child lock MERCEDES-BENZ S550 4MATIC 2008 W221 Owner's Manual

57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
PRE-SAFE® takes action in the following in-
stances:

Emergency braking situations, e.g.
when BAS (
page 68) is activated or
when
BAS Plus* (
page 69) is strongly inter-
vening.

Critical dynamic driving situations, e.g.
when the vehicle is understeering or
oversteering because it has exceeded
its physical limitations.

Evasive steering maneuvers at speeds
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
When you are driving faster than 20 mph
(30 km/h), PRE-SAFE
® takes the following
measures in such situations:

The front seat belts are pre-tensioned
electrically.

If the OCS senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied and the seat is
in an unfavorable position, it will be
adjusted to a better position.

If the vehicle is equipped with power
adjustable rear seats* and the passen-
ger outer seats are in an unfavorable
position, they will be adjusted to a bet-
ter position.

The system increases the air pressure
in the air pockets (on the sides of the
seat cushion and backrest) of the mul-
ticontour* and/or drive-dynamic front
seats*.

If the vehicle is understeering or over-
steering, the tilt/sliding sunroof and
the door windows also close until only
a small gap remains.
Once the hazardous situation is over with-
out an accident occurring, PRE-SAFE
®
loosens the seat belt pre-tension and de-
creases the air pressure in the air pockets
of the multicontour and drive-dynamic
seats*. You can readjust all of the settings
made by PRE-SAFE
®.If the seat belts do not release:
Adjust the backrest or seat slightly to
the rear until the seat belt tension is di-
minished.
The locking mechanism releases.
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.
Make sure the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
iIf the closing procedure of the tilt/sliding
sunroof or power windows is blocked, the
tilt/sliding sunroof or power windows will stop
and open slightly.
!When moving the seat, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats. Oth-
erwise you could damage the seats.

58 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The seat belt is now locked. Push
down on child restraint to take up any
slack.
Warning!G
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if they are secured in a child re-
straint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons

get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of

strong braking maneuvers

sudden changes of direction

an accident

64 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

sunblinds for panorama roof*
(
page 489)

rear window sunshade (page 503)
and rear side window sunshades
(
page 385)
The override switch is located on the driv-
er’s door.
1Override switch
2Indicator lamp
Activating: Press switch 1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The func-
tions in the rear are disabled.
Deactivating: Press switch 1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The func-
tions in the rear are enabled again.
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 your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iOperation of the rear door windows with the
switches located in the driver’s door is still pos-
sible.

246 Control systems
COMAND vehicle menu
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 357).
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:
Select “Vehicle”.
The main area is active.
Selecting “Easy Entry/Exit Feature”
menu: Slide omp or rotate ymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
or
Select “Vehicle”
“Vehicle”
“Easy
Entry/Exit Feature”.
Confirming selection: Press n.
A selection list appears.
The current setting is indicated by a
dotR.
iThe components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 85).
OFFThe easy-entry/exit
feature is deactivated.
Steering Column
& SeatBoth the steering col-
umn and the driver’s
seat are moved.
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the easy-en-
try/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(
page 348).

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk
(
page 359).

Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory button M
(
page 366).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

332 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks,
when set to factory settings (
page 333):

the doors

the trunk

the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control
1‹ Lock button
2ŠOpening button for trunk
(
page 479)
3Mechanical key locking tab
4ŒUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6ÂPanic button (
page 65)
!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid ex-
posing the SmartKey to high levels of electro-
magnetic radiation.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s un-
supervised access to a vehicle could result
in an accident and/or serious personal inju-
ry.
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk lid opening when closing a door or
the trunk. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.

335 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
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 of different color to help
distinguish each SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO unit.
The KEYLESS-GO function is integrated
into the SmartKey. On these vehicles, the
validity of the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
is checked every time you grasp an outside
door handle.
With the KEYLESS-GO function, you can
lock and unlock the vehicle without using
the remote control buttons on the
SmartKey and start the engine without in-
serting the SmartKey in the starter switch.The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO centrally
locks and unlocks, when set to factory set-
tings (
page 338):

the doors

the trunk

the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
1‹ Lock button
2ŠOpening button for trunk
(
page 479)
3Locking tab for mechanical key
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6ÂPanic button (
page 65)
iWhen any outside door handle other than
the driver’s outside door handle is grasped, the
vehicle is centrally unlocked.
!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid ex-
posing the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO to high
levels of electromagnetic radiation.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Children could start the vehicle with a valid
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO left in the vehi-
cle or with the KEYLESS-GO button on the
starter switch, or could release the electron-
ic parking brake, thereby putting them-
selves and others in danger. Switch off the
engine and take the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you even if you are only
leaving the vehicle for a short while.

