Page 78 of 481

77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate
for 6 seconds to remind you and your pas-
sengers to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a maxi-
mum of 6 seconds or until the driver’ s
seat belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds the driver’s or the
front passenger’s seat belt (with the front
passenger seat occupied) is not fastened
with both doors closed,
the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the driv-
er’s or front passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.
and if the vehicle speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing
and side (front side impact air bags, rear
side impact air bags*, window curtain
air bags and ETD) impacts which exceed
preset deployment thresholds.
Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would
increase the chance of head and neck
injuries. The belt would also apply too
much force to the ribs or abdomen,
which could severely injure internal or-
gans such as your liver or spleen.
Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
might cause injuries.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
m e n . I f t h e b e l t i s p o s i t i o n e d a c r o s s y o u r
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another
person or other objects.
Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to distribute impact forces.
The twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.
Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.
Page 87 of 481

86 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear side window operation
You can block the rear side 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 side windows can no longer be
operated using the respective switch
located in the rear trim panels.
Deactivating override switch
Slide override switch3 to the left in
direction1.
The rear side windows can be operated
using the respective switch located in
the rear trim panels.
For more information, see “Power win-
dows” (
page 245).
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 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.
iOperation of the rear side windows with the
switches located on the door control panel of the
driver’s door is still possible.
Page 88 of 481

87 Safety and Security
Panic alarm
Panic alarm
1Â button
Activating
Press and hold button  for at least
1 second.
An audible alarm and flashing exterior
lamps will operate briefly.
Deactivating
Press button  again.
or
Insert the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in starter switch.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 37).
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 interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, 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 re-
ceived, 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.
Page 93 of 481

92 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see the "Practical
hints" section (
page 362) and
(
page 370).Electronic traction system
The electronic traction system is a
component of ESP
®.
The electronic traction system improves
the vehicle’s ability to utilize available
traction, especially under slippery road
conditions by applying the brakes to a
spinning wheel.
When you switch off the ESP
®, the
electronic traction system is still enabled.Switching off the ESP
®
To improve the vehicle’s traction, turn off
the ESP® in driving situations where it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:
when driving with snow chains
in deep snow
in sand or gravel
!Because the ESP® operates automatically,
the engine must be turned off (SmartKey in
starter switch position0 or1 or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position0 or1) when
the parking brake is being tested on a brake
test dynamometer
the vehicle is being towed with the front axle
raised
Active braking action through the ESP
® may
otherwise seriously damage the brake system.
iThe ESP® will only function properly if
you use wheels of the recommended tire
size (
page 442).Warning!G
If you are driving too fast, the electronic
traction system cannot reduce the risk of an
accident.
The electronic traction system cannot pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting
on the vehicle.
Warning!G
The ESP® should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a
Minispare wheel is mounted.
!Switch on the ESP® immediately if the
aforementioned circumstances do not apply
anymore.
Page 95 of 481
94 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Turn off the engine by means of the
start/stop button (
page 37) on the
gear selector lever.
Open the driver’s door.Deactivating
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens
a door
the trunk
the hood
The alarm will stay on even if the activating
element (e.g. a door) is immediately
closed.
iStarting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the ve-
hicle’s battery is charged), the system is not op-
erational. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA), or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
Page 96 of 481

95 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
The alarm system will also be triggered
when
the vehicle is opened with the
mechanical key.
someone opens a door from the inside.
someone opens the trunk with the
emergency release button.Arming the alarm system
The indicator lamp is in the center console.
1Indicator lamp
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times,
and an acoustic signal sounds three
times, to indicate that the alarm sys-
tem is armed.
Indicator lamp1 begins to flash after
approximately 30 seconds after arming
the alarm system.
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is ini-
tiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 279) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash three
times, and the acoustic signal do not sounds
three times (if equipped and feature activated),
one of the following elements may not be prop-
erly closed:
a door
the trunk
Close the respective element and lock the vehi-
cle again.
Page 97 of 481
96 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Disarming the alarm system
Unlock your vehicle with the SmartKey
or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once, and
an acoustic signal sounds once, to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed.Canceling the alarm
With the SmartKey
Press the Œ or ‹button on the
SmartKey.
or
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.With KEYLESS-GO*
Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 37).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.iThe alarm system will rearm automatically
after approximately 40 seconds if neither a door
nor the trunk lid was opened.
Page 99 of 481

98 Controls in detail
In the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed in your vehicle.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions of your vehicle, this section will
be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the
basic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are
given at the beginning of each segment.
Locking and unlocking
For more information on locking and
unlocking, see “Getting started”
(
page 34) and (page 59).
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The locking tabs for the mechanical key
portion of the two SmartKeys are a
different color to help distinguish each
SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:
the doors
the trunk
the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control
1‹Lock button
2Š Opening button for trunk
(
page 101)
3Mechanical key locking tab
4Œ Unlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 87)
!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid ex-
posing the SmartKey to high levels of electro-
magnetic radiation.