2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK550 Back seat

41 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
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 back and seat belts
provide the best restraint when the wearer
is in a nearly upright position and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
Warning!G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt.
Observe the following points:

Adjust the backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the steer-
ing 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 operate
controls properly.

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* 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.

42 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the respective door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Backrest tilt
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
or
Open the respective door.Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press switch forward or backward in
the direction of arrow4.
Seat height
Press switch up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow2.
Seat cushion tilt
Press switch up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow3 until your upper legs
are lightly supported.
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
information, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 83).
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.
iThe memory function (page 127) lets you
store the settings for the seat position together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
!When moving the seats, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats; oth-
erwise you could damage the seats.

43 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat backrest tilt
Press switch forward or backward in
the direction of arrow5.
Head restraint height
Press switch up or down in the direc-
tion of arrow1.Head restraint adjusting
Manually adjust the head restraint.
Push or pull the head restraint cushion
to the desired position.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 120).Folding front seat backrests forward
1Release lever
Folding backrests forward
Pull release lever1 forward and fold
the backrest forward.
The head restraint will automatically
move down.
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.

44 Getting started
Adjusting
Folding backrests back
Fold and press the backrest rearward
until it engages in driving position.
The head restraint returns to its previ-
ous position.
For information on additional convenience
features permitting easy entry and exit,
see “Easy-entry/exit feature” (
page 45).
Steering wheel
iIn addition to the front seat backrests, the
front seat cushions can also be shifted forward
to permit easy access to the rear whenever the
seat is located in the rear half of its adjustment
range. Pivot backrest forward by pulling the re-
lease lever until the seat moves in a combined
forward and upward movement.
!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
The seat belts provide protection only with
the backrest locked in place. Therefore, the
backrest must be locked in place with the
vehicle in motion. Do not drive the vehicle
when the backrest is not locked in place.
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.
The power seats can also be operated with
the driver’s or passenger door open. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Never place hands under seat or near any
moving parts during a seat adjustment
procedure.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
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 steering
wheel adjustment feature can be operated
when the driver’s door is open. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

45 Getting started
Adjusting
Steering wheel adjustment
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the lower left of steering
column.
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
or
Open the driver’s door.Adjusting steering column in or out
Move stalk forward or back in direction
of arrow 1 until a comfortable steer-
ing wheel position is reached with your
arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down
Move stalk up or down in direction of
arrow 2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and all the displays (including malfunc-
tion and indicator lamps) on the
instrument cluster are clearly visible.Easy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the steering wheel is in
its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
activated or deactivated in the Convenience submenu of the control
system (
page 166).
iThe memory function (page 127) lets you
store settings for the steering wheel together
with the settings for the exterior rear view mir-
rors and the seat position.
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry / exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement, do one of
the following:

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk
(
page 45).

Press the memory position switch
(
page 128).

49 Getting started
Driving
The seat belt presenter for driver and pas-
senger makes it easier to put on the seat
belt.
1Seat belt presenterThe seat belt presenter1 slides out when
the corresponding door is closed and the
ignition is switched on (
page 38).
1Latch plate
2Release button
3Buckle
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
restrained with a separate seat belt. Never
use a seat belt for more than one person at
a time.
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. This could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 68).

50 Getting started
Driving
With a smooth motion, pull the belt out
of the seat belt presenter.
Place the shoulder portion of the belt
across the top of your shoulder and the
lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate1 into buckle3 until
it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
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 position
that is as upright as possible.

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

Do not fasten a seat belt around a
person and another object at the same
time.

W he n u sing a se at b el t to s ec ur e i nfa nt
restraints, toddler restraints or chil-
dren in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.

Check your seat belt periodically
during travel to make sure it is properly
positioned.

Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
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
Center.

51 Getting started
Driving
The seat belt presenter slides back:

right after you push the latch plate1
into buckle3 and hear it click.

after approximately 60 seconds if you
do not push latch plate 1 into
buckle3.

if your door is opened.

if you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position 0.

if you release a front seat backrest and
fold it forward.
Starting the engine Automatic transmission
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmission
PPark position with gear selector lever
lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 172).
Warning!G
The seat belt presenter must be retracted
while the vehicle is in motion. Only when the
seat belt presenter is retracted can the seat
belt be properly positioned on the body and
protect the occupant as intended.
Warning!G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause
unconsciousness and possible death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive with at least one window
fully open.