
i
If ESP ®
is deactivated, it is reactivated
automatically if you are driving at above
37 mph (60 km/h) (on AMG vehicles above
62 mph (100 km/h)) or you exceed a cer-
tain lateral acceleration.
Trailer stabilization G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center of gravity can
tip over before ESP ®
can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail- ing road and weather conditions.
Trailer stabilization does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated because of a malfunction.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and can
detect if the vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by braking and limiting the engine output until the vehicle/trailer combination has stabi-
lized.
Trailer stabilization is active above speeds of
about 37 mph (60 km/h). EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). G
WARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (Y page 237) as well as dis-
play messages (Y page 215).
EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking. ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE provides increased braking
safety. In addition to the braking function,
ADAPTIVE BRAKE also has the HOLD function
(Y page 180) and hill start assist
(Y page 135). Theft deterrent locking system
Immobilizer
X To activate: remove the SmartKey from
the ignition lock.
X To deactivate: switch on the ignition.
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. The
engine can be started by anyone with a valid
SmartKey that is left inside the vehicle.
i The immobilizer is always deactivated
when you start the engine.
In the event that the engine cannot be star- ted when the starter battery is fully
charged, the immobilizer may be faulty.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA) or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada). Theft deterrent locking system
65Safety Z 

Doors
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system, and do not give them access to an unlocked vehicle. A child's unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury. They could:
R injure themselves on vehicle parts
R be seriously or fatally injured by extreme
heat or cold
R injure themselves or have an accident with
vehicle equipment that may still be in oper-
ation even after the SmartKey has been
removed from the ignition, such as the seat
adjustment, steering wheel adjustment or
memory function.
If children open a door, they could cause
severe or even fatal injury to other persons; if they get out of the vehicle, they could injure
themselves when doing so or be seriously or
even fatally injured by any passing traffic.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system's
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and a child could be burned on these
parts. G
WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment or cargo compart-
ment unless they are firmly secured in place.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child's risk of injury in the event of
R strong braking maneuvers
R sudden changes of direction
R an accident G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P or shift manual transmission into
neutral.
R start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. Unlocking and opening doors from
the inside
If the vehicle has previously been locked with the SmartKey, opening a door from the inside
will trigger the anti-theft alarm system.
Switch off the alarm (Y page 66).
Only open the door when the traffic situation
permits. Doors
73Opening and closing Z 

Automatic locking feature
:
To deactivate
; To activate
X To deactivate: press and hold button :
for about five seconds until a tone sounds.
X To activate: press and hold button ;for
about five seconds until a tone sounds.
i If you press one of the two buttons and do
not hear a tone, the relevant setting has
already been selected.
The vehicle is locked automatically when the
ignition is switched on and the vehicle's
wheels are moving at a speed in excess of
9 mph (15 km/h).
You could therefore be locked out if:
R the vehicle is being pushed.
R the vehicle is being towed.
R the vehicle is being tested on a dynamom-
eter.
You can also switch the automatic locking
function on and off using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 208). Unlocking the driver's door (mechan-
ical key)
If the vehicle can no longer be centrally
unlocked with the SmartKey, use the
mechanical key.
If you use the mechanical key to unlock and
open the driver's door, the anti-theft alarm
system will be triggered (Y page 66).Take the mechanical key out of the SmartKey
(Y page 70). X
Insert the mechanical key into the lock of
the driver's door as far as it will go.
X Turn the mechanical key counter-clockwise
to position 1.
The door is unlocked.
X Turn the mechanical key back and remove
it.
X Insert the mechanical key into the Smart-
Key. Locking the vehicle
If the vehicle can no longer be centrally
locked with the SmartKey, use the mechani-
cal key. X Close the front-passenger door, the rear
doors and the tailgate.
X Press the locking button (Y page 74).
X Make sure that the locking knobs on the
doors are still visible. Press down the lock-
ing knobs by hand, if necessary.
X Close the driver's door from the outside. Doors
75Opening and closing Z 

X
Take the mechanical key out of the Smart-
Key (Y page 70).
X Insert the mechanical key into the lock of
the driver's door as far as it will go.
X Turn the mechanical key clockwise as far as
it will go to position 1.
X Turn the mechanical key back and remove
it.
X Make sure that the doors and the tailgate
are locked.
X Insert the mechanical key into the Smart-
Key.
i If you lock the vehicle as described above,
the fuel filler flap is not locked. The anti-
theft alarm system is not armed. Rear door
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system, and do not give them access to an unlocked vehicle. A child's unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury. They could:
R injure themselves on vehicle parts
R be seriously or fatally injured by extreme
heat or cold
R injure themselves or have an accident with
vehicle equipment that may still be in oper-
ation even after the SmartKey has been
removed from the ignition, such as the seat
adjustment, steering wheel adjustment or
memory function.
If children open a door, they could cause
severe or even fatal injury to other persons; if they get out of the vehicle, they could injure
themselves when doing so or be seriously or
even fatally injured by any passing traffic.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system's
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and a child could be burned on these
parts. G
WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment or cargo compart-
ment unless they are firmly secured in place.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child's risk of injury in the event of
R strong braking maneuvers
R sudden changes of direction
R an accident 76
Rear doorOpening and closing 

