2005 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS ESP

112 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. A pneumatic power-as-
sisted mechanism draws doors and trunk
lid closed quietly and automatically once
door and trunk lid has been latched. When
the pneumatic power-assisted mechanism
has stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.Power closing assist for doors

Press the doors gently past the initial
engage position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid

Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 168).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk opening when closing a door or the
trunk lid. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside
door handle, or press the trunk lid lock.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the doors closed. Otherwise,
one or more of the doors could open while
the vehicle is in motion, putting you and/or
others at risk.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as visibility blockage,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle interi-
or.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold. The vehicle
locks automatically when the ignition is
switched on and the wheels are turning
at vehicle speeds of approximately
9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You could
therefore lock yourself out when the
vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand

113 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
or unlocking switch. This can be useful, for
example, if you want to lock the vehicle be-
fore starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap will not be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch, respectively.The switches are located on the upper part
of the front center console.
1Central locking switch
2Central unlocking switch
Locking

Press central locking switch1.
If the front passenger door is closed,
the vehicle locks.
Unlocking

Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey or the with
KEYLESS-GO*, it will not unlock using
the central unlocking switch2.
If the vehicle was previously locked
with the central locking switch1:

While in the global remote control
mode, the vehicle is unlocked com-
pletely when a door is opened from
the inside.


While in the selective remote con-
trol mode, only the door opened
from inside is unlocked.

115 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 into the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (
page 35) once
with the driver’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 sys-
tem recognizes the current seat posi-
tion to be rearward enough for easy
entry 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 129).

116 Controls in detailSeatsRemoving and installing front seat head restraints
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 37).Front seat head restraints
1Head restraint height switch

Switch on ignition (
page 34).
or

Open the respective door.Removing front head restraints

Press switch1 upwards and hold until
the head restraint is fully extended.

Pull out head restraint.
Installing front head restraints

Press switch1 upwards and hold for
about five seconds.

Push the head restraint down until it
engages.

Adjust head restraint to desired posi-
tion (
page 38).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.iTilt the seat backrest to the rear for
easier removal and installation of the
head restraints.

117 Controls in detailSeats
Rear seats
Power seat bench*
The switches for adjusting the seat bench
are located at the respective rear doors.
1Seat bench fore and aft adjustment
2Head restraint heightSeat bench fore and aft adjustment

Press switch forward or backward in di-
rection of arrow1.
Head restraint height

Press switch up or down in direction of
arrow2.Individual power seats*
The switches for adjusting the seats are lo-
cated at the respective rear doors.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Head restraint heightWarning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.

118 Controls in detailSeatsSeat 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 height

Press switch up or down in direction of
arrow3.
Power seat, setting front passenger
seat position from rear*
This function lets you adjust the position of
the front passenger seat from the rear.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
Warning!
G
When adjusting the front passenger seat,
make sure the seat, if occupied, is as far
from the passenger front air bag as possi-
ble.
Otherwise, the passenger could be seriously
or even fatally injured in the event of an ac-
cident or braking maneuver.
Make sure no one is caught or injured while
the seat is being adjusted.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the power seats
can be operated when the respective door is
open. Therefore, do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

121 Controls in detailSeats
Placing head restraints upright
Pull the rear head restraint upright until
it locks into position.Placing power head restraints* upright

Switch on ignition (
page 34).

Press switch1 in the front center con-
sole and hold.
The rear head restraints will fold up-
right.Folding back and placing upright power
head restraints* with the switches in
the rear doors
You can fold the rear power head restraints
backward or upright using the head re-
straint folding switches in the respective
rear doors.
1Head restraint switch, rear

Switch on ignition (
page 34).
or

Open the respective door.

Press switch up in direction of
arrow1.
!Make sure the head restraints engage
when placing them upright manually.
Otherwise their protective function
cannot be ensured.


129 Controls in detail
Memory function
The memory button and stored position
switch are located on the door.
1 Memory position buttons
2Memory button
Switch on ignition (
page 34).
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 button2.

Release memory button2 and push
one of the position buttons1 within
three seconds.
All the settings are stored with the se-
lected position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold one of the position
buttons1 until the seat, steering
wheel and exterior rear view mirrors
have fully moved to the stored posi-
tions.iReleasing the button immediately
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions.Warning!
G
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.
First move seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion.