steering MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS SALOON 2011 Service Manual

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The engine cannot be
started using the key. The on-board voltage is too low.
X
Switch off non-essential consumers, e.g. seat heating or interior
lighting, and try to start the engine again.
If this does not work:
X Check the starter battery and charge it if necessary
(Y page 346).
or
X Jump-start the vehicle (Y page 350).
or
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The engine cannot be
started using the key. The steering lock is mechanically blocked.
X
Remove the key and reinsert it into the ignition lock. While doing
this, turn the steering wheel in both directions. The engine cannot be
started using KEYLESS-
GO. The key is in the
vehicle. Ad
oor is open. Therefore, the key cannot be detected as easily.
X Close the door and try to start the vehicle again. There is interference from a powerful source of radio waves.
X
Start your vehicle with the key in the ignition lock. Doors
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Only for the United Kingdom: if the vehicle
has been locked with the key, the double lock
function is activated as standard. It is then not
possible to open the doors from inside the
vehicle.
Therefore, do not leave any people behind in
the vehicle, particularly children, elderly peo-
ple or people in need of special assistance if
the vehicle has been locked with the key. As
a result, they may not be able to free them-
selves in the event of an emergency. As a
result, they could be seriously or even fatally
injured by prolonged exposure to extremely
high or low temperatures, for example. In this
case, rescuing people from outside the vehi-
cle is difficult. Deactivate the interior motion sensor before
you lock the vehicle with the key. The doors
can then be opened from the inside after the
vehicle has been locked from the outside with
the key.
G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open a door from inside the vehicle at any
time, even if it has been locked
R start the vehicle using akey which has been
left in the vehicle
R release the parking brake
They could thereby endanger themselves and
others. Never leave children unsupervised in
the vehicle. Always take the key with you
when leaving the vehicle, even if you are only
leaving it for a short time. Doors
89Opening and closing Z

Useful information
............................104
Correct driver's seat position ..........104
Seats .................................................. 105
Steering wheel .................................. 110
Mirrors ............................................... 112
Memory function .............................. 115 103Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment
available to your vehicle at the time of pub-
lication of the Owner's Manual. Country-
specific deviations are possible. Please
note that your vehicle may not be equipped
with all features described. This also
applies to safety-relevan tsystems and
functions.
i Please read the information on qualified
specialist workshops (Y page 28).Correct driver's sea
tposition Observe the safety guidelines on seat adjust-
ment (Y
page 105).
X Chec kwhether you have adjusted seat =
properly.
Manual and electrical seat adjustment
(Y page 106)
Electrical seat adjustment (Y page 106)
When adjusting the seat, make sure:
R you are as far away from the driver's air-
bag as possible.
R you are sitting in a normal upright posi-
tion. 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 107).
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 centre of the head restraint.
Observe the safety guidelines on steering
wheel adjustment (Y page 110).
X Check whether steering wheel :is adjus-
ted properly.
Adjust the steering wheel manually
(Y page 111)
Adjusting the steering wheel electrically
(Y page 111)
When adjusting the steering wheel, make
sure:
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.
Observe the safety guidelines for seat belts
(Y page 53).
X Check whether you have fastened seat
belt ;properly (Y page 55).
The seat belt should:
R fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your
shoulder
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 (Y page 112)104
Correct driver's seat positionSeats, steering wheel and mirrors

in such a way that you have a good view of
road and traffic conditions.
X Vehicles with a memory function: save
the seat, steering wheel and exterior mirror
settings (Y page 115). Seats
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The seats can still be adjusted when there is
no key in the ignition lock. For this reason,
children should never be left unsupervised in
the vehicle. They could adjust the seats and
become trapped. G
WARNING
Only adjust the driver's seat when the vehicle
is stationary. You will otherwise be distracted
from the road and traffic conditions and you
could lose control of the vehicle as a result of
the seat moving. This could cause an acci-
dent. G
WARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you or
others could be trapped and thereby injured.
Children in particular could unintentionally
press the buttons to electrically adjust the
seats and become trapped.
Take care that:
R while moving the seats, your hands do not
get under the lever assembly of the seat
adjustmen tsystem.
R children in the vehicle do no tslide their
hands under the levers. G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
when adjusting the seats.
Observe the notes on airbags.
Secure children as recommended; see the
"Children in the vehicle" section. G
WARNING
Make sure that the back of your head is sup-
ported at eye level by the central area of the
head restraint .Ifyour head is not supported
correctly by the head restraint, you could suf-
fer a severe neck injury in the event of an
accident .Never drive if the head restraints are
not engaged and set correctly. G
WARNING
As eat belt can only offer its intended degree
of protection when the backrest is almost ver-
tical and the occupant is sitting upright. Avoid
seat positions that do not allow the seat belt
to be routed correctly. Adjust the backrest so
that it is as upright as possible. Never travel
with the backrest reclined too far backwards.
You could otherwise be seriously or even
fatally injured in the event of an accident or
sudden braking.
! To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
R do not spill any liquids 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.
! When you move the seats, make sure that
there are no objects in the footwell or
behind the seats. Otherwise, you could
damage the seats and the objects. Seats
105Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

