2009 Mercedes E-Class Owner's Manual - Page 51

Safety and security Occupant safety Driver and front passenger front air bags are deployed Rin Rif Rif the event of certain frontal impacts impact exceeds a preset deployment threshold the system determines that air bag deployment can offer additional protection to that provided by the seat belt on whether the seat belt is in use Rdepending The air bags will not deploy in impacts which do not exceed the system's preset deployment thresholds. You will then be protected by the fastened seat belts. The front air bags will not deploy in the event of a rollover unless the vehicle's rate of longitudinal deceleration or acceleration exceeds the preset deployment threshold for the front air bags. The front passenger front air bag 2 will only be deployed if Rthe Side impact air bags G Observe Safety notes, see page 47. Rindependently of the side impact air bags and/or the window curtain air bags The front air bags in this vehicle have been designed to inflate in two stages. This allows the air bags to have different rates of inflation that are based on the vehicle deceleration rate as assessed by the air bag control unit. On the front passenger side, front air bag 2 deployment is additionally influenced by the passenger's weight category as identified by the Occupant Classification System (OCS) (Y page 50). The lighter the front passenger side occupant, the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required for second stage inflation of front air bag 2. system, based on OCS weight sensor readings, detects that the front passenger seat is occupied 75 indicator lamp in the center console is not lit (Y page 53) impact exceeds a preset deployment threshold Example illustration sedan 1 Front side impact air bag 2 Rear side impact air bag Rthe Rthe When deployed, the side impact air bags are designed to provide increased protection for the thorax (but not the head, neck and arms) of the occupants on the side of the vehicle on which the impact occurs. The side impact air bags are deployed Ron Rin the impacted side of the vehicle side impacts exceeding a preset deployment threshold Rregardless of whether the seat belt is in use Z 49