2011 Mercedes E-Class Owner's Manual - Page 44

42 Occupant safety Rindependently Rindependently of seat belt use of the front air bags Window curtain air bags : will not deploy in impacts with deceleration rates which do not exceed the system's preset deployment thresholds for vehicle deceleration or acceleration. You will then be protected by the seat belt. Occupant Classification System (OCS) How the occupant classification system works The Occupant Classification System (OCS) is standard equipment in the USA. OCS categorizes the occupant on the frontpassenger seat by means of a weight sensor. The front-passenger front air bag is automatically deactivated for certain weight categories. The respective status can be recognized by the 45 indicator lamp. With the 45 indicator lamp illuminated, the front-passenger front air bag is deactivated. The system does not deactivate: Rthe Rthe necessary repair work carried out at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. For reasons of safety, Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only use seat accessories that have been approved by Mercedes-Benz. Both the driver and the front passenger should observe the 45 indicator lamp to determine whether or not the front passenger is positioned correctly. Safety G Warning side impact air bag pelvis air bag Rthe window curtain air bag (Coupe) Rthe front-passenger head bag (Cabriolet) Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices To be classified correctly, the front passenger must sit: Rwith Rin the seat belt properly fastened a position that is as upright as possible with the back against the seat backrest Rwith their feet on the floor If the front-passenger's weight is transferred to another object in the vehicle (e.g. by leaning on armrests), OCS may not be able to approximate the occupant's weight category. If the front passenger seat, the seat cover, or the seat cushion are damaged, have the If the 45 indicator lamp illuminates when an adult or someone larger than a small individual is in the passenger seat, have the passenger position him/herself in the seat until the 45 indicator lamp goes out. In the event of a collision, the air bag control unit will not allow front passenger front air bag deployment when the OCS has classified the front passenger seat occupant as weighing as much as or less than a typical 12-month-old child in a standard child restraint or if the front passenger seat is classified as being empty. When the OCS senses that the front passenger seat occupant is classified as being up to or less than the weight of a typical 12-month-old child in a standard child restraint, the 45 indicator lamp will illuminate when the engine is started and remain illuminated. This indicates that the front passenger front air bag is deactivated. When the OCS senses that the front passenger seat is classified as being empty, the 45 indicator lamp will illuminate when the engine is started and remain illuminated. This indicates that the front passenger front air bag is deactivated. When the OCS senses that the front passenger seat occupant is classified as being heavier than the weight of a typical 12month-old child seated in a standard child restraint or as being a small individual (such as a young teenager or a small adult), the 45 indicator lamp will illuminate for approximately 6 seconds when the engine is