2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 light

43 Getting started
Adjusting
Backrest tilt
Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow2.
Head restraint height

Press the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow3.Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow4.
Seat cushion tilt

Press the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow5 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Head restraint adjusting
Manually adjust the head restraint.

Push or pull on the upper edge of the
head restraint cushion.Comfort head restraint* adjusting
1Head restraint side adjustment
2Head restraint fore and aft adjustment
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.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are
intended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
i
Adjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.Warning!
G
When folding back the side cushions, never
reach between the side cushion and the
mounting post. You could otherwise be
trapped.

44 Getting startedAdjustingYou can individually adjust side
cushions1 of the comfort head re-
straints.
Adjusting side cushions
Pull or push sides1 into desired posi-
tion.
Adjusting forward or backward

Pull or push head restraint in direction
of arrow2.
For more information on seats, see “Seats”
(
page 120).
Steering wheel Steering wheel adjustment
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the steering column (lower left).
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down

Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
or

Open the driver’s door.
Adjusting steering column in or out

Move stalk in direction of arrows1
until a comfortable steering wheel posi-
tion is reached with your arms slightly
bent at the elbow.
i
Adjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock your vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the steering wheel adjustment feature can
be operated when the driver’s door is open.
Therefore, 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.

55 Getting started
Driving
Switching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low beam headlamps and the
green indicator lamp C in the exte-
rior lamp switch comes on.High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1.
The high beam headlamps and the high
beam headlamp indicator lampA in
the instrument cluster comes on
(page 26).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 128).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press combination switch in direction
of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp L or K in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 26).


59 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.Warning!
G
If you have selected the Comfort suspension
tuning (
page 231), the vehicle lowers
slightly when it is locked. You should there-
fore make sure that no one is standing near
the wheel arches or lying underneath the ve-
hicle when it is being locked. Otherwise,
personal injury could result.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury, or
damage to the vehicle drivetrain, as a result
of vehicle movement, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch, or press
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button.


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you and lock vehicle
when leaving.
!
If you have selected the Comfort suspen-
sion tuning (
page 231), the vehicle lowers
slightly when you lock it within approximately
60 seconds after switching off the engine. When
parking, make sure that your vehicle cannot
come into contact with other objects, such as a
curb, while lowering. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged.
Warning!
G
Engaging the parking brake while the vehicle
is in motion can cause the rear wheels to
lock up. You could lose control of the vehicle
and cause an accident. In addition, the vehi-
cle’s brake lights do not light up when the
parking brake is engaged.

60 Getting startedParking and locking1Release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Step firmly on parking brake pedal2.
When the engine is running, the warn-
ing lamp; (USA only) or3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(page 55).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 128).
Turning off engine 
Shift the automatic transmission to
positionP (
page 173).

Apply the parking brake (
page 59).
Warning!
G
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. Children could release the
parking brake and/or move the gear selec-
tor lever from positionP, either of which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, when parked on an in-
cline, positionP alone may not prevent your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.i
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 173).
On slopes, turn the front wheels towards the
road curb.

62 Getting startedParking and locking
Exit the vehicle and close all doors and
the trunk.
Locking with the SmartKey

After exiting the vehicle, press lock
button‹ on the SmartKey
(page 36).
With the trunk and all doors closed:


All turn signal lamps flash three
times.


An acoustic signal sounds three
times.
For more information, see “Factory
setting” (
page 108).


The locking knobs in the doors
move down.


The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 102).
Locking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button

After exiting the vehicle, press lock
button1 at the outside door handle or
on the trunk lid.
With the trunk and all doors closed:

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.


An acoustic signal sounds three
times.
For more information, see “Factory
setting” (
page 108).


The locking knobs in the doors
move down.


The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 102).
i
If 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.

64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are

Seat belts (
page 78)


Child restraints (
page 84)


Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) (
page 88)
Additional protection is provided by


Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with

Air bags (
page 66)


Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)


Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) for seat belts (
page 81)


Active head restraints (
page 83)


Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®) (page 82)Air bag system components with


Front passenger front air bag off indica-
tor lamp (
page 76)


USA only:
Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 71)


Canada only:
Front passenger seat with
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation sys-
tem (
page 76)
Although independent systems, their pro-
tective functions work in conjunction with
each other.The SRS system conducts a self-test when
the ignition is switched on and in regular
intervals while the engine is running. This
facilitates early detection of malfunctions.
The 1indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on and goes out no later than a
few seconds after the engine has been
started.
The SRS components are in operational
readiness if the 1indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the 1indicator lamp:


fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds after the engine was started


does not come on at all


comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
i
For information on infants and children trav-
eling with you in the vehicle and restraint sys-
tems for infants and children, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 84).

70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyThe air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.The front passenger air bag will only be
deployed if:


the front passenger seat is occupied


the 75indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(page 76)


the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
Knee bag
The knee bag is located on the driver-side
lower instrument panel. It is designed to
operate together with the driver air bag in
certain frontal impacts exceeding a preset
threshold. The knee bag operates best in
conjunction with a properly positioned and
fastened seat belt.Side impact air bags, window curtain
air bags
1Front side impact air bags
2Window curtain air bag
3Rear side impact air bags
i
The front air bags in this vehicle have been
designed to inflate in two stages. This allows the
air bag to have different rates of inflation that are
based on the rate of vehicle deceleration as as-
sessed by the air bag control unit.
USA only:
On the front passenger side, the front air bag de-
ployment is additionally influenced by the pas-
senger’s weight category as identified by the
Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 71).
USA only:
The lighter the front passenger side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.
!
Canada only:
Do not place objects heavier than 20 lb (9 kg) on
the front passenger seat. This could cause the
front or side impact air bag on the front passen-
ger side to deploy in a crash which exceeds the
system’s deployment threshold.