steering wheel MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 2017 User Guide

driver or front passenger have fastened their
seat belts.
If the driver or front passenger unfasten their
seat belts during the journey, the seat belt warn-
ing is activated again.
Air bags
Introduction The installation point of an air bag can be rec-
ognized by the AIR BAG symbol.
An air bag complements the correctly fastened
seat belt. It is no substitute for the seat belt. The
air bag provides additional protection in appli-
cable accident situations.
Not all air bags are deployed in an accident. The
different air bag systems function independ-
ently from one another ( Y
page 55).
However, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
It is also not possible to rule out a risk of injury
caused by an air bag due to the high speed at
which the air bag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If you do not sit in the correct seat position,
the air bag cannot protect as intended and
could even cause additional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid hazardous situations, always make
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants: R
have fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women R
are sitting correctly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags R
follow the following instructions
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants. R
Adjust the seats properly before beginning
your journey. Always make sure that the seat
is in an almost upright position. The center of the head restraint must support the head at
about eye level. R
Move the driver's and front-passenger seats
as far back as possible. The driver's seat posi-
tion must allow the vehicle to be driven safely. R
Only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the air bag to be fully deployed. R
Always lean against the backrest while driv-
ing. Do not lean forwards or lean against the
door or side window. You may otherwise be in
the deployment area of the air bags. R
Always keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not put your feet on the dash-
board, for example. Your feet may otherwise
be in the deployment area of the air bag. R
For this reason, always secure persons less
than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suitable restraint sys-
tems. Up to this height, the seat belt cannot
be worn correctly.
If a child is traveling in your vehicle, also
observe the following notes: R
Always secure children under twelve years of
age and less than 5 ft (1.50 m) tall in suitable
child restraint systems. R
Child restraint systems should be installed on
the rear seats. R
Only secure a child in a rearward-facing child
re straint system on the front-passenger seat
when the front-passenger front air bag is
deactivated. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is permanently lit, the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated
( Y
page 43). R
Always observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant Classification System
(OCS)" ( Y
page 51) and on "Children in the
vehicle" ( Y
page 59 )i n addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
and operating instructions.
Objects in the vehicle interior may prevent
an air bag from functioning correctly. Before
starting your journey and to avoid risks resulting
from the speed of the air bag as it deploys, make
sure that: R
there are no people, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupants and an air
bag. R
there are no objects between the seat, door
and B-pillar. R
no hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, hang on
the grab handles or coat hooks.48
Occupant safety
Safety

R
no accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors, side windows,
rear side trim or side walls. R
no heavy, sharp-edged or fragile objects are in
the pockets of your clothing. Store such
objects in a suitable place.
G WARNING
If you modify the air bag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the air bag can no longer
function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objects
to it.
G WARNING
Sensors to control the air bags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ing, as well as damaged doors, can lead to the
function of the sensors being impaired. The air
bags might therefore not function properly
anymore. Consequently, the air bags cannot
protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do. There is an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors.
Always have work on the doors or door pan-
eling carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Front air bags
! Do not place heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. This could cause the system
to identify the seat as being occupied. In the
event of an accident, the restraint systems on
the front-passenger side may be triggered
and have to be replaced. Driver's air bag C deploys in front of the steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger front air bag D
deploys in front of and above the glove box.
When deployed, the front air bags offer addi-
tional head and thorax protection for the occu-
pants in the front seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
informs you about the status of the front-
passenger front air bag ( Y
page 43).
The front-passenger front air bag will only
deploy if: R
the system, based on the OCS weight sensor
readings, detects that the front-passenger
seat is occupied ( Y
page 51). The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is
not lit ( Y
page 51) R
the restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity
Driver's knee bag
Driver's knee bag C deploys under the steering
column. The driver's knee bag is always
deployed along with the driver's front air bag.
The driver's knee bag offers additional thigh,
knee and lower leg protection for the occupant
in the driver's seat.Occupant safety 49
Safety Z

