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.
80 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification Sys-
tem (USA only)
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice, the 75 indicator lamp
located in the center console illuminates. If
an adult occupant is properly sitting on the
front passenger seat and the system sens-
es the occupant as being an adult, the
75 indicator lamp will illumi-
nate and go out after approximately
6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the front passenger seat as being
empty, the 75 indicator lamp
will illuminate and not go out. For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 393).
Do not place objects under and/or
around the front passenger seat.
Do not hang anything from or attach any
items to the seats.
Do not stuff objects such as books be-
tween the middle console and the front
passenger seat.
Do not move the front passenger seat
backwards against stiff objects.
Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.
Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.
Only have the seat repaired or replaced
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
Warning!
G
If the 75 indicator lamp should
not illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must see an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center before seating any child on the front
passenger seat.Warning!
G
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the Occupant Classifi-
cation System. The bottom of the child seat
must make full contact with the passenger
seat cushion. An incorrectly mounted child
seat could cause injuries to the child in case
of an accident, instead of increasing protec-
tion for the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.
81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system (Canada only)
175indicator lamp
Special BabySmart
TM compatible child
seats, designed for use with the
Mercedes-Benz system, are required for
use with the BabySmart
TM air bag deactiva-
tion system. Please contact your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for
information on availability. With the special
child seat properly installed, the front pas-
senger front air bag will not deploy.The 75indicator lamp locat-
ed in the center console will be illuminat-
ed, except with the SmartKey removed or
in starter switch position0.
Self-test BabySmart
TM without special
child seat installed (Canada only)
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice, the 75indicator lamp
located in the center console comes on for
approximately 6 seconds and then goes
out.
If the 75indicator lamp
should not come on or is continuously lit,
the system is not functioning. You must
see an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
before seating any child on the passenger
seat.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (page 395).
i
The system does not deactivate the side im-
pact air bag, the window curtain air bag and the
emergency tensioning device.
Warning!
G
The BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation sys-
tem will ONLY work with a special child seat
designed to operate with it. It will not work
with child seats which are not BabySmart
TM
compatible.
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the deactivation sys-
tem. The bottom of the child seat must
make full contact with the passenger seat
cushion. An incorrectly mounted child seat
could cause injuries to the child in case of an
accident, instead of protecting the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of special child seats.
95 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
1Override switch
2Indicator lamp
Press override switch1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The rear
door windows can no longer be operat-
ed using the switches located in the
rear doors.For more information on power windows,
see the “Controls in detail” section
(
page 237).
Warning!
G
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 seat belt posi-
tioning for children over 41 lb until they
reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d t o t h e
right and left side anchors2 (
page 94).
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 mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
!
Operation of the rear door windows with the
switches located on the door control panel of the
driver’s door is still possible.
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.
96 Safety and SecurityPanic alarmAn audible alarm and flashing exterior
lamps will operate briefly.
1Â button
Activating
Press and hold button1 for at least
1 second.
Deactivating
Press button1 again.
or
Insert the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter
switch.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must
be inside the vehicle.
i
USA 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.
i
Canada 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.
101 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 381) and
(
page 402).
Warning!
G
Never switch off the ESP
® when you see the
ESP
® warning lamp v flashing in the in-
s t r u m e n t c l u s t e r . I n t h i s c a s e p r o c e e d a s f o l -
lows:
While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.
While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.
Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase the traction afforded. The ESP
®
cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The ca-
pabilities of an ESP
® equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er’s safety or the safety of others.
!
The ESP
® will only function properly if you
use wheels of the recommended tire size
(
page 481).
!
Vehicles without 4MATIC:
Because the ESP
® operates automatically, the
engine and the ignition must be shut 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 oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
For information on vehicles with 4MATIC, see
“Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC)
with the ESP
®” (page 105).
105 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves the vehicle’s ability
to use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under slippery road
conditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.Warning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv
flashing in the instrument cluster, proceed
as follows:
While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.
While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.
Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
!
Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!
Performance testing must only be conduct-
ed on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically,
the engine and the ignition must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0 or 1 or
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position0
or1) when the parking brake is being tested on a
brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
Operational tests with the engine running can
only be conducted on a two-axle dynamometer.