual - Page 73

Safety and Security Occupant safety Air bags Warning! Warning! G G Air bags are designed to reduce the potential of injury and fatality in certain frontal impacts (front air bags), side impacts (side impact air bags and window curtain air bags) or rollovers (window curtain air bags). However, no system available today can completely eliminate injuries and fatalities. The deployment of the air bags temporarily releases a small amount of dust from the air bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in the vehicle. The dust might cause some temporary breathing difficulty for people with asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get fresh air by opening a window or door. To reduce the risk of injury when the front air bags inflate, it is very important for the driver and front passenger to always be in a properly seated position and to wear their respective seat belt. For maximum protection in the event of a collision always be in normal seated position with your back against the seat backrest. Fasten your seat belt and make sure it is properly positioned on your body ( page 50). Since the air bag inflates with considerable speed and force, a proper seating and hands on steering wheel position will help to keep you at a safe distance from the air bag. Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the air bag can be seriously injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates with great force in the blink of an eye: Sit properly belted in a position that is as upright as possible with your back against the seat backrest. Adjust the driver seat as far as possible rearward, still permitting proper operation of vehicle controls. The distance from the center of the driver's breastbone to the center of the air bag cover on the steering wheel must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should be able to accomplish this by a combination of adjustments to the seat and steering wheel. If you have any problems, please contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center. Do not lean your head or chest close to the steering wheel or dashboard. Keep hands on the outside of steering wheel rim. Placing hands and arms inside the rim can increase the risk and potential severity of hand/arm injury when driver's front air bag inflates. Adjust the front passenger seat as far as possible rearward from the dashboard when the seat is occupied. 72