Page 857 of 4133

53 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive. 
You have properly stopped and parked 
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake
2Release handle
Step firmly on parking brake1.
When the engine is running, the indica-
tor lampÉ in the instrument cluster 
will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
Wait until the vehicle is stationary before re-
moving the key from the steering lock. The 
vehicle cannot be steered when the key is 
removed.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no 
power assistance for the brake and steering 
system. In this case, it is important to keep 
in mind that a considerably higher degree of 
effort is necessary to brake and steer the 
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or 
leaves can come into contact with the hot 
exhaust system, as these materials could be 
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off 
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:
Keep right foot on brake pedal.
Firmly depress parking brake pedal.
Move the gear selector lever to 
positionP.
Slowly release brake pedal.
When parked on an incline, turn front 
wheel towards the road curb.
Turn the key to starter switch position0 
and remove.
Take the key and lock vehicle when leav-
ing. 
     
        
        Page 858 of 4133

54 Getting startedParking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the combination switch to1 
(page 48).
More information can be found in the 
“Controls in detail” section (
page 107).
Turning off engine
Place the gear selector lever in 
positionP.
Turn the key in the steering lock 
(page 33) to position0 and remove 
it.
The immobilizer is activated.
Move the steering wheel slightly to al-
low the locking mechanism to engage.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the 
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the 
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Children could release the parking 
brake and / or move the gear selector lever 
from positionP, either of which could result 
in an accident and / or serious personal 
injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear 
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP 
is dangerous. Also, when parked on an in-
cline, positionP alone may not prevent your 
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people 
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to 
shifting to positionP (
page 53).
When parked on an incline, also turn front 
wheel towards the road curb.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On steep slopes, turn the front wheels 
towards the road curb.iThe key can only be removed from the 
steering lock with the gear selector le-
ver in positionP. 
     
        
        Page 859 of 4133

55 Getting started
Parking and locking
Press the seat belt release button 
(page 42).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch 
plate.
After exiting the vehicle, press the lock 
button‹ on the remote control 
(page 32).
The turn signal lamps flash three times 
and the locking knobs on the doors 
move down.
More information on parking and locking 
can be found in the “Controls in detail” 
section (page 88).
iWith the key removed and the driver’s 
door open, a warning sounds if the ve-
hicles exterior lamps are not switched 
off.Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always 
keep hands and fingers away from the door 
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are 
around.
Before closing doors, ensure that there is no 
possibility of someone getting caught in a 
door during closing.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the 
key from the starter switch, and lock your 
vehicle. 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 seri-
ous personal injury. 
     
        
        Page 860 of 4133
        
        
        
     
        
        Page 861 of 4133
57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Panic alarm
Driving and safety systems
Anti-theft systems 
     
        
        Page 862 of 4133

58 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Occupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems 
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are
Seat belts
Emergency tensioning device
Airbags
Child seat
Child seat recognition
Lower anchors and tethers for children 
(LATCH)
As independent systems, their protective 
effects work in conjunction with each 
other.The 1 indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster (
page 26) comes on for about 
four seconds when you turn the key in the 
steering lock to position2. It goes out 
when you start the engine. This shows that 
the restraint systems are operational.
If the lamp does not come on at all or if it 
fails to extinguish after approximately four 
seconds or if it comes on thereafter, a mal-
function in the system has been detected.
More information can be found in the 
“Practical hints” section (
page 255).
iFor information on infants and children 
traveling with you in the vehicle and 
restraint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle” 
(page 67).
Warning!
G
In the event that the 1malfunction indi-
cator lamp comes on during driving or does 
not come at all, the SRS may not be opera-
tional.
For your safety, we strongly recommend 
that you visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz 
Light Truck Center immediately to have the 
system checked; otherwise the SRS may not 
be activated when needed in an accident, 
which could result in serious or fatal injury, 
or it might deploy unexpectedly and unnec-
essarily which could also result in injury.
Improper work on the restraint systems, in-
cluding incorrect installation and removal, 
can lead to possible injury through an unin-
tended activation of the SRS.
In addition, through improper work there is 
a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative or 
causing unintended airbag deployment. 
Work on the SRS must therefore only be per-
formed by qualified technicians. Contact 
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck 
Center. 
     
        
        Page 863 of 4133

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
AirbagsWarning!
G
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential 
of injury and fatality in certain frontal (front 
airbags) impacts, or side (side impact and 
head protection window curtain airbags) im-
pacts which may cause significant injuries. 
However, no system available today can to-
tally eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The activation of the SRS temporarily releas-
es a small amount of dust from the airbags. 
This dust, however, is neither injurious to 
your health, nor does it indicate a fire in the 
vehicle. The dust might cause some tempo-
rary breathing difficulty for people with asth-
ma 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 airbag inflates, then get 
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front 
airbags inflate, it is very important for the 
driver and passenger to always be in a prop-
erly seated position and to wear your 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 ensure that it is properly 
positioned on your body (
page 42).
Since the airbag 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 airbag. Oc-
cupants who are unbelted, out of position or 
too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it inflates with great 
force in the blink of an eye:
Sit properly belted in an upright position 
with your back against the seat back-
rest.
Adjust the driver seat as far as possible 
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance 
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the airbag cover on 
the steering wheel must be at least ten 
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 see your authorized 
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Airbags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on 
a one-time only basis. An airbag or ETD 
that was activated must be replaced.
Do not lean with your head or chest 
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.
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 front airbag inflates.
 
     
        
        Page 864 of 4133

60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Adjust the passenger seat as far as pos-
sible rearward from the dashboard when 
the seat is occupied.
Occupants, especially children, should 
never lean their heads in the area of the 
door where the side impact airbag in-
flates. This could result in serious inju-
ries or death should the airbag be 
triggered. Always sit upright, properly 
use the seat belts and appropriate size 
infant or child restraint system.
Children 12 years old and under must 
never ride in the front seat, except in a 
Mercedes-Benz authorized 
BabySmart
TM1
 compatible child seat, 
which operates with the BabySmart
TM 
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front airbag when it 
is properly installed. Otherwise they will 
be struck by the airbag when it inflates 
in a crash. If this happens, serious or fa-
tal injury will result.
1BabySmart
TMis a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle you are responsible 
to make the buyer aware of these points. Be 
sure to give the buyer this Operator’s 
Manual.
Warning
G
Accident research shows that the safest 
place for children in an automobile is in the 
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child 
12 years old or under in the front passenger 
seat of your vehicle, you must properly use 
a BabySmart
TM child restraint which will 
turn off the passenger front airbag 
(
page 70). BabySmart
TM will not, howev-
er, turn off any side impact airbag.
It should be noted that with respect to both 
front and rear side impact airbags there is a 
possibility for a side airbag related injury if 
occupants, especially children, are not prop-
erly seated or restrained when next to a side 
airbag which needs to deploy rapidly in a 
side impact in order to do its job.