64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag In case of other types of impacts and
impacts below air bag deployment
thresholds, air bags will not be de-
ployed. The driver and passenger will
then be protected to the extent possi-
ble by a properly fastened seat belt. A
properly fastened seat belt is also
needed to provide the best possible
protection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the air bags in order to avoid
wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of
your passengers that you replace de-
ployed air bags and repair any malfunc-
tioning air bags to make sure that the
vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.Warning!
G
Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Use only belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Air bags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETD
that was activated must be replaced.
No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or re-
moving any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front air bag cov-
er, door trim panels,
or door frame trims, and installation of
additional electrical/electronic equip-
ment on or near SRS components and
wiring. Keep area between air bags and
occupants free from objects (e.g. pack-
ages, purses, umbrellas, etc.).
Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.
Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when curtain air bag is deployed.
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.
86 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsThe - malfunction warning lamp in the
instrument cluster comes on when you
switch on the ignition. It goes out when the
engine is running.
Braking
If the ABS activates during braking, the
ABS/ESP warning lamp v in the instru-
ment cluster dial flashes. Because of the
SBC brake system, you will not feel any
pulsation in the brake pedal.
Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal.Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and the ability to
steer the vehicle.
The ABS/ESP warning lamp v flashes
whenever the ABS is activated which can
be an indication of hazardous road condi-
tions and functions as a reminder to take
extra care while driving.
Emergency brake maneuver
Keep continuous full pressure on the
brake pedal.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 357).
Warning!
G
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the BAS
and the ESP are also switched off.
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the wheels
may lock during hard braking, reducing
steering capability and extending the brak-
ing distance.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency be-
yond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction af-
forded. The ABS cannot prevent accidents,
including those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, following another vehicle too
closely, or hydroplaning. Only a safe, atten-
tive, and skillful driver can prevent acci-
dents. The capabilities of an ABS equipped
vehicle must never be exploited in a reck-
less or dangerous manner which could jeop-
ardize the user’s safety or the safety of
others.
121 Controls in detailSeats
Seats
For more information on seat adjustment,
see the “Getting started” section
(page 38).
Easy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the
Convenience
sub-
menu of the control system (
page 167).When exiting the vehicle, with the
easy-entry/exit feature activated and de-
pending on your selection, the steering
wheel tilts upwards and/or the driver’s
seat moves a few inches to the rear when
you:
remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch,
or
open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position 0
or 1 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 35) in position 1.
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the easy-en-
try/exit feature is activated.
To cancel seat/steering wheel movement,
do one of the following:
Press seat adjustment switch
(page 30).
Move steering column stalk
(page 40).
Press one of the memory position but-
tons (
page 131).
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.
122 Controls in detailSeats
When entering the vehicle, with the
easy-entry/exit feature activated, the
steering wheel or, depending on your se-
lection, the steering wheel and driver’s
seat will return to their last set memory po-
sition or a factory-set maximum forward
position when you:
close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on
insert the SmartKey in starter switch or
press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 35) once with the driv-
er’s door closed.
iIf the current position for the steering
wheel is in the uppermost tilt position,
the steering wheel will no longer be
able to move upward when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
If the current seat position falls into a
factory-set position range and the
sytem recognizes the current seat posi-
tion to be rearward enough for easy en-
try and exit, the driver’s seat will not
move to the rear when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
iFor safety reasons, the driver’s seat will
not return to its last set position with
the easy-entry/exit feature activated if
the system recognizes the last set posi-
tion as an extreme forward position. In-
stead, the driver’s seat will remain at or
move to a factory-set maximum for-
ward position. To again fully return the
driver’s seat to your last set position or
to memory position, adjust the seat to
the desired position or press and hold
the respective memory position button
(page 131).
130 Controls in detailMemory function
You can store up to three different settings
for each SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
The following settings are stored when us-
ing the buttons on the driver’s door:
Driver’s seat, backrest, head restraint
position and settings for multicontour
seat
Steering wheel position
Exterior rear view mirror positions
These SmartKey-dependent memory set-
tings can be deactivated if desired. For in-
formation on SmartKey-dependent
memory settings, see “Setting
SmartKey-dependency” (
page 168).
The following settings are not
SmartKey-dependent. They are stored
when using the buttons on the front pas-
senger door:
Front passenger seat, backrest, head
restraint position and settings for mul-
ticontour seat
!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
ensure adequate control, reach and
comfort. The head restraint should also
be adjusted for proper height. See also
the section on air bags (
page 61) for
more information on proper seat posi-
tioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, opera-
tion and comfort. Both the interior and
exterior 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.
131 Controls in detail
Memory function
The memory button and stored position
button are located on the door.
MMemory button
1, 2, 3Stored position button
Switch on the ignition (
page 33).
or
Open the respective door and insert
the SmartKey in the starter switch.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and
exterior rear view mirrors to the de-
sired position (
page 37).
Press memory buttonM.
Release memory buttonM and press
stored position button 1, 2 or 3 within
three seconds.
All the settings are stored to the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold stored position
button1, 2 or3 until the seat, steering
wheel and exterior rear view mirrors
have completely moved to the stored
positions.!Do not operate the power seats using
the memory button if the seat backrest
is in an excessively reclined position.
Doing so could cause damage to front
or rear seats.iReleasing the stored position button
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions immediately.
133 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 50)
and see “Turn signals” (
page 51).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switchMOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 134)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 134)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps, li-
cense plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the combi-
nation switch is pushed forward)
and parking lamps.
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the engine turned off
with KEYLESS-GO* and the driver’s
door open a warning sounds if the park-
ing lamps or low beam headlamps are
switched on.
The message
Switch off lamps
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
137 Controls in detail
Lighting
Rear fog lamp (driver’s side only)
Switch on the low beam headlamps
(page 50).
Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(page 133).
Push in the exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The rear fog lamp switches off.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.
The front fog lamps remain lit.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasherHigh beam
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB orU (
page 133).
Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 to switch on the high
beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 24).
Pull the combination switch in direction
of arrow2 to its original position to
switch off the high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
goes out.
High beam flasher
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2.