remove rear seat MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 2003 W163 Owner's Manual

34 Getting startedAdjusting
AdjustingSeats
Depending on the vehicle’s equipment,
you can adjust the seats manually or elec-
trically.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 40).
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 steering lock and lock your ve-
hicle.
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.

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Emergency tensioning device, seat belt
force limiter
The front seat belts are equipped with
emergency tensioning devices and belt
force limiters. The outboard passenger
seats belts (except in the third row seats*)
are equipped with emergency tensioning
devices.
The ETD is designed to activate only when
the seat belt is fastened and in the follow-
ing cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing a preset severity level


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see 1
indicator lamp (
page 54)
In an impact, emergency tensioning devic-
es remove slack from the belts in such a
way that the seat belts fit more snugly
against the body. Belt force limiters reduce
the force exerted by the seat belts on oc-
cupants during a crash.
deployment thresholds.


Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a crash, your body would move
too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The
belt would also apply too much force to
the ribs or abdomen, which could se-
verely injure internal organs such as
your liver or spleen.


Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
might cause injuries.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.


Each seat belt should never be used for
more than one person at a time. Do not
fasten a seat belt around a person and
another person or other objects.


Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to manage impact forces. The
twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.


Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both
feet on the floor in front of the seat.

69 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Blocking of rear door window operation
1Switch for rear door window override
Slide the switch to the right.
A dot becomes visible. The rear win-
dows can no longer be operated using
the switch in the rear doors.For more information on power windows,
see the “Controls in detail” section
(
page 134).
Warning!
G
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d i n t h e
right and left side anchors1.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, not face or neck. A booster
seat may be necessary to achieve proper
belt positioning for children from 41 lbs. to
the point where a lap / shoulder belt fits
properly without one.
Warning!
G
Activate the override switch in the rear when
children are riding in the car. The children
could otherwise injure themselves, e.g. by
becoming trapped in the window opening.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

93 Controls in detail
Seats
Rear seats
The rear seats are divided asymetrically.
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 ar-
row.

Slide seat to the desired position until
it locks in place.Folding down the backrest
1Lock button

Close cup holder in rear center console
(page 155).

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

Slide seat forward.

Remove head restraint(s) (
page 92).

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

95 Controls in detail
Seats
Easy entry/exit feature*
The easy entry/exit feature allows access
to the third row seats*. The right cargo
floor plate must be removed (
page 144).
Folding rear seat forward
1Lever

Move right seat forward. Manual seats
(page 35) and power seats
(page 37).

Move rear seat forward (
page 93).

Push head restraint fully down and tilt
it forward.

Fold backrest forward (
page 93).

Pull lever1 up and fold the rear seat
forward.
Resetting rear seat

Pull down on seat bench until it locks
into place.

Pull lock button1 (
page 93) up and
unfold backrest until it locks into place.

Pull down on seat bench until it locks
into place.

Check for secure locking by pulling and
pushing on the backrest.
The red backrest lock indicator at lock
button1 (
page 93) is not visible in
the locked position.

Move the rear and front seats in de-
sired position.

Pull up and adjust head restraint
(page 36).
Warning!
G
Never drive with the second row right seat
folded forward (easy entry/exit feature). It
could open and fold back unintentionally.

142 Controls in detailLoadingTightening partition netInstallation behind the front seats1Tie-down hook
2Ring
Installation behind the rear seats1Tie-down hook
2Ring
3Tensioner
Insert tie-down hook1 in rings2.

Pull on loose ends of tie-down straps
until net is tight.

After driving a short distance, check
the tension on the net and retighten if
necessary.Removing partition net

Lift tensioner3 upward to a horizontal
position to release tensioning of the
strap.

Disengage tie-down hooks1 from
rings2.

Remove mounting hooks2
(page 141) from holder1
(page 141).

Roll up and close the partition net.

Store partition net behind rear seat
bench.
iBefore tightening the partition net, re-
move the cargo floor plates.

144 Controls in detailLoadingCargo floor plates
Removing cargo floor plates
Lift cargo floor plate at rear edge (ar-
row).
Cargo floor plate unhinges automati-
cally.

Remove cargo floor plate by pulling it
rearwards.Storing cargo floor plates
1Hook and loop strip

Fold the left cargo floor plate together.

Open the hook and loop strip at the
bottom of backrest of the third row
seats* and insert cargo floor plate.

Close the hook and loop strip. Installing cargo floor plates
1Opening
2Pins
3Attachment opening
4Latch

Grip into opening1 and guide pins2
into attachment opening3.
The center pin must snap into place in
latch4.
iBefore you can remove the cargo floor
plates, it is possible that the third row
seats* (
page 96) must be removed.

251 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs

Align headlamp cover and click into
place.
Fog lamp bulbs
1Fog lamp

Switch off the lights.

Use a suitable object (e.g. screwdriver)
to press on the release lever behind the
front panel.
Front fog lamp1 releases.

Remove fog lamp out of bumper.2Bulb socket
3Tabs

Twist bulb socket2 counterclockwise
to its end stop and pull out.

Pull bulb out of the bulb socket.

Insert new bulb in socket.

Reinstall bulb socket2.

Twist bulb socket2 clockwise to its
end stop.

Reinstall fog lamp into the bumper.
Make sure that tabs3 firmly seat into
the slots of holder.
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps
Tail lamp assemblies
Switch off the lights.

Open liftgate.
1Screws
2Tail, parking and standing lamp
Fog lamp, driver’s side
3Side marker lamp
4Turn signal lamp
5Backup lamp
6Brake lamp

Remove screws1.

Remove tail lamp.


256 Practical hintsFlat tire

On wheel to be changed, loosen but do
not yet remove the wheel bolts (ap-
proximately one full turn with wrench).
The jack take-up brackets are located di-
rectly behind the front wheel housings and
in front of the rear wheel housings.1Take-up bracket
2Jack

Place jack on firm ground.

Position jack2 under the take-up
bracket1 so that it is always vertical
(plumb-line) as seen from the side,
even if the vehicle is parked on an in-
cline.

Jack up the vehicle until the wheel is a
maximum of 1.2 in (3 cm) from the
ground. Never start engine while vehi-
cle is raised.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure that the jack
arm is fully seated in the jack take-up brack-
et. Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under
the vehicle.
!Do not position the jack on the body of
the vehicle, as this may cause damage
to the vehicle.