Page 42 of 457

41 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
The seat backrest and seat belts provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly
upright position and seat belts are properly
positioned on the body. Your seat must be
adjusted so that you can correctly fasten
your seat belt (
page 48).
Observe the following points:
Adjust the backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the
steering wheel.
Adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The po-
sition should be as far back as possible
with the driver still able to operate the
controls properly.
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.
Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is
being adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the power seats can be
operated when the respective 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.
Page 45 of 457

44 Getting started
Adjusting
Steering wheel
Steering wheel adjustment
Make sure that
you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows,
you can move your legs freely
all displays (incl. malfunction and indi-
cator lamps) on the instrument cluster
are clearly visibleThe steering wheel adjustment stalk is
located on the lower left of the steering
column.
1Adjusting steering wheel, in or out
2Adjusting steering wheel, up or down
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
or
Open the driver’s door.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
driving. Adjusting the steering wheel while
driving could cause the driver to lose control
of the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the steering wheel adjust-
ment 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.
iThe memory function (page 114) lets you
store the setting for the steering wheel together
with the settings for the seat position and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
Page 48 of 457

47 Getting started
Adjusting
The buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.
1Adjustment button
2Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
3Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror buttonSwitch on the ignition (page 39).
Press button2 for the driver’s side
exterior rear view mirror or button3
for the passenger-side exterior rear
view mirror.
Push adjustment button1 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.For more information, see “Storing exterior
rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 116).!If an exterior rear view mirror housing is
forcibly pushed forward (hit from the rear) or
rearward (hit from the front), reposition it by
applying firm pressure until it snaps into place.
The exterior rear view mirror housing is now
properly positioned and you can adjust the
mirror in the usual manner.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the exterior
rear view mirrors will be heated automatically.
iThe memory function (page 114) lets you
store the setting for the exterior rear view mir-
rors together with the settings for the steering
wheel and the seat position.
Page 53 of 457

52 Getting started
Driving
Opening the rear center seat belt
Press release button6 on buckle5
for the free-sliding latch plate
(
page 50).
Press release button3 on buckle2
for the fixed latch plate (
page 50).
Storing the rear center seat belt
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the rear center seat belt by
guiding latch plate1 (
page 51).
Guide both latch plates4 and7
once after the other into
attachment1 (
page 50).Seat belt outlet height adjustment
You can adjust the height of the seat belt
guide for the following seats:
Driver’s seat
Front passenger seat
Rear outer seats
Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible to
the middle of the shoulder (it should not
touch the neck).
1Release buttonRaising
Slide the seat belt guide upward in
desired position.
The seat belt guide engages in five
different positions.
Lowering
Pull and hold release button1.
Slide the seat belt guide downward in
desired position.
Let go of release button1.
Make sure that the seat belt guide en-
gages into place.
Please comply with the instructions for
“Proper use of seat belts” (
page 53).Warning!G
To help prevent the possibility of injury,
always store the rear center seat belt latch
plates in the attachment when the rear
center seat belt is not in use.
Page 72 of 457

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The
distance from the center of the driver’s
breastbone to the center of the air bag
cover on the steering wheel must be at
least 10 inches (25 cm) or more. You
should be able to accomplish this by a
combination of adjustments to the seat
and steering wheel. If you have any
problems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.
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’s front air bag inflates.
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and appropriate
size infant or child restraint system.
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 BabySmartTM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate 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 will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
Warning!G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a
child 12 years old or under in the front pas-
senger seat of your vehicle, you must prop-
erly use a BabySmart
TM child restraint which
will turn off the passenger front air bag.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and use an appro-
priately sized infant or child restraint
system for all children 12 years old or
under.
(2) Always wear seat belts properly.