2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E WAGON center console

81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Occupant Classification System
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
automatically turns the front passenger
front air bag on or off based on the classi-
fied occupant weight category determined
by weight sensor readings from the front
passenger seat.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a
nearly upright position with their back
against the seat backrest and feet on the
floor to be correctly classified. If the occu-
pant’s weight is transferred to another
object in the vehicle (e.g. by leaning on
armrests), the OCS may not be able to
properly approximate the occupant’s
weight category. Furthermore, the occupant weight may ap-
pear to increase or decrease due to
objects hanging on the seat, other passen-
gers pushing on the seat, objects lodged
underneath the seat or stuffed between
seat and middle console or between seat
and door or due to objects applying pres-
sure on the back of the seat. Always make
sure that the seat has clearance in all di-
rections at all times.
Both driver and the front passenger should
always use the 75indicator
lamp as an indication of whether or not the
front passenger is properly positioned.
iThe system does not deactivate the
front passenger side impact air bag,
the window curtain air bag and the
emergency tensioning device.
iIf your seat, including your trim cover
and cushion needs to be serviced in
any way, take the vehicle to your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used.
Warning!
G
If the 75indicator lamp illumi-
nates when an adult or someone larger than
a small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the light
goes out, or check whether objects are
caught under or around the seat.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 390).
In 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.


84 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
The 75indicator lamp is located
in the center console.
1Indicator lamp


If you have to place a child in a
forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat, move the seat as
far back as possible, use the proper
child restraint recommended for the
age, size and weight of the child, and se-
cure child restraint with the vehicle’s
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. For
children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
air bag may or may not be activated
(page 82).
iDeployment of the driver front air bag
does not mean that the front passenger
front air bag also should have de-
ployed.
The Occupant Classification System
(page 81) may have determined:


that the seat was empty or occu-
pied by the weight up to or less than
that of a typical 12-month-old child
seated in a standard child restraint
- both instances where the system
suppresses deployment of the pas-
senger front air bag even though
the impact met the criteria and was
of sufficient severity to deploy the
driver front air bag.


that the seat was occupied by a
small individual (such as a young
teenager or a small adult) or a child
weighing more than the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child in a stan-
dard child restraint - instances
where the system may suppress de-
ployment of the passenger front air
bag even though the impact met
the criteria and was of sufficient se-
verity to deploy the driver front air
bag.


85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 75indicator lamp1 will be
illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed or in starter switch position0.Self-test Occupant Classification Sys-
tem
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice, the 75indicator lamp1
located in the center console illuminates. If
an adult occupant is properly sitting on the
front passenger seat and the system sens-
es the occupant as being an adult, the
75indicator lamp will illuminate
and go out after approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the front passenger seat as being
empty, the 75indicator lamp
will illuminate and not go out. Warning!
G
If the 1indicator lamp and the
75indicator lamp are lit at the
same time, there is a malfunction in the
Occupant Classification System. The front
passenger front air bag will be deactivated
in this case.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:

Have the system checked as soon as
possible by qualified technicians.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Do not place more than 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
into the ruffled storage bag on the back
of the front passenger seat. Otherwise,
the OCS may not be able to properly ap-
proximate the occupant weight
category.


Do not place objects under and/or
around the front passenger seat.


Do not hang anything from or attach any
items to the seats.


Do not stuff objects such as books be-
tween the middle console and the front
passenger seat.


Do not move the front passenger seat
backwards against stiff objects.


Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.


Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.


Only have the seat repaired or replaced
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.

102 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsArming the alarm system
The indicator lamp located in the central
locking switch in the center console.
1Indicator lamp

Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the alarm system is
armed. The indicator lamp1 begins to
flash after approximately 30 seconds
after arming the alarm system.Disarming the alarm system

Unlock your vehicle with the SmartKey
or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed.
Canceling the alarm
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or

Press button Œ or ‹ on the
SmartKey.
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response
Center is initiated automatically by the
Tele Aid system (
page 282) provided
Tele Aid service was subscribed to and
properly activated, and that necessary
cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash
three times, one of the following ele-
ments may not be properly closed:

a door


the tailgate


the hood
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally after approximately 40 seconds if
neither a door nor the tailgate was
opened.

128 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingLocking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
tailgate from inside using the central lock-
ing switch. This can be useful, for example,
if you want to lock the vehicle before start-
ing to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking switch.The switch is located in the center console.
Central locking switch1Locking
2UnlockingLocking

Press lower half 1 of the central lock-
ing switch.
If all doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking

Press upper half2 of the central lock-
ing switch.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* 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. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle 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 using the SmartKey, it will not
unlock using the central locking switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked
with the central locking switch

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


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

130 Controls in detailSeatsFolding head restraints back with switch
in the center console
1Head restraint release switch
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).

Press the symbol-side on switch1 to
release the head restraints.
The head restraints will fold backward.Folding head restraints back manually
(rear outer seats only)
1Release button

Push release button1 and fold the
head restraints backward.Placing head restraints upright

Pull the head restraint forward until it
locks into position.!Make sure the head restraints engage
when placing them upright. Otherwise
their protective function cannot be as-
sured.

135 Controls in detailSeats
Seat heating*
Both switches for the front seats are locat-
ed in the center console. The red indicator
lamps in the switch come on to show
which heating level you have selected.
1Seat heating switch

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Switching seat heating on

Press switch1 repeatedly until the
desired heating level is set.
One or more red indicator lamps on the
switch show the selected heating level.Switching seat heating off

Press switch1 repeatedly until all in-
dicator lamps go out.
Level3
Three indicator lamps on
(highest level)
The seat heating automatically
switches to level2 after approxi-
mately 5 minutes.
2
Two indicator lamps on
The seat heating automatically
switches to level1 after approxi-
mately 10 minutes.
1
One indicator lamp on
(lowest level)
The seat heating automatically
switches off after approximately
20 minutes.
off
No indicator lamp on
iIf one or more of the lamps on the seat
heating switch are flashing, there is in-
sufficient voltage available since too
many electrical consumers are turned
on. The seat heating switches off auto-
matically.
The seat heating will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.

147 Controls in detail
Lighting
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasherHigh beam

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB or U (
page 143).

Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 to switch on the high
beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 24).

Pull the combination switch in direction
of arrow2 to its original position to
switch off the high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
goes out.
High beam flasher

Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter switch
or with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is locat-
ed on the upper part of the center console.
1Hazard warning flasher switch