350 Controls in detail
Seats
Placing head restraints upright
Switch on the ignition (page 336).
Press and hold switch1 in the front
center console (
page 349).
The rear seat head restraints will place
upright.Manually placing head restraints up-
right
Pull the rear seat head restraint upright
until it locks into place.
iWhen fasten a rear seat belt (page 360),
the respective rear seat head restraint places
upright.
Warning!G
Make sure the rear seat head restraints en-
gage when placing them upright manually.
Otherwise their protective function cannot
be ensured.
The back of the head will not be supported
in the event of a collision. That could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. Rear seat oc-
cupants can be seriously injured or killed.
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357 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
restraint should also be adjusted for
proper height. See also the section on
air bags (
page 42) 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
children 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 configurations.
The following settings are stored when us-
ing the buttons on the driver’s door:
Driver’s seat, head restraint height and
backrest position
Lumbar support (CL 550)
Drive-dynamic multicontour seat*:
activation/deactivation
Steering wheel position
Exterior rear view mirrors positionThe following settings are stored when us-
ing the buttons on the passenger door:
Front passenger seat, head restraint
high and backrest position
Lumbar support (CL 550)
Drive-dynamic multicontour seat*:
activation/deactivation
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.
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360 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(
page 42).
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
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 57).
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 let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.
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
even fatal 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 positioned on the body.
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361 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
1Belt outlet
2Latch plate
3Buckle
4Release button
Pull the seat belt smoothly from the
seat belt outlet 1.
Place the shoulder portion of the belt
across the top of your shoulder and the
lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate2 into buckle3 until
it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
To release the seat belt, press release
button4 and guide latch plate back to
belt outlet.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 40).
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362 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Proper use of seat belts
Do not twist the belt when fastening.
Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the belt under your
arm.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.
Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.
Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or
booster seat always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.
Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure that it is properly posi-
tioned.
Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.For more information, see “Seat belts”
(
page 52).
Seat belt height adjustment
The vehicle automatically adjusts the seat
belt height for the driver’s and front pas-
senger’s seats as well as for the rear outer
seats. Comply with the instructions on how
to properly fasten a seat belt
(
page 360).
Warning!G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
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385 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
1Handle for electronic parking brake
Manually releasing electronic parking
brake
Pull handle1.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
You cannot release the electronic parking
brake until the ignition is switched on.Automatically releasing electronic
parking brake
Your vehicle’s electronic parking brake is
automatically released when:
The engine is running.
Transmission is in position D or R.
The hood is closed.
You have fastened your seat belt.
You step on the accelerator pedal.
If gear R is engaged, the trunk must be
closed.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle with the automat-
ic transmission not fully engaged in
positionPis dangerous. Also, when parked
on an incline, position P alone may not pre-
vent your vehicle from moving, possibly hit-
ting people or objects.
Always engage the electronic parking brake
in addition to shifting to position P
(
page 378).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
iIf you have not fastened your seat belt, the
following conditions must be met in order for the
electronic parking brake to be automatically re-
leased:
The driver’s door is closed.
You must move the gear selector out of P po-
sition or drive faster than 2 mph (3 km/h).
ProCarManuals.com
386 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Manually engaging electronic parking
brake
Press handle1.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster comes on.Automatically engaging electronic park-
ing brake*
Your vehicle’s electronic parking brake is
automatically engaged when DISTRONIC
Plus* (
page 411) brings your vehicle to a
standstill and at least one of the following
conditions is met:
The engine is switched off.
The driver’s door is opened and the
seat belt is not inserted in the belt
buckle.
The hood is released.
The trunk lid is open while gear R is en-
gaged.
The vehicle is parked for an extended
period.
The red indicator lamp 0in the instru-
ment cluster comes on.Emergency braking with electronic
parking brake
In an emergency situation, you can also
brake your vehicle while driving by using
the electronic parking brake.
While driving, press handle for elec-
tronic parking brake (
page 384).
During the braking procedure, the red indi-
cator lamp 0 (USA only) or !
(Canada only) flashes in the instrument
cluster, the message “Please release park-
ing brake” appears on the multifunction
display and you will hear a warning tone.
Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop
the electronic parking brake will engage.iYou can also engage the electronic parking
brake when the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch.
iIn addition to the electronic parking brake,
park position P can be automatically engaged.
iYour vehicle will be braked for as long as you
press and hold the switch for the electronic park-
ing brake. The longer you keep the electronic
parking brake pressed, the more strongly your
vehicle will be braked. This method occurs on all
4 wheels, not just the rear wheels.
ProCarManuals.com
388 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Turning off with KEYLESS-GO*
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 337) to turn off the en-
gine.
With the driver’s door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(
page 336).If you have started the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button and can-
not turn it off as described above:
Remove the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button from the starter switch.
Insert the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
into the starter switch.
The engine turns off. The starter switch
is in position 0 (
page 336).
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 361).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
iIn an emergency you can turn off the engine
while driving by pressing and holding the
KEYLESS-GO start/ stop button for
approximately 3 seconds.
!If you turn off the engine using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button and open the
driver’s or passenger door, the transmission will
shift to park positionP automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine using
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone only
will automatically shift the transmission to
neutral positionN.
iIf you drive through an automatic conveyor
type car wash, you can switch on the ignition
with the KEYLESS-GO button and engage gear N
or insert the SmartKey into the starter switch.
!M a k e s u r e t h e s e a t b e l t r e t r a c t s f u l l y s o t h a t
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim pan-
el. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
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