If the vehicle's speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h) once and the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are not fastened, awarn-
ing tone sounds. Awarning tone also sounds
with increasing intensity for 60 seconds or
until the driver or front passenger have fas-
tened their seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their
seat belts during the journey, the seat belt
warning is activated again.
Air bags
Introduction
The installation point of an airbag can be rec-
ognized by the AIRBAG marking.
An airbag complements the correctly fastened
seat belt. It is no substitute for the seat belt.
When deployed,anairbag can increase the
protection providedfor the respective vehicle
occupant.
Not all airbags are deployed in an accident.
The variousairbags work independently of
each other (Y page 50).
However, no system available today can com-
pletelyeliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out arisk of injury
causedbyanairbag due to the high speed at
which the airbag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the front passenger air bag has been acti-
vated, achild on the front passenger seat
may be hit by the front passenger air bag in
the event of an accident. There is arisk of
injury or fatal injury.
NEVER use arearward-facing child restraint
system on aseat protected by an ACTIVE
FRONT AIRBAG; DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY
to the CHILD can occur.
When installing achild restraint system on the
front passenger seat observe the vehicle-spe-
cific notes (Y page 56). You must observe
the notes on rearward and forward-facing child
restraint systems on the front-passenger seat.
G
WARNING
If you deviate from the correct seat position,
the air bag cannot perform its intended pro-
tective function and deployment may even
cause further injuries. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid any risks, each vehicle occupant
must always make sure of the following:
R
Fasten the seat belt correctly. In the case
of pregnant women in particular, make
sure that the lap belt is never routed
across the stomach or abdomen.
R
Adopt the correct seat positionand keep
as far awayaspossible from the air bags.
R
Observe the following notes.
Alwaysmake sure that there are no objects
betweenthe air bag and vehicle occupant.
All vehicle occupants must observe the follow-
ing notes to avoid risks posed by the air bag
when it deploys.
R
Adjust the seats properlybefore beginning
yourjourney. Alwaysmake sure that the
seat is in an almostupright position. The
center of the head restraint must support
the head at abouteye level.
R
Move the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible. The driver's seat
positionmust allow the vehicle to be driven
safely.
R
Only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the air bag to be fullydeployed.
R
Alwaysleanagainst the backrest whiledriv-
ing. Do not leanforward or leanagainst the
door or side window.You may otherwise be
in the deployment area of the air bags.
R
Alwayskeep yourfeet in the footwell in
front of the seat. Do not put yourfeet on the
dashboard, for example.Your feet may oth-
erwisebeinthe deployment area of the air
bag.
R
For this reason, always secure persons less
than 5ft(1.50 m) tall in suitable restraint
systems. Up to this height, the seat belt
cannot be worn correctly.
Occupant safety
43
Safety
Z