Useful information
..............................84
Correct driver's seat position ............84
Seats .................................................... 85
Steering wheel .................................... 90
Mirrors ................................................. 92
Memory functions ............................... 95 83Seats, steering wheel and mirrors 

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip- ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 24). Correct driver's seat position
:
Steering wheel
; Seat belts
= Backrest
X Observe the safety guidelines on seat
adjustment (Y page 85).
X Make sure that seat =is adjusted prop-
erly.
Electrical seat adjustment (Y page 86)
When adjusting the seat, make sure that:
R you are as far away from the driver's air bag
as possible.
R you are sitting in a normal upright position. R
you can fasten the seat belt properly.
R you have moved the backrest to an almost
vertical position.
R you have set the seat cushion angle so that
your thighs are gently supported.
R you can depress the pedals properly.
X Check whether the head restraint is adjus-
ted properly (Y page 86).
When doing so, make sure that you have
adjusted the head restraint so that the back
of your head is supported at eye level by the center of the head restraint.
X Observe the safety guidelines on steering
wheel adjustment (Y page 85).
X Make sure that steering wheel :is adjus-
ted properly.
Adjusting the steering wheel electrically
(Y page 91).
When adjusting the steering wheel, make
sure that:
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent.
R you can move your legs freely.
R you can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly.
X Observe the safety guidelines for seat belts
(Y page 43).
X Check whether you have fastened seat
belt ;properly (Y page 44).
The seat belt should:
R fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your shoul-
der
R be routed in your pelvic area across the hip
joints
X Before starting off, adjust the rear-view mir-
ror and the exterior mirrors in such a way
that you have a good view of road and traf-
fic conditions (Y page 93).
X Vehicles with a memory function: save
the seat, steering wheel and exterior mirror
settings with the memory function
(Y page 95). 84
Correct driver's seat positionSeats, steering wheel and mirrors 

Seats
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when there is
no SmartKey in the ignition lock. G
WARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
(Y page 47) and "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 52). G
WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
R adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
R fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine. G
WARNING
If head restraints are not installed and adjus-
ted correctly, they cannot provide protection
as intended. There is an increased risk of
injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the
event of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
Make sure that you do not rotate the head
restraints of the front and rear seats when
adjusting the head restraints. Otherwise, you cannot adjust the height and angle of the
head restraints correctly.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as close as possible to your head. G
WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
R adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
R fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine. G
WARNING
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained on the rear
seats than on the front-passenger seat. Thus, we strongly recommend that children be
placed in the rear seat whenever possible.
Regardless of seating position, children 12
years old and under must be seated and prop- erly secured in an appropriately sized child
restraint system or booster seat recommen-
ded for the size and weight of the child. For
additional information, see the "Children in
the vehicle" section.
A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is sig-
nificantly increased if the child restraints are
not properly secured in the vehicle and/or the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Seats
85Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z 

!
To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
R keep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as soon as possible.
R if the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat
heating should also not be used to dry
the seats.
R clean the seat covers as recommended;
see the "Interior care" section.
R do not transport heavy loads on the
seats. Do not place sharp objects on the seat cushions, e.g. knives, nails or tools. The seats should only be occupied by
passengers, if possible.
R when the seat heating is in operation, do
not cover the seats with insulating mate-
rials, e.g. blankets, coats, bags, seat cov- ers, child seats or booster seats.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell under or behind the seats when
moving the seats back. There is a risk that
the seats and/or the objects could be dam- aged.
! When the rear bench seat is folded for-
wards, the front seats cannot be moved to
their rearmost position. You could other-
wise damage the seats and the rear bench seat.
! Make sure that the sun visor is folded up
before adjusting the backrest and head
restraint height. The head restraint and sun
visor could otherwise collide when the head restraint is fully extended.
i If the front door is open, the seats can be
adjusted for up to 30 minutes after the igni- tion has been switched off.
i The rear-compartment head restraints
can be removed (Y page 88).
For more information, contact a qualified
specialist workshop. i
You can find further information about
enlarging the cargo compartment (folding
the rear bench seat forwards) on
(Y page 252). Adjusting the seats electrically
! Make sure that the cup holder on the cen-
ter console is folded down before you move
the front-passenger seat forwards. :
Head restraint height
; Seat cushion angle
= Seat height
? Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
A Backrest angle
i You can store the seat settings using the
memory function (Y page 95). Adjusting the head restraints
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If head restraints are not installed and adjus-
ted correctly, they cannot provide protection
as intended. There is an increased risk of
injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the
event of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level. 86
SeatsSeats, steering wheel and mirrors