MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SUV 2018 Owner's Manual
Page 101 of 398
?Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
ABackrest angle
iVehicles with memory function: if PRE-
SAFE®has been triggered, the front-
passenger seat will be moved to a better posi- tion if it was previously in an unfavorable posi-
tion.
iVehicles with memory function: when the
seat is moved forwards or backwards, the
headrest is moved up or down automatically.
Adjusting the head restraints
Important safety notes
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten 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.
GWARNING
If the head restraints are not installed or not
adjusted correctly, they cannot provide pro-
tection 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.
Do not rotate the head restraints of the front and rear seats. Otherwise, you cannot adjust the
height and angle of the head restraints to the
correct position.
Using the fore-and-aft adjustment, adjust the
head restraint so that it is as close as possible to
your head.
Observe the important safety notes regarding
the seats (
Ypage 97).
Adjusting the head restraints manually
Adjusting the head restraint height
XTo raise: pull the head restraint up to the
desired position.
XTo lower: press release catch :in the direc-
tion of the arrow and push the head restraint
down to the desired position.
Adjusting the fore/aft position of the
head restraint
With this function you can adjust the distance
between the head restraint and the back of the
seat occupant's head.
XTo move forwards: pull the head restraint
forwards in the direction of the arrow until it
engages.
There are several notches.
XTo move backwards: press and hold release
button :and push the head restraint back-
wards.
XWhen the head restraint is in the desired posi-
tion, release the button and make sure that
the head restraint is engaged in position.
iAdjust the head restraint so that the back of
your head is as close to the head restraint as
possible.
Seats99
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z
Page 102 of 398
Adjusting the head restraints electri-
cally
XTo adjust th ehea drestrain theight :slid e
th eswitch for th ehead restrain tadjustmen t
(
Ypage 98) up or down in th edirection of th e
arrow.
Adjusting the luxury head restraints
XTo adjust th esid ebolsters :push or pull
right-hand and/o rleft-han dside bolste r:
int oth edesired position .
XTo adjust thefore-and-aft position of th e
hea drestraint: push or pull th ehead
restrain tin th edirection of arrow ;.
iAdjustth ehead restrain tso that th ebac kof
your head is as close to th ehead restrain tas
possible.
Rear seat head restraints
Adjusting th erea rsea thea drestrain t
height
XOnce th ehead restrain tis fully lowered, press
release catch :.
XTo raise:pull thehead restrain tup to th e
desired position .
XTo lower:press release catch :and push
th ehead restrain tdown until it is in th e
desired position .
Removingand installing th erea rsea t
hea drestraints
XTo remove: pull thehead restrain tup to th e
stop.
XPress release catch :and pull th ehead
restrain tout of th eguides.
XTo re-install :insert th ehead restrain tso that
th enotches on th ebar are on th elef twhen
viewed in th edirection of travel .
XPush thehead restrain tdown until you hear it
engage in position .
Rear seats (second and third row of
seats)
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If th eseat and backrest are no tengaged, they
can fol dforwards, e.g. in th eevent of sudde n
braking or an accident.
RThis will caus eth evehicl eoccupant sto be
force dint oth eseat belt by aseat or back-
res twhic his no tengaged. The seat belt can
no longer offer th eintended level of pro -
tection and could eve ncaus einjuries.
RA child restrain tsystem would no longer be
anchored or positioned correctl yand would
no tbe able to perfor mits require dfunction .
RThe seat backrest scanno trestrain objects
or loads in th ecargo compartment.
There is an increased ris kof injury.
Always mak esur ethat th eseat and backrest
are engage das described:
Rbefore traveling wit h apassenger on aseat
wit hth eEASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
Rafter you hav eadjusted th eseat
100Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Page 103 of 398
Rafter the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature has
been used
Rafter the cargo compartment enlargement
has been folded forwards
GWARNING
The seat does not engage in the entry/exit
position. The seat could fold back suddenly,
e.g. when accelerating, braking, changing
direction suddenly or in the event of an acci-
dent. Persons in the sweep of the seat could
become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
Always fold back a seat which has been folded
forwards before you pull away. Make sure that
the seat and backrest engage fully.
GWARNING
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.
GWARNING
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.
Adjusting the backrest angle (second
row of seats)
You can adjust the angle of the backrests in the
second row of seats. There are ten detent posi-
tions to choose from.
