2016 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class SEDAN start

Useful information
i
This Operator's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment of
your vehicle available at the time of publica-
tion of the Operator's Manual. Country-spe-
cific 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.
iRead the information on qualified specialist
workshops (Ypage 28).
Hybrid vehicles
General notes
Hybrid technology combines a fuel efficient
internal combustion engine with a powerful
electric motor.
Important safety notes
Danger of electric shock
GDANGER
The vehicle's high-voltage electrical system is under high voltage. If you modify components
in the vehicle's high-voltage electrical system
or touch damaged components, you may be
electrocuted. The components in the vehi-
cle's high-voltage electrical system may be
damaged in an accident, although the damage
is not visible. There is a risk of fatal injury.
Following an accident, do not touch any high-
voltage components and never modify the
vehicle's high-voltage electrical system. Have
the vehicle towed away after an accident and
the vehicle's high-voltage electrical system
checked by a qualified specialist workshop.
When towing a vehicle after an accident, be sure
to observe the following sections:
RTransporting the vehicle (Ypage 381)
RTowing a vehicle with both axles on the
ground (Ypage 380)
Read the safety instructions on towing and tow-
starting (
Ypage 379).
All components of the hybrid drive system are
marked with yellow warning stickers that warn
you of the danger of high voltage. The cables of
the vehicle's high-voltage electrical system are
orange in color.
The ignition must be switched off when carrying
out general tasks, such as adding washer fluid to
the windshield washer system or checking the
coolant level.
Automatic switching off of the hybrid
drive system
If components of the restraint system are acti-
vated during an accident, the hybrid drive sys-
tem is automatically deactivated.
The hybrid drive system is not activated when
the vehicle is started if:
Ran electrical short circuit is detected in the
hybrid drive system
Ran electrical connection in the hybrid drive
system is disconnected
This ensures that you do not come into contact
with high voltage.
Manual switching off of the hybrid drive
system
The hybrid drive system can be deactivated
manually using the high voltage switch-off
device.
!To prevent damage to the hybrid drive sys-
tem please observe the following instruc-
tions:
Ronly deactivate the hybrid drive system
manually in the following situations.
Rwork on the hybrid drive system may only
be carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop, even when it has been deactivated
manually.
42Hybrid vehicles
Safety

XRemove theStart/Sto pbutto nfrom th eigni-
tion loc k (Ypage 162).
or
XIf th eSmartKey is inserted in th eignition lock:
remove th eSmartKey from th eignition lock.
XObserv eth ewarning note son th eris kof elec -
tric shock (Ypage 42).
XObserveth ewarning notice sabout th ehoo d
(Ypage 352).
RBS driving safety system (Recupera-
tive Brake System)
The Recuperative Brake Syste msupport syou
when braking wit han electronically-controlled
brak eboos tmod eand enables th erecovery of
kinetic energ y(recuperation).
GWARNIN G
If th eRecuperative Braking Syste mmalfunc -
tions, braking resistanc emay be reduce dand
brak epedal travel may be longer than usual. If
you subsequentl ydepress th ebrak epedal as
usual, th ebraking effec tmay no tbe sufficient.
There is aris kof an accident.
In th eevent of this malfunction ,continue to
depress th ebrak epedal .Stop th evehicl ein
accordanc ewit hth etraffic conditions. If nec-
essary, contact aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Further information about th eRecuperative
Brake Syste m (
Ypage 240).
Panic alarm
XTo activate: press!button: for at
least on esecond.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if th e
alarm system is armed.
XTo deactivate: press!button: again .
or
XPress th eStart/Sto pbutton.
The SmartKey mus tbe in th evehicle.
Occupant safety
Introduction to the restraint system
The restrain tsystem can reduce th eris kof vehi-
cle occupant scomin gint ocontact wit hpart sof
th evehicle's interior in th eevent of an accident.
The restrain tsystem can also reduce th eforce s
to whic hvehicl eoccupant sare subjecte dduring
an accident.
The restrain tsystem comprises :
Rseat belt system
Rair bags
Rchild restraintsystem
Rchild seat securin gsystems
The component sof th erestrain tsystem wor kin
conjunction wit heac hother .The ycan only
deplo ytheir protective function if, at all times ,all
vehicl eoccupants:
Rhav efastene dtheir seat belt scorrectl y
(Ypage 48)
Rhav eadjusted their seat and head restrain t
properly (Ypage 105).
As th edriver, you also hav eto mak esur ethat
th esteering whee lis adjusted correctly.
Observ eth einformation relating to th ecorrec t
driver' sseat position (
Ypage 104).
You also hav eto mak esur ethat an air bag can
inflat eproperly if deployed (
Ypage 50).
An air bag supplement s acorrectl ywor nseat
belt .As an additional safet ydevice ,th eair bag
increases th elevel of protection for vehicl e
occupant sin th eevent of an accident. Fo rexa
m-
ple, if, in th eevent of an accident, th eprotection
offere dby th eseat belt is sufficient, th eair bags
are no tdeployed. When an acciden toccurs, only
th eair bags that increas eprotection in that par-
ticular acciden tsituation are deployed. How-
ever, seat belt sand air bags generally do no t
protect against objects penetrating th evehicl e
from th eoutside .
44Occupant safety
Safety