i
The head restraints in the fronts eats are
fitted with the NECK-PRO system
(Y page 52). For this reason, it is not pos-
sible to remove the head restraints from
the front seats.
Vehicles without the through-loading fea-
ture: the head restraints cannot be
removed from the rear compartment seats.
Please contact a Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre for more information.
i Related topics:
R Through-loading feature in the rear
bench seat (Saloon)
R Luggage compartment enlargement
(Estate) (Y page 306) Adjusting the seats manually and
electrically :
Backrest angle
; Seat height
= Seat cushion angle
? Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
i AMG vehicles are equipped with a seat
with an integrated head restraint .Itis,
therefore, not possible to set the height and
angle of the head restraint.
i Adjust the seat cushion angle so that your
thighs are lightly supported. Seat fore-and-aft adjustment X
Lift handle ?and slide the seat forwards
or backwards.
X Release lever ?again.
Make sure that you hear the seat engage in
position.
Seat cushion angle X
Turn handwheel =in the desired direction. Adjusting the seats electrically
:
Head restraint height
; Seat cushion angle
= Seat height
? Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
A Backrest angle
i Vehicles with memory function: if PRE-
SAFE ®
has been triggered, the front-
passenger seat will be moved to a better
position if it was previously in an unfavour-
able position.
i You can store the seat settings using the
memory function (Y page 115).
i AMG vehicles are equipped with a seat
featuring an integrated head restraint and
the head restraint adjustment button is dis-
abled.Iti s therefore not possible to set the
height and angle of the head restraint. 106
SeatsSeats, steering wheel and mirrors

Adjusting the head restraints
Adjusting the head restraints manually Adjusting the head restraint height
X
To raise: pull the head restrain tupto the
desired position.
X To lower: press release catch :in the
direction of the arrow and push the head
restraint down to the desired position.
Adjusting the angle of the head restraints X
Push or pull the lower edge of the head
restraint in the direction of the arrow.
Adjusting the head restraints electri-
cally X
To adjust the head restraint height: slide
the switch for head restraint adjustment
(Y page 106) up or down in the direction of
the arrow. Adjusting the luxury head restraints G
WARNING
When folding back the head restraint side bol-
sters, do not put your hands between the side
bolster and the cushion holder. There is a
danger of becoming trapped. X
To adjust the side bolsters of the head
restraint: push or pull right and/or left-
hand side bolster :into the desired posi-
tion.
X To adjust the angle of the head
restraint: push or pull the head restraint in
the direction of arrow ;.
Rear seat head restraints Adjusting the rear seat head restraint
height
If the head restraint is fully lowered, it is nec-
essary to press release catch
:.
X To raise: pull the head restraint up to the
desired position. Seats
107Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

X
To lower: press release catch :and push
the head restraint down until it is in the
desired position.
Adjusting the rear seat head restraint
angle
Adjust the head restraints so tha tthey are as
close as possible to your head.
You can only adjust the two outer head
restraints. X
Pull or push the bottom of the head
restraint until it is in the desired position.
Fitting/removing the rear seat head
restraints 7 G
WARNING
Occupants should only travel sitting on seats
which have the head restraints installed. This
reduces the risk of injury to the passengers in
the rear in the event of an accident. X
Release the rear seat backrest and fold it
slightly forwards (Y page 305).
X To remove: pull the head restraint up to
the stop.
X Press release catch :and pull the head
restraint out of the guides.
X To refit: insert the head restraint so that
the notches on the bar are on the left when
viewed in the direction of travel.
X Push the head restraint down until you hear
it engage in position.
X Fold back the rear seat backrest until it
engages. Adjusting the multicontour seat
You can adjust the contour of the front seats
individually so as to provide optimum support
for your back and sides. :
To adjust the thigh cushion
; To adjust the backrest contour in the lum-
bar region
= To adjust the backrest contour in the
upper back region
? To adjust the side bolsters of the seat
backrest
X Make sure that the key is in position 2in
the ignition lock.
7 Except for Saloons without the through-loading feature. 108
SeatsSeats, steering wheel and mirrors

