Body MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-Class 2013 W218 Owner's Manual

Customer Service (Canada) at
1-800-387-0100
.Operating safety
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Work improperly carried out on electronic
components and associated software could
cause

them to cease functioning. Because the
vehicle's electronic components are
interconnected, any modifications made may
produce an undesired effect on other
systems. Electronic malfunctions could
seriously impair the operating safety of your
vehicle.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for repairs or modifications to electronic
components.
Other improper work or modifications on the
vehicle could also have a negative impact on
the operating safety of the vehicle.
Some safety systems only function when the
engine is running. You should therefore never
turn off the engine while driving. G
WARNING
Heavy blows against the vehicle underbody or
tires/wheels may cause serious damage and
impair the operating safety of your vehicle.
Such blows can be caused, for example, by
running over an obstacle, road debris or a
pothole.
If you feel a sudden significant vibration or
ride

disturbance, or you suspect that damage
to your vehicle has occurred:
R turn on your hazard warning flashers.
R slow down carefully.
R drive with caution to an area which is a safe
distance from the road.
Inspect the vehicle underbody and tires/
wheels for possible damage. If the vehicle
appears unsafe, have it towed to the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or other qualified maintenance or repair facility for
further inspection or repairs.
Declarations of conformity
Vehicle components which receive
and/or transmit radio waves USA: "The wireless devices of this vehicle
comply with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: 1) These devices may not cause
harmful interference, and 2) These devices
must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause
undesired operation. Changes or
modifications not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void
the user’s authority to operate the
equipment."
Canada:


"The wireless devices of this vehicle
comply with Industry Canada license-exempt
RSS standard(s). Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) These devices
may not cause interference, and (2) These
devices must accept any interference,
including interference that may cause
undesired operation of the device." Diagnostics connection
G
WARNING
If you connect equipment to the on-board
diagnostics connection, it can affect the
operation of the vehicle systems. This can
impair the operating safety of your vehicle
while driving. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not connect any equipment to the on-
board diagnostics connection. G
WARNING
Loose equipment or equipment cables which
are connected to the on-board diagnostics
connection can obstruct the area around the
pedals. The equipment or the cables could
come between the pedals in the event of Introduction
23 Z

Air bags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Air bags are designed to reduce the incidence
of injuries and fatalities in certain situations:
R frontal impacts (driver's and front-
passenger front air bags and knee bags)
R side
impacts (side impact air bags, window
curtain air bags and pelvis air bags)
R rollover (window curtain air bags)
However, no system available today can
completely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
When the air bags are deployed, a small
amount of powder is released. The powder
generally does not constitute a health hazard
and does not indicate that there is a fire in the
vehicle. In order to prevent potential
breathing difficulties, you should leave the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have any breathing difficulty but cannot get
out of the vehicle after the air bag inflates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or
door. G
WARNING
In order to reduce the potential danger of
injuries caused during the deployment of the
front air bags, the driver and front passenger
must always be correctly seated and wear
their seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision, you must always be in the normal
seat position with your back against the
backrest.

Fasten your seat belt and make sure
that it is correctly positioned on your body. As the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating position
and correct positioning of the hands on the
steering

wheel will help to keep you at a safe
distance from the air bag. Occupants who are
not wearing their seat belt, are not seated
properly or are too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured or killed by an air bag, as it
inflates with great force instantaneously:
R sit with the seat belt fastened correctly and
in a position that is as upright as possible
with your back against the backrest.
R move the driver's seat as far back as
possible, still permitting proper operation
of vehicle controls. The distance from the
center of the driver's chest to the center of
the air bag cover on the steering wheel
must be at least 10 inches (25 cm). You
should be able to accomplish this by
adjusting the seat and steering wheel. If
you have any difficulties, please contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
R do not lean your head or chest close to the
steering wheel or dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
Placing hands and arms inside the rim can
increase the risk and potential severity of
hand/arm injury if the driver front air bag
inflates.
R adjust the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible from the dashboard when the
seat is occupied.
R occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their heads
in the area of the door where the side
impact air bag inflates. This could result in
serious or fatal injuries should the side
impact air bag be deployed. Always sit as
upright as possible, wear the seat belt
properly and use an appropriately sized
infant restraint, toddler restraint or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight
of the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can result
in severe injuries to you or other occupants. Occupant safety
41
Safety
Z