Information on restraint system operation can
be found under "Triggering of the Emergency
Tensioning Devices and air bags" (
Ypage 57).
For information on children traveling with you in
the vehicle and on child restraint systems, see
"Children in the vehicle" (
Ypage 61).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Modifications to the restraint system may
cause it to no longer work as intended. The
restraint system may then not perform its
intended protective function and may fail in an
accident or trigger unexpectedly, for example.
This poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Never modify parts of the restraint system.
Never tamper with the wiring, the electronic
components or their software.
If it is necessary to modify an air bag system to
accommodate a person with disabilities, con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
details. USA only: for further information con-
tact our Customer Assistance Center at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (1‑800‑367‑6372).
Restraint system warning lamp
The functions of the restraint system are
checked after the ignition is switched on and at regular intervals while the engine is running.
Therefore, malfunctions can be detected in
good time.
The 6 restraint system warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on. It goes out no later than a few sec- onds after the vehicle is started. The compo-
nents of the restraint system are in operational
readiness.
A malfunction has occurred if the 6restraint
system warning lamp:
Rdoes not light up after the ignition is switched
on
Rdoes not go out after a few seconds with the
engine running
Rlights up again while the engine is running
All vehicles, except hybrid vehicles:
GWARNING
If restraint system is malfunctioning, restraint
system components may be triggered unin-
tentionally or might not be triggered at all in
the event of an accident with a high rate of
vehicle deceleration. This can affect the Emer- gency Tensioning Device or air bag, for exam-
ple. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired in a qualified specialist workshop as
soon as possible.
Hybrid vehicles:
GDANGER
If the restraint system is malfunctioning, indi- vidual restraint system components may be
triggered unintentionally or might not be trig-
gered at all in the event of an accident with a
high rate of vehicle deceleration. This could
affect Emergency Tensioning Devices or air
bags, for example. The vehicle's high-voltage
electrical system may also not be deactivated
as intended in the event of an accident. You
could suffer an electric shock if you touch the
damaged components of the vehicle's high-
voltage electrical system. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. Immediately switch off the ignition
and remove the SmartKey from the ignition
lock after an accident.
Occupant safety45
Safety
Z

