2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 4MATIC remove seats

50 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 59 indicator lamp is lo-
cated on the dashboard to the right of the
instrument cluster.
1Front passenger front air bag indicator
lamp
The 59indicator lamp1 will
be illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed from the starter switch or with
the starter switch in position0
(
page 346).
iDeployment of the driver front air bag does
not mean that the front passenger front air bag
also should have deployed.
The Occupant Classification System (
page 47)
may have determined:

that the seat was empty or occupied by the
weight up to or less than that of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint – both instances where the
system suppresses deployment of the front
passenger front air bag even though the im-
pact met the criteria and was of sufficient
severity to deploy the driver front air bag.

that the seat was occupied by a small individ-
ual (such as a young teenager or a small
adult) or a child weighing more than the
weight of a typical 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint – instances where
the system may suppress deployment of the
front passenger front air bag even though
the impact met the criteria and was of suffi-
cient severity to deploy the driver front air
bag.
Warning!G
If the =indicator lamp and the
59 indicator lamp are lit at the
same time, there is a malfunction in the
Occupant Classification System. The front
passenger front air bag will be deactivated
in this case.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:

Have the system checked as soon as
possible by qualified technicians.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

Do not place more than 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
into the ruffled storage bag on the back
of the front passenger seat. Otherwise,
the OCS may not be able to properly
approximate the occupant weight
category.

Do not place objects under and/or
around the front passenger seat.

Do not hang anything from or attach any
items to the seats.

55 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency ten-
sioning devices and seat belt force limit-
ers.
The ETD is designed to activate in the
following cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing the system deployment threshold

in certain vehicle rollovers

if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly,
see=indicator lamp (
page 607)
In an impact, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the seat belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Seat belt force limiters, when activated, are employed to
help reduce the peak force exerted by the
seat belts on occupants during a crash.
Automatic comfort-fit feature seat belt
An automatic comfort-fit feature for the
front seats and for the rear outer seats*
(only for vehicles with rear power seat*)
reduces the retracting force of the seat
belts when they are in normal use.
Active head restraints
The active head restraints are intended to
offer the driver and front passenger in-
creased protection from whiplash type in-
juries. In the event of a rear-end collision,
the active head restraints on the driver’s
and front passenger’s seats are designed
to move forward in the direction of travel,
providing the head with increased support
earlier on in the collision sequence. The ac-
tive head restraints move forward whether
the seat is occupied or not.
iThe ETDs for the front seats will only acti-
vate if the front seat belt is fastened (latch plate
properly inserted into buckle).
The ETDs for the rear outer seats will activate
with or without the respective seat belt fastened.
Warning!G
A pyrotechnic emergency tensioning device
(ETD) that was activated must be replaced.
When disposing of the pyrotechnic emer-
gency tensioning device, our safety instruc-
tions must be followed. These are available
at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
PRE-SAFE
® has electrically operated
reversible pre-tensioners that do not require
replacement after activation.
Warning!G
Do not attach any objects (e.g. hangers) to
the head restraint posts. Otherwise, the ac-
tive head restraints may not function prop-
erly or offer the degree of protection they
were designed for in the event of an acci-
dent.

56 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
If the active head restraints have been trig-
gered in an accident, the active head re-
straints must be reset. Otherwise, the
active head restraints cannot offer any ad-
ditional protection in the event of another
rear-end collision.
For information on resetting the activated
active head restraints, see “Resetting acti-
vated head restraints” (
page 675).
You cannot remove the active head re-
straint on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seats.
For removal contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Head restraints” (
page 353).Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE®)
Your vehicle automatically takes preven-
tive measures to better protect the occu-
pants in the following hazardous
situations.
Warning!G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraints.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter for availability.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust 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 intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
Warning!G
The PRE-SAFE® system is intended to re-
duce the effects of an accident on properly
seat-belted vehicle occupants. Despite
having the PRE-SAFE
® system in your vehi-
cle, the possibility of injuries occurring as a
result of an accident cannot be eliminated.
Therefore, you should always drive carefully
and adjust your driving to the prevailing
road, weather, and traffic conditions.

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
Bring the rear power seat backrest* to
a fully upright position (
page 349).
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.
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.


64 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

sunblinds for panorama roof*
(
page 489)

rear window sunshade (page 503)
and rear side window sunshades
(
page 385)
The override switch is located on the driv-
er’s door.
1Override switch
2Indicator lamp
Activating: Press switch 1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The func-
tions in the rear are disabled.
Deactivating: Press switch 1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The func-
tions in the rear are enabled again.
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 your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended 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.
iOperation of the rear door windows with the
switches located in the driver’s door is still pos-
sible.

347 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 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 368).
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 when the respective door is
open. Therefore, 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.

349 Controls in detail
Seats
Seat fore and aft: Press the switch for-
ward or backward in the direction of
arrow5.
Seat backrest tilt: Press the switch
forward or backward in the direction of
arrow6.Rear power seat* adjustment
(rear outer seats)
Example rear right door
1Seat cushion tilt
2Seat backrest tilt
3Folding down and placing upright head
restraint (
page 355)
4Head restraint tilt (
page 355)
5Seat fore and aft
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
or
Open the respective door.
Adjust desired seat using seat
switches1,2 and5.Adjusting front passenger seat from
driver’s seat/rear*
iDepending on the set height of the head re-
straint, the seat fore and aft position is automat-
ically pre-set.Warning!G
When adjusting the front passenger seat,
make sure the seat, if occupied, is as far
from the passenger front air bag as possi-
ble.
Otherwise, the passenger could be seriously
or even fatally injured in the event of an ac-
cident or braking maneuver.
Make sure no one is caught or injured while
the seat is being adjusted.
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. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

353 Controls in detail
Seats
Head restraints
Front seat active head restraints
You cannot remove the active head re-
straint on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seats.For removal contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraints” (
page 55).
Head restraint height
1Head restraint height
Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow1.Head restraint adjusting
Manually adjust the head restraint. Push or pull on the upper 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 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.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.
i Depending on the seat’s set fore and aft po-
sition, the head restraint height is automatically
pre-set.
i The head restraint on the front passenger’s
side is automatically lowered all the way down
while the vehicle is in motion if no one is sitting
on the seat. This helps you to acquire a better
all-round view.