Page 46 of 417
45 Getting started
Driving
Front seat belts and rear outer seat 
belts
1Latch plate
2Buckle
3Release buttonWith a smooth motion, pull the belt 
from the belt outlet.
Place the shoulder portion of the belt 
across the top of your shoulder and the 
lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate1 into buckle2 until 
it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to 
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion 
up.Rear center seat belt
Overview
1Attachment for latch plates
2Buckle for fixed latch plate
3Release button for fixed latch plate
4Fixed latch plate
5Buckle for free-sliding latch plate
6Release button for free-sliding latch 
plate
7Free-sliding latch plate 
     
        
        Page 47 of 417
46 Getting started
Driving
Fastening the rear center seat belt
Pull both latch plates1 and2 out of 
the attachment (
page 45).
The seat belt has two latch plates: 
Plate1 is fixed at the end of the belt. 
Latch plate2 is free-sliding across the 
belt.
With a smooth motion, pull the belt 
from the belt outlet.
Push fixed latch plate1 into 
buckle3 until it clicks.Guide the seat belt at free-sliding latch 
plate2 across your body.
Place the shoulder portion of the belt 
across the top of your shoulder and the 
lap portion across your hips.
Push free-sliding latch plate2 into 
buckle4 until it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to 
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion 
up. 
     
        
        Page 48 of 417

47 Getting started
Driving
Opening the rear center seat belt
Press release button6 on buckle5 
for the free-sliding latch plate 
(
page 45).
Press release button3 on buckle2 
for the fixed latch plate (
page 45).
Storing the rear center seat belt
Allow rear center seat belt to retract to 
its end stop.
Guide both latch plates4 and7 
once after the other into 
attachment1 (
page 45).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 on adjustable 
seat backrests 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 during travel to 
make sure it is properly positioned.
Make sure the seat belt is always fitted 
snugly. Take special care of this when 
wearing loose clothing.
Warning!G
To help prevent the possibility of injury, 
always store the rear center seat belt latch 
plates in the attachment when the rear 
center seat belt is not in use.
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 Light 
Truck Center.  
     
        
        Page 49 of 417

48 Getting started
Driving
Seat belt height adjustment
Adjust the height so that the upper part of 
the belt runs over the middle of the shoul-
der.
1Button for belt outlet height 
adjustmentAdjusting belt outlet higher
Slide belt outlet upward.
The belt outlet engages in five various 
positions.
Adjusting belt outlet lower
Pull and hold release button1.
Slide belt outlet in desired position.
Let go of release button1.
Please comply with the instructions for 
“Proper use of seat belts” (
page 47).
Starting the engine
Warning!G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to 
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon 
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas 
(such as garage) which are not properly ven-
tilated. If you think that exhaust gas fumes 
are entering the vehicle while driving, have 
the cause determined and corrected imme-
diately. If you must drive under these condi-
tions, drive only with at least one window 
fully open. 
     
        
        Page 60 of 417

59 Getting started
Parking and locking
Press the seat belt release button3 
(
page 45).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch 
plate.
After exiting the vehicle, press the lock 
button‹ on the SmartKey 
(
page 34).
With the hood, tailgate and all doors 
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three 
times. The locking knobs on the doors 
move down.
The anti-theft alarm system is armed.For more information, see “Locking and 
unlocking” (
page 92).
i
The SmartKey can only be pulled out 
when: 
it has been turned to position0 in 
the starter switch
the gear selector lever for the auto-
matic transmission is in positionP
i
With the SmartKey removed and the 
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if 
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not 
switched off.
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always 
keep hands and fingers away from the door 
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are 
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no 
possibility of someone getting caught in a 
door during closing.
Warning!G
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. 
     
        
        Page 63 of 417

62 Safety and Security
In this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems 
of the vehicle.
Occupant safety
The restraint systems are
Seat belts
Emergency tensioning device
Airbags
Child seats
Child seat recognition
Lower anchors and tethers for children 
(LATCH)
As independent systems, their protective 
effects work in conjunction with each oth-
er.The 1indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster (
page 25) comes on:
for about four seconds when you turn 
the SmartKey in the starter switch to 
position1.
for about four seconds when you start 
the engine by turning the SmartKey.
The 1indicator lamp goes out shortly 
after you start the engine. This shows that 
the restraint systems are operational.
i
For information on infants and children 
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle” 
(
page 72).
i
The 1indicator lamp remains lit if 
the SmartKey is turned to position2 
and left there. The indicator lamp will 
go out when you start the engine. 
     
        
        Page 65 of 417

64 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
The service life of the passenger front airbag 
extends to the date indicated on the label lo-
cated on the driver side B pillar. To provide 
continued reliability after that date, they 
should be inspected by an authorized 
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center at that 
time and replaced when necessary.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front 
airbags inflate, it is very important for the 
driver and front passenger to always be in a 
properly seated position and to wear your 
seat belt.
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 it is properly 
positioned on your body (
page 68).
Since the airbag 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 airbag. 
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position 
or too close to the airbag can be seriously 
injured or killed by an airbag 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 
backrest.
Adjust the driver seat as far as possible 
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance 
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the airbag 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 Light Truck Center.
Do not lean with your head or chest 
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.
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 front airbag inflates.
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as 
possible rearward from the dashboard 
when the seat is occupied. 
     
        
        Page 66 of 417

65 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Always sit nearly upright, properly use 
the seat belts and appropriate size in-
fant or child restraint system.
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 BabySmartTM 
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front airbag when it 
is properly installed. Otherwise they will 
be struck by the airbag when it inflates 
in a crash. If this happens, serious or fa-
tal injury will result.
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 
Operator’s Manual.
1BabySmartTM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Warning!G
Accident research shows that the safest 
place for children in an automobile is in the 
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child 
12 years old or under in the front passenger 
seat of your vehicle, you must properly use 
a BabySmart
TM child restraint which will 
turn off the passenger front airbag 
(
page 74). 
i
Airbags are designed to activate only in 
certain frontal (front airbags) impacts 
and in side (head protection window 
curtain airbags) impacts which exceed 
preset thresholds.
Only during these types of impacts, if of 
sufficient severity to meet the deploy-
ment thresholds, will they provide their 
supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should al-
ways wear their seat belts. Otherwise it 
is not possible for the airbags to pro-
vide their supplemental protection.
In cases of other frontal impacts, an-
gled impacts, roll-overs, other side im-
pacts, rear collisions, or other 
accidents, the airbags will not be acti-
vated. The driver and passengers will 
then be protected by the fastened seat 
belts.
We caution you not to rely on the pres-
ence of the airbags in order to avoid 
wearing your seat belt.