Important safety notes
The use of seat beltsand child restrain tsystems
is require dby law in:
Rall 50 state s
RtheU.S. territories
Rth eDistric tof Columbia
Rall Canadian province s
Even wher ethis is no trequire dby law, all vehicl e
occupant sshould correctl yfaste ntheir seat
belt sbefore starting th ejourney.
GWARNIN G
If th eseat belt is incorrectl yfastened, it can -
no tprotect as intended. Furthermore ,an
incorrectl yfastene dseat belt can caus eaddi-
tional injury, for example, in an accident, dur-
ing braking or when abruptl ychanging direc-
tion .This poses an increased ris kof injury or
eve nfatal injury.
Mak esur ethat all vehicl eoccupant sare
seated properly wit h acorrectl yfastene dseat
belt .
GWARNIN G
The seat belt does no toffer th eintended level
of protection if you have no tmoved th eback-
res tto an almost vertical position .When brak -
ing or in th eevent of an accident, you could
slide underneat hth eseat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased ris kof injury or eve nfatal
injury.
Adjus tth eseat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensur ethat th ebackrest
is in an almost vertical position and that th e
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across th ecenter of your shoulder .
GWARNING
Objects next to th efron tseat that bloc kth e
belt buckle or th emoving belt anchorage on
th efron tseat impair th efunction of th eEmer-
gency Tensioning Devices. The Emergency
Tensioning Devices may no tfunction as inten -
ded and th eseat belt may no longer provide
th eintended protection .This poses an
increased ris kof injury or eve nfatal injury.
Before starting th ejourney, mak esur ethat
there are no objects aroun dth ebelt buckle or
between th efron tseat and door .
GWARNING
Person sunder 5ft (1.50 m) in height canno t
faste nth eseat belt correctl ywithout an addi-
tional suitable restrain tsystem. If th eseat
belt is incorrectl yfastened, it canno tprotect
as intended. Furthermore ,an incorrectl yfas -
tene dseat belt can caus eadditional injury, for
example, in an accident, during braking or an
abrup tchang eof direction .This poses an
increased ris kof injury or eve nfatal injury.
Fo rthis reason ,always secure person sunder
5 ft (1.50 m) in height in suitable restrain t
systems .
If achild younger than twelve years old and
under 5ft (1.5 0m) in height is traveling in the
vehicle:
Ralways secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for this Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cle. The child restraint system must be appro-
priate to the age, weight and size of the child
Ralways observe the instructions and safety
notes on the belt bags for the outer seat belts
in the rear (
Ypage 48)
Ralways observe the instructions and safety
notes on "Children in the vehicle"
(
Ypage 61) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation and oper-
ating instructions
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant classification system
(OCS)" (
Ypage 53)
GWARNING
The seat belts may not perform their intended protective function if:
Rthey are damaged, modified, extremely
dirty, bleach or dyed
Rthe seat belt buckle is damaged or
extremely dirty
Rthe Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
anchorages or inertia reels have been modi-
fied
Occupant safety47
Safety
Z

buckle is illuminated and extended after a rear
door is opened.
Releasing seat belts
!Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled up.
Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue will be
trapped in the door or in the seat mechanism.
This could damage the door, the door trim
panel and the seat belt. Damaged seat belts
can no longer fulfill their protective function
and must be replaced. Visit a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
XPress the release button in the belt buckle,
hold the belt tongue firmly and guide the belt
back.
Seat belt adjustment
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE®convenience function. This func-
tion adjusts the driver's and front-passenger
seat belt to the upper body of the occupants.
The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
Rthe belt tongue is engaged in the buckle and
Rthe ignition is switched on
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a certain
retraction force if any slack is detected between
the vehicle occupant and the seat belt. Do not
hold on to the seat belt tightly while it is adjust-
ing.
You can switch the seat-belt adjustment on and
off using the multimedia system. Information on
activating and deactivating the seat-belt adjust-
ment function can be found in the Digital Oper-
ator's Manual.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger
The 7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder that all vehicle occu-
pants must wear their seat belts. It may light up
continuously or flash. In addition, there may be
a warning tone.
Regardless of whether the driver's seat belt has
already been fastened, the 7seat belt warn-
ing lamp lights up for six seconds each time the
engine is started. If, after six seconds, the driver
or front-passenger seat belt has not been fas-
tened and the doors are closed, the 7seat
belt warning lamp lights up. As soon as the driv- er's and front-passenger seat belts are fastened or a front door is opened again, the
7seat
belt warning lamp goes out.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened after the
engine is started, an additional warning tone will
sound. The warning tone switches off after six
seconds or once the driver's seat belt is fas-
tened.
If the vehicle's speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h) once and the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts are not fastened, a warning
tone sounds. A warning tone also sounds with
increasing intensity for 60 seconds or until the
driver or front passenger have fastened their
seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their
seat belts during the journey, the seat belt warn-
ing is activated again.
Air bags
Introduction
The air bag installation point is identified by the
label AIR BAG.
An air bag supplements a correctly fastened
seat belt. However, it is not intended as a sub-
stitute for the seat belt. Air bags provide addi-
tional protection in the event of an accident.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident. The
various air bag systems work independently of
each other (
Ypage 57).
There is, however, no system available today
that can completely rule out injury or death.
It is also not possible to rule out a risk of injury
caused by an air bag due to the high speed at
which the air bag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you do not sit in the correct seat position,
the air bag cannot protect as intended and
could even cause additional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
50Occupant safety
Safety