R
the front side windows are lowered R
the electrically adjustable steering wheel is
raised R
the engine is switched off and the fuel supply
is cut off R
vehicles with seat belt extenders: the seat-
belt buckles for the outer rear seats are illu-
minated and extend forwards R
vehicles with mbrace: automatic emergency
call
Children in the vehicle
Important safety notes Accident statistics show that children secured
in the rear seats are safer than children secured
in the front-passenger seat. For this reason,
Mercedes-Benz strongly advises that you install
a child restraint system on a rear seat. Children
are generally better protected there.
If a child younger than twelve years old and
under 5 ft (1.50 m) in height is traveling in the
vehicle: R
always secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The child restraint system must be appropri-
ate to the age, weight and size of the child R
be sure to observe the instructions and safety
notes in this section in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
instructions R
be sure to observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant classification system
(OCS)" ( Y
page 51)
G WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example: R
release the parking brake. R
shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P .R
start the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle. G WARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected
to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle.
G WARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is a risk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you, always ensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight. Pro-
tect it with a blanket, for example. If the child
restraint system has been exposed to direct
sunlight, let it cool down before securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle.
Always ensure that all vehicle occupants have
their seat belts fastened correctly and are sitting
properly. Particular attention must be paid to
children.
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
( Y
page 44) and the notes on correct use of seat
belts ( Y
page 45).
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children over
41 lb s( 18 kg) until they reach a height where a
three-point seat belt can be properly fastened
without a booster seat.
Special seat belt retractor
G WARNING
If the seat belt is released while driving, the
child restraint system will no longer be
secured properly. The special seat belt retrac-
tor is disabled and the inertia real draws in a
portion of the seat belt. The seat belt cannot
be immediately refastened. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Stop the vehicle immediately, paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. ReactivateChildren in the vehicle 59
Safety Z

R
ESP ®
( E lectronic S tability P rogram)
( Y
page 71)R
EBD ( E lectronic B rake force D istribution)
( Y
page 73)R
ADAPTIVE BRAKE ( Y
page 73)R
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake ( Y
page 73)R
STEER CONTROL ( Y
page 75)
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are
inattentive, the driving safety systems can nei-
ther reduce the risk of an accident nor override
the laws of physics. Driving safety systems are
merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible for maintaining the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in
good time, and for staying in lane. Always adapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather conditions and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The driving safety systems described only work
as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quate contact between the tires and the road
surface. Pay particular attention to the informa-
tion regarding tires, recommended minimum
tire tread depths etc. in the "Wheels and tires"
section ( Y
page 343).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tires (M+S tires) and if necessary, snow chains.
Only in this way will the driving safety systems
described in this section work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way that
the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allows you to continue steering the vehicle when
braking.
The % ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out when the engine is running.
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you
only brake gently. Important safety notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion ( Y
page 66).
G WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp ( Y
page 261) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster ( Y
page 228).
Braking X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit-
uation is over. X
To make a full brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions, and functions as a
reminder to take extra care while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion ( Y
page 66).66
Driving safet y system s
Sa fety

Correct driver's seat position
G WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do
the following while driving: R
adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors R
fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt
before starting the engine.
Observe the following when adjusting steering
wheel C , seat belt D and driver's seat

Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
Do not rotate the head restraints of the front and
rear seats. Otherwise, you cannot adjust the
height and angle of the head restraints to the
correct position.
Using the fore-and-aft adjustment, adjust the
head restraint so that it is as close as possible to
your head.
G WARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do
the following while driving: R
adjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors R
fasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt
before starting the engine.
G WARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you or
other vehicle occupants could be trapped and
thereby injured. Children in particular could
accidentally press the electrical seat adjust-
ment buttons and become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
While moving the seats, make sure that your
hands or other body parts do not get under the
lever assembly of the seat adjustment sys-
tem.
G WARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level
of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident, you could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal
injury. Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder.
! To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information: R
keep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible. R
if the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat heat-
ing should also not be used to dry the seats. R
clean the seat covers as recommended;
see "Interior care". R
do not transport heavy loads on the seats.
Do not place sharp objects on the seat
cushions, e.g. knives, nails or tools. The
seats should only be occupied by passen-
gers, if possible. R
when the seat heating is in operation, do
not cover the seats with insulating materi-
als, e.g. blankets, coats, bags, seat covers,
child seats or booster seats.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell under or behind the seats when mov-
ing the seats back. There is a risk that the
seats and/or the objects could be damaged.
Adjusting the seats
Vehicles with standard head restraints
or luxury head restraints
C
Head restraint height
D
Head restraint height