X
Firmly push the NECK-PRO head restraint
cushion back in the direction of arrow =
until the cushion engages.
X Repeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO head restraint.
i Resetting the NECK-PRO head restraints
requires a lot of strength. If you have
difficulty resetting the NECK-PRO head
restraints, have this work carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
NECK-PRO luxury head restraints NECK-PRO luxury head restraints
X
Remove resetting tool : from the vehicle
document wallet.
X Slide resetting tool : into guide ;
between the NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint and the rear cover of the head
restraint.
X Push resetting tool : downwards until you
hear the head restraint deployment
mechanism engage.
X Pull out resetting tool :.
X Firmly press the NECK-PRO luxury head
restraint cushion back = until it engages.
X Repeat this procedure for the second
NECK-PRO luxury head restraint.
X Put resetting tool : back into the vehicle
document wallet.
i If you have difficulty resetting the NECK-
PRO

luxury head restraints, have this work
carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop. PRE-SAFE
®
system G
WARNING
The PRE-SAFE ®

system reduces the impact of
an accident on vehicle occupants, as long as
their seat belts have been fastened correctly.
Although your vehicle is equipped with a PRE-
SAFE ®
system, the possibility of injury in the
event of an accident cannot be ruled out. You
should therefore always drive carefully and
adapt your driving style to the prevailing road,
weather and traffic conditions. G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
as you adjust the seat.
! Make

sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when resetting
the seats. There is a risk that the seats
and/or the objects could be damaged.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes preemptive measures to
protect occupants in certain hazardous
situations.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes:
R if BAS intervenes, e.g. in emergency
braking situations
R if, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS, BAS
PLUS intervenes powerfully
R if, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS, the
radar sensor system detects an imminent
danger of collision in certain situations
R in critical driving situations, e.g. when
physical limits are exceeded and the
vehicle understeers or oversteers severely
PRE-SAFE ®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation
detected:
R the front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
R the front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is
in an unfavorable position.
R vehicles with a multicontour seat or active
multicontour seat: the air pressure in the52
Occupant safety
Safety

side bolsters of the seat cushion and
backrest is increased.
R if the vehicle skids, the sliding sunroof/
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel and the side windows are closed so
that only a small gap remains.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting
in an accident, PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pretensioning. The air pressure in the
side bolsters on the multicontour seat/active
multicontour seat is reduced again. All
settings made by PRE-SAFE ®
can then be
reversed.
If the seat belts are not released:
X Move the backrest or seat back slightly, but
only when the vehicle is stationary.
The belt pretensioning is reduced and the
locking mechanism is released.
More information about seat belt adjustment,
a convenience function integrated into PRE-
SAFE ®
, can be found under "Seat belt
adjustment" (Y page 56). Seat belts
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Always fasten your seat belt before driving off.
Always make sure all of your passengers are
properly

restrained. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries can
be considerably more severe without your
seat belt properly buckled. Without your seat
belt buckled, you are much more likely to hit
the interior of the vehicle or be ejected from
it. You can be seriously injured or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. The air bags can only protect as intended if the occupants are properly
wearing their seat belts.
G
WARNING
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest
in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide under
the seat belt in a collision. If you slide under
it, the seat belt would apply force at the
abdomen or neck. That could cause serious
or even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a position that is as upright as
possible and the seat belt is properly
positioned on the body. G
WARNING
Never let more people ride in the vehicle than
there are seat belts available. Make sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly
restrained with a separate seat belt. Never
use

a seat belt for more than one person at a
time. G
WARNING
Always have damaged seat belts or seat belts
that have been subjected to a load in an
accident replaced and the anchorages
checked.
Only use seat belts that have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz.
Never tamper with seat belts. This can result
in the unintended deployment of the
Emergency Tensioning Devices or the failure
to deploy when necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts, as this may
severely weaken them. In the event of a
collision, they may be unable to provide
adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Consult a qualified specialist
workshop. Occupant safety
53
Safety Z

The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in:
R
all 50 states
R U.S. territories
R the District of Columbia
R all Canadian provinces
Even where this is not required by law, all
vehicle occupants should correctly fasten
their seat belts before starting the journey.
i See "Children in the vehicle"
(Y page 58) for further information on
infants
and children traveling in the vehicle
as well as on child restraint systems.
Correct use of the seat belts G
WARNING
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
R Seat belts can only work when used
properly.

Never wear seat belts in any other
way than as described in this section, as
that could result in serious injuries in the
event of an accident.
R Each occupant should wear their seat belt
at all times, because seat belts help reduce
the likelihood of and potential severity of
injuries in accidents, including rollovers.
The integrated restraint system includes
SRS (driver front air bag, driver's side knee
bag, front-passenger front air bag, side
impact air bags, pelvis air bags, window
curtain air bags for the side windows),
Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat belt
force limiters, and front seat knee bolsters.
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to properly belted
occupants in certain frontal (front air bags,
driver's side knee bag and ETDs) and side
(side impact air bags, window curtain air
bags, and ETDs) impacts which exceed
preset deployment thresholds and in
certain rollovers (window curtain air bags
and ETDs).
R Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, across your neck or off your shoulder. In a frontal crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance

