Page 62 of 394

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyThe window curtain airbags 3 fill up the
area between the A and C pillars (see ar-
rows).
1Front side impact airbags
2Rear side impact airbags
3Window curtain airbag
Seat belts
The seat belt nonusage warning lamp
<
in the instrument cluster lights up and a
warning sounds for a short time when you
turn the key in the starter switch to
position2 or press the KEYLESS-GO* (if so
equipped) start/stop button twice and the
drivers seat belt is not fastened.
After starting the engine the seat belt non-
usage warning lamp blinks for a brief peri-
od to remind the driver and passengers to
fasten the seat belts.The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in
most states and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts fas-
tened whenever the vehicle is in motion.
Information on fastening seat belts is
found in the “Getting started” section
(
page 40).iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 66).
Page 66 of 394

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyChildren in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child and recommended for
use by Mercedes-Benz.
Ensure that the infant or child is prop-
erly secured by a belt at all times while
the vehicle is in motion.
Infant and child restraint seats and infor-
mation on choosing an appropriate re-
straint system can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Infant and child restraint systems
Only use a BabySmart
TM compatible child
restraint for the front passenger seat in
this vehicle.
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child re-
straint instructions for mounting. Then pull
the shoulder belt out completely and let it
retract. During seat belt retraction, a ratch-
eting sound can be heard to indicate that
the special seat belt retractor is activated.
The belt is now locked. Push down on child
restraint to take up any slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual man-
ner.
BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
iInformation on child seats with anchor
fittings for tether anchorages
(page 70).
For information on LATCH-type child
seat anchors (
page 71).
Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.!The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the Dis-
trict of Columbia, the U.S.territories,
and all Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured by a
lap-shoulder belt or, if so equipped, a
child restraint lower anchorage system
that complies with U.S. Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 225
and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 210.2.
Page 169 of 394
169 Controls in detail
Audio system
Bass
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BASS
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
+ or
- key to increase or de-
crease the tone level accordingly.
or
Press both the
+ and
- keys simulta-
neously to reset the bass tones to the
center (flat) level.Treble
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
TREBLE
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
+ or
- key to increase or de-
crease the tone level accordingly.
or
Press both the
+ and
- keys simulta-
neously to reset the treble tones to
their center (flat) level.Fader
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
FADER
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
F or
R key to shift the sound
accordingly.
or
Press both the
F and
R keys simulta-
neously to reset the fader to its center
level.
iYour vehicle may or may not have the
fader function, depending on the vehi-
cle equipment and model.
Page 170 of 394
170 Controls in detailAudio systemBalance
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BALANCE
appears on the display.
Press the
L or
R key to shift the sound
accordingly.
or
Press both the
L and
R keys simulta-
neously to reset the balance to its cen-
ter level.Returning audio functions to factory set-
tings
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
and hold the
AUD
key longer than two
seconds.
RESET
will appear on the dis-
play.
All settings for bass, treble and balance
are returned to center and the volume
is set to a predefined level.Audio system sound selection (EXT)*
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key.
The sound settings menu appears on
the display.
Press the
EXT
key.
Press one of the function keys.
You can select from among the follow-
ing settings:
DRV
: The tone level is set to the
“Driver” position, sound is directed
toward the passengers.
Page 171 of 394

171 Controls in detail
Audio system
SP: The tone level is set for
“Speech”, optimizing the sound for
spoken language.
AMB
: The tone level is set for “Ambi-
ence”, producing a three-dimen-
sional sound.
OFF
: The audio system sound selec-
tion is turned off.
Telephone* muting
If a telephone has been installed in the ve-
hicle, the radio will switch to telephone
mode when a call is received. The current
audio source is muted.
Radio mode
Selecting radio mode
Press the
b
button.
Selecting the band
You can select from among FM, AM or WB
frequency bands.
FM frequency band:
FM (ultra-short wave) 87.9......107.9 MHz
AM frequency bands:
MW (medium wave) 530......1710 KHz
WB (long wave) approx. 162 KHzSelecting FM band
Press the
FM function button.
FM appears in the upper right-hand cor-
ner of the display.
Selecting AM band
Press the
AM function button.
AM appears in the upper right-hand cor-
ner of the display.
Selecting a station
The following options are available for se-
lecting a station:
Direct frequency band input
Manual tuning
Automatic seek tuning
Scan tuning
Station buttons
Automatic station memory (Autostore)
Page 174 of 394

174 Controls in detailAudio systemWeather band
Press the
WB key.
The last weather band station is tuned
in.
Select the desired weather band sta-
tion with buttons 1 to 7.
If a station cannot be tuned in, a scan
is automatically started.
Press the
f
or
e
button. The
next receivable weather band station is
tuned in.
Cassette mode
Playing cassettes
Press the
3
button.
The display folds down and the cas-
sette slot becomes visible.
Press the cassette into the slot until it
engages and tap it gently.
The cassette will be pulled in automati-
cally. The system switches to cassette
mode (
TAPE
). Track 1 will be played and
SIDE 1
appears in the display. Track 1
is the side of the cassette which is fac-
ing upward. The cassette deck will au-
tomatically detect the type of tape.
Fold the display back up and press gen-
tly on the display frame to lock in place.
or
If a cassette is already in the mecha-
nism, press the
j
button.
Track selection
Press the
TRK
key.
Upon selection of the track, the display
shows
SIDE 1
or
SIDE 2
corresponding-
ly.
You can switch track sides at any time.
The track side will be changed auto-
matically at the end of the tape.
iDo not press directly on the display
face.
iA warning signal will sound after
20 seconds if the display is left in the
down position. If the display is not
closed, a warning signal will sound and
the radio will be muted.
Page 177 of 394

177 Controls in detail
Audio system
Skipping blank sections (skip blank)
Switching on the skip blank function
Press the
SB key.
SB appears on the display in in-
versed-color format.
If the system does not detect a sound
signal, the cassette will automatically
fast forward to the next sound signal.
Switching off the skip blank function
Press the
SB key.
The inversed-color
SB display disap-
pears.Dolby NR
1 (noise reduction system)
To enable optimum sound reproduction of
cassettes recorded using Dolby B NR
1, the
Dolby NR
1 system should be switched on.
Switching on
Press the
NR key.
NR appears on the display in in-
versed-color format.Switching off
Press the
NR key again.
The inversed-color
NR display disa-
pears.
1DOLBY and the double-D symbol
Ù
are trade-
marks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corpora-
tion.
The Dolby noise reduction system is manufactured
under license from Dolby Laboratories Licensing
Corporation.
iThe Dolby NR
1 function should be
switched off when playing cassettes
not recorded with Dolby B NR
1.
Page 198 of 394
198 Controls in detailDriving systemsDistronic displays in the speedometer
dial
1Set speed
If Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments light up around the set speed.1Segments
If Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments from the speed of the
vehicle ahead to set speed light up.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision
the DTR warning lamp
l
in the in-
strument cluster lights up red
an intermittent warning sounds
Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See warning
note on the next page.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red DTR warning lamp
l
goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again estab-
lished.
iThe vehicle speed displayed on the
speedometer can briefly vary from the
speed setting on the Distronic system.