2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E550 4MATIC page 1

60 Getting startedDrivingProblems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged
(gasoline engine only).


The engine electronics may not be op-
erating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it
(gasoline engine only).

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.The coolant temperature is above
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.

Stop the vehicle as soon as possible in
a safe location and turn off the engine.
Allow engine and coolant to cool off.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 330).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking fuel:

Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.

Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the


major assemblies


fuel system


engine mount:

Start the engine in the usual manner.

61 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.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
Vehicles with Airmatic: If you have selected
the Comfort suspension tuning
(page 265), the vehicle lowers slightly
when it is locked. You should therefore
make sure that no one is standing near the
wheel arches or lying underneath the vehi-
cle when it is being locked. Otherwise, per-
sonal 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 to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
start / stop button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* and lock vehicle when
leaving.
!
Vehicles with Airmatic: If you have selected
the Comfort suspension tuning (
page 265),
the vehicle lowers slightly when you lock it within
approximately 60 seconds after switching off the
engine. When parking, make sure that your vehi-
cle cannot come into contact with other objects,
such as a curb, while lowering. Your vehicle
could otherwise be damaged.

63 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(page 56).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 137).
Turning off engine 
Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.

Apply the parking brake (
page 62).Turning off with the SmartKey

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
(page 38) to position0 and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle 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.
On slopes, turn the front wheels towards the
road curb.
i
The SmartKey can only be removed from the
starter switch with the gear selector lever in
positionP.

64 Getting startedParking and lockingTurning off with KEYLESS-GO* 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton to shut off the engine.
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 38).
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(page 50).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
Locking
i
If you hear a warning signal, you have tried
to turn off the engine while the gear selector le-
ver was not in positionP.
In addition, the message
Gear selector le-
ver in Park position appears in the multi-
function display.
Place the gear selector lever in positionP.
!
Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
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.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure that there
is no possibility of someone getting caught
in a door during closing.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s un-
supervised access to a vehicle could result
in an accident and/or serious personal inju-
ry.

65 Getting started
Parking 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).


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.
For more information, see the “Controls in
detail” section (
page 110).Locking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button

After exiting the vehicle, press lock
button1 on an outside door handle.

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.
For more information, see “SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 113).
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.

68 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most
important facts about the restraint sys-
tems of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are

Seat belts (
page 82)


Child restraints (
page 89)


Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) (
page 94)
Additional protection is provided by


Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with

Air bags (
page 70)


Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)


Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) for seat belts (
page 85)


Active head restraints (
page 87)


Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®) (page 86)Air bag system components with


Front passenger front air bag off indica-
tor lamp (
page 79)


USA only:
Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 75)


Canada only:
Front passenger seat with
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation sys-
tem (
page 81)
As independent systems, their protective
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
1
indicator 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
1
indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the
1
indicator 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 88).

74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFront air bags
1Driver front air bag
2Front passenger front air bag
Driver and front passenger front air bags
are deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the side impact
air bagsThe 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 front air bag will only
be deployed if:


the system senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied


the 75 indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(page 79)


the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
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 75).
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.

76 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFurthermore, the occupant weight may ap-
pear to increase or decrease due to
objects hanging on the seat, other passen-
gers pushing on the seat, objects lodged
underneath the seat or stuffed between
seat and middle console or between seat
and door or due to objects applying pres-
sure on the back of the seat. Always make
sure that the seat has clearance in all di-
rections at all times.
Both driver and the front passenger should
always use the 75 indicator
lamp as an indication of whether or not the
front passenger is properly positioned.i
If your seat, including your trim cover and
cushion needs to be serviced in any way, take
the vehicle to your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used.
Warning!
G
If the 75 indicator lamp illumi-
nates when an adult or someone larger than
a small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the
75 indicator lamp goes out, or
check whether objects are caught under or
around the seat.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 403).
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front
air bag deployment when the OCS classified
the front passenger seat occupant as being
up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint or if the front passenger seat is
sensed as being empty.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being up
to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint, the 75 indicator lamp
will illuminate when the engine is started
and remain illuminated, indicating that the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat is classified as being empty, the
75 indicator lamp will illumi-
nate when the engine is started and remain
illuminated, indicating that the front passen-
ger front air bag is deactivated.