height MERCEDES-BENZ R350 2006 W251 Owner's Manual

43 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switch is located on
the entry side of each front seat base.
1 Head restraint height*
2Seat cushion tilt
3Seat height
4Backrest tilt
5 Seat fore and aft adjustment

Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
or

Open the respective door (vehicles
with memory function*).
The seat can be adjusted with the re-
spective door opened.
or

Open a front door (vehicles without
memory function*).
The seat can be adjusted within
3 minutes after either front door has
been opened.Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow5.
Adjust the seat to a comfortable seat-
ing position that still allows you to
reach the accelerator/brake pedal
safely. The position should be as far to
the rear as possible, consistent with
ability to properly operate controls.
!When adjusting the seat backrest tilt
and head restraint height, make sure
the sun visor is folded up (
page 212).
If the head restraint is in the uppermost
position, it could hit and damage the
sun visor.
iThe memory function* (
page 144)
lets you store the settings for the seat
position together with the settings for
the steering wheel column and the ex-
terior rear view mirrors.
!When moving the seat, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seat. Otherwise you could
damage the seat.

44 Getting startedAdjustingSeat height
Press the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow3.
Seat cushion tilt

Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow2 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Seat backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow4 until your arms
are slightly angled when holding the
steering wheel.Head restraint heightVehicles with memory function*:

Press switch (
p a g e 4 3 ) u p o r d o w n i n
direction of arrow 1.
Vehicles without memory function*:
1Head restraint
2Release button
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.!Do not attempt to remove front seat
head restraints. They can only be re-
moved by qualified technicians. We
recommend that you have this work
carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

45 Getting started
Adjusting
Raising:
Manually adjust the height of head
restraint 1 by pulling it upward.
If head restraint 1 is fully retracted,
push release button 2 in direction of
arrow and pull head restraint 1 up-
ward.
Lowering:

To lower head restraint 1, push
release button 2 in direction of arrow
and press down on head restraint 1.Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head
restraint.

Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 132).
Steering wheel
Steering wheel adjustment, manual
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way
that it is as close to the head as possi-
ble.
Warning!
G
Only adjust the steering wheel with the vehi-
cle at a standstill and make sure the steer-
ing wheel is securely locked in place before
driving off.
Driving without the steering wheel adjust-
ment locked may cause an unexpected
steering wheel movement which could
cause the driver to lose control of the vehi-
cle. Make sure the steering wheel is secure-
ly locked by trying to move it up and down,
and in and out before driving off.

52 Getting startedDriving
With a smooth motion, pull the belt out
of seat belt outlet1.

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

Push latch plate2 into buckle3
(page 51) until it clicks.

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Seat belt 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 belt when fastening.


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 belt under your
arm. For this purpose, you can adjust
the height of the belt outlet
(page 52).


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 per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant or toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.


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


Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.

84 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

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
59indicator lamp is illumi-
nated, indicating that the front passen-
ger front air bag is deactivated. Should
the 59 indicator lamp not
illuminate or go out while the restraint is
installed, please check installation. Peri-
odically check the 59 indi-
cator lamp while driving to make sure
the lamp is illuminated. If the
59indicator 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 85).
Warning!
G
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
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.
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper belt positioning
for children from 41 lbs until they reach a
height where a lap/shoulder belt fits proper-
ly without a booster.


93 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
4Anchors third-row seats
Install a LATCH type child seat accord-
ing to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Blocking of rear door window operation
With the override switch you can disable
the rear side window switches in the rear
door panels.
iNon-LATCH type child seats may also
be used and can be installed using the
vehicle’s seat belt system. Install child
seat according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Warning!
G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper belt positioning
for children from 41 lbs until they reach a
height where a lap / shoulder belt fits prop-
erly without a booster.
Install child seat according to manufactu-
rer’s instructions.
The child seat must be firmly attached in the
right and left side anchors 1.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident which could result
in serious injury or death to the child.
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.
Warning!
G
Activate the override switch when children
are riding in the back seats of the vehicle.
The children may otherwise injure them-
selves, e.g. by becoming trapped in the win-
dow opening.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

114 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingUnlocking and opening the tailgate
You can unlock and open the tailgate sep-
arately.
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.
Press and hold buttonŠ on the
SmartKey until the tailgate unlocks and
begins to open.Loss of SmartKey or mechanical key
If you lose a SmartKey or mechanical key,
you should do the following:

Have the SmartKey deactivated by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey or the
mechanical key immediately to your
car insurance company.

If necessary, have the mechanical lock
replaced.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center will be glad to supply you
with a replacement.
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Vehicles equipped with KEYLESS-GO come
with two SmartKeys with KEYLESS-GO,
each with remote control and a removable
mechanical key.
The locking tabs for the mechanical key
portion of the two SmartKeys with
KEYLESS-GO are a different color to help
distinguish each SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO unit.
The function of the SmartKey overrules the
KEYLESS-GO function.
The KEYLESS-GO function is integrated
into the SmartKey. On these vehicles, the
validity of the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
is checked when you grasp an outside door
handle.
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is valid,
your vehicle unlocks

the doors


the tailgate


the fuel filler flap
!The tailgate swings open upwards auto-
matically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.
Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*:
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tail-
gate stops moving.
iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey, the tailgate
will lock automatically when closed.
The turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

120 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingUnlocking and opening the tailgate
You can unlock and open the tailgate sep-
arately.
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.
Pull on the handle.
or

Press and hold buttonŠ on the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO until the
tailgate unlocks and opens.Locking the vehicle
1Lock button at tailgate

Press lock button on tailgate1.
or

Press the lock button on an outside
door handle (
page 68).
or

Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*: Press the KEYLESS-GO
locking/closing switch in the tailgate
(page 129).
The vehicle locks. The turn signals flash
three times to confirm locking.
!The tailgate swings open upwards auto-
matically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.
Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*:
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tail-
gate stops moving.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO, the tailgate will lock au-
tomatically when closed (
page 124).
The turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

122 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Opening the tailgate
Opening the tailgate from the outside
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*:
The vehicle must be unlocked (
page 37).

Pull on the handle.
The tailgate opens slightly.

Pull tailgate upwards to open.The tailgate can also be opened using the
SmartKey (
page 114).
iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked from the outside with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, opening a
door from the inside will trigger the
anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the
following:
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press theŒ or ‹button on
the SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*


Grasp an outside door handle.


Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 40).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be inside the vehicle.
!Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*:
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tail-
gate stops moving.
The tailgate swings open upwards auto-
matically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it (
page 124). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

123 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the tailgate from the inside
manually
You can unlock the tailgate from the
third-row seats and then open it manually.
The handle is located on the right of the
tailgate’s window trim.
1Handle
2Push
3Lift
Push handle 1 in direction of arrow2
and hold it there.

Lift handle 1 in direction of arrow3.
The tailgate is released and can be
opened manually.
Opening the tailgate from the inside
electrically*
You can open the tailgate from the inside if
the vehicle is stationary.
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.
The switch is located on the door control
panel.1Remote tailgate switch with indicator
lamp

Pull remote tailgate switch1 until
tailgate begins to open.
The tailgate opens. The indicator lamp
in the remote tailgate switch comes on
and remains lit until the tailgate is
closed. While the tailgate is opening, an
acoustic signal sounds.
iVehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*:
If you do not open the tailgate within a
few seconds, the tailgate lock will auto-
matically engage again.