2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL550 seats

58 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder seat belt out completely
and let it retract. During seat belt retrac-
tion, a ratcheting sound can be heard to in-
dicate that the special seat belt retractor is
activated. The seat belt is now locked.
Push down on child restraint to take up any
slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. To deacti-
vate the special seat belt retractor for the
front passenger seat, the front passenger
seat must be in the most backward posi-
tion. The seat belt can again be used in the
usual manner.The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, the U.S. territories, and all
Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be seat-
ed in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured in
accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions for the child restraint, that
complies with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards 213 and 225 and
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons


get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of


strong braking maneuvers


sudden changes of direction


an accident
Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.i
Information on child seats with anchor fit-
tings for tether anchorages (
page 61).
For information on LATCH-type child seat an-
chors (
page 61).


59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
A statement by the child restraint manu-
facturer of compliance with these
standards can be found on the instruction
label on the restraint and in the instruction
manual provided with the restraint.
When using any infant restraint, toddler re-
straint, or booster seat be sure to carefully
read and follow all manufacturer’s instruc-
tions for installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels af-
fixed to the inside of the vehicle and to
infant or child restraints.
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.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
Occupants, especially children, should al-
ways sit as upright as possible, properly use
the seat belts and use an appropriately sized
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. Children can be killed or
seriously injured by an inflating air bag. Note
the following important information when
circumstances require you to place a child in
the front passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the OCS senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard
appropriate child restraint on the front
passenger seat.


A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front
passenger front air bag inflates in a
collision which could occur under some
circumstances, even with the air bag
technology installed in your vehicle. The
only means to completely eliminate this
risk is to never place a child in a rear-fac-
ing child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

If you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the 59
indicator lamp is illuminated, indicating
that the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated. Should the
59indicator lamp not illu-
minate or go out while the restraint is in-
stalled, please check installation.
Periodically check the 59
indicator lamp while driving to make
sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
59indicator lamp goes out
or remains out, do not transport a child
on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired.
A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates.


If you have to place a child in a for-
ward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat, move the seat as far
back as possible, use the proper child
restraint recommended for the age, size
and weight of the child, and secure child
restraint with the vehicle’s seat belt ac-
cording to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions. For children larger than the
typical 12-month-old child, the front
passenger front air bag may or may not
be activated (
page 49).
Warning!
G
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper seat belt posi-
tioning for children over 41 lbs until they
reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised chil-
dren in a child restraint system may use
vehicle equipment and may cause an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.


61 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
systems
This vehicle is equipped with tether an-
chorages for a top tether strap at each of
the rear seating positions.
1Cover of top anchorage ring
Remove cover1 from anchorage ring.

Store cover1 in a convenient place
(e.g. glove box).

Guide tether strap between head re-
straint and top of seat back.Head restraints must be positioned such
that the top tether strap can pass freely
between the head restraint and top of seat
back.

Make sure the tether strap is not
twisted.
2Hook
3Anchorage ring

Securely fasten hook2, which is part
of the tether strap, to anchorage
ring3.Once the top tether anchorage hook is at-
tached, the child restraint itself can be se-
cured. Tighten the top tether strap
according to the child restraint manufac-
turer’s instructions.

Reinstall cover after removing the
tether strap.
Child seat anchors – LATCH type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH
(Lower A
nchors and T
ethers for CH
ildren)
type anchors (at each of the rear seats) for
the installation of a LATCH child seat with
the matching anchor fittings.
i
For safety reasons, make sure hook2 has
attached to ring3 beyond the safety catch, as
illustrated.
Warning!
G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion. 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.


62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
If you have not installed a child seat, the
LATCH anchors are hidden by an uphol-
stery cover.
1Indicates the position of the anchors
2Anchors
3Upholstery cover
4Installation device

Fold upholstery cover3 upward.

Turn installation device4 to a vertical
position so that upholstery cover3
does not fold down.

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.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d t o t h e
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 mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
i
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d t o t h e
right and left side anchor fittings.
Non-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.


63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear side window operation
You can block the rear side window opera-
tion (for instance when you have children
riding in the rear passenger compartment).
The override switch is located on the door
control panel of the driver’s door.
1Override switch
2Indicator lamp

Activating: Press switch 1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The rear
side windows can no longer be operat-
ed using the respective switch located
in the rear trim panels.

Deactivating: Press switch 1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The rear
side windows can be operated using
the respective switch located in the
rear trim panels.
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*
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. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i
Operation of the rear side windows with the
switches located in the driver’s door is still pos-
sible.

81 Control systems
COMAND operating safety
COMAND introduction
COMAND FM/AM radio
COMAND satellite radio
COMAND
audio CD/audio DVD/MP3
COMAND AUX
COMAND video DVD
COMAND telephone*
COMAND navigation
COMAND system settings
COMAND vehicle menu
COMAND automatic climate control
COMAND seats
Instrument cluster control system
Voice Control

96 Control systemsCOMAND introductionAdjusting balance or fader
Balance is used to determine whether the
sound focus should be shifted toward the
driver’s side or the passenger’s side.
Fader is used to determine whether the
sound focus should be shifted toward the
front or rear of the vehicle
Select “Sound”
“Balance/Fader”.
The setting last selected is indicated by
an outlined bar.
Adjusting balance and fader1Current setting indicated by orange
cross-hair symbol

Changing setting: Slide rmq or omp
until desired balance/fader setting is
reached.

Exiting menu: Press n or L.
The setting is saved.
Surround sound
With surround sound, you can choose be-
tween “LOGIC7
® ON” and “LOGIC7
® OFF”.
Harman/kardon LOGIC7
® surround sound
is available for the following operating
modes:


Audio DVD (MLP, DTS, PCM, and Dolby
Digital audio formats)


Video DVD (DTS, PCM, and Dolby Digi-
tal audio formats)


Audio CD


MP3


Radio (FM, AM, WB, Satellite)


PCMCIA


AUX
i
Since some DVDs contain both stereo as
well as multi-channel audio formats, it may be
necessary to adapt the audio format
(
page 124).
i
The “LOGIC7
® ON” function of the har-
man/kardon LOGIC7® surround sound system
makes it possible to play discrete 5.1 and stereo
recordings with optimal surround sound for ev-
ery passenger. Music on CDs or audio DVDs with
high-resolution surround formats such as MLP,
DTS or Dolby Digital is played back optimally.
For an ideal sound experience on all seats,
LOGIC7
® distributes 5.1 surround information
via the 13-channel system architecture. The re-
sult is a sound as intended by the sound engi-
neers during the original recording.
harman/kardon LOGIC7
® converts all two-chan-
nel stereo sound material into multi-channel sur-
round sound. With the help of LOGIC7
®,
surround information stored during the original
recording are read out and distributed through
the 13 channels. No effects are created during
this process; only that which was already there
becomes audible.
In addition, harman/kardon LOGIC7
® moves the
perceived sound source away from the individual
loudspeakers, thus generating a natural 360°
sound experience for every passenger.