XPull the left or right release lever ;upwards
in the direction of the arrow until relevant
backrest :is fully released.
XPull backrest :forwards in the direction of
the arrow and allow it to engage.
XTo ensure that the backrest has engaged, lean
firmly against backrest :.
Folding the seats up/down (third row of
seats)
General notes
!Make sure that there is nothing on the fol-
ded-down seats in the cargo compartment.
The cargo compartment must be empty for
the third row of seats to be folded up. The
seats or the objects in the cargo compart-
ment could otherwise be damaged.
Make sure that the seats in the third row are
empty and not blocked before folding them
down.
The third row of seats consists of two electrically
foldable individual seats, which can be lowered
into the cargo compartment.
If the seat is not correctly locked in position, the
display message: 3rd
SeatRow,RightNotLockedappears in the multifunction display.
If you fold the seat back until it engages, the
display message disappears.
Pull the backrest firmly to ensure that it is fully
engaged.
The switches for folding the left or right-hand
seats up and down are marked: Lfor the left-
hand seat when viewed in the direction of travel,
R for the right-hand seat when viewed in the
direction of travel.
Seats101
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z
Page 104 of 398
Folding up/down in the rear compart-
ment
Example:Rswit ch
XTo fold down: fold the right-hand outer seat
in the second row of seats forwards
(
Ypage 103).
XBriefly pull swit ch:.
The seat fol dsup.
XTo stop the automatic folding: brieflypull
swit ch: again.
XTo fold down: briefly press switch:.
The seat fol ds down.
XTo stopthe automatic folding: briefly press
swit ch: again.
Folding up/down in the cargo compart-
ment
Example: Lswit ch
XTo fold down: fold the right-hand outer seat
in the second row of seats forwards
(
Ypage 103).
XBriefly press switch:.
The seat fol dsup.
XTo stop the automatic folding up: briefly
press switch: again.
XTo fold down: briefly pullswitch:.
The seat folds down.
XTo stop the automatic folding: briefly pull
swit ch: again.
Detachable panel (third row of seats)
!Ifthere are objects underneath the seat, the
seat can no longer befolded up or downfully.
The seat could bedamaged.
Only drive with the panel co mpletely installed.
Ifyou drop objects underneath the seats in the
third row, you can remove the panel in order to
reach beneath the seat.
XTo open: fold the corresponding seat up or
down (Ypage 101).
XOnce the seat is folded halfway up or down,
briefly press the button again to stop the
automat icmovement.
XGrasp the panel recess.
XPull the panel in the direction of the arrow and
remove it.
XTo close: fold the corresponding seat up or
down (Ypage 101).
XOnce the seat is folded halfway up or down,
briefly press the button again to stop the
automatic movement.
XAttach the panel using the guide pins.
XPush the panel downwards until it engages.
XFold the seat up and down fully to check that
the panel is seated correctly.
102Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Page 105 of 398
Folding down the seats in the second
row manually
Important safety notes
GWARNIN G
If th eseat and backrest are no tengaged, they
can fol dforwards ,e.g. in th eevent of sudde n
braking or an accident.
RThis will caus eth evehicl eoccupant sto be
forced int oth eseat belt by aseat or back-
res twhic his no tengaged. The seat belt can
no longer offer th eintended leve lof pro -
tection and could eve ncaus einjuries.
RA child restrain tsystem would no longer be
anchored or positioned correctly and would
no tbe able to perfor mits require dfunction .
RThe seat backrest scanno trestrain object s
or loads in th ecargo compartment.
Ther eis an increased ris kof injury.
Always mak esure that th eseat and backrest
are engage das described:
Rbefore traveling wit h apassenger on aseat
wit hth eEASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
Rafter you have adjusted th eseat
Rafter th eEASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature has
been used
Rafter th ecargo compartmen tenlargement
has been folded forwards
GWARNIN G
The seat does no tengage in th eentry/exit
position .The seat could fol dbac ksuddenly,
e.g. when accelerating ,braking ,changing
direction suddenly or in th eevent of an acci-
dent. Person sin th eswee pof th eseat could
become trapped .Ther eis aris kof injury.
Always fol dbac k aseat whic hhas been folded
forwards before you pull away. Mak esure that
th eseat and backrest engage fully.
