child restraint MERCEDES-BENZ E550 4MATIC 2007 W211 Owner's Manual

ContentsSafety and Security........................... 67
Occupant safety................................... 68
Air bags .......................................... 70
Occupant Classification System
(USA only) ...................................... 75
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system (Canada only) ..................... 81
Seat belts ....................................... 82
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE®) ................................... 86
Active head restraints .................... 87
Children in the vehicle .................... 88
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 95
Panic alarm .......................................... 96
Activating ....................................... 96
Deactivating ................................... 96
Driving safety systems ......................... 97
ABS ................................................ 97
BAS ................................................ 99
Adaptive Brake ............................... 99
EBP............................................... 100
ESP
®............................................. 100
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®... 105Anti-theft systems ............................. 106
Immobilizer .................................. 106
Anti-theft alarm system................ 106
Controls in detail............................. 109
Locking and unlocking ....................... 110
SmartKey ..................................... 110
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 113
Checking batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 119
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 119
Opening the doors from the
inside ........................................... 119
Opening the trunk ........................ 120
Closing the trunk.......................... 122
Trunk emergency release ............. 125
Valet locking ................................ 126
Automatic central locking ............ 127
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ........................................... 127 Seats ................................................ 129
Front seat active head restraints . 129
Rear seat head restraints ............. 129
Lumbar support ........................... 131
Multicontour seat*....................... 131
Seat heating*............................... 132
Seat ventilation* .......................... 133
Memory function ............................... 134
Storing positions into memory ..... 135
Recalling positions from memory. 135
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 136
Lighting ............................................. 137
Exterior lamp switch .................... 137
Combination switch ..................... 141
Corner-illuminating front fog
lamps* ......................................... 142
Hazard warning flasher ................ 144
Interior lighting in the front .......... 145
Interior lighting in the rear ........... 146
Door entry lamps ......................... 147
Trunk lamps ................................. 147

42 Getting startedAdjustingWarning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the start-
er switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open. Therefore, do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Canada only: Children 12 years old and un-
der 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 in-
stalled in the vehicle to deactivate the front
passenger front air bag when it is properly
installed. Otherwise they will be struck by
the air bag 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 position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 88).
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.

49 Getting started
Driving
Driving
Fastening the seat beltsWarning!
G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are ob-
structing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.Warning!
G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained, even those sitting in
the rear.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
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 wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(page 82).
Warning!
G
Canada only: Children 12 years old and un-
der 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 in-
stalled in the vehicle to deactivate the front
passenger front air bag when it is properly
installed. Otherwise they will be struck by
the air bag 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 position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats.
Regardless of seating position, children
12 years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriately sized
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight
of the child. For additional information, see
“Children in the vehicle” (
page 88).


50 Getting startedDriving
1Belt outlet
2Latch plate
3Buckle
4Release button
With a smooth motion, pull the seat
belt from belt outlet1.
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.Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be 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.
Warning!
G
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 se-
rious or even fatal injuries. The seat back-
rest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a nearly upright posi-
tion and the seat belt is properly positioned
on the body.Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 72) and (
page 83).


51 Getting started
Driving

Place the shoulder portion of the seat
belt across the top of your shoulder
and the lap portion across your hips.

Push latch plate2 into buckle3 until
it clicks.

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Belt outlet height adjustment
1Release button

Press release button1 and move the
seat belt height adjuster upward or
downward.Proper use of seat belts


Do not twist the seat belt when fasten-
ing.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion 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.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly
upright position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a
person and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraint or toddler restraint or
children in booster seats, always follow
the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.


Check your seat belt periodically
during travel to make sure that it is
properly positioned.


Make sure that the seat belt is always
fitted snugly. Take special care of this
when wearing loose clothing. Warning!
G
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 mecha-
nism. This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the seat belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be re-
placed. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

68 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most
important facts about the restraint sys-
tems of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are

Seat belts (
page 82)


Child restraints (
page 89)


Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) (
page 94)
Additional protection is provided by


Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with

Air bags (
page 70)


Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)


Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) for seat belts (
page 85)


Active head restraints (
page 87)


Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®) (page 86)Air bag system components with


Front passenger front air bag off indica-
tor lamp (
page 79)


USA only:
Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 75)


Canada only:
Front passenger seat with
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation sys-
tem (
page 81)
As independent systems, their protective
functions work in conjunction with each
other. The SRS system conducts a self-test when
the ignition is switched on and in regular
intervals while the engine is running. This
facilitates early detection of malfunctions.
The
1
indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on and goes out no later than a
few seconds after the engine has been
started.
The SRS components are in operational
readiness if the
1
indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the
1
indicator lamp:


fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds after the engine was started


does not come on at all


comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
i
For information on infants and children trav-
eling with you in the vehicle and restraint sys-
tems for infants and children, see “Children in
the vehicle” (
page 88).

