2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class belt

395 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(page 42).
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. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 58).
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.
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 re-
strained 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 seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or even fatal injuries. The seat back-
rest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a nearly upright posi-
tion and the seat belt is properly positioned
on the body.

396 Controls in detailFastening the seat belts
1Seat belt outlet
2Latch plate
3Buckle
4Release button

Pull the seat belt smoothly from the
seat belt outlet 1.

Place the shoulder portion of the seat
belt across the top of your shoulder
and the lap portion across your hips.

Push latch plate2 into buckle3 until
it clicks.

If necessary, adjust the seat belt to the
correct height (
page 398) (depend-
ing on vehicle production date).

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.

To release the seat belt, press release
button4 and guide latch plate back to
seat belt outlet.
Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 40).

397 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the seat belt when fasten-
ing.


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 seat 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 nearly up-
right position.


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


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraints or toddler restraints or
children in booster seats, always follow
the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.


Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure that it is properly posi-
tioned.


Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.For more information, see “Seat belts”
(
page 52).
Seat belt height adjustment
automatically
Depending on production date, your vehi-
cle automatically adjusts the seat belt
height for the driver’s and passenger’s
seat as well as for the rear outer seats.
Comply with the instructions on how to
properly fasten a seat belt (
page 395).
Warning!
G
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not allow the seat belt to get caught in
the door or in the seat adjustment mecha-
nism. This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the seat 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 seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be re-
placed. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

398 Controls in detailFastening the seat beltsSeat belt height adjustment manually
Depending on vehicle production date, you
can adjust the height of the seat belt for
the driver’s and front passenger seat. The
seat belts for the rear outer seats are ad-
justed automatically.
1Seat belt height adjuster
2Release button

Raising: Slide the seat belt height
adjuster1 upward.
The seat belt height adjuster1 engag-
es in different positions.

Lowering: Press and hold release
button2.

Slide the seat belt height adjuster1
downward.

Release button and make sure the seat
belt height adjuster1 engages into
place.

423 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
1Handle for electronic parking brake
Manually releasing electronic parking
brake
Pull handle1.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
You cannot release the electronic parking
brake until the ignition is switched on.Automatically releasing electronic park-
ing brake
Your vehicle’s electronic parking brake is
automatically released when:


The engine is running.


Transmission is in drive positionD or
reverse gearR.


The hood is closed.


You have fastened your seat belt.


You step on the accelerator pedal.
If reverse gearR is engaged, the trunk
must be closed. Manually engaging electronic parking
brake

Press handle1.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster comes on.
i
If you have not fastened your seat belt, the
following conditions must be met in order for the
electronic parking brake to be automatically re-
leased:


The driver’s door is closed.


You must move the gear selector out of park
positionP position or drive faster than 2 mph
(3 km/h).
i
You can also engage the electronic parking
brake when the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch.

424 Controls in detailDriving and parkingAutomatically engaging electronic park-
ing brake* (USA only)
Your vehicle’s electronic parking brake is
automatically engaged when DISTRONIC
Plus* (
page 451) brings your vehicle to a
standstill and at least one of the following
conditions is met:


The engine is switched off.


The driver’s door is opened and the
seat belt is not inserted in the seat belt
buckle.


The hood is released.


The trunk lid is open while reverse
gearR is engaged.


The vehicle is parked for an extended
period of time.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only) or
! (Canada only) in the instrument clus-
ter comes on.Emergency braking with electronic
parking brake
In an emergency situation, you can also
brake your vehicle while driving by using
the electronic parking brake.

While driving, press handle for elec-
tronic parking brake (
page 422).
During the braking procedure, the red indi-
cator lamp 0 (USA only) or !
(Canada only) flashes in the instrument
cluster, the message “Please Release Park-
ing Brake” appears on the multifunction
display and you will hear a warning tone.
Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop
the electronic parking brake will engage.
Turning off the engine 
Shift the automatic transmission toP
(page 430).
i
In addition to the electronic parking brake,
park position P can be automatically engaged.
i
Your vehicle will be braked for as long as you
press and hold the switch for the electronic park-
ing brake. The longer you keep the electronic
parking brake pressed, the more strongly your
vehicle will be braked. This method occurs on all
4 wheels, not just the rear wheels.
i
If the engine cannot be turned off as de-
scribed, see “Emergency engine shut-down”
(
page 744).Warning!
G
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the en-
gine not running, there is no power assis-
tance for the brake and steering systems. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to brake and steer the vehicle.!
Observe instructions


when taking the vehicle through an
automatic conveyor type car wash
(page 618)


when towing the vehicle (
page 737)

425 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Turning off with SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 (
page 370) and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.Turning off with KEYLESS-GO*

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 372) to turn off the en-
gine.
With the driver’s door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(
page 370).
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(page 396).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
!
If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey and


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or


open a front door
the transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine with the
SmartKey alone only will automatically shift the
transmission to neutral positionN.
i
In an emergency you can turn off the engine
while driving by pressing and holding the
KEYLESS-GO start/ stop button for approxi-
mately 3 seconds.
!
KEYLESS-GO*:
If you turn off the engine using the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button and open a front door, the
transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine using
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone only
will automatically shift the transmission to
neutral positionN.
!
Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim pan-
el. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

431 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
!
DISTRONIC Plus*:
The transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically, only when DISTRONIC Plus brings
your vehicle to a standstill, and when it meets at
least one of the following conditions at the same
time:


The engine is turned off.


The driver’s or passenger door opens and
the seat belt is not engaged in the buckle.


The hood is released.


The trunk lid is open while reverse gearR is
engaged.


The vehicle is parked for an extended period
of time.
In addition to shifting to park positionP, the
electronic parking brake will be engaged auto-
matically.
i
Make it a practice to always shift into park
positionP before turning off the engine and


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or


open a front door
or when using KEYLESS-GO*, before turning off
the engine with the start/stop button and open-
ing a front door.
Effect
í
Reverse gear
Shift into reverse gearR only
when the vehicle is stopped.
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never shift into neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Shift into neutral positionN only
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
Effect