! Do not move the front-passenger seat fully
forwards if there are objects in the parcel net
in the front-passenger footwell. The objects
could otherwise be damaged.
Adjusting the front-passenger seat
The power supply or the ignition must be
switched on so that the front-passenger seat
can be selected ( Y
page 146).X
To select the front-passenger seat: press
button C repeatedly until the indicator lamp
in the button lights up.
When the indicator lamp in button C lights up,
for the front-passenger seat you can adjust: R
adjust the seat ( Y
page 101)R
seat heating ( Y
page 112)R
seat ventilation ( Y
page 113)R
the memory function to call up or save set-
tings ( Y
page 120).
Adjusting the front-passenger seat
from the rear
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust
the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when the power
supply is switched off. G WARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the
seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
( Y
page 48) and "Children in the vehicle"
( Y
page 59).
G WARNING
The front-air bags for could also injure the
vehicle occupants in the front If the front
seats are positioned too close to the dash-
board or steering wheel. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Always adjust the front seats so that they are
as far from the front air bags as possible. Also
observe the notes on the correct adjustment
of the seats.
! Do not move the front-passenger seat fully
forwards if there are objects in the parcel net
in the front-passenger footwell. The objects
could otherwise be damaged.
i You can use the rear-compartment override
button to disable the setting of the front-
passenger seat from the rear ( Y
page 65).
Adjusting the rear seat
C
Selects rear-compartment seat
D
Head restraint height

Adjusting fr om th e rear compar tm ent
You can use th e override butto n to disable this
function ( Y
page 65).
In order for th e front-passenger seat to be posi -
tione d in chauffeur mode:R
th e power suppl y or th e ignition must be
switched on ( Y
page 146)R
th e front-passenger seat may no t be occupiedR
th e front-passenger seat belt must no t be
inserted int o th e buckleX
To select th e fr ont-passenger seat : press
butto n C repeatedly until th e indicator lamp
in th e butto n lights up.
The front-passenger seat is selected if th e
indicator lamp in th e butto n lights up.X
Press butto n D forwards and hold it in this
position.
The seat moves forward.
The seat stops at th e threshold of th e area for
chauffeur mode. X
Releas e butto n D .X
Press and hold butto n D again until th e front-
passenger seat is in positio n for chauffeur
mode.
The head restraint on th e front-passenger
seat folds forward. The seat moves forward.
The To vie w the ext . mirror , adjust
front-passenger sea t or remove the
hea d restraint . message appear s in th e
multifunction display ( Y
page 256).
i If th e front-passenger seat is already at th e
threshold to th e area for th e chauffeur mode,
th e positio n for th e chauffeur mod e is set
immediately.
i The positio n for chauffeur mod e can be
saved or set usin g th e memory function of th e
rear seat ( Y
page 121). Fo r this th e indicator
lamp on butto n C must be lit . Adjusting fr om th e driver's seat
In order for th e front-passenger seat to be posi -
tione d in chauffeur mode: R
th e power suppl y or th e ignition must be
switched on ( Y
page 146) R
th e front-passenger seat may no t be occupiedR
th e front-passenger seat belt must no t be
inserted int o th e buckle X
To select th e fr ont-passenger seat : press
butto n C repeatedly until th e indicator lamp
in th e butto n lights up.
The front-passenger seat is selected if th e
indicator lamp in th e butto n lights up.X
Press butto n D forwards and hold it in this
position.
The seat moves forward.
The seat stops at th e threshold of th e area for
chauffeur mode. X
Releas e butto n D .X
Press and hold butto n D again until th e front-
passenger seat is in positio n for chauffeur
mode.
The head restraint on th e front-passenger
seat folds forward. The seat moves forward.
The To vie w the ext . mirror , adjust
front-passenger sea t or remove the
hea d restraint . message appear s in th e
multifunction display ( Y
page 256).
i If th e front-passenger seat is already at th e
threshold to th e area for th e chauffeur mode,
th e positio n for th e chauffeur mod e is set
immediately.
i The positio n for chauffeur mod e canno t be
store d or set wit h th e driver' s seat memory
function .Seats 107
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

