2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 REAR SEATS

83 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
If the 59indicator lamp is illumi-
nated, the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 59indicator lamp is not illu-
minated, 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.
If the front passenger 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).
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or child restraint
recommended for the size and weight of the
child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances re-
quire you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the system senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropri-
ate child restraint on the front passen-
ger seat.


A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front
passenger front air bag inflates in a
collision which could occur under some
circumstances, even with the air bag
technology installed in your vehicle. The
only means to completely eliminate this
risk is to never place a child in a rear-fac-
ing child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


88 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyChild seat anchors – LATCH type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH
(Lower A
nchors and T
ethers for CH
ildren)
type anchors (at each of the outer rear
seats) for the installation of a LATCH child
seat with matching mounting fittings.
1Cover, indicator for anchor location

If installed, pry off cover using a suit-
able tool (screwdriver etc.).
The anchors are now visible and acces-
sible.2Anchor

Install child seat according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.iThe child seat must be firmly attached
in the right and left side anchors2.!Make sure the seat belt for the center
seat can operate freely with a child
seat installed.
iNon-LATCH type child seats may also
be used and can be installed using the
vehicle’s seat belt system. Install child
seat according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.

89 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
You can block the rear door window oper-
ation (e.g. when you have children riding in
the rear passenger compartment).
The override switch is located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door.
1Override switchActivating

Press override switch1.
The switch engages in the recessed
position.
The rear door windows can no longer
be operated using the switches located
in the rear doors.
Deactivating

Press override switch1 again.
The switch disengages from the
recessed position back to original posi-
tion.
The rear door windows can again be
operated using the switches located in
the rear doors.
Warning!
G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper belt positioning
for children from 41 lbs until they reach a
height where a lap/shoulder belt fits proper-
ly without a booster.
Install child seat according to manufactu-
rer’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d i n t h e
right and left side anchors1.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident which could result
in serious injury or death to the child.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
iOperation of the rear door windows
with the switches located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door is still
possible.

128 Controls in detailSeatsFor information on seat adjustment, see
the “Getting started” section (
page 38).
For more information on seats, see “Load-
ing” (
page 259).
Easy-entry/exit feature (Vehicles with
memory function*)
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
activated or deactivated in the Convenience
submenu of the control sys-
tem (
page 173).When exiting the vehicle, with the
easy-entry/exit feature activated and
depending on your selection, the steering
wheel tilts upwards and/or the driver’s
seat moves a few inches to the rear when
you:


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch,
or


open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position 0
or 1 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 36) in position1.
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 39).


Move steering column stalk*
(page 42).


Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory button
M*
(
page 136).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
!Do not activate the easy-entry/exit fea-
ture if the seat backrest is in an exces-
sively reclined position. Doing so could
cause damage the front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright
position.

129 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 36) 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 136).

130 Controls in detailSeatsLumbar support
The curvature of the driver’s seat can be
adjusted to help enhance lower back sup-
port and seating comfort.
1Adjustment lever
Move adjustment lever1 in the direc-
tion of arrows until you have reached a
comfortable seating position.
Rear seat head restraints Head restraint heightWarning!
G
For safety reasons, always drive with the
rear head restraints in the upright position
when the rear seats are occupied.
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
folding operation of the 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
intended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
Do not interchange head restraints from
front and rear seat.

131 Controls in detailSeats
Raising:
Manually adjust the height of the head
restraint by pulling it upward.
If the head restraint is fully retracted,
push release button in direction of ar-
row and pull the head restraint out.
Lowering:

To lower the head restraint, push
release button in direction of arrow and
press down on the head restraint.For more information on seats, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 38).Removing and installing rear seat head
restraints
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way
that it is as close to the head as possi-
ble.
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.
Do not interchange head restraints from
front and rear seat.

132 Controls in detailSeatsRemoving rear seat head restraints
Pull head restraint to its highest
position.

Push release button in direction of ar-
row and pull out head restraint.
Installing rear seat head restraints

Insert head restraint and push it down
until it engages.

Push release button and adjust head
restraint to the desired position
(page 131).
Multicontour seat*
The multicontour seat has inflatable air
cushions built into the backrest to provide
additional lumbar and side support.
The seat cushion depth, backrest cushion
height and curvature can be continuously
varied with switches on the right side of
the seat after the ignition is switched on
(page 34).
1Backrest center
2Backrest bottom
3Seat cushion depth
4Backrest side bolster

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).