2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 warning

94 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
Power closing assist for doors
Press the doors gently past the initial
engage position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid

Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. A pneumatic power-as-
sisted mechanism draws doors and trunk
lid closed quietly and automatically once
the door or trunk lid has been latched.
When the pneumatic power-assist and
mechanism has stopped, doors and / or
trunk can be re-opened.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at speeds of approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 139).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk opening when closing a door or the
trunk lid. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
The pneumatic power closing assist mecha-
nism cannot be stopped once it has been
engaged.
To prevent personal injury, never activate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at speeds of approx-
imately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You
could therefore lock yourself out when
the vehicle

is pushed


is on a test stand

95 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
switch. This can be useful, for example, if
you want to lock the vehicle before starting
to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking switch.The switches are located in the center con-
sole.
Central locking / unlocking switches1Central locking switch
2Central unlocking switch
Locking
Press central locking switch 1.
If both doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking

Press central unlocking switch 2.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card with you and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey or the
KEYLESS-GO* card it will not unlock
using the central locking switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked
with the central locking switch:

While in the global remote control
mode, the complete vehicle is un-
locked when a door is opened from
the inside.


While in the selective remote con-
trol mode, only the door opened
from inside is unlocked.

96 Controls in detailSeats
SeatsInformation on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 34).
Lumbar support
You can adjust the contour of the seat’s
lumbar support to best support your back.
The thumbwheels for the driver’s and front
passenger’s seat are on the inner side of
the seat.
1Thumbwheel

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
should light up.

Set the lumbar support between 0
and 5.
Easy-entry / exit feature
With the easy-entry / exit feature activat-
ed, the steering wheel tilts upwards and
the driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch or you have pressed the
KEYLESS-GO* start / stop button once and
the driver’s door is closed, the steering
wheel and the driver’s seat return to their
last set positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
Both the steering column and the seat
are adjusted.
The easy-entry / exit feature can be
switched on or off in the in the settings
menu of the control system (
page 140).
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry / exit feature is activated, the
driver’s door is being opened, and the en-
gine is turned off or the SmartKey removed
from the starter switch. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause an ac-
cident and/or serious personal injury.

97 Controls in detail
Seats
Head restraints
Information on head restraint adjustment
can be found in the “Getting started” sec-
tion (
page 36).Front seat head restraints
Removing front head restraints

Press switch1 upwards and hold until
the head restraint is fully extended.

Pull out head restraint.
Installing front head restraints:

Press switch1 upwards and hold for
about five seconds.

Push the head restraint down until it
engages.

Adjust head restraint to desired posi-
tion (
page 35).Rear seat head restraints
Folding rear head restraints back

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
should light up.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint to support the back of
the head approximately at ear level.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.iTilt the seat backrest to the rear for
easier removal and installation of the
head restraints.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, always drive with the
rear head restraints in the upright position
when the rear seats are occupied.
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
folding operation of the head restraints.iYou can adjust the angle manually by
pulling or pushing the head restraints
by hand.


100 Controls in detailSeatsMassage function (PULSE)
You can reduce muscle tension during long
trips by periodically using the massage
function. 
Press button3.
The indicator lamp on button3 lights
up. The air cushions in the lumbar re-
gion inflate and deflate rhythmically.
Folding forward front seat backrests
Folding seat backrests forward
Lift release lever and fold backrest for-
ward.
The seat will automatically slide for-
ward and the head restraint will move
down.Folding seat backrests to the rear

Lift release lever and fold backrest
back.
The seat and head restraint return to
their previous positions.
To interrupt the procedure, activate the
seat adjustment switch (
page 35).
iThe massage function switches off au-
tomatically after approximately eight
minutes. The indicator lamp goes out.
iThe head restraint is automatically low-
ered.
iWhen moving the seat, be sure that
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.Warning!
G
Always ensure that no one can become
trapped or injured when the seat is moving.
In case potential danger exists, the proce-
dure can be interrupted by moving the seat
adjustment switch (
page 35) in the door
control panel.

101 Controls in detailSeats
Warning!
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 warn-
ing message
SEAT BACKREST, RIGHT -
LOCK
or
SEAT BACKREST, LEFT - 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 back-
rest all the way back until it locks in place.
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
folding operation of the head restraints.
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 Mer-
cedes-Benz Center immediately.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
electronic key from the starter switch, take
the KEYLESS-GO* card 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. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Never place hands under seat or near any
moving parts during a seat adjustment pro-
cedure.
!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 in-
terruption.
Now use memory button (
page 105)
or seat adjustment switch (page 35)
to bring seat into desired position.
When folding the backrest forward
from a reclined position, and then fold-
ing 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 an-
gled when holding the steering
wheel (
page 35).

105 Controls in detail
Memory function
Memory function
The memory button and stored position
switch are located on the door.
You can store up to three different settings
per SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO* card.
The following settings are saved for each
stored position:

Driver’s seat and seat backrest posi-
tion


Settings for multicontour seat*


Steering wheel position


Inside rear view mirror position


Exterior rear view mirror position


Automatic climate control
These key dependent memory settings can
be deactivated if desired (
page 140).
1, 2, 3 Stored position button
MMemory button

Make sure that the ignition is switched
on or the relevant door is open and the
SmartKey is inserted in the starter
switch.
!Prior to operating the vehicle, the driv-
er should check and adjust the seat
height, seat position fore and aft, and
seat backrest angle if necessary, to en-
sure adequate control, reach and com-
fort. The head restraint should also be
adjusted for proper height. Also see
“Airbag” section (
page 55) for proper
seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, opera-
tion and comfort. Both the inside and
outside rear view mirrors should be ad-
justed for adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in a properly
secured restraint system that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213
and 210.2.
Warning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

106 Controls in detailMemory functionStoring positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and
mirrors to the desired position
(page 34).

Press memory buttonM.

Release memory buttonM and push
position button1, 2 or3 within three
seconds.
All the settings are stored at the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold position button1, 2
or3 until the seat, steering wheel and
mirrors have fully moved to the stored
positions.iReleasing the button immediately
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions.
Warning!
G
Do not operate the power seats using the
memory button if the seat backrest is in an
extremely reclined position. Doing so could
cause damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion.