2007 MERCEDES-BENZ C280 driver door

74 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.
Make sure that the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The belt is now locked. Push down
on child restraint to take up any slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual
manner.
Warning!G
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons

get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by oncoming traffic
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment or trunk unless
they are firmly secured in place. For more in-
formation, see “Loading” (
page 230), and
see “Useful features” (
page 237) in the
“Controls in detail ” chapter.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of

strong braking maneuvers

sudden changes of direction

an accident

80 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
You can block the rear door window
operation (for instance 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.
1Deactivating override switch
2Activating override switch
3Override switchActivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the right in
direction2.
The rear door windows can no longer
be operated using the respective
switch located in the rear doors.
Deactivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the left in
direction1.
The rear door windows can be operated
again using the respective switch
located in the rear doors.
For more information, see “Power win-
dows” (
page 221).
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 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.
iOperation of the rear door windows with the
switches located on the door control panel of the
driver’s door is still possible.

93 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ.

All turn signal lamps flash once.

An acoustic signal sounds once.

The locking knobs in the doors
move up.

The anti-theft alarm system* is dis-
armed.
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. It is possible
for children to open a locked door from the
inside, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
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 interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference 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 interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
iYou can also open or close the windows and
the tilt/sliding sunroof* using the SmartKey
(
page 223).
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the vehi-
cle with the SmartKey, then either the batteries
in the SmartKey are discharged, the SmartKey is
malfunctioning or the vehicle battery is drained.

Try second SmartKey.

Check the batteries in the SmartKey
(
page 95) and replace them if necessary
(
page 366).

Use the mechanical key to unlock the driv-
er’s door (
page 361) and the trunk
(
page 362).

Use the mechanical key to lock the driver’s
door (
page 362) and the trunk
(
page 99).

Have the vehicle battery and the battery con-
nections checked (
page 383).
If the SmartKey is malfunctioning, contact
Roadside Assistance or an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
iWhen unlocking or locking the vehicle with
the SmartKey an acoustic signal sounds. The
acoustic signal is activated at the factory. If you
wish to deactivate the feature, or adjust its signal
volume, contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

94 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and rearm the anti-theft alarm system*
within approximately 40 seconds of un-
locking if:

neither door nor trunk is opened

the SmartKey is not inserted in the
starter switch

the central locking switch is not
activated
Global locking
Press button‹.

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.

An acoustic signal sounds three
times.

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.

The anti-theft alarm system* is
armed.Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the SmartKey so that press-
ing buttonŒ only unlocks the driver’s
door and the fuel filler flap.
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about 5 seconds un-
til battery check lamp5 (
page 92)
flashes twice.
The SmartKey will then function as
follows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap
Press buttonΠonce.

All turn signal lamps flash once.

An acoustic signal sounds once.

The locking knob in the driver’s
door moves up.

The anti-theft alarm system* is dis-
armed.Global unlocking
Press buttonΠtwice.

All turn signal lamps flash once.

An acoustic signal sounds once.

The locking knobs in the doors
move up.

The anti-theft alarm system* is dis-
armed.
Global locking
Press button‹.
With the trunk and all doors closed:

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.

An acoustic signal sounds three
times.

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.

The anti-theft alarm system* is
armed.

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.

107 Controls in detail
Memory function*
Memory function*
Prior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach and comfort. The head re-
straint should also be adjusted for proper
height. See also the section on air bags
(
page 59) for proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small chil-
dren should be seated in a properly se-
cured restraint system that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2.With the memory function you can store up
to three different settings.
The following settings are stored for the
driver’s seat when using the buttons on the
driver’s door:

Driver’s seat, backrest and head
restraint position

Steering wheel position

Exterior rear view mirrorsThe following settings are stored for the
front passenger seat when using the but-
tons (if so equipped depending on vehicle
equipment configuration) on the passen-
ger door:

Front passenger seat, backrest and
head restraint position
Warning!G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

109 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 50)
and “Turn signals” (
page 50).
Exterior lamp switch
Exterior lamp switch
MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 111)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 111)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)BLow beam headlamps or high beam
headlamps when the combination
switch is pushed forward. The tail
lamps, license plate lamps, side
marker lamps, parking lamps and
instrument panel lamps also come
on.
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country
where the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iIf you hear a warning signal you have
forgotten 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.

140 Controls in detail
Control system
Press buttonæ orç to select
manual operation (
Manual) or daytime
running lamp mode (
Constant).
With daytime running lamp mode activated
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionM orU, the low beam
headlamps are switched on when the
engine is running.
In low ambient light conditions the
following lamps will switch on additionally:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
For more information on the daytime
running lamp mode, see “Lighting”
(
page 109).Setting locator lighting
With the locator lighting feature activated
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionU, the following lamps will
switch on during darkness when the vehi-
cle is unlocked with the SmartKey:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps

Front fog lamps
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened.If you do not open a door after unlocking
the vehicle with the SmartKey, the lamps
will switch off automatically after
approximately 40 seconds.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Surround lighting
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to switch
the locator lighting function
On or Off.
iFor safety reasons, resetting the Lighting
submenu to factory settings (
page 131) while
driving will not deactivate the daytime running
lamp mode.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display:
Lighting - Cannot be completely reset
to factory settings while driving.