2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R500 Owner's Manual

128 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate
closing switch or the Šbutton on the
SmartKey.
1Tailgate closing switch
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you.

Press tailgate closing switch 1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens slight-
ly.
iYou can also close the tailgate manual-
ly (
page 125).
iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
recognized inside the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

Press the tailgate closing switch1.


Press the KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch.


Press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO.


Press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door).

129 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate and locking the
vehicle from the outside (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* and KEYLESS-GO*, you can close
the tailgate and lock the vehicle simulta-
neously from the outside using the
KEYLESS-GO* locking/closing switch or
the Šbutton on the SmartKey.
1KEYLESS-GO* locking/closing switch
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you.

Press switch1 briefly.
The vehicle is locked and the tailgate
closes automatically. The turn signals
flash three times to confirm locking.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens
slightly.
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate
closing switch can be operated. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it. The turn signals
will flash three times to confirm lock-
ing.
iYou can also close the tailgate manual-
ly (
page 125).
iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
recognized inside the vehicle.

130 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Automatic central locking
The doors and the tailgate lock automati-
cally 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 in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
For information on towing the vehicle, see
“Towing the vehicle” (
page 499).
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system
(
page 188).
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

Press the tailgate closing switch1.


Press the KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch*.


Press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*.


Press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door).
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate
closing switch can be operated. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more. You could therefore lock yourself
out when the vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand


during a wheel change

131 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
tailgate from inside using the central lock-
ing or unlocking switch. This can be useful,
for example, if you want to lock the vehicle
before starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch.The switches are located in the front-door
control panels.
1Central unlocking switch
2Central locking switch
Locking

Press central locking switch2.
If all doors and the tailgate are closed,
the vehicle locks.
Unlocking

Press central unlocking switch1.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle 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 with the SmartKey or the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*, it will
not unlock using the central unlocking
switch1.
If the vehicle was previously locked
with the central locking switch2:

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.
iWith the passenger-side door opened,
you cannot lock the vehicle with the
central locking switch.

132 Controls in detailSeatsFor information on seat adjustment, see
the “Getting started” section (
page 43).
For more information on seats, see “Load-
ing” (
page 279).
Easy-entry/exit feature*
Easy-entry/exit feature for driver’s
seat
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 189).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
0or1(
page 38) or the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button in
position1 (page 40)
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 cancel seat/steering wheel movement,
do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 43).


Move steering column stalk*
(page 46).


Press memory buttonM* (
page 145).
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 to the driver’s seat or
left rear seat.
Move the seat backrest to an upright
position first.

133 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 40) 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 145).
iVehicles with memory function*:
The steering wheel and seat position is
stored into memory when you

switch off the ignition (
page 38)


allocate the current position steer-
ing wheel and seat position to a cer-
tain memory position button
(page 145)

134 Controls in detailSeatsEasy-entry/exit feature for third-row
seats
This feature allows for easier access to and
exit from the vehicle’s third-row seats.Easy-entry feature for third-row seats
The releases for the easy-entry feature are
located on the entry side and the back of
each second-row seat.
1Easy-entry lever

Pull and hold easy-entry lever 1 in di-
rection of arrow at resistance point.
The seat backrest folds down.

Push the seat forward as far as it will
go.
You should now have sufficient space
to access the vehicle’s third-row seat.
Easy-entry/exit positionFor information on how to fold down the
second-row seats completely, see “Folding
second-row seats” (
page 285).
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, the sec-
ond-row seat backrests must be properly
locked either in the upright position or,
when using the expanded cargo compart-
ment, in the fully folded position while the
vehicle is in motion.

135 Controls in detailSeats
Easy-exit feature for third-row seats
The easy-exit strap is located on the rear of
the second-row seat base.
1Easy-exit strap
To exit the vehicle when seated on a
third-row seat, pull up and hold
easy-exit strap 1.
The second-row seat backrest folds
down.

Push second-row seat forward a far as
it will go.
For information on how to fold down the
second-row seats completely, see “Folding
second-row seats” (
page 285).Returning seats to their original positionThe second-row seats have red markings
on the seat base that indicate when a
second-row seat is not properly locked.

When the red marking on the seat base
is visible, push seat backrest back until
the seat audibly engages.
With the seat properly locked in posi-
tion, you will not see the red marking
on the seat base.
Warning
G
Make sure all seats are properly locked in
position before driving off. Do not drive with
seats not properly locked.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
not properly locked as this can be danger-
ous. The seat could move forward and the
seat backrest could fold. You could slide un-
der the seat belt during braking, vehicle ma-
neuvers, or in an accident. If you slide under
it, the belt would apply force at the abdomen
or neck. That could cause serious or even fa-
tal injuries.
The seat backrest and seat belt provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly
upright position and the belt is properly po-
sitioned on the body.