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety


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 injuries or death should
the air bag be triggered. Always sit near-
ly upright, properly use the seat belts
and use an appropriately sized infant re-
straint, toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of
the child.


Canada only: 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 front passenger front air bag
when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the air bag when it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, seri-
ous or fatal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat.
It should be noted that with respect to both
front and rear side impact air bags there is a
possibility for a side impact air bag related
injury if occupants, especially children, are
not properly seated or restrained when next
to a side impact air bag which needs to de-
ploy 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 impact air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the side impact air bag be deployed.


72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
(2) Always sit nearly upright, properly use
the seat belts and for children 12 years
old and under, use an appropriately
sized infant restraint, toddler restraint,
or booster seat recommended for the
size and weight of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
rear seat occupants to have the rear mount-
ed side impact air bags deactivated, then
deactivation can be accomplished upon
your written request to do so at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center at an additional
cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.
i
Air bags are designed to deploy only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags), side impacts
(side impact and window curtain air bags) which
exceed preset thresholds and in certain rollovers
(window curtain air bags). Only during these
events will they provide their supplemental pro-
tection.
The driver and passengers should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
air bags to provide their supplemental protec-
tion.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not be deployed. The driver and passenger will
then be protected to the extent possible by a
properly fastened seat belt. A properly fastened
seat belt is also needed to provide the best pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
sengers that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
that the vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.
Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or seat belts that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Use only
seat belts installed or supplied by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETD
that was activated must be replaced.


No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or re-
moving any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges etc. over the steering
wheel hub, front passenger front air bag
cover, outboard sides of the front seat
backrests, door trim panels,


77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being
heavier than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint or as being a small individual
(such as a young teenager or a small adult),
the 75 indicator lamp will illu-
minate for approximately 6 seconds when
the engine is started and then, depending on
occupant weight sensor readings from the
seat, remain illuminated or go out. With the
75 indicator lamp illuminated,
the front passenger front air bag is deacti-
vated. With the 75 indicator
lamp out, the front passenger front air bag is
activated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as an adult or
someone larger than a small individual, the
75 indicator lamp will illumi-
nate for approximately 6 seconds when the
engine is started and then go out, indicating
that the front passenger front air bag is acti-
vated.
If the 75 indicator lamp is illu-
minated, the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 75 indicator lamp is not
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is activated and will be deployed:

in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the side impact
air bags
If the front passenger front air bag is
deployed, the rate of inflation will be
influenced by:


the rate of relevant vehicle deceleration
as assessed by the air bag control unit


front passenger’s weight category as
identified by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS).
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or child restraint recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Always sit nearly upright, properly use the
seat belts and for children 12 years old and
under, use an appropriately sized infant re-
straint, toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of the
child.


78 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyChildren can be killed or seriously injured by
an inflating air bag. Note the following im-
portant information when circumstances re-
quire you to place a child in the front
passenger seat:

Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the front
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the system senses the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child or less along
with the weight of a standard appropri-
ate child restraint on the front passen-
ger seat.


A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates in a collision
which could occur under some circum-
stances, even with the air bag technolo-
gy installed in your vehicle. The only
means to completely eliminate this risk
is to never place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


If you must install a rear-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the
75indicator lamp is illumi-
nated, indicating that the front passen-
ger front air bag is deactivated. Should
the indicator lamp not illuminate or go
out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. Periodically
check the indicator lamp while driving to
make sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
75indicator lamp goes out
or remains out, do not transport a child
on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured
or even killed if the front passenger front
air bag inflates.


If you have to place a child in a
forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger seat, move the seat as
far back as possible, use the proper
child restraint recommended for the
age, size and weight of the child, and se-
cure child restraint with the vehicle’s
seat belt according to the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. For
children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the front passenger
front air bag may or may not be activat-
ed (
page 77).