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

42 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front air bags), side impacts (side
impact air bags and window curtain air bags)
or rollovers (window curtain air bags). How-
ever, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 368).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.

Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.

Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.

Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.

44 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
Warning!G

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

Air bags and pyrotechnic emergency
tensioning devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that is deployed must be
replaced. PRE-SAFE
® has electrically
operated reversible pre-tensioners in
addition to the pyrotechnic ETDs.

Do not pass seat belt over sharp edges.
They could tear.

Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness 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 ade-
quate protection.

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 seat back-
rests, door trim panels, or door frame
trims, and installation of additional
electrical/electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages, purs-
es, umbrellas, etc.).

Do not hang items such as coat hangers
from the coat hooks or handles over the
door. These items may turn into projec-
tiles and cause head and other injuries
when the window curtain air bag is
deployed.

Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.

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

In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air
bag deployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

50 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 59 indicator lamp is lo-
cated on the dashboard to the right of the
instrument cluster.
1Front passenger front air bag indicator
lamp
The 59indicator lamp1 will
be illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed from the starter switch or with
the starter switch in position0
(
page 346).
iDeployment of the driver front air bag does
not mean that the front passenger front air bag
also should have deployed.
The Occupant Classification System (
page 47)
may have determined:

that the seat was empty or occupied by the
weight up to or less than that of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint – both instances where the
system suppresses deployment of the front
passenger front air bag even though the im-
pact met the criteria and was of sufficient
severity to deploy the driver front air bag.

that the seat was occupied by a small individ-
ual (such as a young teenager or a small
adult) or a child weighing more than the
weight of a typical 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint – instances where
the system may suppress deployment of the
front passenger front air bag even though
the impact met the criteria and was of suffi-
cient severity to deploy the driver front air
bag.
Warning!G
If the =indicator lamp and the
59 indicator lamp are lit at the
same time, there is a malfunction in the
Occupant Classification System. The front
passenger front air bag will be deactivated
in this case.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:

Have the system checked as soon as
possible by qualified technicians.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

Do not place more than 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
into the ruffled storage bag on the back
of the front passenger seat. Otherwise,
the OCS may not be able to properly
approximate the occupant weight
category.

Do not place objects under and/or
around the front passenger seat.

Do not hang anything from or attach any
items to the seats.

54 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate for
6 seconds to remind you and your passen-
gers to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a maxi-
mum of 6 seconds or until the driver’ s
seat belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds the driver’s or the
front passenger’s seat belt (with the front
passenger seat occupied) is not fastened
with front doors closed,

the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the driv-
er’s or front passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.

and if the vehicle speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing
intensity for a maximum of 60 seconds
or until the driver’s and the front pas-
senger’s seat belt are fastened.
If the driver’s or the front passenger’s
seat belt remains unfastened after
60 seconds, the warning chime stops
sounding, the seat belt telltale<
stops flashing but continues to be illu-
minated.
The seat belt telltale< will only go out
if both the driver’s and the front passen-
ger’s seat belt (with the front passenger
seat occupied) are fastened, or the vehicle
is standing still and a front door is opened.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 605).

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

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects.

Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full
width of the seat belt to distribute im-
pact forces. The twisted seat belt
against your body could cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always 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, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat, always follow the child seat manu-
facturer’s instructions.

371 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.iIf you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iThe active Bi-Xenon headlamps monitor
your steering angle and driving speed, then auto-
matically shift their beams to either side to bet-
ter follow the curvature of the road ahead,
increasing usable illumination over conventional
headlamps.
1‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 373)
4*Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 373)
5CParking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6BLow beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps when the com-
bination switch is pushed for-
ward. The tail lamps, license
plate lamps, side marker lamps,
parking lamps and instrument
panel lamps also come on.
7‡Front fog lamps
8†Rear fog lamp

468 Controls in detail
Air vents
Opening and closing air vents
Center air vents
Opening: Turn thumbwheels 4
and5 upward (
page 466).
Closing: Turn thumbwheels 4 and 5
downward.
Side air vents
Opening: Turn thumbwheels next to
side air vents2 and8 upward
(
page 466).
Closing: Turn thumbwheels down-
ward.
Rear center console air vents
Increasing/decreasing air volume:
Turn thumbwheelsa or d to the left
or right (
page 466).
Ventilated storage compartment
In vehicles without rear passenger com-
partment climate control*: the storage
compartment under the front armrest can
be ventilated when the automatic climate
control is switched on.1Switching ventilation off
2Switching ventilation on
The air volume is dependent on the setting
of:

air distribution control

air volume control

air vents in the dashboard
The air temperature is about the same as
that of the dashboard air vents. It cannot
be regulated separately.
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for the center air vents 3 and 6 (
page 466)
to the middle position.
iVehicles without rear passenger compart-
ment climate control*:
The temperature at the air ventsb andc
(
page 466) for rear passenger compartment
will be approximately the same as at the dash-
board center air vents.
!Extreme temperatures can occur in the stor-
age compartment. Switch off the air vents in the
storage compartment while the heating is
switched on if you are transporting heat-sensi-
tive items in the compartment.
Keep the air vents free of obstruction.

