79 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
Only use a BabySmart
TM compatible child
restraint for the front passenger seat in
this vehicle.
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt and the rear center seat belt have
special seat belt retractors for secure fas-
tening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The seat belt is now locked. Push
down on child restraint to take up any
slack.Warning!G
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could
injure themselves on parts of the vehicle
be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could
injure other persons
get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger or cargo compartment unless
they are firmly secured in place. For more
information, see “Loading” (
page 206)
and “Useful features” (
page 215).
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of
strong braking maneuvers
sudden changes of direction
an accident
80 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual
manner.
The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, the U.S. territories and all
Canadian provinces.Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured in
accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions for the child restraint, that
complies with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards 213 and 225 and
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 210.2.
A statement by the child restraint
manufacturer of compliance with these
standards can be found on the instruction
label on the restraint and in the instruction
manual provided with the restraint.
When using any infant or child restraint
system, make sure to carefully read and
follow all manufacturer’s instructions for
installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels
affixed to inside of vehicle and to infant or
child restraints.
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.
iFor information on child seats with mounting
fittings for tether anchorages, see “Installation
of infant and child restraint systems”
(
page 84).
For information on LATCH-type child seat
anchors, see (
page 83).
Warning!G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the
vehicle to deactivate the passenger front air
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the air bag when it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury can result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle’s
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
BabySmartTM air bag deactivation
system
The 56 indicator lamp is located on
the upper part of the center console.
1Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lampInfants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, not face or neck.
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children
from 41 lbs until they reach a height where
a lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised
children in a child restraint system may use
vehicle equipment and may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
83 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Child seat anchors – LATCH type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH-
(L
ower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren)
type anchors (at each of the outer rear
seats) for installation of a LATCH-type
child seat with matching mounting fittings.
Warning!G
When using a BabySmartTM compatible child
seat on the front passenger seat, the
passenger front air bag will not deploy only
if the56 indicator lamp (
page 81)
remains illuminated.
Make sure to check the 56 indicator
lamp every time you use the special system
child seat. Should the 56 indicator
lamp go out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. If the 56
indicator lamp remains out, do not use the
BabySmart
TM restraint to transport children
on the front passenger seat until the system
has been repaired.
Warning!G
Do not place powered-on laptops, cell
phones, electronic tags such as those used
in ski passes and like electronic devices on
the front passenger seat. Signals from such
devices may interfere with the BabySmart
TM
system. Such signal interference may cause
the 56 indicator lamp (
page 81)
not to come on during self-test or be contin-
uously lit, indicating that the system is not
functioning.
Warning!G
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in seats using regular seat belts.
Position shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck.
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children
from 41 lbs until they reach a height where
a lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.
84 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The LATCH-type anchors are located
between the seat cushion and the seat
backrest.
1Anchors
Install child seat according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
Remove the cargo compartment cover
blind, if installed (
page 214).
Remove the partition net*, if so
equipped and installed (
page 210).
Anchorage rings for installation of top
tether straps are located on the floor
behind each rear seat.
1Hook
2Anchorage ring for rear right side seat
3Anchorage ring for rear center seat
4Anchorage ring for rear left side seat
Install child seat according to
manufacturer’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 anchors1.
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
replaced.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
iWith a child seat installed in the left rear
seat, the seat belt for the center seat occupied
by a passenger must operate freely.
iNon-LATCH type child seats may also be
used and can be installed using the vehicle’s
seat belt system. Install child seat according to
the manufacturer’s instructions.
114 Controls in detail
Memory function
Prior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach and comfort. The head
restraint should also be adjusted for
proper height. See also the section on
air bags (
page 70) for proper seat
positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in a properly
secured restraint system that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and
210.2.With the memory function you can store up
to three different configurations.
Each stored position on the driver’s side
includes the following settings:
Seat position
Multicontour seat*: previously saved
setting
Steering wheel position
Exterior rear view mirrors’ positionEach stored position on the passenger side
includes the following settings:
Seat position
Multicontour seat*: previously saved
setting
Warning!G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
195 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Opening and closing
The tilt/sliding sunroof is opened and
closed electrically. The switch for the
tilt/sliding sunroof is located on the
overhead control panel.
Sunroof switch
1Push up to raise sunroof at rear
2Pull down to lower sunroof at rear
3Push forward to slide sunroof closed
4Push back to slide sunroof open
Warning!G
When closing the tilt/sliding sunroof, make
sure there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The opening procedure of the tilt/sliding
sunroof can be immediately halted by
releasing the switch or, if the switch was
moved past the resistance point and
released, by moving the switch in any
direction.
The closing procedure of the tilt/sliding sun-
roof can be immediately halted by releasing
the switch.
The closing procedure of the tilt/sliding sun-
roof can be immediately reversed by moving
the switch in direction1 or4.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not wearing
their seat belts or not wearing them properly
may be thrown out of the opening. Such an
opening also presents a potential for injury
for occupants wearing their seat belts prop-
erly as entire body parts or portions of them
may protrude from the passenger compart-
ment.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment can cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not trans-
port any objects with sharp edges which can
stick out of the tilt/sliding sunroof.
Do not open the tilt/sliding sunroof if there is
snow or ice on the roof, as this could result in
malfunctions.
The tilt/sliding sunroof can be opened or closed
manually should an electrical malfunction occur
(
page 374).
209 Controls in detail
Loading
The handling characteristics of a fully
loaded vehicle depend greatly on the load
distribution. It is therefore recommended
to load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
Please pay attention to and comply with
the following instructions when loading the
vehicle and transporting cargo:
Always place items being carried
against front or rear seat backrests,
and fasten them as securely as
possible.
The heaviest portion of the cargo
should always be kept as low as possi-
ble against front or rear seat backrests.
Always pad off sharp edges.For additional safety when transporting
cargo while the rear seats are unoccupied,
fasten the outer seat belts crosswise into
the opposite side buckles.
Cargo tie-down rings
iThe cargo compartment is the preferred
place to carry objects. The expanded cargo com-
partment (
page 206) should only be used for
items which do not fit in the cargo compartment
alone.
Warning!G
While the partition net* (page 210) will
help protect you from smaller objects, it
cannot prevent the movement of large,
heavier objects into the passenger compart-
ment in an accident.
Such items must be properly secured using
the cargo tie-down rings in the cargo com-
partment floor.