336 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Important notes on using KEYLESS-GO

You can also use the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO like a normal SmartKey
(
page 332).
The starter switch is located under the
KEYLESS-GO button. Pull the
KEYLESS-GO button out in order to ac-
cess the starter switch.

You can combine KEYLESS-GO func-
tions with normal SmartKey functions
(e.g. unlocking with KEYLESS-GO and
locking with button ‹).
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk lid opening when closing a door or
the trunk. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
iUSA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
iCanada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
iYou can also open and close the door win-
dows and tilt/sliding sunroof, or the tilt/ sliding
panel* using the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
(
page 385).
!If you cannot lock or unlock the vehicle with
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO, then either the
batteries in the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO are
discharged, the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
malfunctioning or the vehicle batteries are
drained.

Check the batteries in the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO and replace them if necessary
(
page 676).

Use the mechanical key to unlock the driv-
er’s door (
page 671) and trunk
(
page 672).

Use the mechanical key to lock the driver’s
door (
page 672) and the trunk
(
page 484).

Have the vehicle batteries and their connec-
tions checked (
page 692).
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is malfunc-
tioning, contact Roadside Assistance or an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

342 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Power closing assist for doors and
trunk lid
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. An electrical power-assist-
ed mechanism draws doors and trunk lid
closed quietly and automatically once door
and trunk lid has been latched. When the
electrical power-assisted mechanism has
stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.
Power closing assist for doors: Press
the doors gently past the initial engage
position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid:
Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.For more information on closing the trunk
lid, see “Closing trunk” (
page 480).
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. The
locking knobs in the doors move down.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the COMAND system (
page 245).
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk lid opening when closing a door or
the trunk. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside
door handle, or pull the trunk lid handle.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
Warning!G
Only drive with the doors closed. Otherwise,
one or more of the doors could open while
the vehicle is in motion, putting you and/or
others at risk.
Warning!G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.
These fumes may be damaging to your
health.
iThe doors are designed to unlock automati-
cally after an accident if the force of the impact
exceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle locks automatically when the ignition
is switched on and the wheels are turning at ve-
hicle speeds of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h)
or more. You could therefore lock yourself out
when the vehicle

is pushed or towed

is on a test stand

343 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from the inside using the central
locking or unlocking switch. This can be
useful, for example, if you want to lock the
vehicle before starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap will not be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch, respectively.1Central unlocking switch
2Central locking switch
Locking: Press switch ‹.
If the front passenger door is closed,
the vehicle locks.
Unlocking: Press switch Œ.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!G
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. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from inside at
any time. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked
with the SmartKey or with KEYLESS-GO*, it will
not unlock using the central unlocking switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the cen-
tral locking switch:

and the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is set to factory settings, the
complete vehicle is unlocked when a door is
opened from the inside

and the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is set to selective settings,
only the door opened from the inside is un-
locked

344 Controls in detail
Starter switch positions
SmartKey
Starter switch
0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary.
If a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (
page 598).
3Starting positionFor information on starting the engine us-
ing the SmartKey, see “Starting with the
SmartKey” (
page 390).
Warning!G
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. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iWhen you switch on the ignition, the indica-
tor and warning lamps (except high beam head-
lamp indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning lamps (ex-
cept high beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps if activated) should go
out when the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are operational.
iWhen the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch and the automatic transmission is
in a position other thanP, the automatic trans-
mission automatically shifts to P.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be sufficient-
ly charged.

Check the battery and charge it if necessary
(
page 692).

Get a jump start (page 697).
To prevent accelerated battery discharge or a
completely discharged battery, always remove
the SmartKey from the starter switch when the
engine is not in operation.