2005 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 remove seats

35 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
The seats can be adjusted either manually
or electrically, depending on the vehicle’s
equipment.Warning!
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 backrest 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
key from the steering lock and lock your
vehicle.
Even with the key removed from the steer-
ing lock, the power seats* can also be oper-
ated when the respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and / or seri-
ous 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 air-
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the airbag when it in-
flates 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 back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle's
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er’s instructions.
1BabySmart
TMis a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.


40 Getting startedAdjustingHead restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head
restraint.
Push or pull on the upper edge of the
head restraint cushion.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 95).
Steering wheel Steering wheel adjustment
1Lever

To unlock the steering column, move
lever1 to its stop down.

Move steering wheel to the desired po-
sition.

To lock the steering column, move
lever1 to its stop up.
The steering wheel is once again
locked into position.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing, or driving without the adjustment
locked could cause the driver to lose control
of the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock your ve-
hicle.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and / or serious personal
injury.

67 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency tensioning device, seat belt
force limiter
The seat belts for the front seats are
equipped with emergency tensioning de-
vices and belt force limiters. The outboard
passenger seats belts (except in the third
row seats*) are equipped with emergency
tensioning devices.
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 58)In an impact, emergency tensioning devic-
es remove slack from the belts in such a
way that the seat belts fit more snugly
against the body. Belt force limiters reduce
the force exerted by the seat belts on oc-
cupants during a crash.
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:

Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.


Make sure the infant or child is proper-
ly secured by a belt at all times while
the vehicle is in motion.
Infant and child restraint seats and infor-
mation on choosing an appropriate re-
straint system can be obtained from any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
iThe ETDs for the front seats will only
activate if the respective front seat belt
is fastened (latch plate properly insert-
ed into buckle).
The ETDs 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 front or side
impact airbag on the front passenger
side to deploy in a crash which exceeds
the system’s deployment threshold.

70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
BabySmart
TM
airbag deactivation
system
Special BabySmart
TM1
compatible child
seats, designed for use with the
Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center, are required for use with the
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system.
With the special seat properly installed,
the passenger front airbag will not deploy.
The 7indicator lamp located in the in-
strument cluster will be illuminated, ex-
cept with the key removed or in steering
lock position0 (
page 33).Self-test BabySmart
TM
without special
child seat installed
After turning the key in the steering lock to
position1 or2, the 7indicator lamp lo-
cated in the instrument cluster comes on
for approximately six seconds, extin-
guishes, then flashes once.
If the indicator lamp should not come on or
is continuously lit, the system is not func-
tioning. You must see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center before
seating any child on the front passenger
seat.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 249).
Warning!
G
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, not face or neck. A booster
seat may be necessary to achieve proper
belt positioning for children from 41 lbs until
they reach a height where a lap / shoulder
belt fits properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use, re-
move it from the vehicle or secure it with the
seat belt to prevent the child restraint from
becoming a projectile in the event of an ac-
cident.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised chil-
dren in a child restraint system may use ve-
hicle equipment and may cause an accident
and / or serious personal injury.
1BabySmart
TMis a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
iThe system does not deactivate the
door mounted side impact airbag, the
window curtain airbags and the emer-
gency tensioning device.

74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
1Override switch
Slide override switch1 to the right.
A dot becomes visible. The rear win-
dows can no longer be operated using
the switch in the rear doors.For more information on power windows,
see “Power windows” (
page 146).
Warning!
G
Install child seat according to manufactu-
rer’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d i n t h e
right and left side anchors.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, not face or neck. A booster
seat may be necessary to achieve proper
belt positioning for children from 41 lbs until
they reach a height where a lap / shoulder
belt fits properly without a booster.
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
key from the steering lock, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and / or seri-
ous personal injury.

98 Controls in detailSeatsInstalling rear seat head restraints
Insert head restraint and push it down
to the stop.

Push release button1 and adjust
head restraint to the desired position
(page 37).
Stowing rear center head restraint
1Rear center head restraint
2Bar
3Clip

Remove rear center head restraint
(page 97).

If necessary, remove cargo floor plates,
see “Removing cargo floor plates”
(page 165).

Slide rear seats forward, see “Adjusting
rear seat fore and aft” (
page 100).

Fold rear seat backrests down, see
“Folding down the backrest”
(page 100).

From cargo compartment, attach rear
center head restraint1 to underside
of rear center seat.
Make sure front side of head
restraint1 is facing upward.

Press bar2 on both sides into
clips3.
Heated seats*
Both switches for the front seats are loca-
ted in the center console.
1Normal heating
2Rapid heating
Start the engine.
Switching on seat heating

Press upper switch position1.
A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.

100 Controls in detailSeatsThe rear seats are divided asymmetrically.
To enlarge the cargo compartment you can
adjust the left and right part separately.
The following changes are possible:

moving the seat fore and aft


folding down the backrest


lowering the seat
Adjusting rear seat fore and aft
1Release lever

Pull release lever1 in direction of
arrow.

Slide seat to the desired position until
it locks in place.
Folding down the backrest
1Lock button

Close cup holder (
page 170) and
ashtray (
page 172) in rear center
console (page 170).

Move front seats forward. Manual seat
(page 36) or power seat (
page 38).

Slide seat forward.

Remove head restraint(s) (
page 95).

Pull lock button1 up and fold back-
rest forward until it locks in place.
The red backrest lock indicator at lock
button1 is not visible in the locked
position.
Folding up the backrest

Close cup holder (
page 170) and
ashtray (
page 172) in rear center
console.

Pull lock button1 up and unfold back-
rest until it locks in place.
Make sure the seat belt is not caught in
the seat.

Check for secure locking by pulling and
pushing on the backrest.
Warning!
G
Failure to assure that seats are locked into
place could result in an increased chance of
injury in an accident.

101 Controls in detailSeats
The red backrest lock indicator at lock
button1 is not visible in the locked
position.

Install head restraint (
page 96).

Slide seat rearward to desired position
(page 100).

Adjust front seats to desired position.
Manual seats (
page 36) or power
seats (
page 38).
Lowering the rear seat
1Release button
2Lever
3Release lever

Close cup holder in rear center console
(page 170).

Move front seats forward. Manual seat
(page 36) or power seat (
page 38).

Press and hold release button1 to un-
lock lever2.

Pull lever2 in direction of arrow.

Pull release lever3 and push down
rear seat until it locks in place.

Fold down the backrest (
page 100).

Adjust front seats to desired position.
Manual seats (
page 36) or power
seats (
page 38).Folding up the rear seat

Move front seats forward. Manual seat
(page 36) or power seat (
page 38).

Pull release lever3 and raise rear seat
until it locks in place.
Easy entry / exit feature*
The easy entry / exit feature allows access
to the third row seats*. The right cargo
floor plate must be removed (
page 165).
Warning!
G
Failure to assure that seats are locked into
place could result in an increased chance of
injury in an accident.Warning!
G
Never drive with the second row right seat
folded forward (easy entry / exit feature). It
could open and fold back unintentionally.