Belt Force Limiters - Mercedes-Benz 2012 C-Class Operator's Manual

Occupant safety
52
The warning tone ceases even if the driver or
front passenger have still not fastened their
seat belt after 60 seconds. The 7 seat belt
warning lamp stops flashing but continues to
be lit.
Once the vehicle is stationary, the warning
tone is reactivated and the 7 seat belt
warning lamp starts to flash again if the
vehicle speed exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h)
once.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
both the driver and the front passenger
R
have fastened their seat belts.
or
the vehicle is stationary and a door is open.
R
i
For more information on the 7 seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belt" ( Y page 239).
Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
force limiters
The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with ETDs and seat

belt force limiters.

The ETDs tighten the seat belts in an accident,
pulling them close against the body.
The ETDs do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
The ETDs do not pull vehicle occupants back
towards the backrest.
Seat belt force limiters, when triggered, help
to reduce the peak force exerted by the seat
belt on the vehicle occupant.
The seat belt force limiters for the front seats
are synchronized with the front air bags.
These take on a part of the deceleration force.
Thus, the force exerted on the occupant is
distributed over a greater area.
The ETDs can only be activated when:
the ignition is switched on.
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the restraint systems are operational; see
R
"SRS warning lamp" ( Y page 36).
I n f o r ma t i o n P r o v i d e d b y :
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
R
each of the lap-shoulder belts in the front.
the front-passenger seat is occupied and
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the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the front-passenger side.
The ETDs on the outside seats in the rear
compartment are triggered independently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The ETDs are triggered depending on the type
and severity of an accident:
if, in the event of a head-on or rear-end
R
collision, the vehicle decelerates or
accelerates rapidly in a longitudinal
direction during the initial stages of the
impact
if, in the event of a side impact, on the side
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opposite the impact the vehicle
decelerates or accelerates rapidly in a
lateral direction
If the air bags are deployed, you will hear a
bang, and a small amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is
released generally does not constitute a
health hazard. The 6 SRS warning lamp
lights up.
G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic ETDs that were activated must be
replaced.
For your safety, when disposing of the
pyrotechnic ETDs always follow our safety
instructions. These are available at any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
! If the front-passenger seat is not
occupied, do not engage the seat belt
tongue in the buckle on the front-
passenger seat. Otherwise, the Emergency
Tensioning Device could be triggered in the
event of an accident.