Adjusting the lumbar support
You can adjust the contour of the driver's seat
so as to provide optimum support for your
back. X
Move adjustmen tlever :in the direction
of the arrow until the desired backrest con-
tour is achieved. Adjusting the 4-way lumbar support
You can adjust the contour of the front seat
backrests individually to provide optimum
support for your back. :
To raise the backrest contour
; To soften the backrest contour
= To lower the backrest contour
? To harden the backrest contour Switching the seat heating on/off
Switching on/off G
WARNING
Repeatedly setting the seat heating to level
3 may result in excessive seat temperatures.
The health of passengers that have limited
temperature sensitivity or a limited ability to
react to excessively high temperatures may
be affected or they may even suffer burn-like
injuries. Therefore, do not use seat heating
level 3repeatedly.
The three red indicator lamps in the button
indicate the heating level you have selected.
i If the battery voltage is too low, the seat
heating may switch off. Driver's and front-passenger seat
The system automatically switches down
from level
3to level 2after approximately
eight minutes.
The system automatically switches down
from level 2to level 1after approximately ten
minutes.
The system automatically switches off
approximately 20 minutes after it is set to
level 1.
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock.
X To switch on: press button:repeatedly
until the desired heating level is set.
X To switch off: press button:repeatedly
until all the indicator lamps go out. Seats
109Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

Problems with the seat heating
The seat heating has switched off prema-
turely or cannot be switched on. The vehicle's
electrical system voltage is too low because
too many electrical consumers are switched
on.
X Switch off electrical consumers that you do
not need, such as the rear window heating
or interior lighting. Switching the seat ventilation on/off
Switching on/off The three blue indicator lamps in the buttons
indicate the ventilation level you have selec-
ted.
i
If the battery voltage is too low, the seat
ventilation may switch off. X
Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock.
X To switch on: press button:repeatedly
until the desired ventilation level is set.
i You can open the side windows and the
sliding sunroof using the "Convenience
opening" feature (Y page 97). The seat ven-
tilation of the driver's seat automatically
switches to the highest level.
X To switch off: press button:repeatedly
until all the indicator lamps go out. Problems with the seat ventilation The seat ventilation has switched off prema-
turely or cannot be switched on. The vehicle's
electrical system voltage is too low because
too many electrical consumers are switched
on.
X
Switch off electrical consumers which you
do not need, such as the rear window heat-
ing or interior lighting. Steering wheel
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The electrically adjustable steering wheel can
still be adjusted when there is no key in the
ignition lock. Therefore, do not leave children
unsupervised in the vehicle, as they could
become trapped if the steering wheel is adjus-
ted. G
WARNING
Only adjust the steering wheel when the vehi-
cle is stationary and do not pull away until the
steering wheel adjustment mechanism is
locked in position. You might otherwise drive
without the steering wheel adjustment mech-
anism being locked in position. As a result,
you could be distracted from road and traffic
conditions by an unintentional movement of
the steering wheel and thereby cause an acci-
dent.
However, the steerability of the vehicle is not
affected. 110
Steering wheelSeats, steering wheel and mirrors

Adjusting the steering wheel man-
ually :
Release lever
; To adjust the steering wheel height
= To adjust the steering wheel position
(fore-and-aft adjustment)
X Push release lever :down completely.
The steering column is unlocked.
X Adjus tthe steering wheel to the desired
position.
X Push release lever :up completely.
The steering column is locked.
X Check 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. Adjusting the steering wheel electri-
cally :
To adjust the steering wheel height
; To adjust the steering wheel position
(fore-and-aft adjustment) i
Related topics:
R EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
(Y page 111)
R Storing settings (Y page 115) EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
Important safety notes The EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature makes getting
in and out of your vehicle easier.
You can activate and deactivate the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature in the on-board com-
puter (Y
page 243). G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
when you activate the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT fea-
ture.
If there is a risk of someone becoming trap-
ped, stop the adjustment procedure. To halt
the procedure:
R press the steering column adjustment but-
ton.
R briefly press one of the memory function
position buttons.
The steering column stops moving immedi-
ately.
Do not keep the memory function position
button pressed down, otherwise the memory
function will start and the steering wheel and
seat will begin to move.
Never leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle. They could open the driver's door and
thereby unintentionally activate the EASY-
ENTRY feature and become trapped. Steering wheel
111Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z