2007 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 Page 16

121 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate
Closing the tailgate from the inside
electrically*
In vehicles with power tailgate* you can
close the tailgate from the inside using the
remote tailgate switch.
Press remote tailgate switch1
(page 120) until tailgate begins to
close.
The tailgate closes. While the tailgate is
closing an acoustic signal sounds. The
indicator lamp in the remote tailgate
switch goes out.
To interrupt the closing procedure:

Press or pull remote tailgate switch1
(page 120).If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high) the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.
i
You can also close the tailgate manually
(
page 122).
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of the area around the rear of
the vehicle while operating the tailgate with
the door mounted switch. Monitor the
closing procedure carefully to make sure no
one is in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, press or
pull the door mounted remote tailgate
switch.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the remote tailgate switch can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
i n t h e v e h i c l e , o r w i t h a c c e s s t o a n u n l o c k e d
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the
vehicle interior.

123 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with power tailgate* you can
close the tailgate from the outside using
the tailgate closing switch or the
Šbutton on the SmartKey.
1Tailgate closing switch
Press tailgate closing switch1 briefly.
The tailgate closes and an acoustic
warning sounds.If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.
i
You can also close the tailgate manually
(
page 122).Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

Press tailgate closing switch1.


Press the Šbutton on the SmartKey.


Press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door).
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the tailgate closing switch
can be operated. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.i
Do not place the SmartKey in the open
cargo compartment. You may lock yourself out.
i
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automatically after
closing it. The turn signals will flash three times
to confirm locking.

124 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with power tailgate* and
KEYLESS-GO*, you can close the tailgate
separately from the outside using the tail-
gate closing switch or the Šbutton on
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.
1Tailgate closing switch

Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you.

Press tailgate closing switch1 briefly.
The tailgate closes and an acoustic
warning sounds.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

Press tailgate closing switch1.


Press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO.


Press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door).
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate
closing switch can be operated. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.i
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automatically after
closing it. The turn signals will flash three times
to confirm locking.
i
You can also close the tailgate manually
(
page 122).

126 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingIf the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.Automatic central locking
The doors and the tailgate lock automati-
cally when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.For information on towing the vehicle, see
“Towing the vehicle” (
page 518).
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system
(
page 176).
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
tailgate from inside using the central lock-
ing or unlocking switch. This can be useful,
for example, if you want to lock the vehicle
before starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch.
i
To prevent a possible inadvertent lockout,
the tailgate will open automatically if a SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* is recognized inside the
vehicle.
i
The doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact exceeds a
preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when the ignition
is switched on and the wheels are turning at
vehicle speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km/h) or more. You could therefore lock
yourself out when the vehicle


is pushed or towed


is on a test stand
Warning!
G
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. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.


128 Controls in detailSeatsFor information on seat adjustment, see
the “Getting started” section (
page 43).
For more information on seats, see “Load-
ing” (
page 281).
Front seat active head restraintsYou cannot remove the active head
restraints on the driver’s and front
passenger’s seat.
For removal of the active head restraints
we recommend that you contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Seats” (
page 43).
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraint” (
page 80).
Rear seat head restraints
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is close
to the head as possible and the center of the
head restraint supports the back of the head
at eye level. This will reduce the potential for
injury to the head and neck in the event of
an accident or similar situation.
Warning!
G
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints installed when the rear seats
are occupied. Head restraints are intended
to help reduce injuries during an accident.
With a rear seat occupied, make sure to
move the respective head restraint up from
the lowest non-use position and have the oc-
cupant adjust the head restraint properly.
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way 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. This will re-
duce the potential for injury to the head and
neck in the event of an accident or similar
situation.

130 Controls in detailSeatsInstalling
Insert head restraint1 into openings
on the seat backrest.

Push head restraint1 down until it au-
dibly engages.

Press release button2 and adjust
head restraint1 to the desired posi-
tion (
page 129).
For more information on seats, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 43).
Lumbar support
The curvature of the driver’s seat can be
adjusted to help enhance lower back sup-
port and seating comfort.
The lever for lumbar support adjustment is
located on the right hand side of the
driver’s seat backrest.
1Adjustment lever
Move adjustment lever1 in direction
of arrows until you have reached a
comfortable seating position.
Multicontour seat*
The multicontour seat has an extendable
seat cushion and inflatable air chambers
built into the backrest to provide additional
lumbar and side support.
The seat cushion depth, seat backrest
cushion-height and curvature can be con-
tinuously varied with switches on the in-
side of each front seat base after the
ignition is switched on (
page 39).
1Seat cushion depth
2Backrest side bolsters
3Backrest center
4Backrest bottom

131 Controls in detailSeats

Switch on the ignition (
page 40).
Seat cushion depth

Adjust the seat cushion depth to the
length of your upper leg with
switch1.
Backrest contour

Adjust the contour of the seat backrest
to the desired position with
switchæ orç.

Move the backrest support to the bot-
tom with button4 or to the center
with button3.
Backrest side bolsters

Adjust the side bolsters so that they
provide good lateral support using
switch2.
Seat heating*
The switches for front-seat heating are lo-
cated in the center console.
1Seat heating switch, front seats
2Indicator lampsThe switches for rear seat heating* are
located in the rear center console.
1Seat heating switch, rear seats
2Indicator lamps

132 Controls in detailSeatsThe red indicator lamps in the switch come
on to show which heating level you have
selected.

Switch on the ignition (
page 40).
Switching on

Press switch1.
Three red indicator lamps2 in the
switch come on.

Continue pressing switch1 until
desired seat heating level is reached.
Switching off

Press switch1 repeatedly until all
indicator lamps2 go out.
Seat ventilation*
The switches for the seat ventilation are
located in the center console.
1Seat ventilation switch, front seats
2Indicator lamps
Level3
Three indicator lamps on
(highest level)
The seat heating automatically
switches to level 2 after approx-
imately 5 minutes.
2
Two indicator lamps on
The seat heating automatically
switches to level 1 after approx-
imately 10 minutes.
1
One indicator lamp on
(lowest level)
The seat heating automatically
switches off after approximately
20 minutes.
off
No indicator lamp on
i
If one or more of the indicator lamps2 on
seat heating switch1 (
page 131) are flash-
ing, there is insufficient voltage available since
too many electrical consumers are switched on.
The seat heating switches off automatically.
The seat heating will switch back on again
automatically as soon as sufficient voltage is
available.