2007 MERCEDES-BENZ C280 Owner's Manual

96 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handleFront doors
Pull on door handle2 on the
respective front door to open door.
If door was locked, locking knob1 will
move up.
Rear doors
Pull up locking knob1 on the
respective rear door to unlock door.
Pull on door handle2 on the
respective rear door to open door.
Opening the trunk
You can open the trunk if the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
A minimum height clearance of 5.71 ft
(1.74 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
iIf the vehicle has previously been locked
with the SmartKey, opening a door from the
inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm system*.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:

Insert the SmartKey in the starter switch.

Press buttonŒ or‹ on the
SmartKey.
iIf you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message
Switch off lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
Warning!G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards automat-
ically. Always make sure there is sufficient over-
head clearance.

97 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the trunk from the outside
1Handle
Press and hold button Š on the
SmartKey until trunk unlocks and be-
gins to open.
or
Pull on handle1.
The vehicle must be unlocked.Opening the trunk from the inside
1Remote trunk opening switch
Press remote trunk opening switch1
until the trunk begins to open.
The trunk opens. The indicator lamp in
remote trunk opening switch1 comes
on and remains lit until the trunk is
closed.
Closing the trunk
1Handle
2Handles
Lower trunk lid by pulling firmly on
handle1 or handles2.
Close trunk lid with hands placed flat
on the trunk lid.
iIf the trunk does not open, it is still locked
separately (
page 99).
iThe trunk can also be opened from its inside
in an emergency, see “Trunk emergency re-
lease” (
page 98).
iIf the trunk does not open, it is still locked
separately (
page 99).
iThe trunk can also be opened be opened us-
ing buttonŠ on the SmartKey or from its in-
side in an emergency, see “Trunk emergency
release” (
page 98).
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
opening when closing the trunk.


98 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Trunk emergency release
With the emergency release button, the
trunk can be opened from inside the trunk.
The emergency release button is located
on the inside of the trunk lid.
1Emergency release button
Briefly press emergency release
button1.
The trunk unlocks and the trunk lid
opens.Illumination of the emergency release
button:

The button flashes 30 minutes after
opening the trunk.

The button flashes 60 minutes after
closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around.
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. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as a blocked visibility,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.
iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.
iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk will lock automatically after
closing it. The turn signals will flash three times
to confirm locking.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards
automatically.
iThe emergency release button unlocks and
opens the trunk while the vehicle is standing still
or in motion.
iThe emergency release button does not
open the trunk lid if the vehicle battery is dis-
charged or disconnected.
iIf the vehicle has previously been locked
with the SmartKey, opening the trunk from the
inside using the emergency release button will
trigger the anti-theft alarm system*.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:

Press buttonŒ or‹ on the
SmartKey.

Insert the SmartKey in the starter switch.


99 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Valet locking
The lock is located next to the handle
above the rear license plate recess.
1Neutral position
2Locked
Close the trunk (page 97).
Pull the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 361).
Insert the mechanical key in the trunk
lid lock.
Turn the mechanical key clockwise to
position2 and remove the mechani-
cal key in that position to lock the
trunk.
The trunk remains locked even when the
vehicle is centrally unlocked.
Insert the mechanical key in the trunk
lid lock.
Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to neutral position1 and remove
the mechanical key in that position to
unlock the trunk.
You can now open the trunk
(
page 96).
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
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
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system, see “Set-
ting automatic locking” (
page 143).
iTo deny any unauthorized person access to
the trunk, lock it separately with the mechanical
key. Leave only the SmartKey less its mechani-
cal key with the vehicle.
iYou can only cancel the separate trunk lock-
ing mode by means of the mechanical key.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an ac-
cident if the force of the impact exceeds a preset
threshold.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from locking,
deactivate the automatic central locking when
the vehicle

is pushed or towed

is on a test stand

100 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
or unlocking switch. This can be useful, for
example, if you want to lock the vehicle
before starting to drive.
You cannot lock or unlock the fuel filler flap
with the central locking or unlocking
switch.The switches are located in the center
console.
1Central locking switch
2Central unlocking switchLocking
Press central locking switch1.
If all doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking
Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
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. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in 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 us-
ing the SmartKey, it will not unlock using the cen-
tral unlocking switch2.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the cen-
tral locking switch1

while in the selective remote control mode,
only the door opened from the inside is un-
locked.

while in the global remote control mode, the
complete vehicle is unlocked when a door is
opened from the inside.

101 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
For information on seat adjustment, see
“Adjusting” (
page 34).
Front seat active head restraintsYou cannot remove the active head re-
straints on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seat.
For removal of the active head restraints
we recommend that you contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on head restraint
adjustment, see “Seats” (
page 34).
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraint” (
page 73).
Rear seat head restraints
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the center
of the head restraint supports the back of
the head at eye level. This will reduce the po-
tential for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.
Warning!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.

102 Controls in detail
Seats
Head restraint height (rear outer seats)
1Release buttonRaising
Manually adjust the height of the head
restraint by pulling it upward.
If the head restraint is fully retracted,
push release button1 and pull the
head restraint up.
Lowering
To lower the head restraint, push
release button1 and push down on
the head restraint.Folding head restraints back with
release button
The rear seat head restraints can be folded
backward for increased visibility.
1Release button
Push release button1.
The head restraint will fold backward.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the head re-
straint supports the back of the head at eye
level. This will reduce the potential for injury
to the head and neck in the event of an ac-
cident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are
intended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.
iYou can also fold the rear outer seat head
restraints back using the switch in the center
console.

103 Controls in detail
Seats
Folding head restraints back with
switch in the center console
1Switch for rear seat head restraints
Start the engine (page 46).
Press switch1.
The rear seat head restraints will fold
backward.Placing head restraints upright
Pull the head restraint forward until it
locks into position.Head restraint tilt (rear outer seats)
Two different head restraint angle
positions are available:
Press the release button (page 102)
and tilt the head restraint to the
desired position.
Warning!G
Make sure the head restraints engage when
placing them upright. Otherwise their
protective function cannot be assured.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.