steering wheel adjustment MERCEDES-BENZ C320 2003 W203 Owner's Manual

21 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Combination switch

Turn signals
47


Windshield wipers
48


High beam
47
2
Cruise control lever
193
3
Instrument cluster
22,
107
4
Multifunction steering
wheel
24,
112
5
Lever for voice control
system*, see separate
operating instructions
Item
Page
6
Overhead control panel
27
7
Glove box lid release, glove
box lock
203
8
Glove box
203
9
Center console
25
10
Starter switch
31
11
Horn
12
Steering wheel adjustment
handle (manual)
37
13
Steering wheel adjustment
stalk (electrical)*
38
Item
Page
14
Hood lock release
235
15
Parking brake pedal
45, 51
16
Trunk lid release switch
88
17
Door control panel
28
18
Parking brake release
45
19
Exterior lamp switch
101
20
Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment
39
21
Headlamp washer switch*
146

31 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0For removing key
The steering is locked when the key is
removed from the starter switch. If
necessary, move steering wheel slight-
ly to allow the locking mechanism to
engage.
1Power supply to some electrical
consumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch and lock
the vehicle. Do not leave children unattend-
ed in the vehicle, or with access to an un-
locked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle
equipment may cause an accident and/or
serious personal injury.iVehicles with automatic transmission:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
!If the key is left in starter switch
position0 for an extended period of
time, it can no longer be turned in the
starter switch.

Remove the key from the starter
switch and reinsert.
If the key can still not be turned, the
battery may not be sufficiently
charged.


Check the battery and charge it if
necessary (
page 240).


Get a jump start (
page 306).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge and a possible dead battery, al-
ways remove the key from the starter
switch.

32 Getting startedAdjusting
AdjustingSeats
The seats can be adjusted either manually
or electrically, depending on the vehicle’s
equipment.Warning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back reclined. Sitting in an excessively re-
clined position can be dangerous. You could
slide under the seat belt in a collision. If you
slide under it, the belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck.
That could cause serious or fatal injuries.
The seat back and seat belts provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in an up-
right position and belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body. Your seat must be
adjusted so that you can correctly fasten
your seat belt (
page 41).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, and lock your
vehicle.
The power seats* can also be operated with
the driver’s or front passenger door open.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger side front
airbag when it is properly installed. Other-
wise they will be struck by the airbag when
it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious
or fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle’s
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er’s instructions.

33 Getting started
Adjusting
Manual seat
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat cushion tilt
3Backrest tilt
4Seat heightSeat fore and aft adjustment

Lift handle1.

Slide seat to the desired position.

Allow handle1 to reengage.

Check for proper engagement before
driving.
Adjust to a comfortable seating position
that still allows you to reach the accelera-
tor/brake pedal safely. The position
should be as far rearward as possible,
consistent with ability to properly operate
controls.
Seat cushion tilt

Turn handwheel2 forward or backward
until your upper legs are lightly sup-
portedBackrest tilt

Press switch3 in direction of arrow un-
til your arms are slightly angled when
holding the steering wheel.
Seat height

Press switch4 in direction of arrow un-
til your legs are lightly supported.
Head restraint height
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
iWhen moving the seat, be sure that
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint to support the back of
the head approximately at ear level.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.

34 Getting startedAdjusting1Release knob
Manually adjust the height of the head
restraint by pulling it upward. To lower
the head restraint, push release knob1
and push down on the head restraint.
Head restraint tilt

Manually adjust the angle of the head
restraint. Push or pull on the lower
edge of the head restraint cushion.
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (
page 93).Power seat*

Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 or2 .
or

Open the driver’s or front passenger
door.
The seat adjustment switches are located
in each front door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Backrest tiltSeat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow4.
Adjust to a comfortable seating posi-
tion that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The
position should be as far rearward as
possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.iWhen moving the seat, be sure that
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seat. Otherwise you could
damage the seat.
With the memory function*
(page 98), you can store seat
positions together with settings for the
steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Head restraint height (rear outer seats)
Raising:
Pull up on head restraint.
Lowering:

Push button1.

Push down on head restraint.
Steering wheel Steering wheel adjustment, manual
1Release lever
2Steering column, lengthen or shorten
3Steering column, height

To unlock the steering column, pull
lever1 out until its stop limit.

Adjust the steering wheel to the de-
sired position.

To lock, press lever1 all the way in un-
til it engages.
The steering wheel is once again
locked into position.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint to support the back of
the head approximately at ear level.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing, or driving without the adjustment
locked could cause the driver to lose control
of the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch and lock your ve-
hicle.
The electrical steering wheel adjustment
feature* can also be operated with the driv-
er’s door open. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

38 Getting startedAdjusting
Steering wheel adjustment, electrical*
The stalk is located on the steering column
(lower left).
1Steering column, lengthen or shorten
2Steering column, height
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
or

Open the driver’s door.Steering column, lengthen or shorten

Move stalk forward or backward in the
direction of arrow1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Steering column, height

Move stalk up or down in the direction
of arrow2. Make sure that your legs
can move freely and that all the dis-
plays (including malfunction and indi-
cator lamps) on the instrument cluster
are clearly visible.
!Do not drive the vehicle until you have
properly locked the steering column.
If the warning message
STEERING
WHEEL ADJUST - LOCK ! is displayed
while the engine is running, the steer-
ing column is not locked properly
(
page 276).
iWith the memory function*
(page 98), you can store steering
wheel positions together with settings
for the seats and the exterior rear view
mirrors.

40 Getting startedAdjusting
Press button1 for the left mirror or
button3 for the right mirror.

Push adjustment button2 up, down,
left or right according to the setting de-
sired.
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (
page 144).
!If an exterior rear view mirror housing
is forcibly pushed forward or backward,
reposition it by applying firm pressure
until it snaps into place. The mirror
housing is now properly positioned and
you can adjust the mirror normally.
iWith the memory function*
(page 98), you can store exterior rear
view mirror positions together with
settings for the seats and the steering
wheel.

58 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

Sit properly belted in an upright position
with your back against the seat back-
rest.


Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the airbag cover on
the steering wheel must be at least ten
inches (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front airbag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never lean their heads in the area of the
door where the side airbag inflates. This
could result in serious injuries or death
should the airbag be triggered. Always
sit upright, properly use the seat belts
and appropriate size infant or child re-
straint system.


Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger side front airbag
when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the airbag when it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, seri-
ous or fatal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle you are responsible
to make the buyer aware of these points. Be
sure to give the buyer this Operator’s Manu-
al.
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child
12 years old or under in the front passenger
seat of your vehicle, you must properly use
a BabySmart
TM child restraint which will
turn off the passenger side front airbag.
BabySmart
TM will not, however, turn off any
side impact airbag.
It should be noted that with respect to both
front and rear side impact airbags there is a
possibility for a side airbag related injury if
occupants, especially children, are not prop-
erly seated or restrained when next to a side
airbag which needs to deploy rapidly in a
side impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
side airbag inflates. This could

93 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
Information on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 32).
Easy-entry/exit feature*
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards and the
driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch and the driver’s door is closed,
the steering wheel and the driver’s seat re-
turn to their last set positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
The steering column and the seat are
adjusted.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
switched on or off in the individual setting
menu
CONVENIENCE
- EASY-ENTRY FEATURE
ACTIVATE
(page 129).
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry/exit feature* is activated,
the driver’s door is being opened and the en-
gine is turned off or the SmartKey is re-
moved from the starter switch. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature*, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

press seat adjustment switch
(page 28)


move steering column stalk
(page 32)


press memory switch (
page 28)