2005 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 ESP

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
SeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
The seat back and seat belts provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly
upright position and belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body. Your seat must be ad-
justed so that you can correctly fasten your
seat belt (
page 43).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the power seats can be oper-
ated when the respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
i n t h e v e h i c l e , o r w i t h a c c e s s t o a n u n l o c k e d
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM1
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front
airbag when it is properly installed. Other-
wise they will be struck by the airbag when
it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious
or fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in the back seats and be seated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint sys-
tem, which is properly secured with the ve-
hicle’s seat belt and top tether strap, or
secured via lower anchors and top tether
strap, fully in accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.


38 Getting startedAdjustingSeat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
in each front door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat backrest tilt
3Seat fore and aft adjustment
4Seat cushion tilt
5Seat height

Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
or

Open the respective front door.
Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or back in the
direction of arrow3.
Adjust to a comfortable seating posi-
tion that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The
position should be as far to the rear as
possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
iWhen moving the seat, be sure that

there are no items in the footwell or
behind the seats


the cup holder next to the armrest
is removed (
page 192)


the cup holder in the front passen-
ger footwell is folded closed
(page 192)
Otherwise you could damage the seats
and/or cup holders.
The memory function (
page 107) lets
you store the setting for the seat posi-
tion together with the setting for the
steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.


41 Getting started
Adjusting
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Interior rear view mirror

Adjust the interior rear view mirror
manually.Exterior rear view mirror
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or the respiratory sys-
tem. In case it does, immediately flush af-
fected area with water, and seek medical
help if necessary.
!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their
liquid state and by applying plenty of
water.
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 in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.

42 Getting startedAdjustingThe buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.
1Adjustment button
2Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
3Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror

Switch on the ignition (
page 35).

Press switch2 or3 to select the
respective exterior rear view mirror.

Push adjustment button1 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.
For more information, see “Storing exterior
rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 109).
!If an exterior rear view mirror housing
is forcibly pushed forward (hit from the
rear) or rearward (hit from the front),
reposition it by applying firm pressure
until it snaps into place. The exterior
rear view mirror housing is now proper-
ly positioned and you can adjust the
mirror normally.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the exte-
rior rear view mirrors will be heated au-
tomatically.iThe memory function (
page 107) lets
you store the setting for the exterior
rear view mirrors together with the set-
tings for the steering wheel and the
seat position.

52 Getting startedDrivingHigh beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push combination switch in direction of
arrow1.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 24).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 110).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press combination switch in direction
of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampK orL in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 24).The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
iTo signal minor directional changes
such as changing lanes, press combi-
nation switch only to point of resis-
tance and release. The corresponding
turn signals will flash three times.

59 Getting started
Parking and locking

Press the seat belt release button3
(page 45).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.

After exiting the vehicle, press the lock
button‹ on the SmartKey
(page 34).
With the hood, tailgate and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs on the doors
move down.
The anti-theft alarm system is armed.For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 92).
iThe SmartKey can only be pulled out
when:

it has been turned to position0 in
the starter switch


the gear selector lever for the auto-
matic transmission is in positionP
iWith the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency ten-
sioning devices and belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the
following cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing a preset severity level


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
1indicator lamp (
page 62)In an impact, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body.


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.
iThe EDTs for the front seats will only
activate if the respective front seat belt
is fastened (latch plate properly
inserted into buckle).
The EDTs for the rear outer seats will
activate with or without the respective
seat belt fastened.
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 Light Truck Center.!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger
seat. This could cause the passenger
front airbag and, with the seat belt
fastened to secure the object, the ETD
on the front passenger side to deploy in
a crash which exceeds the system’s
deployment threshold.

76 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyInstallation of infant and child restraint
system
1Anchorage ring for rear left side seat
2Anchorage ring for rear center seat
3Anchorage ring for rear right side seat
Remove the cargo compartment cover
blind (
page 183).

Remove the partition net*
(page 185).

Guide top tether strap between head
restraint and top of seat back. Head
restraint must be installed and posi-
tioned such that the top tether strap
can pass freely between the head re-
straint and top of seat back.4Hook

Securely fasten hook4 to anchorage
ring.
Once the top tether anchorage hook is at-
tached, the child restraint itself can be se-
cured. Secure child restraint and tighten
the top tether strap according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions.iFor safety, make sure the hook is at-
tached to the ring beyond the safety
catch, as illustrated.
Warning!
G
Use only the described anchorage rings for
the respective child seat. Other lashing eye-
lets could tear in the case of an accident.
Make sure

the fastening straps are not crossed or
twisted.


the hook is properly attached and is
closed.