2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS height

35 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
in each door.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Backrest tilt
5Head restraint height
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1or2.
or

Press the KEYLESS GO* start/stop
button once or twice.
or

Open the driver’s or passenger door.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.
Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow1.
Adjust to a comfortable seating posi-
tion that still allows you to reach the
accelerator / brake pedal safely. The
position should be as far to the rear as
possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
Infants and small children must be seated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint sys-
tem, which is properly secured with the ve-
hicle’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.
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.
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36 Getting startedAdjustingSeat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow3 until your upper legs
are lightly supported.
Backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow4 until your
arms are slightly angled when holding
the steering wheel.
Front head restraint height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow 5.
Front head restraint tilt

Manually adjust the angle of the head
restraint. Push or pull on the lower
edge of the head restraint cushion.
More information can be found in the
"Controls in detail" section (
page 102).
Rear seat head restraints
The rear seat head restraints can be folded
backward for increased visibility.
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.
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.!The rear seat head restraints cannot be
adjusted.
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38 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel adjustment
The stalk is located on the steering column
(lower left).
1Steering column stalk, adjusts length
2Steering column stalk, adjusts height
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1or2.
or

Press the KEYLESS GO* start/stop
button once or twice.
or

Open the driver or passenger door.Steering column, lengthen or shorten

Move stalk forward or backward in the
direction of arrow 1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Steering column, height

Move the stalk up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow 2. Make sure that your
legs can move freely and that all the
displays (including malfunction and in-
dicator lamps) on the instrument clus-
ter are clearly visible.
Mirrors
Adjust the inside and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Inside rear view mirror
Manually adjust the inside rear view
mirror.
More information can be found in the
"Controls in detail" section (
page 157).
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
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42 Getting startedDriving
Place the belt over your shoulder.

Push latch plate2 into buckle3 until it
clicks.

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Belt outlet height adjustment
1Release button

Press release button1 and move the
seat belt height adjuster upward or
downward.Proper use of seat belts


Do not twist the belt when fastening.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck or pass under the
arm).


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Each seat belt should never be used for
more than one person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time.


Check your seat belt during travel to
ensure that it is properly positioned.


Ensure that the seat belt is always fit-
ted snugly. You should avoid wearing
bulky clothing, such as winter coats,
when traveling in the vehicle.
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88 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Checking the batteries
Press button‹ orŒ.
Battery check lamp5 lights up briefly
to indicate that the key batteries are in
order.Unlocking the trunk lid
You can unlock the trunk separately.
A minimum height clearance of 5.75 ft.
(1.75 m) is required to open the trunk lid.

Press and hold button Š until trunk
opens.
The trunk can also be opened from its in-
side in an emergency, see "Trunk lid emer-
gency release" (
page 97).
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the key, then either the
batteries in the SmartKey are dis-
charged or the key is malfunctioning.

Check the batteries in the key
(page 88) and replace them if
necessary (
page 328).
or


Use the mechanical key to lock and
unlock the doors (
page 327) and
the trunk lid (
page 98) as re-
quired.
If the key is malfunctioning, contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!If battery check lamp5 does not light
up briefly during check, then the key
batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 329).
You can obtain the required batteries
at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
!The trunk lid swings upwards automat-
ically. Always make sure that there is
sufficient overhead clearance.
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94 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Opening the trunk from the inside
You can open the trunk from the inside if
the vehicle is stationary.
A minimum height clearance of 5.75 ft.
(1.75 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
The switch is located on the driver’s door.
1Remote trunk lid release switch with in-
dicator lamp
Pull remote trunk lid release switch1.
The trunk opens. The indicator lamp in
the switch lights up and remains lit as
long as the trunk is open.The trunk can also be opened using the
SmartKey (
page 88) or from its inside in
an emergency, see "Trunk lid emergency
release" (
page 97).
iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked from the outside, opening a
door from the inside will trigger the an-
ti-theft alarm system. To cancel the
alarm, do one of the following:

Press button Œor ‹on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed (
page 96). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.
If the vehicle was previously separately
locked (
page 98), the trunk lid will re-
main locked.
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95 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Trunk lid opening/closing system*
The switch for opening and closing the
trunk is located on the driver’s door.
1Remote control switch
Pull remote control switch1 until the
trunk begins to open.
The trunk lid opens automatically.
The indicator lamp in the switch lights
up and remains lit until the trunk is
closed again by pressing remote con-
trol switch1.If the vehicle was previously separately
locked (
page 98), the trunk lid will re-
main locked.Activating opening height restriction of
trunk lid
If the opening height restriction of trunk lid
is activated, the trunk lid opens to below
the roof line of the vehicle.
1Trunk lid closing switch

Press the trunk lid closing switch 1 for
approx. 5 seconds.
The opening height restriction is acti-
vated.

Press the trunk lid closing switch 1
again for approx. 5 seconds.
The opening height restriction is deac-
tivated.
iThe trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.
To stop the opening procedure, pull or
press the remote control switch for the
trunk lid.
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96 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingOpening the trunk
A minimum height clearance of 5.75 ft.
(1.75 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
The handle is located above the rear li-
cense plate recess.
Pull on the handle and lift up the trunk
lid.
The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.
Closing the trunk
1Handle
Lower trunk lid using handle1.Vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system*
Closing from the inside

Press the remote control switch until
the indicator lamp in the switch goes
out and the trunk lid is closed.
When closing, if the trunk lid comes into
contact with an object (e.g. luggage that
has been piled too high) in the upper mo-
tion sequence, the closing procedure is
stopped and the trunk re-opens slightly.
iThe vehicle must be unlocked.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
opening when closing the trunk. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
ensure that no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
let go of the remote control switch for the
trunk.
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