of head and neck injuries. The seat
belt would also apply too much force to the
ribs or abdomen, which could severely
injure internal organs such as your liver or
spleen.
Adjust the seat belt so that the shoulder
section is located as close as possible to
the middle of the shoulder. It should not
touch the neck. Never pass the shoulder
portion of the seat belt under your arm. For
this purpose, you can adjust the height of
the seat belt outlet.
R Position the lap belt as low as possible on
your hips and not across the abdomen. If
the lap belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries in
a crash.
R Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys etc., as
these might cause injuries.
R Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
R Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects at the same time.
R Seat belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you would not have the full width of
the seat belt to distribute impact forces.
The twisted seat belt against your body
could cause injuries.
R Pregnant women should also always use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible on
the hips to avoid any possible pressure on
the abdomen.
R Place the seat backrest in a position that is
as upright as possible.
R Check your seat belt during travel to make
sure it is properly positioned.54
Occupant safety
Safety

R
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
R When using a seat belt to secure infant
restraints, toddler restraints, or children in
booster seats, always follow the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. G
WARNING
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do
not allow the seat belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to seat
belts. This could impair the effectiveness of
the seat belts.
Fastening seat belts G
WARNING
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained on the rear
seats

than on the front-passenger seat. Thus,
we strongly recommend that children be
placed in the rear seat whenever possible.
Regardless of seating position, children 12
years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriately sized
child restraint system or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of the
child. For additional information, see the
"Children in the vehicle" section.
A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and/
or the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. X
Adjust the seat and move the backrest to
an almost vertical position ( Y page 96).
X Pull the seat belt smoothly through belt
sash guide :.
X Without twisting it, guide the shoulder
section of the seat belt across the middle
of

your shoulder and the lap section across
your pelvis.
X Engage belt tongue ; in buckle =.
Seat-belt adjustment: if necessary, the
driver's and front-passenger seat belts
automatically adjust to the upper body
(Y page 56).
X If necessary, adjust the seat belt to the
appropriate height

(Y page 56).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are
equipped
with a special seat belt retractor to
securely fasten child restraint systems in the
vehicle. Further information can be found
under "Special seat belt retractor"
(Y page 60).
For more information about releasing the seat
belt with release button ?, see "Releasing
seat belts" ( Y page 56). Occupant safety
55
Safety Z

Seat belt adjustment
The seat-belt adjustment function adjusts the
driver's and front-passenger seat belt to the
upper body of the occupants.
The belt strap is tightened slightly when:
R
you engage the belt tongue in the belt
buckle and you then turn the SmartKey to
position 2 in the ignition lock.
R the
SmartKey is in position 2 in the ignition
lock and you then engage the belt tongue
in the buckle.
The seat-belt adjustment will apply a
retraction force if any slack is detected
between the occupant and the seat belt. Do
not hold on to the seat belt tightly while it is
adjusting. You can switch the seat-belt
adjustment on and off in the on-board
computer (Y page 223).
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. More
information about PRE-SAFE ®
can be found
under "PRE-SAFE ®
(preventative occupant
protection)" (Y page 52).
Belt height adjustment You can adjust the seat belt height on the
front seats. Adjust the belt to a height that
allows the upper part of the seat belt to be
routed across the center of your shoulder.
X
To raise:
slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various
positions.
X To lower: press and hold belt sash guide
release :. X
Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Release belt sash guide release : and
make sure that the belt sash guide has
engaged.
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 specialist
workshop. X
Press release button ?
on belt buckle =.
X Slide belt tongue ; back to belt sash
guide :.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger Regardless of whether the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts have already been
fastened, the 7 seat belt warning lamp
lights

up for six seconds each time the engine
is started. It then goes out if the driver and
the front passenger have fastened their seat
belts. 56
Occupant safety
Safety

If the driver's seat belt is not fastened when
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. The warning tone goes out
after approximately six seconds or once the
driver's seat belt is fastened.
If after six seconds the driver or front
passenger have not fastened their seat belts
and the doors are closed, the
7 seat belt
warning lamp lights up:
R until the driver's or front passenger's seat
belt is fastened
R once the vehicle has exceeded a speed of
15 mph (25 km/h
), in addition a warning
tone will sound with increasing intensity for
up to 60 seconds or until the driver's or
front-passenger seat belt is fastened.
If the driver/front passenger unfasten their
seat belt while the vehicle is in motion, the
7 seat belt warning lamp lights up and a
warning tone sounds again.
The warning tone ceases after 60 seconds
even if the driver or front passenger has still
not fastened their seat belt. The 7 seat
belt warning lamp stops flashing but remains
illuminated.
After the vehicle comes to a standstill, the
warning tone is reactivated and the 7 seat
belt warning lamp flashes again if the vehicle
speed again exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h).
The 7 seat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
R both the driver and the front passenger
have fastened their seat belts.
or
R the vehicle is stationary and a door is open.
i For more information on the 7 seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belts" ( Y page 256). Emergency Tensioning Devices, belt
force limiters G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed must be renewed.
For

