Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan 2012 Operator's Manual page 46

Occupant safety
44
Pelvis air bags : deploy next to and below
the outer seat cushions. They are deployed:
on the side on which an impact occurs
R
at the start of an accident with a high rate
R
of lateral vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, e.g. in a side impact
independently of seat belt use
R
independently of the front air bags
R
independently of the ETDs
R
The pelvis air bags are generally not deployed
if the vehicle overturns, unless the system
detects high vehicle deceleration or
acceleration in a lateral direction and
determines that they can offer additional
protection to that provided by the seat belt.
Pelvis air bags : will not deploy in side
impacts which do not exceed the system's
preset deployment thresholds for lateral
acceleration/deceleration. You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belt.
Vehicles with OCS (USA only): if the OCS
detects that the front-passenger seat is not
occupied and the front-passenger seat belt is
not fastened (the belt tongue is not engaged
in the seat belt buckle), the pelvis air bag on
the front-passenger side will not deploy. The
pelvis air bag on the front-passenger side will
deploy if the front-passenger seat belt is
fastened, regardless of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied or not.
Window curtain air bags
The window curtain air bags enhance the level
of protection for the head, but not chest or
arms, of the vehicle occupants on the side of
the vehicle on which the impact occurs.
The window curtain air bags are integrated
into the side of the roof frame and deploy in
the area from the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
Example: Sedan
Window curtain air bags : are deployed:
on the side on which an impact occurs
R
at the start of an accident with a high rate
R
of lateral vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, e.g. in a side impact
regardless of whether the front-passenger
R
seat is occupied
independently of seat belt use
R
if the vehicle overturns and the system
R
determines that window curtain air bag
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
independently of the front air bags
R
Window curtain air bags : will not deploy in
impacts with deceleration rates which do not
exceed the system's preset deployment
thresholds for vehicle deceleration or
acceleration. You will then be protected by
the fastened seat belt.
Occupant Classification System
(OCS)
How the occupant classification
system works
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
categorizes the occupant on the front-