2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 rear seat

339 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained, even those sitting in
the rear and pregnant women.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(page 45).
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.Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.

341 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the belt when fastening.


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). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the belt under your
arm.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant or toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.


Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure that it is properly posi-
tioned.


Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.For more information, see “Seat belts”
(
page 55).
Seat belt height adjustment
The vehicle automatically adjusts the seat
belt height for the driver’s and front pas-
senger’s seats as well as for the rear outer
seats. Comply with the instructions on how
to properly fasten a seat belt
(page 339).
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

353 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
Opening and closing power windows
The door windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches

for all side windows are on the driver’s
door


for the front passenger side window
are on the front passenger door


for each rear side window are on the
rear doors
1Left front door window
2Right front door window
3Left rear door window
4Right rear door window
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
Activate the override switch (
page 67)
when children are riding in the back seats of
the vehicle. The children may otherwise in-
jure themselves, e.g. by becoming trapped
in the window opening.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pressed past the resis-
tance point and released, by pressing the
lower part of the respective switch again.
The door windows are equipped with the ex-
press-close and automatic reversal func-
tion. If the window encounters an
obstruction that blocks its path in a circum-
stance where you pressed the switch past
the resistance point and released it to close
the window, the automatic reversal function
will stop the window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pressing and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button ‹ on the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*, by pressing and holding
the sensor surface (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on an outside door handle,
or by pressing and holding button, on
the climate control panel, the automatic re-
versal function will not operate.
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.

355 Controls in detail
Power windows

Stopping during Express-operation:
Briefly press the respective power win-
dow switch again.
Rear side window sunshades*
Closing: With the side window fully
closed, press top part of respective
rocker switch3 or4 (
page 353).
The rear side window sunshade will be
fully closed.

Opening: Press bottom part of respec-
tive rocker switch3 or4
(page 353).
The rear side window sunshade will be
fully opened.
Summer opening feature
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:

opening the side windows and rear side
window sunshades*


opening the tilt/sliding sunroof or
tilt/sliding panel* and extending the
roller sunblinds*


turning on the seat ventilation* for the
driver’s seat

Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* at the
driver’s outside door handle. The
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* must be in close proxim-
ity to the driver’s door handle.
!
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the win-
dow will stop and open slightly. Remove the ob-
struction, press the respective power window
switch at the upper part again past the resis-
tance point and release. If the window still does
not close when there is no obstruction, press
and hold the respective power window switch at
the upper part. The side window will then close
without the obstruction sensor function.
i
The rear side window sunshade cannot be
partially closed.
i
The rocker switches on the rear doors can
also be used to close the rear side window sun-
shades on the other side of the vehicle.
i
The rocker switches on the driver’s door
take precedence over the rocker switches on the
other doors.
i
The “Summer opening” function can only be
activated via the remote control.
i
The seat ventilation* for the driver’s seat is
automatically set to the highest level if activated
via summer opening feature.

365 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Manually engaging electric parking
brake
Press handle1.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster comes on.
Automatically engaging electric parking
brake
Your vehicle’s electric parking brake is au-
tomatically engaged when DISTRONIC
Plus* (
page 385) brings your vehicle to a
standstill and at least one of the following
conditions is met:


The engine is switched off


The driver’s door is opened and the
seat belt is not inserted in the belt
buckle


The hood is released


The trunk lid is open while gear R is en-
gaged


The vehicle is parked for an extended
period
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only) or
! (Canada only) in the instrument clus-
ter comes on.
Emergency braking with electric park-
ing brake
In an emergency situation, you can also
brake your vehicle while driving by using
the electric parking brake.

While driving, press handle for electric
parking brake (
page 364).During the braking procedure, the red indi-
cator lamp 0 (USA only) or !
(Canada only) flashes in the instrument
cluster, the message “Please release park-
ing brake” appears on the multifunction
display and you will hear a warning tone.
Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop
the electronic parking brake will engage.
Turning off the engine
i
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
i
You can also engage the electric parking
brake when the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch.
i
In addition to the electric parking brake,
park position P can be automatically engaged.
i
Your vehicle will be braked for as long as you
press and hold the switch for the electric parking
brake. The longer you keep the electric parking
brake pressed, the more strongly your vehicle
will be braked. This method occurs on all
4 wheels, not just the rear wheels.
Warning!
G
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the en-
gine not running, there is no power assis-
tance for the brake and steering systems. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to brake and steer the vehicle.i
With the SmartKey removed from the starter
switch or the engine turned off with
KEYLESS-GO* and the driver’s door open, a
warning sounds if the parking lamps or low beam


444 Controls in detailPanorama roof with power tilt/sliding panel*Operating rear roller sunblind from rearRear door control panel1Retracting
2Extending
Extending: Press button2 on the
rocker switch until the rear roller sun-
blind has reached the desired position.

Retracting: Press button1 on the
rocker switch until the rear roller sun-
blind has reached the desired position.Opening and closing panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panelWarning!
G
When opening or closing the tilt/sliding pan-
el, make sure that there is no danger of any-
one being harmed by the opening or closing
procedure.
The opening procedure of the tilt/sliding
panel can be immediately halted by releas-
ing 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
panel can be immediately halted by releas-
ing the switch.
The panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel is made out of glass. In the event of an
accident, the glass may shatter. This may re-
sult in an opening in the roof.
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 properly as entire body parts or por-
tions of them may protrude from the pas-
senger compartment.
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
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised 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 panel.
Do not open the tilt/sliding panel if there is snow
or ice on the roof, as this could result in malfunc-
tions.
The tilt/sliding panel can be opened or closed
manually should an electrical malfunction occur
(
page 617).

448 Controls in detailLoading and storingStorage compartmentsStorage compartments in the front pas-
senger compartment
Glove box
1Glove box lid release
2Unlocking glove box
3Locking glove box
The glove box can be unlocked and locked
with the mechanical key (
page 614).

Opening: Press glove box lid
release1.

Closing: Push the lid up.

Locking: Insert the mechanical key
into the glove box lock and turn it
clockwise to position3.

Unlocking: Insert the mechanical key
into the glove box lock and turn it coun-
terclockwise to position2.
Storage compartments in the front arm-
rest
1Storage tray/telephone compartment
2Storage compartment (not with rear
climate control system*)
Do not pile luggage or cargo higher than the
seat backs. Do not place anything on the
rear-window shelf.
Never drive vehicle with trunk open. Deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter ve-
hicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when storing objects in the vehicle. Put lug-
gage or cargo in the trunk if possible. Do not
pile luggage or cargo higher than the seat
backs.
Parcel nets cannot secure hard or heavy ob-
jects.
Keep compartment lids closed. This will help
to prevent stored objects from being thrown
about and injuring vehicle occupants during

braking


vehicle maneuvers or


an accident.


450 Controls in detailLoading and storingStorage compartments in rear passen-
ger compartment
Armrest with integrated storage com-
partmentVehicles without control panel* in rear arm-
rest
Opening: Pull release catch1 and
swing the cover upward.
Vehicles with control panel* in rear armrest
Opening: Press button1 and swing
the cover upward.Storage compartment between rear
seats
Vehicles without rear center seat*
Opening: Pull handle1 backward in
direction of arrow.
!
Before storing the armrest in the backrest,
close the storage compartment cover.
!
Do not sit on or lean your body weight
against the armrest when it is folded down, as
you could otherwise damage it.