Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe Operator's Manual page 42

Occupant safety
40
Only in the event of such a situation, will the
air bags provide their supplemental
protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible
for the air bags to provide their supplemental
protection.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts
below air bag deployment thresholds, air
bags will not deploy. The driver and passenger
will then be protected to the extent possible
by a properly fastened seat belt. A properly
fastened seat belt is also needed to provide
the best possible protection in a rollover.
Air bags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
All vehicle occupants must fasten their seat
belts regardless of whether your vehicle is
equipped with air bags or not.
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 provide supplemental crash
protection for occupants.
Front air bags
Driver's air bag : deploys in front of the
steering wheel; front-passenger front air
bag ; deploys in front of and above the glove
box.
The front air bags increase protection for the
driver's and front-passenger's head and
chest.
They are deployed:
in the event of certain frontal impacts
R
if the system determines that air bag
R
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
depending on whether the seat belt is being
R
used
independently of other air bags in the
R
vehicle
If the vehicle rolls over, the front air bags are
generally not deployed. If the system detects
high vehicle deceleration in a longitudinal
direction, the front air bags are deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air
bags. In the event of a collision, the air bag
control unit evaluates the vehicle
deceleration. When the first deployment
threshold is reached, the front air bag is filled
with enough propellant gas to reduce the risk
of injuries. The front air bag is fully deployed
if a second deployment threshold is exceeded
within a few milliseconds.
The deployment of the front-passenger front
air bag is also influenced by the weight
category of the front passenger, which is
determined by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS) ( page 42).
Y
The front air bags are not deployed in
situations where a low impact severity is
predicted. You will then be protected by the
fastened seat belt.
The front-passenger front air bag will only be
deployed if:
the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
R
has detected that the front-passenger seat
is occupied
the 45 indicator lamp on the center
R
console is not lit
the air bag control unit predicts a high-
R
impact severity