2008 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 seats

56 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
1Indicator
2Cover
3Anchors
Remove covers1 from anchors3 by
pulling it in direction of arrow.
Store covers1, for example in the
storage compartment of the rear cen-
ter armrest.
Split rear bench seat*
Install child seat according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
A rigid connection is established be-
tween the child seat and the body of
the vehicle.
Warning!G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts.
Position shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck.
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children over
41 lbs until they reach a height where a
lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
The child seat must be firmly attached to the
right and left side anchors.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident which could result
in serious injury or death to the child.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat anchor fittings must be replaced.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
iNon-LATCH type child seats may also be
used and can be installed using the vehicle’s
seat belt system. Install child seat according to
the manufacturer’s instructions.
!Make sure the seat belt for the center seat
can operate freely with a child seat installed.

57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
With the override switch you can disable
the rear side window switches in the rear
door panels.
1Indicator lamp
2Override switch
Activating: Press override switch2.
Indicator lamp1 comes on.
The rear door windows can no longer
be operated using the respective
switch located in the rear doors.
Deactivating: Press override
switch2 again.
Indicator lamp1 goes out.
The rear door windows can again be
operated using the respective switch
located in the rear doors.
For more information on power windows,
see the “Controls in detail” section
(
page 120).
Warning!G
Activate the override switch when children
are riding in the back seats of the vehicle.
The children may otherwise injure them-
selves, e.g. by becoming trapped in the win-
dow opening.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock your vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
iOperation of the rear door windows with the
switches located in the driver’s door is still
possible.

69 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Starter switch positions
Seats
Steering wheel
Mirrors
Memory function* (Canada only)
Fastening the seat belts
Lighting
Windshield wipers
Power windows
Driving and parking
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*Instrument cluster
Control system
Audio system
Driving systems
Air vents
Dual-zone automatic climate con-
trol
3-zone automatic climate control*
(Canada only)
Trunk
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*
Loading and storing
Useful features

85 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
Seat adjustment
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 seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belts provide the best restraint when
the wearer is in a position that is as upright
as possible and seat belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt.
Observe the following points:

Adjust the seat 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 properly oper-
ate controls.

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 be-
ing 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 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* (Canada only) removed from
the starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only) removed from
the vehicle, the power seats can be
operated.
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.

86 Controls in detail
Seats
For additional information about children
in the vehicle, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 51).Power seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switch is located on
the entry side of each front seat base.
The seat adjustment switch for Canada ve-
hicles with memory function* are located
on the front doors.
1Seat cushion tilt
2Seat height
3Seat fore and aft
4Seat backrest tilt
Vehicles without memory function*:
Adjust the head restraint height manu-
ally (
page 87).
Driver’s door (Canada only)
1Seat cushion tilt
2Seat height
3Seat fore and aft
4Seat backrest tilt
5Head restraint height (
page 87)
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
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child.
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.
iAfter unlocking the vehicle or turning off the
engine, the seat adjustment can be operated for
up to approximately 3 minutes with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO* (Canada only) in
starter switch position0 or removed from the
starter switch.
Vehicles with memory function* (Canada only):
The memory function* is operational at any time.
Seat and steering wheel adjustment is always
possible.

87 Controls in detail
Seats
If it is not possible to adjust the seat with
the seat adjustment switch:
Insert the SmartKey or the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button*
(Canada only) into the starter switch.
or
With SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*
(Canada only) in starter switch
position0. Turn the SmartKey in
starter switch to position1 or press
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button*
(Canada only) once.
or
Open the driver’s or front passenger
door.
Seat cushion tilt: Press the switch up
or down in the direction of
arrow1until your upper legs are
lightly supported.
Seat height: Press the switch up or
down in the direction of arrow2.
Seat fore and aft: Press the switch for-
ward or backward in the direction of
arrow3.
Seat backrest tilt: Press the switch
forward or backward in the direction of
arrow4.Adjusting front seat head restraints
You cannot remove the active head re-
straint on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seat.
For removal contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraints” (
page 50).
iCanada only:
The memory function* (
page 102) lets you
store the settings for the seat positions together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
!When moving the seat, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats. Oth-
erwise you could damage the seats.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
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. This will reduce the po-
tential 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.

88 Controls in detail
Seats
Head restraint height
Head restraint height, manual adjusting
1Release button
Raising: Manually adjust the height of
the head restraint by pulling it upward.
Lowering: To lower the head restraint,
push release button1 and push down
on the head restraint.
Head restraint height, electrical*
(Canada only)
1Head restraint height
Raising/lowering: Press the switch
up or down in the direction of arrow1
until the desired position is reached.Head restraint fore and aft adjustment
Head restraint adjusting
Manually adjust the head restraint.
Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion to the desired
position.

89 Controls in detail
Seats
Adjusting rear head restraintsRear head restraint height
Head restraint height
1Release button
Raising: Manually adjust the height of
the head restraint by pulling it upward.
Lowering: To lower the head restraint,
push release button1 and push down
on the head restraint.Rear head restraint fore and aft
adjustment
Head restraint adjusting
You can adjust the angle of the two outer
head restraints.
Manually adjust the head restraint.
Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion to the desired
position.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
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. 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
intended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.