2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK550 COUPE belt

80 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 261), and
see “Useful features” (
page 268) 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

81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.
iInformation on child seats with anchor fit-
tings for tether anchorages (
page 84).
For information on LATCH-type child seat an-
chors (
page 85).
!The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, the U.S. territories, and all Canadian
provinces.
Infants and small children should be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system prop-
erly secured in accordance with the manufactur-
er's instructions for the child restraint, that
complies with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 210.2.!A statement by the child restraint manufac-
turer of compliance with these standards can be
found on the instruction label on the restraint
and in the instruction manual provided with the
restraint.
When using any infant, or toddler restraint, or
booster seat, be sure to carefully read and follow
all manufacturer’s instructions for installation
and use.
Please read and observe warning labels affixed
to the inside of the vehicle and to infant or child
restraints.

82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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
appropriate infant or child restraint recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Occupants, especially children, should nev-
er place their bodies or lean their heads in
the area of the door or the rear side trim
panel where the front side impact air bag
and/or the rear side impact air bag* in-
flates. This could result in serious injuries or
death should the air bag be triggered. Al-
ways sit nearly upright, properly use the
seat belts and use an appropriately sized in-
fant or toddler restraint or booster seat rec-
ommended for the size and weight of the
child.
Children can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following
important information when circumstances
require you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the OCS senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard
appropriate child restraint on the front
passenger seat.

A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured or even killed if the
front passenger front air bag inflates in
a collision which could occur under
some circumstances, even with the
air bag technology installed in your vehi-
cle. The only means to completely elim-
inate this risk is to never place a child in
a rear-facing child restraint in the front
seat. We therefore strongly recommend
that you always place a child in a
rear-facing child restraint in the back
seat.

If you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat
because circumstances require you to
do so, make sure that the
56indicator lamp is illuminated,
indicating that the front passenger front
air bag is deactivated. Should the
56 indicator lamp not illuminate
or go out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. Periodically
check the 56 indicator lamp
while driving to make sure the
56indicator lamp is illuminated.
If the 56 indicator lamp goes out
or remains out,

83 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
do not transport a child on the front pas-
senger seat until the system has been
repaired. A child in a rear-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger seat will
be seriously injured or even killed if the
front passenger front air bag inflates.

If you have to place a child in a
forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat, move the seat as
far back as possible, use the proper
child restraint recommended for the
age, size and weight of the child, and
secure child restraint with the vehicle’s
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. For
children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
front air bag may or may not be
activated (
page 71).
Warning!G
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.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper belt positioning
for children over 41 lbs until they reach a
height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised
children in a child restraint system may use
vehicle equipment and may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Child seat anchors – LATCH-type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH-
(L
ower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren)
type anchors (at each of the rear seats) for
the installation of a LATCH-type child seat
with matching mounting fittings.LATCH-type anchors
The LATCH-type anchors are located be-
tween the seat cushion and the backrest.
1Anchors
Install child seat according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
Warning!G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in 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 over
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 to the
right and left side anchor.
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 anchor fittings must be replaced.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
iNon-LATCH-type child seats may also be
used and can be installed using the vehicle’s
seat belt system (
page 80). Install child seat
according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

126 Controls in detail
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 65) 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.The following settings are stored when
using the buttons on the driver’s door:

Driver’s seat, backrest and head
restraint position

Steering wheel position

Exterior rear view mirror position
The following settings are stored when
using the buttons on the passenger door:

Front passenger seat, backrest and
head restraint positionThe memory button and memory position
switch are located on the door.
1Memory button
2Memory position switch
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
or
Open the respective door and insert
the SmartKey in the starter switch.
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.

250 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof*
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof
The tilt/sliding sunroof can be opened and
closed electrically. The switch for the
tilt/sliding sunroof is on the overhead
control panel.
Sunroof switch
1Push up to raise sunroof at rear
2Pull down to lower sunroof at rear
3Push forward to slide sunroof closed
4Push back to slide sunroof openWith the sunroof closed or tilted open, a
screen can be slid into the roof opening to
guard against sun rays. When sliding the
sunroof open, the screen will also retract.
Screen
Warning!G
When closing the tilt/sliding sunroof, make
sure there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The opening/closing procedure of the
tilt/sliding sunroof can be immediately
halted by releasing the switch or, if the
switch was moved past the resistance point
and released, by moving the switch in any
direction.
The tilt/sliding sunroof is made out of glass.
In the event of an accident, the glass may
shatter. This may result in an opening in the
roof.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not wearing
their seat belts or not wearing them properly
may be thrown out of the opening. Such an
opening also presents a potential for injury
for occupants wearing their seat belts
properly as entire body parts or portions of
them may protrude from the passenger
compartment.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

328 Operation
Tires and wheels
General:
Depending on the design standards used,
the tire size molded into the sidewall may
have no letter or a letter preceding the tire
size designation.
No letter preceding the size designation
(as illustrated above): Passenger car tire
based on European design standards.
Letter “P” preceding the size designation:
Passenger car tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “LT” preceding the size designation:
Light Truck tire based on U.S. design
standards.
Letter “T” preceding the size designation:
Temporary spare tires which are high
pressure compact spares designed for
temporary emergency use only. Tire width
The tire width1 (
page 327) indicates
the nominal tire width in mm.
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio2 (
page 327) is the
dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width and is
expressed in percentage. The aspect ratio
is arrived at by dividing section height by
section width. Tire code
The tire code3 (
page 327) indicates
the tire construction type. The “R” stands
for radial tire type. Letter “D” means diag-
onal or bias ply construction; letter “B”
means belted-bias ply construction.
At the tire manufacturer’s option, any tire
with a speed capability above 149 mph
(240 km/h) can include a “ZR” in the size
designation (for example: 245/40 ZR 18).
For additional information, see “Tire speed
rating” (
page 330).