General notes
Getting int oor out of th ethird row of seats: you
can fol dforward th eright outer seat in th esec -
on drow of seats. If th
eright outer rear seat in th esecon drow of
seat sis in th eentry/exit position :th edisplay
message :2nd
Sea tRow,RightNotLockedappear sin th emultifunction display, for exam-
ple.
If you fol dth eseat bac kuntil it engages, th e
display message disappears.
Pull th ebackrest firmly to ensure that it is fully
engaged.
iFurther relate dsubjects:
RCargo compartmen tenlargement (foldin g
th esecon drow of seat sforwards )
(
Ypage 303)
RFoldin gth eseat sin th ethird row forwards /
bac k (Ypage 101)
Entry position
XMoveth ehead restraint to th elowes tposition
(Ypage 100).
XPull release handle ;in th edirection of th e
arrow to th epressur epoin tand hold it in this
position .
The backrest folds forwards .
You have two option sfor foldin gth eseat down
fully.
XPull release handle ;again in th edirection of
th earrow to th epressur epoin tand hold it in
this position .
or
XPull on release loop :in th edirection of th e
arrow and hold in this position .
XLiftup th eseat until it folds forwards .
iVehicles withmemory function :th efron t
seat smov eforwards slightly.
Seats103
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z
Page 106 of 398
Entry position
Exit position
GWARNING
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.
iFurther related subjects:
RImportant safety notes on air bags
(Ypage 49)
RSecuring children in the vehicle
(Ypage 59)
If you wish to exit the third row of seats, fold
down the outer seat on the right-hand side as
follows.
The release loop for the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT fea-
ture is located at the bottom on the back of the
right outer seat in the second row of seats.
XPull on release loop :in the direction of the
arrow and hold in this position.
The backrest folds forwards.
XPull on release loop :again in the direction
of the arrow and hold in this position.
XLift up the seat until it folds forwards.
iVehicles with memory function: the front
seats move forwards slightly.
Exit position
iVehicles with memory function: in order to
return the front seats to the saved position,
call up the saved seat setting using the mem-
ory buttons.
Moving the outer seats back to the normal
position (second row of seats)
GWARNING
If the seat and backrest are not engaged, they can fold forwards, e.g. in the event of sudden
braking or an accident.
RThis will cause the vehicle occupants to be
forced into the seat belt by a seat or back-
rest which is not engaged. The seat belt can no longer offer the intended level of pro-
tection and could even cause injuries.
RA child restraint system would no longer be
anchored or positioned correctly and would
not be able to perform its required function.
RThe seat backrests cannot restrain objects
or loads in the cargo compartment.
There is an increased risk of injury.
104Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Page 107 of 398
Always make sure that the seat and backrest
are engaged as described:
Rbefore traveling with a passenger on a seat
with the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
Rafter you have adjusted the seat
Rafter the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature has
been used
Rafter the cargo compartment enlargement
has been folded forwards
GWARNING
The seat does not engage in the entry/exit
position. The seat could fold back suddenly,
e.g. when accelerating, braking, changing
direction suddenly or in the event of an acci-
dent. Persons in the sweep of the seat could
become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
Always fold back a seat which has been folded
forwards before you pull away. Make sure that
the seat and backrest engage fully.
XTo lock the seat: fold back the seat until it
engages.
XFold back the backrest until it engages.
Folding down the seats in the second
row electrically
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the seat and backrest are not engaged, they can fold forwards, e.g. in the event of sudden
braking or an accident.
RThis will cause the vehicle occupants to be
forced into the seat belt by a seat or back-
rest which is not engaged. The seat belt can no longer offer the intended level of pro-
tection and could even cause injuries.
RA child restraint system would no longer be
anchored or positioned correctly and would
not be able to perform its required function.
RThe seat backrests cannot restrain objects
or loads in the cargo compartment.
There is an increased risk of injury.
Always make sure that the seat and backrest
are engaged as described:
Rbefore traveling with a passenger on a seat
with the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
Rafter you have adjusted the seat
Rafter the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature has
been used
Rafter the cargo compartment enlargement
has been folded forwards
GWARNING
The seat does not engage in the entry/exit
position. The seat could fold back suddenly,
e.g. when accelerating, braking, changing
direction suddenly or in the event of an acci-
dent. Persons in the sweep of the seat could
become trapped. There is a risk of injury.
Always fold back a seat which has been folded
forwards before you pull away. Make sure that
the seat and backrest engage fully.
