Occupant Safety; Important Safety Notes - Mercedes-Benz CLA Operator's Manual

Improper repair work on the SRS creates a
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risk of rendering the SRS inoperative or
causing unintended air bag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be
performed by qualified technicians. Con-
sult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For your protection and the protection of
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others, when scrapping the air bag unit or
ETD, our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These are available from any author-
ized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Given the considerable deployment speed,
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required inflation volume, and the material
of the air bags, there is the possibility of
abrasions or other, potentially more serious
injuries resulting from air bag deployment.
If you sell your vehicle, Mercedes-Benz
strongly recommends that you inform the
subsequent owner that the vehicle is equip-
ped with SRS. Also, refer them to the appli-
cable section in the Operator's Manual.
Air bags

Important safety notes

G WARNING
The air bag parts are hot after the airbag has
been deployed. There is a risk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have the
deployed air bags replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible.
G WARNING
Air bags are designed to reduce the potential
of injury and fatality in certain:
frontal impacts (driver's/front-passenger
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air bags and knee bags)
side impacts (side impact air bags and win-
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dow curtain air bags)
rollover (window curtain air bags)
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However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.

Occupant safety

When the air bags are deployed, a small
amount of powder temporarily comes out of
the air bags. This dust, however, is generally
neither harmful to your health, nor does it
indicate a fire in the vehicle. In order to pre-
vent potential breathing difficulties, you may
wish to get out of the vehicle as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have any breathing diffi-
culty but cannot get out of the vehicle after
the air bag inflates, then get fresh air by open-
ing a window or door.
G WARNING
In order to reduce the potential danger of
injuries caused during the deployment of the
front air bags, the driver and front passenger
must always be correctly seated and wear
their seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a col-
lision, you must always be in the normal seat
position with your back against the backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and make sure that it is
correctly positioned on your body.
As the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating position
and correct positioning of the hands on the
steering wheel will help to keep you at a safe
distance from the air bag. Occupants who are
not wearing their seat belt, are not seated
properly or are too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured or killed by an air bag, as it
inflates with great force instantaneously:
sit with the seat belt fastened correctly and
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in a position that is as upright as possible
with your back against the backrest.
move the driver's seat as far back as pos-
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sible, still permitting proper operation of
vehicle controls. The distance from the cen-
ter of the driver's chest to the center of the
air bag cover on the steering wheel must be
at least 10 inches (25 cm). You should be
able to accomplish this by adjusting the
seat and steering wheel. If you have any
difficulties, please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
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