To avoid hazardous situations, always make
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
Rare sitting correctly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags
Rfollow the following instructions
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants.
RAdjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the seat
is in an almost upright position. The center of
the head restraint must support the head at
about eye level.
RMove the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible. The driver's seat posi-
tion must allow the vehicle to be driven safely.
ROnly hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the air bag to be fully deployed.
RAlways lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forwards or lean against the
door or side window. You may otherwise be in
the deployment area of the air bags.
RAlways keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not put your feet on the dash-
board, for example. Your feet may otherwise
be in the deployment area of the air bag.
RFor this reason, always secure persons less
than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes:
RAlways secure children under twelve years of
age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m)tall in suitable
child restraint systems.
RChild restraint systems should be installed on
the rear seats.
ROnly secure a child in a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
when the front-passenger front air bag is
deactivated. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is permanently lit, the fro nt-
p

assenger front air bag is deactivated
(
Ypage 46).
RAlways observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification System
(OCS)" (
Ypage 53) and on "Children in the vehicle" (
Ypage 61
)in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
and operating instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may prevent
an air bag from functioning correctly. Before
starting your journey and to avoid risks resulting from the speed of the air bag as it deploys, make
sure that:
Rthere are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an air
bag.
Rthere are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar.
Rno hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, hang on
the grab handles or coat hooks.
Rno accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors, side windows,
rear side trim or side walls.
Rno heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects are in
the pockets of your clothing. Store such
objects in a suitable place.
GWARNING
If you modify the air bag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the air bag can no longer
function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objects
to it.
GWARNING
Sensors to control the air bags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ing, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the
function of the sensors being impaired. The air
bags might therefore not function properly
anymore. Consequently, the air bags cannot
protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. There is an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
eling carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Occupant safety51
Safety
Z

