MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 2004 W163 Owners Manual

91 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the liftgate
Opening the liftgate from outside
A minimum height clearance of 7 ft
(2.15 m) is required to open the liftgate.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.
1Grip molding
2Handle
Pull on handle2.

Swing the liftgate upward by using the
grip molding.Opening the liftgate from inside
A minimum height clearance of 7 ft
(2.15 m) is required to open the liftgate.
The release lever is located on the inside of
the liftgate.
1Handle
2Catch
iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked from the outside with the re-
mote control, opening a door from the
inside will trigger the alarm.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the
following:
Switch on the ignition by turning the
key in the steering lock to position2.
or
Press the‹ or Œbutton on the
remote control.
The alarm is cancelled.
!Always make sure that there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.iThe vehicle must be unlocked.

92 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
To unlock the liftgate, move the
catch2 to the right.

Pull handle1 down and swing liftgate
upward.
Closing the liftgate
1Recessed grip
2Grip molding
Pull down on recessed grip1.

Close liftgate by using grip molding2.
!Always make sure that there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.iTo lock the liftgate, move the catch2
to the left.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle. Children could open the liftgate
from inside, which could result in an acci-
dent and / or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the liftga-
te opening when closing the liftgate. Be es-
pecially careful when small children are
around.
Do not close the liftgate from the inside by
pulling on the handle.Warning!
G
Only drive with the liftgate closed as exhaust
fumes may enter the vehicle interior.iTo prevent an inadvertent lockout, do
not place the key in the cargo compart-
ment.

93 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Automatic central locking
The doors and the liftgate automatically
lock when the ignition is switched on and
the left front wheel turns at vehicle speeds
of approximately 9mph (15km/h) or
more.
If one of the front doors is then opened
from the inside, the vehicle is unlocked
centrally unless only the driver's door was
previously unlocked.Information on towing the vehicle can be
found in the “Practical hints” section
(
page 241).
The switch is located on the lower center
console.
Central locking switch1Locking
2UnlockingActivating

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.

Press and hold upper part1 of the
central locking button for approximate-
ly six seconds.
The automatic central locking is
activated.
Deactivating

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.

Press and hold lower part2 of the
central locking button for approximate-
ly six seconds.
The automatic central locking is deacti-
vated.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking when the vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand

94 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingLocking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
tailgate from inside using the central lock-
ing switch. This can be useful, for example,
if you want to lock the vehicle before start-
ing to drive.Locking

Press upper part1 of central locking
button (
page 93).
If all the doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking

Press lower part2 of central locking
button (
page 93).
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment
may cause an accident and / or serious per-
sonal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked using the remote control, it will
not unlock using the central locking
switch.

95 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
Information on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 34).
Removing and installing front seat
head restraints
Information on head restraint adjustment
can be found in the “Getting started” sec-
tion (
page 34).Front seat head restraints
Removing head restraints

Pull head restraint to its highest
position.

Push button1 and pull out head
restraint.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the head re-
straint 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.
Do not interchange head restraints from
front and rear seat.

96 Controls in detailSeatsInstalling head restraint
Insert head restraint and push it down
to the stop.

Push button1 and adjust head
restraint to the desired position
(page 36).
Rear seat head restraints
Head restraint heightRaising:

Manually adjust the height of the head
restraint by pulling it upward.
Lowering:

To lower the head restraint, push
button1 and press down on the head
restraint.Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head
restraint.

Push or pull on the upper edge of the
head restraint cushion.
More informations on seats can be found
in the “Getting started” section
(
page 34).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the head re-
straint 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 ac-
cident 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.

97 Controls in detail
Seats
Removing and installing rear seat head
restraints
Removing rear seat head restraints

Pull head restraint to its highest
position.

Push button1 and pull out head
restraint.Installing rear seat head restraints

Insert head restraint and push it down
to the stop.

Push button1 and adjust head
restraint to the desired position
(page 36).
Stowing rear center head restraint
1Rear center head restraint
2Bar
3Clip
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the head re-
straint 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 ac-
cident 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.
Do not interchange head restraints from
front and rear seat.
iFor a better view toward the rear, you
can store the rear center head restraint
underneath the rear seat (
page 97).


98 Controls in detailSeats
Remove rear center head restraint
(page 96).

If necessary, remove cargo floor plates,
see “Removing cargo floor plates”
(page 162).

Slide rear seats forward, see “Adjusting
rear seat fore and aft” (
page 99).

Fold rear seat backrests down, see
“Folding down the backrest”
(page 100).

From cargo compartment, attach rear
center head restraint1 to underside
of rear center seat.
Make sure front side of head
restraint1 is facing upward.

Press bar2 on both sides into
clips3.
Heated seats*
Both switches for the front seats are loca-
ted in the center console.
1Normal heating
2Rapid heating
Start the engine.
Switching on seat heating

Press upper switch position1.
A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.Switching off seat heating

Press upper switch position1 again.
The indicator lamp on the switch turns
off.
Switching on rapid seat heating

Press lower switch position2.
Both red indicator lamps on the switch
turn on.iThe seat heater will be automatically
switched off after approximately
20 minutes.iThe system switches over to normal
heating mode after approximately five
minutes. Only one red indicator lamp
remains on.


99 Controls in detail
Seats
Switching off rapid seat heating
Press lower switch position2 again.
Both red indicator lamps on the switch
turn off.
Rear seats
The rear seats are divided asymmetrically.
To enlarge the cargo area you can adjust
the left and right part separately. The fol-
lowing changes are possible:

moving the seat fore and aft


folding down the backrest


lowering the seatAdjusting rear seat fore and aft
1Release lever

Pull release lever1 in direction of
arrow.

Slide seat to the desired position until
it locks in place.
!If one or both of the lamps on the seat
heater switch are flashing, there is in-
sufficient voltage available since too
many electrical consumers are turned
on. The seat heater switches off auto-
matically.
The seat heater will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the rear seats while driving.
Always seat in an upright position and the
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body. Your seat must be adjusted so that
you can correctly fasten your seat belt.
Adjust head restraint to support the back of
the head approximately at ear level.
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!
G
Failure to assure that seats are locked into
place could result in an increased chance of
injury in an accident.

100 Controls in detailSeatsFolding down the backrest
1Lock button
Close cup holder (
page 167) and
ashtray (
page 169) in rear center
console (page 167).

Move front seats forward. Manual seat
(page 35) or power seat (
page 37).

Slide seat forward.

Remove head restraint(s) (
page 95).

Pull lock button1 up and fold back-
rest forward until it locks in place.The red backrest lock indicator at lock
button1 is not visible in the locked
position.
Folding up the backrest

Close cup holder (
page 167) and
ashtray (
page 169) in rear center
console.

Pull lock button1 up and unfold back-
rest until it locks in place.
M a k e s u r e t h e s e a t b e l t i s n o t c a u g h t i n
the seat.

Check for secure locking by pulling and
pushing on the backrest.
The red backrest lock indicator at lock
button1 is not visible in the locked
position.

Install head restraint (
page 96).

Slide seat rearward to desired position
(page 99).

Adjust front seats to desired position.
Manual seats (
page 35) or power
seats (
page 37).
Lowering the rear seat
1Release button
2Lever
3Release lever