Mercedes-Benz 2015 SLK Operator's Manual page 56

Occupant safety
54
Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devices and air bags
Important safety notes
G WARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
been deployed. There is a risk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deployed air bag replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
G WARNING
A deployed air bag no longer offers any pro-
tection and cannot provide the intended pro-
tection in an accident. There is an increased
risk of injury.
Have the vehicle towed to a qualified special-
ist workshop in order to have a deployed air
bag replaced.
It is important for your safety and that of your
passenger to have deployed air bags replaced
and to have any malfunctioning air bags
repaired. This will help to make sure the air
bags continue to perform their protective
function for the vehicle occupants in the
event of a crash.
G WARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed are no longer opera-
tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Therefore, have pyrotechnic Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices which have been triggered
immediately replaced at a qualified specialist
workshop.
An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE
trigger the tightening of the seat belt in haz-
ardous situations. This procedure is reversi-
ble.
If the Emergency Tensioning Devices or air
bags are deployed, you will hear a bang and a
small amount of powder may also be
released. The 6 restraint system warning
lamp will light up.
Only in rare cases will the bang affect your
hearing. The powder released is generally not
hazardous to health, it could however cause
short-term breathing difficulties in people
with asthma or other respiratory problems. In
order to prevent breathing difficulties, you
should leave the vehicle as soon as it is safe to
do so, or open the window.
Air bags and pyrotechnic seat belt tensioners
contain perchlorate material, which may
require special handling or environmental
protection measures. Check with your local
government's disposal guidelines. California
residents, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/
index.cfm.
Method of operation
During the first stage of a collision, the
restraint system control unit evaluates impor-
tant physical data relating to vehicle deceler-
ation or acceleration, such as:
Duration
R
Direction
R
Intensity
R
Based on the evaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit triggers the belt
tensioners in the event of a frontal or rear
collision.
If the restraint system control unit detects a
high accident severity, additional compo-
nents of the restraint system are activated
independently of one another in certain fron-
tal collision situations:
Front air bags as well as driver's and front-
R
passenger kneebag
®
to
Depending on the person occupying the front-
passenger seat, the front-passenger air bag is
activated or deactivated. The front-passenger
front air bag can only be deployed in an acci-
dent if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indica-
tor lamp is off. Observe the information on the