If it is absolutely necessary to install a child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat, be
sure to observe the correct positioning of the
child restraint system. Never place objects
under or behind the child restraint system, e.g.
cushions. Fully retract the seat cushion length.
The entire base of the child restraint system
must always rest on the seat cushion of the
front-passenger seat. The backrest of the
forward-facing child restraint system must lie as
flat as possible against the backrest of the front-
passenger seat.
The child restraint system must not touch the
roof or be subjected to a load by the head
restraint. Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
and the head restraint position accordingly.
Only then can OCS be guaranteed to function
correctly. Always observe the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation and operating
instructions.
Occupant Classification System opera-
tion (OCS)
:PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator lamp
;PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
The indicator lamps indicate whether the front-
passenger front air bag is activated or deactiva-
ted.
XPress the start/stop button once or twice, or
turn the SmartKey to position 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
The system carries out a self-diagnosis test.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF and PASSENGER
AIR BAG ON indicator lamps must light up simul-
taneously for about six seconds.
The indicator lamps then display the status of
the front-passenger front air bag:
RPASSENGER AIRBAG ON lights up: the front-
passenger front airbag is enabled. If, in the case of an accident, all deployment criteria
are met, the front-passenger front air bag is
deployed.
RPASSENGER AIRBAG OFF lights up: the front-
passenger front airbag is disabled. It will then
not be deployed in the event of an accident.
If the status of the front-passenger front air bag changes whilst the vehicle is in motion, an air
bag display message may appear in the instru-
ment cluster (
Ypage 289). Always observe the
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON and PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamps when the front-
passenger seat is occupied. Make sure that the
status of the front-passenger front air bag is
correct before and during a journey.
GWARNING
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit, the front-passenger front air bag is
disabled. It will not be deployed in the event of
an accident and cannot perform its intended
protective function. A person in the front-
passenger seat could then, for example, come
into contact with the vehicle's interior, espe-
cially if the person is sitting too close to the
dashboard. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
When the front-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensure that:
Rthe classification of the person in the front- passenger seat is correct and the front-
passenger front air bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordance with the person in the
front-passenger seat
Rthe front-passenger seat has been moved
back as far back as possible.
Rthe person is seated correctly.
Make sure, both before and during the jour-
ney, that the status of the front-passenger
front air bag is correct.
GWARNING
If you secure a child in a rearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger seat
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indicator
lamp is lit up, the front-passenger front air bag may deploy in an accident. The child could be
54Occupant safety
Safety

Your vehicle has two-stage front air bags. During
the first deployment stage, the front air bag is
filled with propellant gas to reduce the risk of
injuries. The front air bag is fully deployed with
the maximum amount of propellant gas if a sec-ond deployment threshold is reached within a
few milliseconds.
The activation threshold of the Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices and the air bag are determined by evaluating the rate of vehicle deceleration or
acceleration which occurs at various points in
the vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in
nature. Deployment should take place in good
time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or acceleration
and the direction of the force are essentially
determined by:
Rthe distribution of forces during the collision
Rthe collision angle
Rthe deformation characteristics of the vehicle
Rthe characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a deci-
sive role in the deployment of an air bag. Nor do
they provide an indication of air bag deploy-
ment.
The vehicle can be deformed considerably, with-
out an air bag being deployed. This is the case if only parts which are relatively easily deformed
are affected and the rate of deceleration is not
high. Conversely, air bags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor deforma-
tion. This is the case if, for example, very rigid
vehicle parts such as longitudinal body mem-
bers are hit, and sufficient deceleration occurs
as a result.
If the control unit of the restraint system detects
a side impact or a vehicle rollover, the relevant
components of the restraint syste m are ac
tiva-
ted separately depending on the anticipated
type of accident.
RSide impact air bags on the side where the
impact takes place, independently of the
Emergency Tensioning Device and the use of
the seat belt on the driver's seat and outer
seats in the second row The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side (front) deploys under the fol-
lowing conditions:
-the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
-the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat
RWindow curtain air bag on the side of impact,
independently of the use of the seat belt and
independently of whether the front-
passenger seat is occupied
REmergency Tensioning Devices, if the systemdetermines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection in this situation
RWindow curtain air bags on the driver's and
front-passenger side in certain situations
when the vehicle rolls over, if the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional protection to that provided by the seat
belt
iNot all air bags are deployed in an accident.
The different air bag systems work independ- ently of each other.
How the air bag system works is determined
by the severity of the accident detected,
especially the vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration and the apparent type of accident:
RFrontal collision
RSide impact
RRollover
PRE-SAFE®(anticipatory occupant
protection system)
Introduction
In certain hazardous situations, PRE-SAFE®
takes pre-emptive measures to protect the vehi-
cle occupants.
Important safety notes
!Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats. There is a danger
that the seats and/or objects could be dam-
aged when PRE-SAFE
®is activated.
Despite your vehicle being equipped with the
PRE-SAFE
®system, the possibility of personal
injuries occurring as a result of an accident can-
not be eliminated. Always adapt your driving
Occupant safety59
Safety
Z