2004 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 4MATIC WAGON window

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child
12 years old or under in the front passenger
seat of your vehicle, you must properly use
a BabySmart
TM1
child restraint which will
turn off the passenger front airbag.
BabySmart
TM will not, however, turn off any
side impact airbag.
It should be noted that with respect to both
front and rear side impact airbags there is a
possibility for a side airbag related injury if
occupants, especially children, are not prop-
erly seated or restrained when next to a side
airbag which needs to deploy rapidly in a
side impact in order to do its job.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
side airbag inflates. This could result in
serious injuries or death should the side
airbag be activated.
(2) Always sit upright, properly use the seat
belts and use an appropriately sized in-
fant or child restraint system for all chil-
dren 12 years old or under.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
rear seat occupants to have both rear door
mounted side airbags deactivated, then
deactivation can be accomplished upon
your written request to do so at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center at an additional
cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.iAirbags are designed to activate only in
certain frontal impacts (front airbags)
and in side impacts (side impact and
head protection window curtain air-
bags) which exceed preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of
sufficient severity to meet the deploy-
ment tresholds, will they provide their
supplemental protection.
The driver and passengers should
always wear their seat belts. Otherwise
it is not possible for airbags to provide
their supplemental protection.

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetySide impact airbags, window curtain
airbags
The window curtain airbags1 fill up the
area between the A and C pillars (see
arrows)
1Window curtain airbag
2Side impact airbagsThe side impact airbags and window
curtain airbags are deployed:


on the impacted side of the vehicle


in impacts exceeding a preset
deployment threshold


independently of the front airbags
The front passenger side impact airbag will
only deploy if the system senses that the
front passenger seat is occupied.
The side impact airbags and window
curtain airbags are not deployed in
impacts which do not exceed the system’s
deployment threshold.
Seat belts
When the engine is started, the seat belt
non-usage warning lamp< illuminates
to remind you and your passengers to
fasten your seat belts. If the driver’s seat
belt is not fastened before the engine is
started, the seat belt non-usage warning lamp< illuminates and a warning
chime sounds for approximately six
seconds when the engine is started.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, the
U.S. territories and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts
fastened whenever the vehicle is in
motion.
For more information on seat belts, see
“Fastening the seat belt” (
page 40).
!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger
seat. This could cause the front or side
impact airbag on the front passenger
side to deploy in a crash which exceeds
the system's deployment threshold.
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and
restraint systems for infants and
children, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 65).

64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this sec-
tion, as that could result in serious inju-
ries in case of an accident.


Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver airbag, pas-
senger front airbag, side impact airbags,
head protection window curtain airbags
for side windows), ETD (seat belt emer-
gency tensioning device), and front seat
knee bolsters. The system is designed
to enhance the protection offered to
properly belted occupants in certain
frontal (front airbags) and side (side im-
pact and window curtain airbags) im-
pacts which exceed preset deployment
thresholds.


Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The
belt would also apply too much force to
the ribs or abdomen, which could se-
verely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.


Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
might cause injuries.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another
person or other objects.


Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to manage impact forces. The
twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.


Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the floor in front of the seat.

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
The override switch is located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door.
1Override switch
Slide override switch1 to the right.
The rear door windows can no longer
be operated using the switch located in
the rear doors.For more information, see “Power win-
dows” (
page 196).
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 until
they reach a height where a lap/shoulder
belt fits properly without a booster.
Before installing the child seat, make sure
anchors1 are folded out and locked in
place.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d i n t h e
right and left side anchors1.
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 anchors1 must be replaced.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
iOperation of the rear door windows
with the switches located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door is still
possible.Warning!
G
Activate the override switch when children
are riding in the back seats of the vehicle.
The children may otherwise injure them-
selves, e.g. by becoming trapped in the win-
dow opening.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, and lock
the vehicle. Do not leave children unattend-
ed in the vehicle, or with access to an un-
locked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle
equipment may cause an accident and/or
serious personal injury.

83 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Climate control
Automatic climate control*
Audio system
Power windows
Sliding/pop-up roof*
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features

84 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
In the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed on your vehi-
cle. If you are already familiar with the
basic functions of your vehicle, this section
will be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are giv-
en at the beginning of each segment.
Locking and unlocking
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key. The locking
tabs for the mechanical key portion of the
two SmartKeys are a different color to help
distinguish each SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors


the tailgate


the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control1‹ Lock button
2Mechanical key locking tab
3ΠUnlock button
4Battery check lamp
5Â Panic button* (
page 73)
iYou can also open and close the power
windows (
page 198) and
sliding/pop-up roof* (
page 200)
from outside using the SmartKey.
iCanada only:
Only vehicles equipped with an
anti-theft alarm system* have
SmartKeys with integrated panic
button*5.

146 Controls in detailGood visibilityRear view mirrors
More information for setting the rear view
mirrors can be found in the “Getting
started” section (
page 38).
Interior rear view mirror, antiglare
position
1Lever

Tilt the mirror to the antiglare night
position by moving lever1 towards
the windshield.Automatic antiglare rear view mirrors*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when


the ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror.The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior lighting is turned onWarning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, when transporting cargo
which covers the rear window.
Glare can endanger you and others.

148 Controls in detailGood visibilityThe exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:

ten seconds after you put the gear
selector lever out of positionR


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)


immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side mirror
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you
experience glare.1Mounting
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Sun visor

To use illuminated mirror, lift up
cover2.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf sunlight enters through a side
window, disengage sun visor from
mounting1 and pivot to the side.
The mirror lamp3 will switch off.