47 Getting started
Driving
Place the shoulder portion of the belt
across the top of your shoulder and the
lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate1 into buckle3 until
it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Proper use of seat belts
Do not twist the belt when fastening.
Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the belt under your
arm.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.
Place the seat backrest in a nearly
upright position.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.
Do not fasten a seat belt around a
person and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant or toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer's instructions.
Check your seat belt periodically
during travel to make sure that it is
properly positioned.
Make sure that the seat belt is always
fitted snugly. Take special care of this
when wearing loose clothing.
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness 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 adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body.
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:
Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.
Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
ten inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.
Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door or the rear
side trim panel where the head-thorax
air bag and/or the rear side impact air
bag* inflates. This could result in seri-
ous injuries or death should the air bag
be triggered. Always sit nearly upright,
properly use the seat belts and use an
appropriately sized infant or toddler re-
straint or booster seat recommended
for the size and weight of the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety in-
formation. Be sure to give the buyer this Op-
erator's Manual.
119 Controls in detailSeats
Seats
For information on seat adjustment, see
“Adjusting” (
page 37).
Front seat active head restraintsYou 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
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 37)
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraints” (
page 73).
Rear seat head restraints
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
accident.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way
that it is as close to the head as
possible.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, always drive with the
rear head restraints in the raised position
when the rear seats are occupied.
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
lowering/raising operation of the head
restraints.
121 Controls in detailSeats
Multicontour seat*
The multicontour seat has a movable seat
cushion and inflatable air cushions built
into the backrest to provide additional
lumbar and side support.
The seat cushion movement, backrest
cushion height and curvature can be
continuously varied with switches on the
side of the seat after switching on ignition.
1Seat cushion depth
2Backrest bottom
3Backrest center
4Side bolster adjustment
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).Seat cushion depth
Adjust the seat cushion depth to the
length of your upper leg using
switch1.
Backrest contour
Adjust the contour of the backrest to
the desired position using switches2
and3.
Backrest side bolsters
Adjust the backrest side bolsters so
that they provide good lateral support
using switch4.
506 Index
High beam flasher
(Bi-Xenon*) 438, 442
High beam flasher
(Halogen) 438, 440
High beam headlamps
(Bi-Xenon*) 438, 441
High beam headlamps
(Halogen) 438, 440
High mounted brake lamp 439
License plate lamps 439, 443
Low beam headlamps
(Bi-Xenon*) 438, 441
Low beam headlamps
(Halogen) 438, 440
Parking lamps 438, 439, 441, 442
Side marker lamps 438
Standing lamps 438, 439, 441, 442
Tail lamps 439, 443
Turn signal lamps 438, 439, 443
Turn signal lamps (Bi-Xenon*) 442
Turn signal lamps (Halogen) 441
Reporting safety defects 18
Research Octane Number see RON
Reset button, In
instrument cluster 25, 136, 148, 149
Residual heat and ventilation* see REST*Residual heat utilization* see REST*
REST* 207, 490
Restraint system see
Children in the vehicle
Restraint system see SRS
Restraint systems 491
Reverse gear position 168
RFI see Run Flat Indicator
Rims 356, 471
Roadside Assistance 12, 292
Roll bar 74, 491
Messages in display 408
Operating manually 423
Warning lamp 379
RON 319, 491
Rubber and plastic parts, Cleaning 371
Run Flat Indicator 491
Run Flat Indicator (Canada only) 342
S
Safety
Driving safety systems 87
Occupant 62
Reporting defects 18
Safety belts see Seat belts
Satellite radio* 222
Seat belts 69Automatic comfort-fit feature 72
Children in the vehicle 75
Cleaning 371
ETD 72
Fastening 45
Force limiter 72
Messages in display 409
Proper use of 47, 70
Safety guidelines 66
Telltale 25, 71, 379
Seating capacity 335
Seats, Multicontour* 121
Backrest contour 121
Backrest side bolsters 121
Cushion depth 121
Seats, Power 37, 119
Active head restraints 73
Adjustment 38
Easy entry/exit feature 42
Heating* 122
Memory function 124
Ventilation* 123
Selector lever see Gear selector lever
Self-test
OCS 82
Tele Aid 290
