2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R500 seat adjustment

72 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 belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the seat backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and make sure it is
properly positioned on your body
(page 50).
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 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 air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 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 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 where the
side impact air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the air bag be triggered. Always sit near-
ly upright, properly use the seat belts
and use an appropriately sized infant or
toddler restraint or booster seat recom-
mended 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
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.

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.

136 Controls in detailSeatsLumbar support
The curvature of the driver’s seat can be
adjusted to help enhance lower back sup-
port and seating comfort.
The lever for lumbar support adjustment is
located on the right hand side of the
driver’s seat backrest.
1Adjustment lever
Move adjustment lever 1 in direction
of arrows until you have reached a
comfortable seating position.
Multicontour seat*
The multicontour seat has an extendable
seat cushion and inflatable air chambers
built into the backrest to provide additional
lumbar and side support.
The seat cushion depth, seat backrest
cushion-height and curvature can be con-
tinuously varied with switches on the in-
side of each front seat base after the
ignition is switched on (
page 38).
1Seat cushion depth
2Backrest side bolsters
3Backrest center
4Backrest bottom

Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
Seat cushion depth

Adjust the seat cushion depth to the
length of your upper leg with
switch1.
Backrest contour

Adjust the contour of the seat backrest
to the desired position with switch
æ orç.

Move the seat backrest support to the
bottom with button4 or to the center
with button3.
Backrest side bolsters

Adjust the side bolsters so that they
provide good lateral support with
switch2.

137 Controls in detailSeats
Rear seats Rear seat adjustmentFore and aft adjustment
(second-row seats only)
The handles for adjusting the seats are
located on the front of each seat base.
1Adjustment handle

Pull up handle 1 in direction of arrow
and hold it there.

Move seat to the desired position.

Release handle 1.
The seat must audibly engage.
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. Re-
gardless of seating position, children 12
years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriate infant or
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
For additional information, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 82).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The seat backrest and seat
belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and
belts are properly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 50).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.

138 Controls in detailSeatsSeat backrest tilt (second-row seats)
The handles for adjusting the seats are
located on the rear of each seat base.
1Adjustment handle
While seated, pull handle 1 in direc-
tion of arrow to resistance point and
hold it there.

To move seat backrest back, lean light-
ly against backrest.

To move seat backrest forward, lean
forward with handle 1 pulled and held
at resistance point.
The seat backrest will move forward
against your back.

Release handle 1 when the seat back-
rest has reached the desired position.
To make sure the seat backrest has en-
gaged, lean firmly against the backrest.Seat backrest tilt (third-row seats)
The handles for adjusting the seats are
located on the outer side of each seat
backrest.
1Adjustment handle

While seated, pull handle 1 in direc-
tion of arrow and hold it there.

189 Controls in detail
Control system
Limiting opening height of tailgate*
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the limiting opening height of the tailgate.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Vehicle

submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Opening limiter
Tailgate
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to switch
the limiting opening height of the
tailgate
on or
off
.Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features.
The following functions are available:Activating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and
deactivate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 132).
Function
Page
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature*
189
Setting parking position for
exterior rear view mirror*
190
Setting fold-in function for
exterior rear view mirrors
191
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 button* (
page 145).


190 Controls in detailControl system
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the Convenience
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Func. Easy-entry
feature
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to change
the easy-entry/exit setting.The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:
Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror*
Use this function to select whether the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror
should be turned downward during parking
maneuvers when reverse gearR is
engaged. For additional information, see
“Activating exterior rear view mirror park-
ing position*” (
page 210).

Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the Convenience
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Mirror adjustment
parking aid
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to switch
the function
on or
off
.
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.
off
The easy-entry/exit
feature is
deactivated.
Steering col.
Only the steering
column is moved.
Steer. col.+seat
Both the steering
column and the
driver’s seat are
moved.


535 Index
A
ABS 97, 529
ABS control 97
Malfunction indicator lamp 404
Messages in display 418
Warning lamp 404
Accelerator position, automatic
transmission 203
Accessory weight 385, 529
Accident
In case of 63
Activating
Air circulation mode 242
Air conditioning (cooling) 226
Air recirculation mode 225, 239
Anti-theft alarm system 105
Central locking (control system) 188
Defrosting 223
Easy-entry/exit feature* 189
Electric air pump 483
ESP
®
102
Exterior headlamps 58
Hazard warning flasher 154
Headlamps 58
High beams 151
Ignition 38Immobilizer 66, 104
Rear window defroster 215
Rear window wiper 62
Residual heat 243
Residual heat* 228
Seat heating* 142
Tow-away alarm 107
Warning indicators (Parktronic*) 276
Windshield wipers 59
Adding
Coolant 351
Engine oil 349
Additional turn signal lamps
Replacing bulbs 466
Adjusting 42
Air distribution 222, 236
Air volume 222, 237
Backrest tilt 44
Exterior rear view mirror 48
Head restraint height 44
Head restraint tilt 45
Instrument cluster illumination 158
Interior rear view mirror 48
Mirrors 47
Multicontour seat* 136
Seat cushion depth 136Seat cushion tilt 44
Seat fore and aft adjustment 43
Seat height 44
Seats 42
Steering column height 47
Steering wheel 45
Adjusting steering column in or out 47
Adjusting steering column up or down 47
Air bags 71
Children 72
Front 75
Passenger 75
Safety guidelines 74
Side impact 76
Window curtain 76
Air conditioning
Turning off 226
Turning on 226
Air conditioning refrigerant 523
Air distribution
Adjusting 222, 236
Air pressure 385, 529
Air pressure see Tire inflation pressure
Air pump, electric
Turning on 483