2004 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 airbag

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
This vehicle is equipped with tether an-
chorages for a top tether strap at each of
the rear seating positions.
1Cover of top anchorage ring
Remove cover1 from anchorage ring.

Store cover1 in a convenient place
(e.g. glove box).

Guide tether strap between head re-
straint and top of seat back.Head restraints must be positioned such
that the top tether strap can pass freely
between the head restraint and top of seat
back.
Make sure the tether strap is not twisted.
2Hook
3Anchorage ring

Securely fasten hook2, which is part
of the tether strap, to anchorage
ring3.
Warning!
G
When using a BabySmart
TM compatible
child seat on the front passenger seat, the
passenger front airbag will not deploy only if
the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
remains illuminated.
Make sure to check the indicator every time
you use the special system child seat.
Should the light go out while the restraint is
installed, please check installation. If the
light remains out, do not use the
BabySmart
TM restraint to transport children
on the front passenger seat until the system
has been repaired.
Do not place powered-on laptops, cell
phones and like electronic devices on the
front passenger seat. Signals from such de-
vices may interfere with the BabySmart
TM
system. Such signal interference may cause
the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
not to come on during self-test or be contin-
uously lit, indicating that the system is not
functioning.
iFor safety reasons, make sure the hook
has attached to the ring beyond the
safety catch, as illustrated.

119 Controls in detailSeats
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press switch forward or backward in di-
rection of arrow1.
Seat height

Press switch up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow2.
Head restraint folding

Press switch up or down in direction of
arrow3.
The head restraint is folded or placed
upright.
For information on switching on seat heat-
ing* and seat ventilation*, see
(
page 117) and (
page 114).Power seat, setting front passenger
seat position from rear*
This function lets you adjust the position of
the front passenger seat from the rear.The switch is located on the right rear pas-
senger door.
1Front passenger seat adjustment
2Rear seat adjustment
3Seat height
4Head restraint height
5Backrest tilt
6Seat fore and aft adjustment
Warning!
G
When adjusting the front passenger seat,
make sure the seat, if occupied, is as far
from the passenger front airbag as possible.
Otherwise, the passenger could be seriously
or even fatally injured in the event of an ac-
cident or braking maneuver.
Make sure that no one is caught or injured
while the seat is being adjusted.
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 an accident and/or serious personal
injury

121 Controls in detail
Memory function
Memory function
You can store up to three different settings
per SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
The following settings are saved for each
stored position:

Seat and backrest position


Settings for the multicontour seat*


Steering wheel position


Exterior rear view mirror position


Automatic climate control
These key-dependent memory settings
can be deactivated if desired
(
page 160).The memory button and stored position
switch are located on the door.
1 Stored position buttons
2Memory button

Make sure the ignition is switched on
or the relevant door is open and the
SmartKey is inserted in the starter
switch.
!Prior to operating the vehicle, the driv-
er should check and adjust the seat
height, seat position fore and aft, and
seat backrest angle if necessary, to en-
sure adequate control, reach, and com-
fort. The head restraint should also be
adjusted for proper height. See also the
section on airbags (
page 59) for
proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, opera-
tion and comfort. Both the inside and
outside rear view mirrors should be ad-
justed for adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in a properly
secured restraint system that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213
and 210.2.
Warning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

128 Controls in detailLightingCombination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasherSwitching on high beams

Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB or toU
(page 124).

Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam indicatorA on the
instrument cluster comes on
(page 22).
High beam flasher

Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the starter switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1Hazard warning flasher switch

244 Controls in detailUseful featuresEmergency calls
An emergency call is initiated automatical-
ly:

following an accident in which the
emergency tensioning devices (ETDs)
or airbags deploy


if the anti-theft alarm or the tow-away
alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds, see “Anti-theft alarm sys-
tem” (
page 83) and tow-away alarm
(
page 85)
An emergency call can also be initiated
manually by opening the cover next to the
interior rear view mirror labeled SOS, then
briefly pressing the button located under
the cover.
For more information, see “Initiating an
emergency call manually” (
page 245).Once the emergency call is in progress, the
indicator lamp in the SOS button will begin
to flash. The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CONNECTING CALL
appears in the multifunc-
tion display. When the connection is estab-
lished, the message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
appears in the multifunc-
tion display. All information relevant to the
emergency, such as the location of the ve-
hicle (determined by the GPS satellite loca-
tion system), vehicle model, identification
number and color are generated.
A voice connection between the Response
Center and the occupants of the vehicle
will be established automatically soon af-
ter the emergency call has been initiated.
When a voice connection is established,
the audio system mutes and the message
TELE AID – EMERGENCY CALL ACTIVE
ap-
pears in the multifunction display. The Re-
sponse Center will attempt to determine
more precisely the nature of the accident
provided they can speak to an occupant of
the vehicle.The Tele Aid system is available if


it has been activated and is operation-
al. Activation requires a subscription
for monitoring services, connection,
and cellular air time


the relevant cellular phone network
and GPS signals are available and pass
the information on to the Response
CenteriLocation of the vehicle on a map is only
possible if the vehicle is able to receive
signals from the GPS satellite network
and pass the information on to the Re-
sponse Center.

310 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
1
The red SRS indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
There is a malfunction in the restraint sys-
tems. The airbags or emergency tensioning
devices (ETDs) could deploy unexpectedly
or fail to activate in an accident.

Drive with added caution to the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
In the event a malfunction of the SRS is indi-
cated as outlined above, the SRS may not be
operational. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked; otherwise the SRS may
not be activated when needed in an acci-
dent, which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could result in an acci-
dent and/or injury to you or to others.

311 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Lamp in center consoleProblem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator
lamp comes on.
A BabySmart
TM child seat is installed on the
front passenger seat. Therefore the passen-
ger front airbag is switched off.
The system is malfunctioning when there is
no BabySmart
TM child seat installed on the
front passenger seat.

Have the system checked as soon as
possible by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator
lamp does not come on with a
BabySmart
TM1
child seat properly installed
on the front passenger seat.
1BabySmart
TMis a trademark of Siemens AutomotiveCorp.
The system is malfunctioning.

Make sure that there is nothing between
seat cushion and child seat and check
installation of the child seat.

If the light remains out, have the system
checked as soon as possible by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not use the BabySmart
TM restraint to
transport children on the front passen-
ger seat until the system has been re-
paired.

317 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
P
SHIFT
TO P
You have tried to turn off the engine with
the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button with
the gear selector lever not inP.

Place the gear selector lever in positionP.
PRE-SAFE
INACTIVE
SEE OPER. MANUAL
!
If BAS or ESP malfunction messages are
displayed simultaneously, PRE-SAFE has
been deactivated as a result of these mal-
functions. All other occupant safety sys-
tems, such as the airbags, are still available.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
PRE-SAFE itself has failed. All other occu-
pant safety systems, such as the airbags,
are still available.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.