2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S55AMG height

35 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the front doors.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft adjustment
6Seat backrest tilt
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 front passenger 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 and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er’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.

36 Getting startedAdjusting
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1or2.
or

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

Open the respective driver’s or passen-
ger door.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.
Seat cushion tilt

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow3 until your upper legs
are lightly supported.Seat cushion depth

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow4 until your
legs are supported comfortably.
Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow5.
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.Seat backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow6 until your
arms are slightly angled when holding
the steering wheel.
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.

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Head restraint height
Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow1.
Head restraint tilt

Manually adjust the angle of the head
restraint. Push or pull on the lower
edge of the head restraint cushion.
For more information, see “Front seat head
restraints” (
page 105).
Steering wheel
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.
iThe front passenger seat head restraint
automatically lowers after a few sec-
onds when the front passenger seat is
not occupied. This improves the driv-
er’s outward view as well as the for-
ward view from the rear passenger
compartment.
When the front passenger seat is occu-
pied again, the front passenger seat
head restraint returns to the last set
position within a few seconds.
If the front passenger seat was moved
fore or aft while not being occupied,
the front passenger seat head restraint
returns to a position that corresponds
best with the seat’s axial position when
the seat is occupied again.
Warning!
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
SmartKey from the starter switch, and take
the KEYLESS-GO
* card (if so equipped) with
you.
The steering wheel adjustment feature can
also be operated with the driver’s door
open. 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.

38 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel adjustment
The stalk is located on the steering column
(lower left).
1Steering column, lengthen or shorten
2Steering column, height
Turn the SmartKey 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.Steering column, lengthen or shorten

Move stalk forward or backward in the
direction of arrows1 until a comfort-
able steering wheel position is reached
with your arms slightly bent at the el-
bow.
Steering column, height

Move the stalk up or down in the direc-
tion of arrows2. Make sure that your
legs can move freely and that all of 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.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.

69 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
BabySmart
TM
airbag deactivation
system
1Indicator lampSpecial BabySmart
TM compatible child
seats, designed for use with the
Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center are
required for use with the BabySmart
TM air-
bag deactivation system. With the special
child seat properly installed, the passenger
front airbag will not deploy.
The “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF” indicator
lamp1 located in the center console will
be illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed or in starter switch position0.
BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, not face or neck. A booster
seat may be necessary to achieve proper
belt positioning for children from 41 lbs. un-
til they reach a height where a lap/shoulder
belt fits properly without a booster.
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.
When the child restraint is not in use, re-
move it from the vehicle or secure it with the
seat belt to prevent the child restraint from
becoming a projectile in the event of an ac-
cident.
Do not leave children, unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised chil-
dren in a child restraint system may use ve-
hicle equipment and may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iThe system does not deactivate the
side impact airbag or the emergency
tensioning device.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Vehicles with adjustable rear seats/bench*:
Never adjust the rear seat position after in-
stalling the child restraint. Adjusting the rear
seat position after installing the child re-
straint could damage the child restraint
and/or introduce undesirable slack into the
webbing and loosen or misposition the child
restraint, lessening the effectiveness of the
child restraint and thus increasing the
chance or severity of injury in an accident.
iThe child seat must be firmly attached
in the right and left side anchor fittings.
Make sure that the seat belt for the
center seat can operate freely with a
child seat installed.
Non-“LATCH” type child seats may also
be used and can be installed using the
vehicle’s seat belt system. Install child
seat according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Warning!
G
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, not face or neck. A booster
seat may be necessary to achieve proper
belt positioning for children from 41 lbs. un-
til they reach a height where a lap/shoulder
belt fits properly without a booster.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
The child seat must be firmly attached in
right and left side anchor fittings2.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident which could result
in serious injury or death to your child.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.

89 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Unlocking the trunk lid
You can unlock the trunk separately.
Press and hold button
Š
until trunk
unlocks.Loss of SmartKey or mechanical key
If you lose a SmartKey or mechanical key,
you should do the following:

Have the SmartKey deactivated by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey or the
mechanical key immediately to your
car insurance company.

If necessary, have the mechanical lock
replaced.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
will be glad to supply you with a replace-
ment.
KEYLESS-GO card*
Specially equipped vehicles come with two
KEYLESS-GO cards. On these vehicles, the
validity of the KEYLESS-GO card is
checked every time you grasp a door
handle.
If the card is valid, your vehicle unlocks:

the doors


the trunk lid


the fuel filler flap
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.
A minimum height clearance of 6 ft.
(1.85 m) is required to open the trunk
lid.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey, the trunk lid
will lock automatically after closing it.
The turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.
If the trunk lid was previously locked
separately (
page 98), it will remain
locked.

94 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingUnlocking the trunk lid
You can unlock the trunk separately.
Press trunk lid button1 (
page 95)
until trunk unlocks.Loss of the KEYLESS-GO card
If you lose your KEYLESS-GO card, you
should do the following:

Have the KEYLESS-GO card deactivat-
ed by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

Report the loss immediately to your car
insurance company.

Have the mechanical lock replaced if
necessary.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
will be glad to supply you with a replace-
ment.
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handle
Pull on door handle2.
If door was locked, locking knob1 will
move up.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure that
there is sufficient overhead clearance.
A minimum height clearance of 6 ft.
(1.85 m) is required to open the trunk
lid.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey, the trunk lid
will lock automatically after closing it.
The turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.
If the trunk lid was previously locked
separately (
page 98), it will remain
locked.