2002 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 level

74 Seats
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Seat ventilation system
(optional, standard on model S 600)
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 (driver’s seat only), see
page 43.
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 43.

75 Seats
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Manual activation:
Turn the electronic key in starter switch to position 1
or 2.
Level 3 ventilation setting (maximum).
Press button (1):
Three blue indicator lamps above the button light up.Level 2 ventilation setting (middle).
Press button (1) again:
Two blue indicator lamps above the button light up.
Level 1 ventilation setting (minimum).
Press button (1) again:
One blue indicator lamp above the button lights up.
Turning off the seat ventilation.
Press button (1) again:
The indicator lamps go out. Seat ventilation is switched
off.
1
P54.25-0423-26

82 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Seat belt nonusage warning system
With the electronic key in starter switch position 2, a
warning sounds for a short time if the driver’s seat belt
is not fastened.
Automatic comfort-fit seat belt:
An automatic comfort-fit feature for all seat belt is
activated when the electronic key in the starter switch is
turned to position 1 or 2.
The retraction force of the inertia reel is reduced,
increasing the level of seat belt comfort.
Note:
For cleaning and care of the seat belts see page 389.
Wa r n i n g !
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the backrest
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 even fatal injuries. The
backrest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in an upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.

89 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
Airbags are intended as a supplement to seat belts.
Airbags alone cannot protect as well as airbags plus
seat belts in impacts for which the airbags were
designed to operate, and do not afford any protection
whatsoever in crashes for which the airbags are not
designed to deploy.
The SRS uses two crash severity levels (thresholds) to
activate either the emergency tensioning retractor (ETR)
or front airbag or both. Activation depends on the
direction and severity of the impact exceeding the
preset thresholds and whether the seat belt is fastened.Seat belt fastened
•first threshold exceeded: ETR activates
•second threshold exceeded: airbag also activates
Seat belt not fastened
Front seats:
•first threshold exceeded: airbag activates, not ETR
Rear outer seats:
•first threshold exceeded: ETR activates
Driver and front passenger and rear outer seat systems
operate independently of each other.

90 Restraint systems
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Emergency tensioning retractor (ETR)
The seat belts for the front and rear outer seats are
equipped with emergency tensioning retractors. These
tensioning retractors are located in each belt’s inertia
reel and become operationally ready with the electronic
key in starter switch position 1 or 2.
The emergency tensioning retractors are designed to
activate only when the seat belts are fastened during
frontal impacts exceeding the first threshold of the SRS
and in rear impacts exceeding a preset severity level.
They remove slack from the belts in such a way that the
seat belts fit more snugly against the body restricting its
forward movement as much as possible.In cases of other frontal impacts, angled impacts, roll-
overs, certain side impacts, or other accidents without
sufficient frontal or rear impact forces, the emergency
tensioning retractors will not be activated. The driver
and passengers will then be protected by the fastened
seat belts and inertia reel in the usual manner.
Note:
The front passenger ETR activates only if the front
passenger seat is occupied.
Heavy objects on the front passenger seat can appear to
the “SRS” to indicate the presence of an occupant in
that seat which causes the passenger front airbag to
deploy and the ETR to activate in a crash exceeding the
appropriate threshold.

119 Multifunction steering wheel, multifunction display
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Depending on your vehicle’s equipment, you may use
the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel to call
up, control and set the following systems in the
multifunction display:
1Trip and main odometer, see page 122
Flexible service system (FSS), see page 149
Tire inflation pressure monitor, see page 152
Engine oil level indicator, see page 156
2Audio systems, see page 124
Radio, seepage124
CD player, see page 125
Cassette player, see page 126
3Telephone, see page 1274Navigation system, see page 132
5Distronic (DTR), see page 133
6Trip computer, see page 134
After start
After reset
Range
7Malfunction message memory, see page 136
8Individual settings, see page 138
9Malfunction messages are stored in memory (7), see
page 136.
Press the è or ÿ button repeatedly until the
required system is displayed.
The display advances by one system each time the
button is pressed.
You may call up additional displays within some of these
categories by pressing the j or k button.

123 Multifunction steering wheel, multifunction display
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index 1Trip and main odometer
See page 117 for instructions on resetting the trip
odometer.
2FSS (Flexible service system), see page 149
3Tire inflation pressure monitor, see page 152
4Engine oil level indicator, see page 156
5Ve h i c l e s p e e dPress è or ÿ button repeatedly until the trip and
main odometer display (1) appears.
Press the j or k button repeatedly until the
required display (2, 3, 4, 5, 1) appears.
Pressing the è or ÿ button displays the next or
previous system.

137 Multifunction steering wheel, multifunction display
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Important!
Malfunction and warning messages are only indicated
for certain systems and displayed to a low level of detail.
The malfunction and warning messages are simply a
reminder with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the driver’s responsibility to
maintain the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks performed on
the vehicle and by bringing the vehicle to an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages. See page 309.