Contents
Maintenance...................................... 302
Clearing the service indicator ...... 302
Service term exceeded ................ 302
Calling up the service indicator .... 303
Resetting the service indicator..... 303
Vehicle care ....................................... 304
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 304
Practical hints.................................. 311
What to do if …? ................................. 312
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 312
Lamp in center console................. 319
Messages in the display ................ 320
Where will I find...? ............................. 343
First aid kit.................................... 343
Vehicle tool kit .............................. 343
Minispare wheel............................ 346
Unlocking/locking in an emergency... 348
Unlocking the vehicle.................... 348
Locking the vehicle ....................... 349
Changing batteries in
the SmartKey/ SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* ....................... 350
Fuel filler flap ................................ 352
Manually unlocking
the gear selector lever .................. 352
Opening/closing in an emergency ..... 353
Operating roll bars manually ......... 353
Soft top emergency operation ...... 355Replacing bulbs .................................. 372
Bulbs............................................. 372
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 374
Side marker lamp bulb.................. 377
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 378
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 379
Removing wiper blades ................. 379
Installing wiper blades .................. 379
Flat tire............................................... 380
Preparing the vehicle .................... 380
Mounting the Minispare wheel...... 380
Battery ............................................... 385
Disconnecting the battery ............ 386
Removing the battery ................... 386
Charging and reinstalling battery .. 386
Reconnecting the battery ............. 387
Jump starting...................................... 388
Towing the vehicle.............................. 390
Towing the vehicle ........................ 390
Installing towing eye bolt .............. 392
Fuses.................................................. 394
Fuse box in
passenger compartment ............... 394
Fuse box in engine compartment . 395
Auxiliary fuse box in trunk ............ 396
ProCarManuals.com
23 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
L
Left turn signal indi-
cator lamp
48
2
v
ESP warning lamp
316
3
Speedometer
4
Multifunction display
with:
129
Basic display with outside
temperature display
134,
144
Status indicator with mal-
function warning message
134,
138
Trip odometer
127
5
l
Distance warning
lamp
Vehicles without Distronic*:
Warning lamp without func-
tion. It illuminates with the
ignition on. It should go out
when the engine is running.
316
Item
Page
6
K
Right turn signal indi-
cator lamp
48
7
Coolant temperature indi-
cator with:
127
Ï
Coolant temperature
warning lamp
315,
329
8
Tachometer with:
127
1
Supplemental
restraint system
indicator lamp
318,
339
-
Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS) warning
lamp
312
<
Seat belt non-usage
warning lamp
318,
339
A
High beam headlamp
indicator
123
9
Main odometer with:
Gear selector lever posi-
tion
129
Program mode
129
Item
Page
a
Clock with:
144
;
Brake warning lamp,
except Canada
313
3
Brake warning lamp,
Canada only
?
Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
314
C
Roll bar warning lamp
b
Fuel display with:W
Fuel reserve warning
lamp
317
c
Reset button for:
Resetting trip odometer
126
Adjusting instrument
cluster illumination
126
Confirming new time set-
tings
144
ProCarManuals.com
61 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
door or the side where the front
head-thorax or rear side-impact airbag
inflates. This could result in serious inju-
ries or death should the front
head-thorax airbag or rear side-impact
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 the rear mount-
ed thorax airbags deactivated, then deacti-
vation can be accomplished upon your
written request to do so at your authorized
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 (front airbags) impacts,
or side (head-thorax airbags and rear
side-impact airbags) impacts which ex-
ceed preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of
sufficient severity to meet the deploy-
ment thresholds, will they provide their
supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should al-
ways wear their seat belts. Otherwise it
is not possible for the airbags to pro-
vide their supplemental protection.
In cases of other frontal impacts, an-
gled impacts, roll-overs, other side im-
pacts, rear collisions, or other
accidents, the airbags will not be acti-
vated. The driver and passengers will
then be protected by the fastened seat
belts.
We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the airbags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.
Your vehicle was originally equipped
with airbags that are designed to acti-
vate in certain impacts exceeding a
preset threshold to reduce the poten-
tial and severity of injury. It is important
to your safety and that of your passen-
ger that you replace deployed airbags
and repair any malfunctioning airbags
to ensure that the vehicle will continue
to provide supplemental crash protec-
tion for occupants.
ProCarManuals.com
63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Front airbags
1Driver airbag
2Passenger airbag
Driver and passenger airbags are de-
ployed:
in the event of a frontal impact
if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold
independently of the side impact air-
bagsThe airbags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.
The passenger front airbag will only be de-
ployed if:
the front passenger seat is occupied.
the PASS. AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
in the center console is not lit
(page 71).
impact exceeds a preset deployment
thresholdHead-thorax airbags
1Head-thorax airbag
The head-thorax airbags1 in the driver
and front passenger seat are deployed:
on the impacted side of the vehicle
in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold
independently of the front airbags
The head-thorax airbags1 are not de-
ployed in impacts which do not exceed the
system’s deployment threshold.
!Do not place objects heavier than 20
lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger seat.
This could cause the front or
head-thorax airbag on the front passen-
ger side to deploy in a crash which ex-
ceeds the system's deployment
threshold.
ProCarManuals.com
64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyThe front passenger head-thorax airbag
will only deploy if the system senses that
the front passenger seat is occupied.Rear side-impact airbags
1Rear side-impact airbag
The rear side-impact airbags1 are de-
ployed:
on the impacted side of the vehicle
in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold
independently of the front airbags
The rear side-impact airbags1 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 fas-
ten your seat belts. If the driver’s seat belt
is not fastened before the engine is start-
ed, 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 fas-
tened whenever the vehicle is in motion.
Information on fastening seat belts is
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 40).
Warning!
G
For the front seats, only use seat covers that
have been approved by Mercedes-Benz for
this model. Other seat covers may prevent
the head-thorax bags from deploying
correctly.
ProCarManuals.com
66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced
and their anchoring points must also be
checked.
Only use seat belts which have been ap-
proved by Mercedes-Benz.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended activation
or to failure.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
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, head-thorax airbags
and rear side-impact airbags), ETD (seat
belt emergency tensioning device), and
front seat knee bolsters. The system is
designed to enhance the protection of-
fered to properly belted occupants in
certain frontal (front airbags) and side
(head-thorax and rear side-impact air-
bags) impacts which exceed preset de-
ployment 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.
ProCarManuals.com
67 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear seats
are equipped with emergency tensioning
devices and belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases when the seat belt are fas-
tened and:
in frontal or rear-end impacts
exceeding a preset severity level
if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly. See
1indicator lamp (
page 58)In an impact, emergency tensioning devic-
es remove slack from the belts in such a
way that the seat belts fit more snugly
against the body. Belt force limiters reduce
the force exerted by the seat belts on oc-
cupants during 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 per-
son 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.
Warning!
G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When disposing of the emergency tension-
ing device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
ProCarManuals.com
107 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Separately unlocking the trunk
Pull the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 348).
Insert the mechanical key in the trunk
lid lock.
Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to neutral position1.
You can now open the trunk
(page 98).
A minimum height clearance of 5.41 ft
(1.65 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 149).
For more information on towing the vehi-
cle, see “Towing the vehicle” (page 390).
Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed. Among oth-
er dangers, such as your view being blocked,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more. You could therefore lock yourself
out when the vehicle
is pushed or towed
is on a test stand
ProCarManuals.com