your safety, when disposing of Emergency
Tensioning Devices, always observe the
safety instructions. These are available from
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
The PRE-SAFE ®
system has electrically
operated reversible pre-tensioners that do
not require replacement after activation.
! If the front-passenger seat is not
occupied, do not engage the seat belt
tongue in the buckle on the front-
passenger seat. Otherwise, the Emergency
Tensioning Device could be triggered in the
event of an accident.
The seat belts are equipped with Emergency
Tensioning Devices and belt force limiters.
The ETDs tighten the seat belts in an accident,
pulling them close against the body.
The ETDs do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
The ETDs do not pull vehicle occupants back
towards the backrest.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a seat
belt force limiter and this is triggered, the
force exerted by the seat belt on the vehicle
occupant is reduced.
When triggered, seat belt force limiters help
to reduce the peak force exerted by the seat
belt on the vehicle occupant.
The belt force limiters for the front seats are
synchronized with the front air bags, which
take on a part of the deceleration force. This
results in the force exerted on the occupant
being distributed over a greater area.
The ETDs can only be activated when:
R the ignition is switched on.
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" ( Y page 39).
R Occupant safety
57
Safety Z

Trunk lid emergency release light:
R
emergency release button : flashes for
30 minutes after the trunk lid is opened
R emergency release button : flashes for
60 minutes after the trunk lid is closed Side windows
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When opening or closing the door windows,
make sure that there is no danger of anyone
being harmed by the opening/closing
procedure.
The door windows are equipped with
automatic
operation and the anti-entrapment
feature. If in automatic mode a door window
encounters an obstruction that blocks its
path, the anti-entrapment feature will stop the
door window and open it slightly.
The door windows operate differently when
the switch is pulled. See the "Problems with
door windows" section for details.
The closing of the door windows can be
immediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
If a door window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the windows by pressing and
holding the & button on the SmartKey or
by pressing and holding the lock button
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO) on an outside
door handle, the anti-entrapment feature will
not operate.
Activate the override switch when children
are riding in the back seats of the vehicle. The
children may otherwise injure themselves,
e.g. by becoming trapped in the door window
opening. G
WARNING
Do not keep any part of your body up against
the
window pane when opening a window. The
downward motion of the pane may pull that
part of your body down between the window
pane and the door frame and trap it there. If
there is a risk of entrapment, release the
switch and pull it to close the window. Opening and closing the side
windows
The

switches for all side windows are located
on the driver's door. There is also a switch on
each door for the corresponding side window.
The switches on the driver's door take
precedence. :
Front left
; Front right
= Rear right
? Rear left
X Turn the SmartKey to position 1
or 2 in the
ignition lock.
X To open: press the corresponding switch.
X To close: pull the corresponding switch.
i If you press the switch beyond the point
of resistance, an automatic opening/
closing process is started in the
corresponding direction. You can stop
automatic operation by operating the
switch again.
i You can continue to operate the side
windows

after you switch off the engine or Side windows
87
Opening/closing Z

Problems with the side windows
G
WARNING
Closing the side windows with increased force or without the anti-entrapment feature could lead
to serious or even fatal injury. Make sure that nobody can become trapped when closing the side
windows. G
WARNING
Pulling and holding the switch to close the door window immediately after it had been blocked
two times will cause the door window to close without the anti-entrapment feature for as long
as you hold the switch. Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsA side window cannot
be closed because it is
blocked

by objects, e.g.
leaves in the window
guide. X
Remove the objects.
X Close the side window. A side window cannot
be closed and you
cannot see the cause. If a side window is obstructed during closing and reopens again
slightly:
X
Immediately after the window blocks, pull the corresponding
switch again until the side window has closed.
The side window is closed with increased force.
If a side window is obstructed again during closing and reopens
again slightly:
X Immediately after the window blocks, pull the corresponding
switch again until the side window has closed.
The

side window is closed without the anti-entrapment feature. Sliding sunroof
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When opening or closing the sliding sunroof,
make sure that there is no danger of anyone
being harmed by the opening/closing
procedure.
The sliding sunroof is equipped with
automatic

operation and the anti-entrapment
feature. If the movement of the sliding sunroof
is blocked during the closing procedure, the
sliding sunroof will stop and open slightly. The sliding sunroof operates differently when
the

sliding sunroof switch is pressed and held.
See the "Problems with the sliding sunroof"
section for more details.
The opening/closing procedure of the sliding
sunroof can be immediately halted by
releasing the sliding sunroof switch or, if the
sliding sunroof switch was moved past the
resistance point and released, by moving the
sliding sunroof switch in any direction. 90
Sliding sunroof
Opening/closing