2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class belt

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant 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
Bring the rear power seat backrest* to
a fully upright position (
page 375).

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.
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.
i
For safety reasons, make sure hook2 has
attached to ring3 beyond the safety catch, as
illustrated.


63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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
(L
ower 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.
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
Warning!
G
Vehicles with rear power seats*: Never ad-
just the rear seat position after installing the
child restraint. Adjusting the rear seat posi-
tion after installing the child restraint could
damage the child restraint and/or introduce
undesirable slack or tension into the seat
belt and loosen or misposition the child re-
straint, lessening the effectiveness of the
child restraint and thus increasing the
chance or severity of injury in an accident.
Warning!
G
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.
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.


64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Bring the rear power seat backrest* to
its fully upright position (
page 375).

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 man-
ufacturer’s instructions.
A rigid connection is established be-
tween the child seat and the body of
the vehicle.Override switch for rear passenger
compartment
You can disable select functions in the rear
passenger compartment for added safety
(for instance when you have children riding
in the rear passenger compartment).
You can disable the following functions in
the rear passenger compartment:

rear door window operation
(page 410)


adjustment of front passenger seat
from the rear* (
page 376)


rear center console lighter
(page 537)


sunblinds for panorama roof*
(page 521)


rear window sunshade (
page 535)
and rear side window sunshades
(
page 412)
Warning!
G
Vehicles with rear power seats*: Never ad-
just the rear seat position after installing the
child restraint. Adjusting the rear seat posi-
tion after installing the child restraint could
damage the child restraint and/or introduce
undesirable slack or tension into the seat
belt and loosen or misposition the child re-
straint, lessening the effectiveness of the
child restraint and thus increasing the
chance or severity of injury in an accident.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.
Make sure the seat belt for the center seat can
operate freely with a child seat installed.
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 manu-
facturer’s instructions.


78 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsPRE-SAFE
® Brake will only assist you by
automatically initiating braking if the driver
and front passenger have their seat belts
fastened.
Using the radar sensors, PRE-SAFE
® Brake
detects obstacles that are in your driving
path for a sufficient period of time for the
system to recognize it. If you approach a
vehicle and PRE-SAFE
® Brake has estab-
lished that the distance to the vehicle
ahead at your current speed is so close
that PRE-SAFE
® Brake will not be capable
of slowing the vehicle sufficiently, the sys-
tem will initially warn you visually and
acoustically.When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system* (
page 307).
Canadian law does not permit the use of
the radar sensor system* (
page 307) for
vehicles from outside of Canada. When you
switch off the radar sensor system*, the
following functions are deactivated:


BAS Plus* (
page 70)


DISTRONIC Plus* (
page 451)


Park Assist* (
page 476)


PRE-SAFE
® Brake
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while PRE-SAFE
® Brake is switched on.
Otherwise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.
i
USA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as a
“Vehicular Radar System”. The radar sensor is
intended for use in an automotive radar system
only. Removal, tampering, or altering of the de-
vice will void any warranties, and is not permitted
by the FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device will
void any warranties, and is not permitted. Do not
tamper with, alter, or use in any non-approved
way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.


357 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Starter switch positions
Seats
Steering wheel
Mirrors
Memory function
Fastening the seat belts
Lighting
Windshield wipers
Power windows
Driving and parkingAutomatic transmission
Instrument cluster
Driving systems
Air vents
Automatic climate control
Trunk
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*
Loading and storing
Useful features

373 Controls in detailSeats
Seats
Seat adjustmentWarning!
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 nearly upright position and
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body.
Warning!
G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt
(page 395).
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 the
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 injury to per-
sons.
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. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s un-
supervised access to a vehicle could result
in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

381 Controls in detailSeats
Folding head restraints back
The rear seat head restraints and the rear
seat power head restraints* can be folded
backward for increased visibility.
1Switch in the front center console
Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Press switch1 in the front center con-
sole briefly.
The rear head restraints will fold back-
ward.Placing head restraints upright

Pull the rear head restraint upright until
it locks into position.Placing power head restraints* upright
(rear outer seats)

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Press and hold switch1 in the front
center console (
page 381).
The rear outer seats head restraints
will place upright.

Pull the rear center seat head restraint
upright manually until it locks into posi-
tion.
!
M ake s ure t he h ead re str ain ts e ng ag e w he n
placing them upright manually. Otherwise their
protective function cannot be ensured.
i
When you fasten your seat belt in the rear,
the respective rear outer seat head restraint
places upright automatically.

392 Controls in detailMemory functionPrior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach, and comfort. The head re-
straint should also be adjusted for proper
height. See also the section on air bags
(page 42) for proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small chil-
dren should be seated in a properly se-
cured restraint system that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and
210.2.With the memory function you can store up
to three different configurations.
Each stored position on the driver’s side
includes the following settings:


Driver’s seat: head restraint height,
seat and backrest position, backrest
curvature in lumbar area


Multicontour seat*: sides of backrest,
backrest curvature in lumbar and
shoulder area


Drive-dynamic multicontour seat*:
activation/deactivation


Steering wheel position


Exterior rear view mirrors positionWarning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
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. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s un-
supervised access to a vehicle could result
in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.