2004 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Owner's Manual

104 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingTrunk lid emergency release
The emergency release button is located
on the inside of the trunk lid.
1Emergency release button
Briefly press emergency release
button1.
The trunk unlocks and the trunk lid
opens.Illumination of the emergency release but-
ton:


The button will flash for 30 minutes af-
ter opening the trunk.


The button will flash for 60 minutes af-
ter closing the trunk.iThe emergency release button unlocks
and opens the trunk while the vehicle is
standing or driving.
The emergency release button does
not open the trunk lid if the vehicle bat-
tery is discharged or disconnected.
iIf the emergency release button is
pressed and the vehicle was centrally
locked, the exterior lamps will flash and
the alarm will sound as the trunk lid
opens:
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press button Œ or ‹ on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*


Grasp the outside door handle.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button.

105 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Separately locking the trunk lidThe lock is located next to the recessed
handle.
1Locked
2Neutral position

Close the trunk lid (
page 98).

Pull the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 348).

Insert the mechanical key into the
trunk lid lock.

Turn the mechanical key clockwise to
position1.
The trunk remains locked even when the
vehicle is centrally unlocked.
Separately unlocking the trunk lid
Pull the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 348).

Insert the mechanical key into the
trunk lid lock.

Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to neutral position2, see above.
You can now open the trunk (
page 97).
A minimum height clearance of 6 ft.
(1.85 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
iYour vehicle may be equipped with a
function permitting the separate lock-
ing of the trunk using the mechanical
key. If present, this feature can permit
you to deny any unauthorized person
access to the trunk by locking the trunk
separately and leaving the SmartKey
less the mechanical key with the
vehicle.
To verify the presence of this feature,
use the mechanical key to lock the
trunk and then attempt to open the
trunk by pressing the trunk lid button
after the vehicle has been centrally
unlocked with the SmartKey.
iYou can only cancel the separate trunk
locking mode by means of the
mechanical key.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as visibility blockage,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.

106 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
Power closing assist for doors
Press the doors gently past the initial
engage position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid

Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
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.For more information on towing the vehi-
cle, see “Towing the vehicle” (
page 371).
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 159).
iIt is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. A pneumatic pow-
er-assisted mechanism draws doors
and trunk lid closed quietly and auto-
matically once door and trunk lid has
been latched. When the pneumatic
power-assisted mechanism has
stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk opening when closing a door or the
trunk lid. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside
door handle, or press the trunk lid lock.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle locks automatically 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

107 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
or unlocking switch. This can be useful, for
example, if you want to lock the vehicle be-
fore starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap will not be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch, respectively.The switches are located in the center con-
sole.
Central locking/unlocking switches1Locking
2Unlocking
Locking
Press central locking switch1.
If all door’s are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking

Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey or the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* it will not
unlock using the central locking switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked
with the central locking switch:

While in the global remote control
mode, the vehicle is unlocked com-
pletely when a door is opened from
the inside.


While in the selective remote con-
trol mode, only the door opened
from inside is unlocked.

108 Controls in detailSeats
SeatsFor more information on seat adjustment,
see “Seat adjustment” (
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 or you have pressed the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once and
the driver’s door is closed, the steering
wheel and the driver’s seat return 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 convenience sub-
menu of the control system (
page 160).
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 en-
gine is turned off or the SmartKey is re-
moved from the starter switch.
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
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press the seat adjustment switch
(page 35)


Move the steering column stalk
(page 37)


Press the memory button
(page 121)

109 Controls in detailSeats
Removing and installing front seat head restraints
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see the “Getting started” section
(page 36)
Front seat head restraints
1Head restraint height switchRemoving front head restraints

Press switch1 upwards and hold until
the head restraint is fully extended.

Pull out head restraint.
Installing front head restraints:

Press switch1 upwards and hold for
about five seconds.

Push the head restraint down until it
engages.

Adjust head restraint to desired posi-
tion (
page 35).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
iTilt the seat backrest to the rear for
easier removal and installation of the
head restraints.

110 Controls in detailSeatsRear seat head restraints
Folding head restraints back
The rear seat head restraints and the rear
seat power head restraints* can be folded
backward for increased visibility.
1Switch in the front center console

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.

Press switch1 in the front center con-
sole briefly.
The rear head restraints will fold back-
ward.Placing head restraints upright

Pull the rear head restraint upright until
it locks into position.
!The rear head restraints cannot be re-
moved.
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.
!Make sure the head restraints engage
when placing them upright manually.
Otherwise their protective function
cannot be ensured.

111 Controls in detailSeats
Placing power head restraints* upright
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.

Press switch1 in the front center con-
sole and hold.
The rear head restraints will fold up-
right.Folding back and placing upright power
head restraints* with the switches in
the rear doors
You can fold the rear power head restraints
backward or upright using the head re-
straint folding switches in the respective
rear doors.
1Head restraint switch, rear

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.

Press switch up in direction of
arrow1.
The rear power head restraint will fold
upright.

Press switch down in direction of
arrow1.
The rear power head restraint will fold
backward.
Head restraint tilt
You can adjust the angle manually by pull-
ing or pushing the head restraints by hand.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.