704 Practical hints
Fuses
The electrical fuses in your vehicle serve to
switch off malfunctioning power circuits.
If a fuse is blown, the component(s) and
systems secured by that fuse will stop op-
erating.
If a newly inserted fuse blows again, have
the cause determined and rectified by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
A fuse chart explains the fuse allocation
and fuse amperages. It is located in the
trunk with the vehicle tool kit
(
page 668).
Depending on vehicle production date, the
following aids are available to help you re-
place fuses. If so equipped, they are locat-
ed in the trunk with the vehicle tool kit
(
page 668):

Spare fuses

Fuse extractorThe electrical fuses are located in different
fuse boxes:

in the dashboard on the passenger side
(
page 706)

in the dashboard on the driver’s side
(
page 706)

behind the rear center armrest
(
page 707)

on the driver’s side of the engine com-
partment (
page 705)

on the passenger side of the engine
compartment (
page 706)
Warning!G
Only use fuses approved by Mercedes-Benz
with the specified amperage for the system
in question and do not attempt to repair or
bridge a blown fuse. Using other than ap-
proved fuses or using repaired or bridged
fuses may cause an overload leading to a
fire, and/or cause damage to electrical
components and/or systems. Have the
cause determined and remedied by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!Switch off the vehicle’s internal electrical
functions (
page 695) when you are working on
the fuses.
iA blown fuse must be replaced by an appro-
priate spare fuse (recognizable by its color or the
fuse rating given on the fuse) of the amperage
recommended in the fuse chart.
Any Mercedes-Benz Center will be glad to advise
you on this subject.iShould your vehicle not be equipped with a
fuse extractor or spare fuses please contact a
Mercedes-Benz Center or Roadside Assistance
in case of a blown fuse.

706 Practical hints
Fuses
Box on the front passenger side
Example illustration from S 550
1Retaining lugs
2Cover
Opening
Press retaining lugs1.
Remove cover2.
Closing
Attach cover2.
Press cover2 down manually.
Fuse boxes in passenger compartment
Fuse boxes in dashboard
1Cover1Cover
Opening
Open the respective door.
Using your hands, pull cover1 in the
direction of the arrow and remove.
Closing
Hook cover1 into the opening at the
front.
Press cover1 back on until it engag-
es.
!The cover must fit properly, as otherwise
moisture or dirt may impair the functionality of
the fuses.
!Do not use sharp objects such as a screw
driver to open the fuse box cover in the dash-
board, as this could damage it.

743 Index
Fuel 539, 726, 729
Additives 730
Capacity, Fuel tank 726
Filling the tank 538
Fuel filler flap and cap 538
Fuel reserve warning lamp 29, 605
Gauge 29
Premium unleaded gasoline 539,
726, 729
Requirements, Octane rating 729
Fuel cap
Message in display 649
Fuel consumption statistics
Since last reset 268
Since start 268
Fuel filler flap 538
Locking/Unlocking 538
Fuel tank
Capacity 726
Filler flap 538
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Capacities 724Fuses 704
Fuse box in engine compartment 705
Fuse box in passenger
compartment 706
Fuse boxes in dashboard 706
Fuse chart (vehicle tool kit) 668
Fuse extractor (vehicle tool kit) 668
Replacing 704
Spare fuses (vehicle tool kit) 668
G
Garage door opener 518
Gasoline see Fuel
GAWR 576
Gear range
Automatic transmission 408
Limiting 408
Shifting into optimal 413
Gear selector lever 399
Gearshift pattern 399
Messages in display 617, 622, 624,
625, 667
Position 402
Shifting procedure 402
Transmission position 403Glove box 494
Gloves, Vehicle tool kit 668
GPS
Reception (COMAND) 163
Tele Aid 510
Gross Axle Weight Rating see GAWR
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating see GVWR
Gross Vehicle Weight see GVW
GVW 576
GVWR 577
H
Hands-free microphone 33
Hard plastic trim items, cleaning 594
Hazard warning flasher 377
Head restraints 353
Adjustment 353
Folding back and placing upright rear
head restraints 354
Front seat 353
Luxury active head restraints
(S 600 only) 55
Rear seat 354
Resetting activated luxury active head
restraints (S 600 only) 675