56 Getting startedDrivingSwitching 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 low
beam headlamp indicator lampB in
the instrument cluster come on
(page 141).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 come on
(page 26).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 141).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp L or K in the instrument
cluster flashes.
70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyAir bagsWarning!
G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front air bags), side impacts (side
impact air bags and window curtain air bags)
or rollovers (window curtain air bags). How-
ever, no system available today can totally
eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The activation of the air bags temporarily re-
leases a small amount of dust from the
air bags. This dust, however, is neither inju-
rious to your health, nor does it indicate a
fire in the vehicle. The dust might cause
some temporary breathing difficulty for peo-
ple with asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, you may wish to get out of the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have any breathing difficulty but cannot get
out of the vehicle after the air bag inflates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or
door.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body.
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:
Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.
Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 in (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please contact your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.
Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front air bag inflates.
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
73 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.
or door frame trims, and installation of
additional electrical/electronic equip-
ment on or near SRS components and
wiring. Keep area between air bags and
occupants free from objects (e.g. pack-
ages, purses, umbrellas, etc.).
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.
Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when the window curtain air bag is de-
ployed.
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.
Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.
In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended
air bag deployment. Work on the SRS
must therefore only be performed by
qualified technicians. Contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other, potentially more serious injuries
from air bag deployment.
Warning!
G
Only use seat covers which have been test-
ed and approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle model. Using other seat covers may
interfere with or prevent the deployment of
the side impact air bags. Contact your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center for availabil-
ity.
85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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 front 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.
If you and/or your passenger release
the seat belt during driving, the seat
belt telltale< starts flashing and
the warning chime sounds.
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
intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until the driver’s and the front pas-
senger’s seat belt are fastened.
If the driver’s or the front passenger’s
seat belt remains unfastened after
60 seconds, the warning chime stops
sounding, the seat belt telltale<
stops flashing but continues to be illu-
minated.After a vehicle standstill the warning
chime is reactivated and the seat belt
telltale< is flashing again if the ve-
hicle speed once exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h).
The seat belt telltale < will only go out
if both the driver’s and front passenger’s
seat belt (with the front passenger seat oc-
cupied) are fastened, or the vehicle is
standing still and a front door is opened.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 386).
Emergency Tensioning Device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and second row
outer seats are equipped with emergency
tensioning devices and seat belt force lim-
iters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases:
in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing the system deployment threshold
in certain vehicle rollovers
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 pres-
sure 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
restraint or toddler restraint or children
in booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.
200 Controls in detailGood visibilityFor information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 57).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (
page 37).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield/rear window
washer system and headlamp cleaning
system*” (
page 331).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 47).
Auto-dimming mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when
the ignition is switched on
and
incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view mir-
ror
The rear view mirrors will not react if
reverse gear R is engaged
the interior lighting is turned on
i
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have
switched on the headlamps
and
operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter re-
sets.
220 Controls in detailDual-zone automatic climate controlActivating
Switch off the ignition.
Press buttonT (
page 209).
REST
in the display4 (
page 209)
comes on.
Deactivating
Press buttonT (
page 209) again.
REST
in the display4 (
page 209)
goes out.Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents
The air conditioning for the rear passenger
compartment is controlled via the climate
control panel (
page 208).The air vents for the rear passenger
compartment are located in the rear
center console.
1Left center air vent, adjustable
2Right center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control for
right rear center air vent
4Thumbwheel for air volume control for
left rear center air vent
i
The residual heat is automatically turned off:
when the ignition is switched on
after about 30 minutes
if the battery voltage drops
if the coolant temperature is too low
i
The temperature at the center air vents1
and2 for the rear passenger compartment is
nearly the same as at the dashboard center air
vents.
472 Practical hintsFusesFuse box in passenger compartment
The fuse box is located behind a cover in
the dashboard on the driver’s side.
1Cover
2Recess in the coverOpening
Open the driver’s door.
Insert flat, blunt object as a lever in
recess2 on the edge of cover1.
Loosen cover1 from the dashboard
using lever.
Using your hands, pull cover1 in di-
rection of arrow and remove.
Closing
Hook cover1 into the opening at the
front.
Press cover1 back on until it engag-
es.
Fuse box in cargo compartment
The fuse box is located behind the
left-hand trim panel in the cargo compart-
ment.
1Button for unlocking trim panel
2Trim panel
Opening trim panel
Press button1.
Fold down trim panel2.
Closing trim panel
Fold up trim panel2.
!
Do not use sharp objects such as a screw
driver to open the fuse box cover1 in the dash-
board, as this could damage it.
!
The cover1 must be properly positioned
as described to prevent moisture or dirt from en-
tering the fuse box and possibly impairing fuse
operation.