55 Getting started
Driving
Switching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch
1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low beam headlamps come on.High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push the combination switch in
direction of arrow1.
The high beam headlamps and high
beam headlamp indicator lampA in
the instrument cluster come on
(
page 26).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 109).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
66 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury in certain frontal impacts (front
air bags, knee bags), or side impacts
(head-thorax air bags) which may cause
significant injuries. However, no system
available today can completely eliminate
injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and passenger to always be in a prop-
erly seated position and to wear their seat
belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and ensure it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 48).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:
Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The dis-
tance 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 contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.
Keep hands on the outside of the steer-
ing wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when the driver’s front air bag inflates.
Adjust the passenger seat as far as pos-
sible rearward from the dashboard when
the seat is occupied.
68 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bagiAir bags are designed to activate only in
certain frontal impacts (front air bags, knee
bags) and in side impacts (head-thorax air bags)
which exceed preset thresholds. Only during
these events will they provide their supplemental
protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
the air bags to provide their supplemental
protection.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts
below air bag deployment thresholds, air bags
will not deploy. The driver and passenger will
then be protected to the extent possible by a
properly fastened seat belt. A properly fastened
seat belt is also needed to provide the best
possible protection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your
passenger that you replace deployed air bags
and repair any malfunctioning air bags to make
sure that the vehicle will continue to provide
supplemental crash protection for occupants.
Warning!G
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Only use
seat belts installed or supplied by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) are designed to function
on a one-time-only basis. An air bag or
ETD that has deployed must be re-
placed.
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.
No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front air bag
cover, door frame trims, or door trim
panels, and installation of additional
electrical/electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages, purs-
es, umbrellas, etc.).
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash,
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.
Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
78 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate
for 6 seconds to remind you and your
passenger to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a maxi-
mum of 6 seconds or until the driver’s seat
belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds, the driver’s or the
passenger’s seat belt (with the passenger
seat occupied) are not fastened with both
doors closed,
the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the driv-
er’s or passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.
and if the vehicle speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until both the driver’s and
passenger’s seat belt are fastened.
If the driver’s or the passenger’s seat
belt remains unfastened after
60 seconds, the warning chime stops
sounding. The seat belt telltale<
stops flashing but continues to be
illuminated.
The seat belt telltale< will only go out
if both the driver’s and the passenger’s
seat belt (with the passenger seat occu-
pied) are fastened, or the vehicle is stand-
ing still and a door is opened.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 351).
Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you would not have the full
width of the seat belt to manage impact
forces. The twisted seat belt against
your body could cause injuries.
Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.
134 Controls in detail
Control system
Selecting satellite radio station*
(USA only)
The Sirius satellite radio is treated as a
radio application.
Select satellite radio with the corre-
sponding soft key (SAT) in the radio
menu.
1SAT mode and preset number
2Channel name or number
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.Operating the CD player
Switch on the radio and select the
CD player (
page 212).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to the separate operating instruc-
tions.
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played appear in the multifunc-
tion display.
1Current CD
(
CD0 for single CD drive in head unit,
CD1 through CD6 for CD in
CD changer*)
2Current track
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.
iFor more information on satellite radio oper-
ation, see “Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only)” (
page 203).
Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating instructions.
iTo select a CD from the magazine, press a
number on the audio system or the COMAND*
system key pad located in the center dashboard.
168 Controls in detail
Good visibility
For information on the windshield wipers,
see “Windshield wipers” (
page 56).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (page 37).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 302).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 46).
Interior rear view mirror, antiglare
position
Tilt the mirror to the antiglare night
position by moving the lever towards
the windshield.
The interior rear view mirror is dimmed.
iThe headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have
switched on the headlamps
and
operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter
resets.
426 Practical hints
Fuses
Opening
Open the driver’s door.
Insert flat, blunt object as a lever into
recess on the edge of cover1 at the
position indicated by the arrow.
Loosen cover1 from dashboard using
the lever.
Pull cover1 out and remove.
Closing
Attach cover1 in the front.
Fold cover1 in until it engages.
Fuse box in engine compartment
The fuse box is located in the engine com-
partment on the driver’s side.
1Fuse box
2Clamp
3Fuse box coverOpening
Open the hood (page 294).
With a dry cloth, remove any moisture
from the fuse box.
Release clamps2.
Remove fuse box cover3.
Closing
Make sure the sealing rubber is
properly positioned.
Press fuse box cover3 down and
secure with clamps2.
!Do not use sharp objects such as a
screw driver to open fuse box cover1 in the
dashboard, as this could damage it.
!Fuse box cover3 must be properly
positioned as described to prevent moisture or
dirt from entering the fuse box and possibly
impairing fuse operation.