all of the 2009 through 2011 r230 bags are Backward Compatible with 2003 through 2008 r230 s.

The 17 in the part number just indicates that it is an actual r230 bag and not a bag made for a non r230 model that is physically similar but has different Electronics. If you look at a post I made earlier in this thread I listed all of the part numbers that are for r230 s and 17 is just one of them. Hope that helps. If you happened to be looking for a brown 3 spoke r230 airbag, I have one available.
cheers and happy holidays,
Chris

 

Thanks for the clarification Chris. I'm looking at upgrading my worn black interior steering wheel to the newer 3 spoke style. Looks like the airbag that was posted above will work. Now I've got to find the steering wheel. Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
James

 

the matching steering wheel is MUCH easier to find as you can you a wheel from many models of that era (SLK, CLS , etc CLC? ... I am not sure what a clc is, but I recently bought an R230 compatible wheel that was marked "CLC")

if you search ebay for a 2009 slk or cls wheel and then note the part numbers, you can then search on those part numbers to find more available examples.

Cheers,
Chris