2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS warning

313 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Power closing assist for doors and trunk lid
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. An electrical power-assist-
ed mechanism draws doors and trunk lid
closed quietly and automatically once door
and trunk lid has been latched. When the
electrical power-assisted mechanism has
stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.

Power closing assist for doors: Press
the doors gently past the initial engage
position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.

Power closing assist for trunk lid:
Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. The
locking knobs in the doors move down.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the COMAND system (
page 223).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk lid opening when closing a door or
the trunk. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside
door handle, or pull the trunk lid handle.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the doors closed. Otherwise,
one or more of the doors could open while
the vehicle is in motion, putting you and/or
others at risk.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.
i
The doors are designed to unlock automati-
cally after an accident if the force of the impact
exceeds a preset threshold. The vehicle locks au-
tomatically when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You
could therefore lock yourself out when the vehi-
cle


is pushed or towed


is on a test stand

314 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingLocking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from the inside using the central
locking or unlocking switch. This can be
useful, for example, if you want to lock the
vehicle before starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap will not be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch, respectively.1Central unlocking switch
2Central locking switch

Locking: Press switch ‹.
If the front passenger door is closed,
the vehicle locks.

Unlocking: Press switch Œ.
The vehicle unlocks.
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.
i
You can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked
with the SmartKey or the with KEYLESS-GO*, it
will not unlock using the central unlocking
switch1.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the cen-
tral locking switch2:


While in the global remote control mode, the
vehicle is unlocked completely when a door
is opened from the inside.


While in the selective remote control mode,
only the door opened from inside is un-
locked.

315 Controls in detail
Starter switch positions
Starter switch positions
SmartKeyStarter switch
0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary.
If a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (
page 544).
3Starting positionFor information on starting the engine us-
ing the SmartKey, see “Starting with the
SmartKey” (
page 359).
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.
i
When you switch on the ignition, the indica-
tor and warning lamps (except high beam head-
lamp indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning lamps (ex-
cept high beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps if activated) should go
out when the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are operational.
i
When the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch and the automatic transmission is
in a position other thanP, the automatic trans-
mission automatically shifts to P.
!
If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be sufficient-
ly charged.


Check the battery and charge it if necessary
(page 634).


Get a jump start (
page 639).
To prevent accelerated battery discharge or a
completely discharged battery, always remove
the SmartKey from the starter switch when the
engine is not in operation.

317 Controls in detail
Starter switch positions
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
Make sure the automatic transmission
is set toP.

Do not depress the brake pedal.
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button1USA only
2Canada only
Position 0
Before you press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button, the vehicle’s on-board
electronics have status 0 (as with
SmartKey removed).Position 1

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton once.
This supplies power for some electrical
consumers, such as seat adjustment.
Ignition (or position 2)

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton twice.
This supplies power for all electrical
consumers.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary. If a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (
page 544).
For information on starting the engine us-
ing the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button,
see “Starting with KEYLESS-GO*”
(
page 360).
i
If you now press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button


once again, the ignition (position2) is
switched on


twice, the power supply is again switched off
i
If you now press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button once, the power supply is
again switched off.
i
When you switch on the ignition, the indica-
tor and warning lamps (except high beam head-
lamp indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning lamps (ex-
cept high beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps if activated) should go
out when the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are operational.

318 Controls in detailSeatsSeat adjustment
You can adjust the lumbar support, multi-
contour seats for driver and front passen-
ger, as well as drive-dynamic multicontour
seats using COMAND (
page 236).
Warning!
G
All seat, head restraint adjustments, as well
as fastening of seat belts, must be done be-
fore 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 un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen 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
belts are properly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt
(page 339).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
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.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the power seats
can be operated when the respective door is
open. Therefore, 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.
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant, or toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional informa-
tion, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 61).
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.

320 Controls in detailSeatsRear power seat* adjustment
(rear outer seats)Example rear right door1Seat cushion tilt
2Seat backrest tilt
3Folding down and placing upright head
restraint (
page 326)
4Head restraint tilt (
page 326)
5Seat fore and aft adjustment

Switch on the ignition (
page 315).
or

Open the respective door.

Adjust desired seat using seat
switches1,2 and5.Adjusting front passenger seat from
driver’s seat/rear*
Warning!
G
The seat belt only offers its intended protec-
tion when the seat backrest is in a nearly
vertical position and the occupant is sitting
upright. Avoid sitting in positions that pre-
vent the seat belt from being properly posi-
tioned against the body (
page 339). You
should therefore adjust the backrest to a po-
sition as upright as possible.
Warning!
G
When adjusting the front passenger seat,
make sure the seat, if occupied, is as far
from the passenger front air bag as possi-
ble.
Otherwise, the passenger could be seriously
or even fatally injured in the event of an ac-
cident or braking maneuver.
Make sure no one is caught or injured while
the seat is being adjusted.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the power seats
can be operated when the respective door is
open. Therefore, 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.!
Do not move the front passenger seat com-
pletely forward if objects are stored in the parcel
net in the front passenger-side footwell. Items in
the net may be damaged.

324 Controls in detailSeatsHead restraints Front power head restraints
Head restraint height
1Head restraint height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow1.Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head re-
straint.

Push or pull on the upper edge of the
head restraint cushion.
Luxury active head restraints
(S 600 only) (front seats)
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust 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. This will reduce the potential for
injury to the head and neck in the event of
an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.i
Adjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.
i
Depending on the seat’s set fore and aft po-
sition, the head restraint height is automatically
pre-set.
i
The head restraint on the front passenger’s
side is automatically lowered all the way down
while the vehicle is in motion if no one is sitting
on the seat. This helps you to acquire a better
all-round view.
Warning!
G
When folding back the side cushions, never
reach between the side cushion and the
mounting post. You could otherwise be
trapped.

325 Controls in detailSeats
Adjustment
1Head restraint side cushions
2Adjusting head restraint forward and
backward
You can individually adjust side
cushions1 of the luxury head restraints.
Adjusting side cushions: Pull or push
side cushions1 into desired position.

Adjusting forward or backward: Pull
or push head restraint in direction of
arrow2.Resetting
If the luxury active head restraints have
been triggered in an accident, the luxury
active head restraints must be reset. Oth-
erwise, the luxury active head restraints
cannot offer any additional protection in
the event of another rear-end collision.
Have this work carried out by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on luxury active head re-
straints, see “Luxury active head restraints
(S 600 only)” (
page 59).
Rear head restraintsFolding head restraints back
The rear seat head restraints and the rear
seat power head restraints* can be folded
backward for increased visibility.
1Switch in the front center console
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, always drive with the
rear head restraints in the upright position
when the rear seats are occupied.
Otherwise, the back of the head will not be
supported in the event of a collision. As a re-
sult, rear seat occupants could be injured.
Warning!
G
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
folding operation of the head restraints.i
You can only fold back the rear seat head re-
straints when no rear seat passenger is wearing
a seat belt.