2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS steering wheel adjustment

21 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Parking brake pedal
45, 50
2
Hood lock release
261
3
Steering wheel adjustment
stalk
38
Heated steering wheel*
233
4
Parking brake release
45
5
Combination switch

Turn signals
46


Windshield wipers
47


High beam
47
6
Door control panel
28
7
Exterior lamp switch
112
Item
Page
8
Headlamp washer button*
158
9
Cruise control lever

Cruise control
201


Distronic*
197
10
Instrument cluster
22,
118
11
Multifunction steering
wheel
24,
122
12
Horn
13
Lever for voice recognition
system*, see separate
operating instructions
Item
Page
14
Starter switch
31
15
Front Parktronic* warning
indicator
212
16
Overhead control panel
27
17
Mobile phone/Glasses box
226
18
Glove box lid release, glove
box lock
226
19
Glove box
226
20
Center console
25
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34 Getting startedAdjusting
AdjustingSeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
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 re-
clined 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 se-
rious 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.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 40).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO* (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. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
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 ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front air-
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the airbag when it in-
flates 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 seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in 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.
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37 Getting started
Adjusting
Folding rear head restraints back with
switch in the center console
1Head restraint release switch
Turn the electric key in starter switch
to position1 or 2.

Press the symbol-side on rocker
switch1 to release the head restraints.
The head restraints will fold backward.Placing rear head restraints upright

Pull the head restraint forward until it
locks into position.
Steering wheelWarning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO* (if so equipped) with
you and lock your vehicle.
The electrical steering wheel adjustment
feature can also be operated with the driv-
er’s door open. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause serious personal
injury.
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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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57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
AirbagsWarning!
G
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential
of injury in certain frontal (front airbags) im-
pacts, or side (side impact and head protec-
tion 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 releas-
es a small amount of dust from the airbags.
This dust, however, is neither injurious to
your health, nor does it indicate a fire in the
vehicle. The dust might cause some tempo-
rary breathing difficulty for people with asth-
ma 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.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
airbags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear your
seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and ensure that it is properly
positioned on your body.
Since the airbag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the airbag. Oc-
cupants who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it inflates with great
force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in an upright position
with your back against the backrest.


Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the airbag cover on
the steering wheel must be at least ten
inches (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front airbag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
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102 Controls in detailSeats
SeatsInformation on seat adjustment can be
found in the "Getting started" section
(page 35).
Easy-entry/exit feature*
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
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 and the driver’s door is closed,
the steering wheel and the driver’s seat re-
turn to their last set positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
The steering column and the seat are
adjusted.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
switched on or off in the individual setting
menu
Convenience
- Easy-entry feature
activate
(page 143).
Warning!
G
You must ensure that no one can become
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 engine
is turned off or the SmartKey removed from
the starter switch. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause serious personal
injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 28).


Move steering column stalk
(page 38).


Press the memory switch
(page 28).
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143 Controls in detail
Control system
Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you


remove the key from the starter switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when


the driver’s door is closed


you put the key in the starter switch


you press the appropriate stored posi-
tion button on the memory switch
(page 110).

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to
the
Convenience
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Function Easy-entry feature
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit feature
see
below
Set key dependency
144
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
144
Warning!
G
You must ensure that no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and the driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is in operation and
the driver’s door is being opened or the key
is removed from the starter switch. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause serious personal injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident or
serious injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 35).


Move the steering column stalk
(page 38).


Press the memory switch
(page 110).
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144 Controls in detailControl system
Pressæ orç to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:Setting key dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the mirrors should be stored
separately for each key (
page 86).

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to
the
Convenience
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Key-dependent
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to set key depen-
dency to
on or
off
. Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
Use the
Mirror adjustment parking aid

function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers (when reverse gear is engaged)
(
page 111).
The exterior rear view mirror will return to
its previous position when you


shift out of reverse (after 10 seconds)


exceed a speed of 6 mph (10 km/h),
regardless of which gear is engaged


press the driver’s side mirror button
(immediately) (
page 28).
off
The easy-entry/ex-
it feature is deacti-
vated.
Steering col.
Only the steering
column is moved.
Steer. col. + seat
Both the steering
column and the
seat are moved.
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