2009 Mercedes SLR McLaren Owner's Manual - Page 66

Safety and Security Occupant safety i The front air bags in this vehicle have been designed to inflate in two stages. This allows the air bag to have different rates of inflation that are based on the rate of relevant vehicle deceleration as assessed by the air bag control unit. On the passenger side, the front air bag deployment is additionally influenced by the passenger's weight category as identified by the Occupant Classification System (OCS) ( page 67). The lighter the passenger side occupant, the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required for the second stage inflation of the air bag. The passenger air bag will only be deployed if: the system, based on the OCS weight sensor readings, senses that the passenger seat is occupied the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp in the lower part of the center console is not lit ( page 70) the impact exceeds a preset deployment threshold Knee air bags The air bags will not deploy in impacts which do not exceed the system's deployment thresholds. You will then be protected by the fastened seat belts. 1 Knee air bag, driver's side 2 Knee air bag, passenger side The knee air bags are located on the lower instrument panel. They are designed to operate together with the front air bags in certain frontal impacts exceeding a preset threshold. The knee air bags operate best in conjunction with a properly positioned and fastened seat belts and when the footwell is kept clear of objects. 66