General notes
To enter or exit the third row of seats: the outer
left and right seats of the second row can be
folded down electrically.
One of the outer seats of the second row is in the
entry/exit position: the multifunction display
shows, e.g. the 2nd Seat Row, Right Not
Lockeddisplay message.
If you fold the seat back until it engages, the
display message disappears.
Pull the backrest firmly to ensure that it is fully
engaged.
iFurther related subjects:
RCargo compartment enlargement (folding
the second row of seats forwards)
(
Ypage 303)
RFolding the seats in the third row forwards/
back (Ypage 101)
Folding down the seats
The seats can be folded down electrically if the
vehicle is stationary and the respective rear
door is open.
Seats105
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z
Page 108 of 398
XPress button:.
The head restraint retracts, the backrest folds
forwards and the seat folds forwards.
The seat can be manually returned to its initial position (
Ypage 103).
Adjusting the multicontour seat
The multicontour seat can be adjusted via the
multimedia system (see the Digital Operator's
Manual).
Adjusting the 4-way lumbar support
:Raises the backrest contour
;Softens the backrest contour
=Lowers the backrest contour
?Hardens the backrest contour
You can adjust the contour of the front seat
backrests individually to provide optimum sup-
port for your back.
Seat heating and seat ventilation
Switching the seat heating on/off
GWARNING
Repeatedly switching on the seat heating can cause the seat cushion and backrest pads to
become very hot. The health of persons with limited temperature sensitivity or a limited ability to react to high temperatures may be affected or they may even suffer burn-like injuries. There is a
risk of injury.
Therefore, do not switch the seat heating on repeatedly.
Driver's and front-passenger seat
106Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Page 109 of 398
Rear seats
The three red indicator lamp sin th ebutto nindicat eth eheating level you hav eselected.
The system automatically switches down from level 3to level 2after approximately eigh tminutes.
The system automatically switches down from level 2to level 1after approximately te nminutes.
The system automatically switches off approximately 35 minute safter it is set to level 1.
XTurn theSmartKey to position 1or2 in th eignition loc k (Ypage 140).
XTo switch on: press button: repeatedly until th edesired heating level is set .
XTo switch off:press butto n: repeatedly until all th eindicator lamp sgo out .
iIf thebattery voltag eis to olow, th eseat heating may switch off .
Activating/deactivating seat ventilation
The three blue indicator lamp sin th ebuttons indicat eth eblowe rsetting you hav eselected.
XTurn th eSmartKey to position 1or2 in th eignition loc k (Ypage 140).
XTo switch on: press button: repeatedly until th edesired blowe rsetting is set .
XTo switch off :press butto n: repeatedly until all th eindicator lamp sgo out .
iIf thebattery voltag eis to olow, th eseat ventilation may switch off .
iYou can open theside windows and th esliding sunroo fusin gth e"Convenience opening "feature
(Ypage 90) .The seat ventilation of th edriver' sseat automatically switches to th ehighest level.
Seats107
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z
Page 110 of 398
Problems with the seat heating or seat ventilation
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The seat heating or seat
ventilation has switched
off prematurely or can-
not be switched on.The on-board voltage is too low because too many electrical consum-
ers are switched on.
XSwitch off electrical consumers that you do not need, such as the
rear window defroster or interior lighting.
Once the battery is sufficiently charged, the seat heating or seat
ventilation will switch back on automatically.
Steering wheel
Important safety notes
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten 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.
GWARNING
Children could injure themselves if they
adjust the steering wheel. 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 electrically adjustable steering wheel can
still be adjusted when there is no SmartKey in
the ignition lock.
Adjusting the steering wheel man-
ually
GWARNING
If the steering wheel is unlocked while the
vehicle is in motion, it could change position
unexpectedly. This could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an
accident.
Before starting off, make sure the steering
wheel is locked. Never unlock the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in motion.
:Release lever
;Adjusts the steering wheel height
=Adjusts the steering wheel position (fore-
and-aft adjustment)
XPush release lever :down completely.
The steering column is unlocked.
XAdjust the steering wheel to the desired posi-
tion.
XPush release lever :up completely.
The steering column is locked.
XCheck if the steering column is locked. When
doing so, try to push the steering wheel up or down or try to move it in the fore-and-aft
direction.
108Steering wheel
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors