2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S55AMG Owner's Manual

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
A statement by the child restraint man-
ufacturer of compliance with this stan-
dard can be found on the instruction
label on the restraint and in the instruc-
tion manual provided with the restraint.
When using any infant or child restraint
system, be sure to carefully read and
follow all manufacturer’s instructions
for installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels
affixed to inside of vehicle and to infant
or child restraints.Warning!
G
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 BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front
air bag when it is properly installed.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens Automo-
tive Corp.
Otherwise they will be struck by the air bag
when it inflates in a crash. If this happens,
serious or fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle’s
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er’s instructions.
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, 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 properly without a booster.
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.
When the child restraint is not in use, re-
m o v e i t f r o m t h e v e h i c l e o r s e c u r e i t w i t h t h e
seat belt to prevent the child restraint from
becoming a projectile in the event of an ac-
cident.
Do not leave children, unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised chil-
dren in a child restraint system may use ve-
hicle equipment and cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
BabySmart
TM
air bag deactivation
system
The 58 indicator lamp is located on
the lower part of the center console.
1Indicator lamp
Special BabySmart
TM compatible child
seats, designed for use with the
Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center are
required for use with the BabySmart
TM
air bag deactivation system. With the spe-
cial child seat properly installed, the pas-
senger front air bag will not deploy.The 58 indicator lamp1 located
on the lower part of the front center con-
sole will be illuminated, except with the
SmartKey removed or in starter switch
position0.
Self-test BabySmart
TM
without special
child seat installed
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(
page 35) once or twice, the 58
indicator lamp comes on for approximately
six seconds and then goes out.
If the 58 indicator lamp should not
come on or is continuously lit, the system
is not functioning. You must see an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center before
seating any child on the front passenger
seat.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 348).
iThe system does not deactivate the
side impact air bag or the emergency
tensioning device.
Warning!
G
The BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation sys-
tem will ONLY work with a special child seat
designed to operate with it. It will not work
with child seats which are not BabySmart
TM
compatible.
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the deactivation sys-
tem. The bottom of the child seat must
make full contact with the passenger seat
cushion. An incorrectly mounted child seat
could cause injuries to the child in case of an
accident, instead of protecting the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of special child seats.

74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
This vehicle is equipped with tether an-
chorages for a top tether strap at each of
the rear seating positions.1Cover of top anchorage ring

Remove cover1 from anchorage ring.

Store cover1 in a convenient place
(e.g. glove box).

Guide tether strap between head re-
straint and top of seat back.
Head restraints must be positioned such
that the top tether strap can pass freely
between the head restraint and top of seat
back.

Make sure the tether strap is not twist-
ed.
Warning!
G
When using a BabySmart
TM1
compatible
child seat on the front passenger seat, the
passenger front air bag will not deploy only
if the
58
indicator lamp remains il-
luminated.
Make sure to check the
58
indica-
tor lamp every time you use the special sys-
tem child seat. Should the
58

indicator lamp go out while the restraint is
installed, please check installation. If the
58
indicator lamp remains out, do
not use the BabySmart
TM restraint to trans-
port children on the front passenger seat un-
til the system has been repaired.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens Automo-
tive Corp.
Warning!
G
Do not place powered-on laptops, cell
phones, electronic tags such as those used
in ski passes and like electronic devices on
the front passenger seat. Signals from such
devices may interfere with the BabySmart
TM
system. Such signal interference, for exam-
ple, may cause the
58
indicator
lamp not to come on or be continuously lit
during self-test, indicating that the system is
not functioning.

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
2Hook
3Anchorage ring
Securely fasten hook2, which is part
of the tether strap, to anchorage
ring3.
Once the top tether anchorage hook is at-
tached, the child restraint itself can be se-
cured. Tighten the top tether strap
according to the child restraint manufac-
turer’s instructions.

Reinstall cover after removing the
tether strap.Child seat anchors – LATCH type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH
(L
ower A
nchors and T
ethers for CH
ildren)
type anchors (at each of the rear seats) for
the installation of a LATCH child seat with
the matching anchor fittings.
If you have not installed a child seat, the
LATCH anchor are covered with an uphol-
stery blend.
1Indicates the position of the anchors
2Anchors
3Upholstery blend
4Installation device
iFor safety reasons, make sure hook2
has attached to ring3 beyond the
safety catch, as illustrated.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with adjustable rear seats/bench*:
Never adjust the rear seat position after in-
stalling the child restraint. Adjusting the rear
seat position after installing the child re-
straint could damage the child restraint
and/or introduce undesirable slack into the
webbing and loosen or misposition the child
restraint, lessening the effectiveness of the
child restraint and thus increasing the
chance or severity of injury in an accident.


76 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Move rear power seats*/bench* to the
rearmost position (
page 117).

Fold upholstery blend3 upward.

Turn installation device4 to a vertical
position so that upholstery blend3
does not fold down.

Install child seat according to the man-
ufacturer’s instructions.
A solid connection is established be-
tween the child seat and the body of
the vehicle.
Do not adjust rear power seat*/bench*
position after installing child restraint.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with adjustable rear seats/bench*:
Never adjust the rear seat position after in-
stalling the child restraint. Adjusting the rear
seat position after installing the child re-
straint could damage the child restraint
and/or introduce undesirable slack into the
webbing and loosen or misposition the child
restraint, lessening the effectiveness of the
child restraint and thus increasing the
chance or severity of injury in an accident.iThe child seat must be firmly attached
in the right and left side anchor fittings.
Make sure the seat belt for the center
seat can operate freely with a child
seat installed.
Non-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.
Warning!
G
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, 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 properly without a booster.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
The child seat must be firmly attached in
right and left side anchors2.
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.


77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Override switch for rear passenger compartment
You can disable select functions in the rear
passenger compartment for added safety
(for instance when you have children riding
in the rear passenger compartment).
You can disable the following functions in
the rear passenger compartment:

rear door window operation
(page 208)


adjustment of front passenger seat
from the rear* (
page 118)


cigarette lighter in rear (
page 251)The override switch is located on the driv-
er’s door.
1Override switch
Activating override switch

Slide override switch 1 to the right.
A dot becomes visible. The functions in
the rear are disabled.
Deactivating override switch

Slide override switch 1 to the left.
The functions in the rear are enabled
again.
Warning!
G
Activate the override switch when children
are riding in the back seats of the vehicle.
The children may otherwise injure them-
selves, e.g. by becoming trapped in the win-
dow opening.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended 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.iOperation of the rear door windows
with the switches located in the driver’s
door is still possible.

78 Safety and SecurityPanic alarmAn audible alarm and flashing exterior
lamps will operate for approximately
21/2minutes.
1Â button
Activating
Press and hold button1 for at least
one second.
Deactivating
Press button1 again.
or

Insert the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in starter switch.
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 35).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
iUSA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.iCanada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.

79 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


4MATIC (Four Wheel Electronic Trac-
tion System)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 24) comes on when you
switch on the ignition (
page 34). It goes
out when the engine is running.
iIn winter operation, the maximum ef-
fectiveness of the ABS, ESP
®, BAS and
4MATIC is only achieved with winter
tires (
page 327), or snow chains as
required.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP
®, and 4MATIC cannot re-
duce this risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.