Page 68 of 442

66 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 air bag, 
passenger front air bag, side impact 
air bags, head protection window cur-
tain air bags for side windows), ETD 
(seat belt emergency tensioning device), 
and front seat knee bolsters. The sys-
tem is designed to enhance the protec-
tion offered to properly belted 
occupants in certain frontal (front 
air bags and ETD) and side (side impact, 
window curtain air bags and ETD) 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 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, dashboard or on the seat. Always 
keep both feet on the floor in front of the 
seat. 
     
        
        Page 77 of 442

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
You can block the rear door window 
operation (for instance when you have 
children riding in the rear passenger 
compartment).
The override switch is located on the door 
control panel of the driver’s door.
1Enable
2Disable
3Override switchActivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the right.
The rear door windows can no longer 
be operated using the respective 
switch located in the rear doors.
Deactivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the left.
The rear door windows can be operated 
again using the respective switch 
located in the rear doors .For more information, see “Power win-
dows” (
page 223).
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 can cause an accident and/or 
serious personal injury. 
     
        
        Page 89 of 442
87 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*
Good visibility
Climate control
Audio system
Power windows
Power tilt/sliding sunroof*
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features 
     
        
        Page 91 of 442

89 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The 
locking knobs in the doors move up. 
The anti-theft alarm system* is 
switched off.
The vehicle will lock again automatically 
and reactivate the anti-theft alarm 
system* within approximately 40 seconds 
of unlocking if:
neither door nor trunk is opened
the SmartKey is not inserted in the 
starter switch
the central locking switch is not 
activatedGlobal locking
Press button‹.
All turn signal lamps flash three times. 
The locking knobs in the doors move 
down. The anti-theft alarm system* is 
activated.
Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish 
to reprogram the SmartKey so that 
pressingŒ only unlocks the driver’s 
door and the fuel filler flap.
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹ 
simultaneously for about five seconds 
until battery check lamp5 flashes 
twice.
Warning!
G
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. It is possible for children to 
open a locked door from the inside, which 
could result in an accident and/or serious 
injury.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid 
exposing the SmartKey to high levels of 
electromagnetic radiation.iYou can also open and close the power 
windows (
page 225) and power 
tilt/sliding sunroof* (
page 229) from 
outside using the SmartKey.
 
     
        
        Page 171 of 442

169 Controls in detail
Good visibility
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 gearR is engaged
the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
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, if the rear window 
sunshade* is in raised position.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In the case of an accident liquid electrolyte 
may escape from the mirror housing if the 
mirror glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not 
allow 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.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror 
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface 
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror 
are closer than they appear. Check your 
interior rear view mirror or glance over your 
shoulder before changing lanes.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact 
with the vehicle paint finish can be 
completely removed only while in the 
liquid state and by applying plenty of 
water. 
     
        
        Page 173 of 442
171 Controls in detail
Good visibility
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. 
     
        
        Page 174 of 442

172 Controls in detailGood visibilityRear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch
Switch on ignition (
page 33).
Always raise the sunshade fully for its 
support against the window frame.
Raising the sunshade
Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is raised completely.
Stopping the raising procedure
Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
Lowering the sunshade
Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is lowered completely.
Stopping the lowering procedure
Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
!Make sure that the movement of the 
rear window sunshade is not restricted 
by objects on the rear window shelf. 
Otherwise, the sunshade or the objects 
could be damaged. 
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade, 
make sure there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be 
immediately halted by briefly pressing the 
switch.
Briefly press switch again to raise or lower 
the rear window sunshade completely.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the 
SmartKey from starter switch, and lock your 
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in 
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked 
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment can cause an accident and/or serious 
personal injury. 
     
        
        Page 175 of 442

173 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large 
amount of power. To keep the battery 
drain to a minimum, switch off the 
defroster as soon as the rear window is 
clear. The defroster is automatically 
deactivated after approximately 
6 to 17 minutes of operation depending on 
the outside temperature.Activating
Press buttonF in the climate 
control panel (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button 
comes on.
Deactivating
Press buttonF again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes 
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be 
removed from the rear window before 
driving. Visibility could otherwise be 
impaired, endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches 
off too soon and the indicator lamp 
starts flashing, this means that too 
many electrical consumers are 
operating simultaneously and there is 
insufficient voltage in the battery. The 
system responds automatically by 
deactivating the rear window defroster. 
As soon as the battery has sufficient 
voltage, the rear window defroster 
automatically turns itself back on.