2001 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 door

67 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Front seat adjustment
To operate the front power seat adjustment switches,
turn the electronic key in starter switch to position 1
or 2 (w ith a front door ope n, th e power seats ca n a lso be
operated with the electronic key removed or in starter
switch position 0).
Wa r n i n g !
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause the
driver to lose control of the vehicle.Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat back
reclined. Sitting in an excessively reclined position
can be dangerous. You could slide under the seat
belt in a collision. If you slide under it, the belt
would apply force at the abdomen or neck. That
could cause serious or fatal injuries. The seat back
and seat belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in an upright position and belts are
properly positioned on the body.Never place hands under seat or near any moving
parts while a seat is being adjusted.
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
electronic key from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO-card (if so equipped) with you, and
lock your vehicle. The power seats can also be operated with the
driver’s or front passenger door open. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with access
to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle
equipment may cause serious personal injury.

68 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
The switches are located in both doors.
We recommend to adjust the power seat in the following
order:
1Seat adjustment, fore/aft
Press the switch (fore/aft direction) until a
comfortable seating position is reached that still
allows you to reach the accelerator/brake pedal
safely. The position should be as far rearward as
possible, consistent with ability to properly operate
controls.Note:
Do not move the front passenger seat completely
forward if objects are stored in the parcel net in the
front passenger side footwell. Items in the net may be
damaged.
2Seat, up/down
Press the switch (up/down direction) until
comfortable seating position with still sufficient
headroom is reached.
3Seat cushion tilt
Press the switch in the direction of the arrow until
your legs are slightly supported.
4Backrest tilt
Press the switch in the direction of the arrow until
your arms are slightly angled when holding the
steering wheel.
5Seat cushion depth
Press the switch fore or aft until your legs are
supported comfortably.
422
3
51
3
1
4

72 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Backrest
Folding forward:
Lift release lever and fold backrest forward. The seat
will automatically slide forward and the head restraint
will move down.
Folding back:
Lift release lever and fold backrest back. The seat and
head restraint return to their previous positions.
To interrupt the procedure, activate the power seat
switch located in the front door.
Wa r n i n g !
The seat belts provide protection only with the
backrest locked in place and, therefore, must be
locked in place with the vehicle in motion. Do not
drive the vehicle when the backrest is not locked in
place. If the warning message “SEAT BACKREST
LEFT – LOCK!” or “SEAT BACKREST RIGHT –
LOCK!” is displayed in the multifunction display,
then the respective backrest is not engaged in its
lock. Carefully slow down, and drive with caution
to an area which is in a safe distance from the
roadway. Always provide sufficient room behind
the backrest and fold the backrest all the way back
until it locks in place.The warning message is no longer displayed as
soon as the backrest is locked in place. If both
backrests are locked in place and the warning
message is still displayed, have the system checked
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
immediately.

73 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care IndexNotes:
The automatic seat slide is provided with a safety
feature.
The automatic process is interrupted, if the backrest of
the sliding seat is pushed against an occupant or object.
The seat will slide forward and stop.
Investigate and correct the cause of interruption.
Now use memory button (page 112) or power seat switch
(page 68) to bring seat into desired position.
When folding the backrest forward from a reclined
position, and then folding it back, the backrest stops in a
more upright position for the safety of any rear-seat
passenger. Adjust the backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the steering wheel, see
page 68.
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
electronic key from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO-card (if so equipped) with you, and
lock your vehicle.The power seats can also be operated with the
driver’s or passenger door open. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle or with access
to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle
equipment may cause serious personal injury.Never place hands under seat or near any moving
parts during a seat adjustment procedure.

76 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Seat heater
The seat heaters can be switched on with the electronic
key in starter switch positions 1 or 2.
The buttons are located on each door.
Notes:
When in operation, the seat heater consumes a large
amount of electrical power. It is not advisable to use the
seat heater longer than necessary.The seat heaters may automatically switch off if too
many power consumers are switched on at the same
time or if the battery charge is low. In this case, one or
both indicator lamps will blink.
The seat heaters switch back on again automatically as
soon as sufficient voltage is available.
If the blinking of the indicator lamps is distracting to
you, the seat heaters can be switched off.

79 Seats
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Seat ventilation system
The buttons are located on each door.
Seat ventilation can be activated manually with the
electronic key in starter switch positions 1 or 2, or by
the summer opening function, see page 45.
Notes:
When in operation, the seat ventilation system
consumes a large amount of electrical power. It is not
advisable to use the seat ventilator longer than
necessary.The seat ventilators may automatically switch off if too
many power consumers are switched on at the same
time or if the battery charge is low. In this case, one or
more indicator lamps will blink.
The seat ventilation switch back on again automatically
as soon as sufficient voltage is available.
If the blinking of the indicator lamps is distracting to
you, the seat ventilators can be switched off.
The maximum ventilation level (level 3) is automatically
selected if the driver’s seat ventilation is activated by
the summer opening function, see page 45.

88 Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system
Special BabySmart
TM compatible child seats, designed
for use with the Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center are required for
use with the BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system.
With the special child seat properly installed, the
passenger front airbag will not deploy.
The 7 indicator lamp located on the center console
will be illuminated, except with electronic key removed
or in starter switch position 0. The system does not
deactivate the door mounted side impact airbag.
BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens Automotive Corp.
Wa r n i n g !
USE CHILD RESTRAINTS PROPERLY.Children 12 years old and under must never ride in
the front seat, except in a Mercedes-Benz
authorized BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM system
installed in the vehicle to deactivate the passenger
front airbag when it is properly installed.
Otherwise t hey will be stru ck by t he airbag wh en it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or fatal
injury will result.According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
Infants and small children must ride in the back
seats and be seated in an appropriate infant or
child restraint system, which is properly secured
with the vehicle’s seat belt, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s instructions.A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints are
not properly secured in the vehicle and the child is
not properly secured in the child restraint.
Children too big for child restraint systems must
ride in back seats using regular seat belts. Position
shou lder belt across ch est and shou lder, not fac e or
neck. A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper belt positioning.

96 Restraint systems
Te ch n ica l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Window curtain airbags
The head protection window curtain airbags afford
greater protection against injuries to the head and
upper body. They fill up in the area between the A and
C pillars (see arrows) between the side windows and an
occupant’s head.
The window curtain airbags are designed to activate
only in certain side impacts exceeding a preset
threshold. Only the head protection window curtain
airbag on the impacted side of the vehicle deploys.
Important!
Airbags are designed to activate only in certain
frontal (front airbags) impacts, or side (side impact
and head protection window curtain airbags)
impacts which exceed preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of sufficient
severity to meet the deployment thresholds, will
they provide their supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear their
seat belts, oth erwi se i t i s not possi ble for the airbags
to provide their supplemental protection.In cases of other frontal impacts, angled impacts,
roll-overs, other side impacts, rear collisions, or
other accidents, the airbags will not be activated.
The driver and passengers will then be protected by
the fastened seat belts.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
airbags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
Wa r n i n g !
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential of
injury in certain frontal (front airbags) impacts, or
side (side impact and head protection window
curtain airbags) impacts which may cause
significant injuries, however, no system available
today can totally eliminate injuries and fatalities.The activation of the “SRS” temporarily releases a
small amount of dust from the airbags. This dust,
however, is neither injurious to your health, nor
does i t indicate a fire in th e veh icle. Th e dust migh t
cause some temporary breathing difficulty for
people with asthma or other breathing trouble. To
avoid this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any breathing
difficulty but cannot get out of the vehicle after the
airbag inflates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or door.