X
To adjust the side bolsters of the head
restraint: push or pull right and/or left-hand
side bolster C into the desired position.
i The fore-and-aft position of the head
restraint is adjusted automatically when you
adjust the seat backrest angle using the seat
switch.
Adjusting the front head restraints elec-
trically The height and fore-and-aft position of the front
head restraints can be adjusted with the seat
adjustment switch ( Y
page 101).
Adjusting the rear seat head restraints Lowering the rear seat head restraints
electrically from the front
X
Switch on the power supply or the ignition
( Y
page 146). X
Briefly press button C .
The head restraints lower.
i If all of the rear seat head restraints are low-
ered and button C is pressed again, the outer
rear head restraints move into the last stored
position.
Extending the outer rear seat head
restraints from the front electrically
This function is available on vehicles with elec-
trically adjustable rear seats. X
Switch on the power supply or the ignition
( Y
page 146). X
Press and hold button C until the head
restraints have extended upwards. Extending the outer rear head restraints
into the last stored position This function is available on vehicles with elec-
trically adjustable rear seats. X
Switch on the power supply or the ignition
( Y
page 146). X
Briefly press button C .
The head restraints lower. X
Briefly press button C again.
The head restraints move to the last stored
position.
Adjusting the luxury head restraint in the
rear compartment mechanically
X
To adjust the side bolsters of the head
restraint: push or pull right and/or left-hand
side bolster C into the desired position. X
To adjust the angle of the head restraint:
push or pull the head restraint in the direction
of arrow D .
Adjusting the rear head restraints electri-
cally
The height and fore-and-aft position of the rear
head restraints can be adjusted with the seat
adjustment switch ( Y
page 102).
Supplementary cushion for luxury head
restraints
The supplementary cushion is available on vehi-
cles with electrically adjustable rear seats.
Only use the supplementary cushion when the
vehicle is stationary. Seats 111
Seats, steering wheel an d mirrors Z

The supplementary cushion is in the vehicle.
The supplementary cushion is attached to the
head restraint by three press studs.
Attaching the supplementary cushion: X
Position the head restraint as far forwards as
possible ( Y
page 102).X
Hold supplementary cushion D against the
head restraint and push press studs C into
the counterpieces.
Removing the supplementary cushion: X
Position the head restraint as far forwards as
possible ( Y
page 102).X
Release press studs C and remove supple-
mentary cushion D .
Adjusting the rear center head
restraints
Retracting and extending electrically
X
Press and hold button C until the head
restraint has fully extended or retracted. Folding into position mechanically X
Pull the head restraint up until it engages.
Adjusting the active multicontour
seat You can adjust the active multicontour seats for
the driver and front passenger via the multime-
dia system; see the Digital Operator's Manual.
The driving dynamics settings are only activated
if: R
the seat is occupied R
the seat belt is fastened
Adjusting the active multicontour
seat in the rear compartment You can adjust the multicontour seats for the
outer seats in the rear using the remote control;
see the Digital Operator's Manual.
Adjusting the 4-way lumbar support You can adjust the 4-way lumbar support via the
multimedia system (see the Digital Operator's
Manual).
Switching the seat heating on/off
Switching on/off
G WARNING
Repeatedly switching on the seat heating can
cause the seat cushion and backrest pads to
become very hot. The health of persons with112
Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors