2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 reset

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyEmergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency
tensioning devices and belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the
following cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts
exceeding 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. Belt force limiters
reduce the force exerted by the seat belts
on occupants during a crash.
iThe ETDs for the front seats will only
activate if the respective front seat belt
is fastened (latch plate properly
inserted into buckle).
The ETDs for the rear outer seats will
activate with or without the respective
seat belt fastened.
Warning!
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An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When scrapping the emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Active head restraint
The active head restraint are intended to
offer the driver and front passenger in-
creased protection from head and neck in-
jury. In the event of a rear-end collision,
the active head restraints on the driver’s
and front passenger’s seats are designed
to move forward in the direction of travel,
providing the head with increased support
earlier on in the collision sequence. The ac-
tive head restraints move forward whether
the seat is occupied.You cannot remove the active head re-
straints on the driver’s and passenger’s
seats.
For removal of the active head restraints
we recommend that you contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 35).
For information on resetting the activated
active head restraints, see “Resetting acti-
vated head restraints” (page 394).
Warning!
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Only use seat- or head restraint covers
which have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat- or head restraint covers
may interference with or prevent the activa-
tion of the active head restraints. Contact
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
availability.
Warning!
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For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraints 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
accident.

78 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front air
bag deployment when the OCS classified
the front passenger seat occupant as being
up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint or if the front passenger seat is
sensed as being empty.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being up
to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint, the 56indicator lamp will il-
luminate when the engine is started and
remain illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat is classified as being empty, the
56indicator lamp will illuminate
when the engine is started and remain illu-
minated, indicating that the front passenger
front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being
heavier than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint or as being a small individual
(such as a young teenager or a small adult),
the 56 indicator lamp will illuminate
for approximately 6 seconds when the en-
gine is started and then, depending on occu-
pant weight sensor readings from the seat,
remain illuminated or go out. With the
56 indicator lamp illuminated, the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
With the 56indicator lamp out, the
front passenger front air bag is activated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as an adult or
someone larger than a small individual, the
56 indicator lamp will illuminate for
approximately 6 seconds when the engine is
started and then go out, indicating that the
front passenger front air bag is activated.
If the 56indicator lamp is
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 56indicator lamp is not illumi-
nated, the front passenger front air bag is
activated and will be deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the side impact
air bags (front side impact air bag
and/or rear side impact air bag *).
If the front passenger front air bag is
deployed, the rate of inflation will be
influenced by:


the rate of relevant vehicle deceleration
as assessed by the air bag control unit


front passenger’s weight category as
identified by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS).


107 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

Pull the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 389).

Insert the mechanical key in the trunk
lid lock.

Turn the mechanical key clockwise to
position2 and remove the mechani-
cal key in that position to lock the
trunk.
The trunk remains locked even when the
vehicle is centrally unlocked.

Insert the mechanical key in the trunk
lid lock.

Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to neutral position1 and remove
the mechanical key in that position to
unlock the trunk.
You can now open the trunk
(page 103).
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
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system, see “Set
automatic locking” (
page 152).
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
before starting to drive.
You cannot lock or unlock the fuel filler flap
with the central locking or unlocking
switch.
iYou can only cancel the separate trunk
locking mode by means of the
mechanical key.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact
exceeds a preset threshold.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic
central locking when the vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand
Warning!
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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.

124 Controls in detailLightingSwitching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and cornering
fog lamp can be switched off by returning
the combination switch to its original posi-
tion.Driving rearward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Place the gear selector lever (manual
transmission: gearshift lever) in
positionR.
The inverse front fog lamp comes on
automatically depending on the
steering direction and steering angle.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Place the gear selector lever (manual
transmission: gearshift lever) out of
positionR.
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter
switch.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the upper part of the center
console.
1Hazard warning flasher switch

125 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Rear interior lights on/off
2Right front reading lamp on/off
3Rocker switch for automatic control
system
4Left front reading lamp on/offAutomatic control
Activating

Press rocker switch3 to center
position.
Interior lamps are switched on in
darkness, when you

unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
The interior lamps are switched off after a
preset time, see “Set interior lighting de-
layed shut-off” (
page 152).
iWith the hazard warning flasher
activated and the combination switch
set for either left or right turn, only the
respective turn signals will operate
when the SmartKey is in the starter
switch position1 or 2.iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press hazard
warning flasher switch1 once to
switch it off.
iLeaving an interior light switch in the
ON position for extended periods of
time with the engine turned off could
result in a discharged battery.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after
approximately 5 minutes, when the
SmartKey is removed or in starter
switch position0.

127 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
For a full view illustration of the instrument
cluster, see “At a glance” (
page 24).
1Reset button
The instrument cluster is activated when
you


open a door


switch on ignition (
page 33)


press reset button1


switch on the exterior lighting
You can change the instrument cluster
settings in the Instrument cluster submenu
of the control system (
page 143).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use reset button1 to adjust the
illumination brightness for the instrument
cluster.To brighten illumination

Turn reset button1 clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination

Turn reset button1 counterclock-
wise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.

128 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature gauge
The coolant temperature gauge is on the
left side in the instrument cluster
(page 24).During severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious en-
gine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer and main odometer in the
multifunction display (
page 130).

I f i t i s n o t d i s p l a y e d , p r e s s b u t t o nè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 131) until the trip
odometer appears in the multifunction
display.

Press and hold the reset button in the
instrument cluster (
page 127) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is badly
overheated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine
compartment to catch fire. You could be
seriously burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.