Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.6 1989 Owner's Manual page 43

Driver Airbag
The most effective occupant restraint
system yet developed for use in pro­
duction vehicles is the three-point seat
belt. In some cases, however, the
protective effect of seat belts can be
further enhanced by an airbag.
The airbag (1) is located in the steer­
ing wheel hub and, in conjunction with
wearing the seat belts with emergency
tensioning retractors (2), provides
increased protection for the driver.
The operational readiness of the air­
bag system is verified by the indicator
lamp " SRS" (3) in the instrument
cluster. If no fault is detected, the lamp
will go out after approximately
4 seconds; after the lamp goes out,
the system continues to monitor the
components and circuitry of the airbag
system and will indicate a malfunction
by coming on again.
The following system components are
monitored or undergo a self-check:
crash-sensor, airbag ignition circuit,
driver and front passenger seat belt
buckles. Initially, when the key is
turned from steering lock position 0 to
positions 1 or 2, malfunctions in the
crash-sensor are detected and indicat­
ed (the "SRS" indicator lamp stays on
longer than 4 seconds).
In the operational mode, after the
indicator lamp has gone out after the
initial check, interruptions and short
circuits in the airbag ignition circuit
and in the driver and front passenger
seat belt buckle harnesses, and low
voltage in the entire system are
detected and indicated.