2004 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 warning light

67 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency tensioning device, seat belt
force limiter
The seat belts for the front seats are
equipped with emergency tensioning de-
vices and belt force limiters. The outboard
passenger seats belts (except in the third
row seats*) are equipped with emergency
tensioning devices.
The ETD is designed to activate only when
the seat belt is fastened and in the follow-
ing cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing a preset severity level


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
1indicator lamp (
page 58)
In an impact, emergency tensioning devic-
es remove slack from the belts in such a
way that the seat belts fit more snugly
against the body. Belt force limiters reduce
the force exerted by the seat belts on oc-
cupants during a crash.
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 and recommended for
use by Mercedes-Benz.


Ensure that the infant or child is prop-
erly secured by a belt at all times while
the vehicle is in motion.
Infant and child restraint seats and infor-
mation on choosing an appropriate re-
straint system can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Warning!
G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When disposing of the emergency tension-
ing device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger
seat. This could cause the front or side
impact airbag on the front passenger
side to deploy in a crash which exceeds
the system’s deployment threshold.

70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyBabySmart
TM
airbag deactivation
system
Special BabySmart
TM1
compatible child
seats, designed for use with the
Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center, are required for use with the
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system.
With the special seat properly installed,
the passenger front airbag will not deploy.
The 7indicator lamp located in the in-
strument cluster will be illuminated, ex-
cept with the key removed or in steering
lock position0 (
page 33).Self-test BabySmart
TM
without special
child seat installed
After turning the key in the steering lock to
position1 or2, the 7indicator lamp lo-
cated in the instrument cluster comes on
for approximately six seconds, extin-
guishes, then flashes once.
If the indicator lamp should not come on or
is continuously lit, the system is not func-
tioning. You must see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center before
seating any child on the front passenger
seat.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (page 243).
1BabySmart
TMis a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
iThe system does not deactivate the
door mounted side impact airbag, the
window curtain airbags and the emer-
gency tensioning device.
Warning!
G
The BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation sys-
tem will ONLY work with a special child seat
designed to operate with it. It will not work
with child seats which are not BabySmart
TM
compatible.
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the deactivation sys-
tem. The bottom of the child seat must
make full contact with the passenger seat
cushion. An incorrectly mounted child seat
could cause injuries to the child in case of an
accident, instead of protecting the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of special child seats.
When using a BabySmart
TM compatible
child seat on the front passenger seat, the
passenger front airbag will not deploy only if
the 7indicator lamp remains illumi-
nated.

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Installation of infant and child restraint
system
Guide top tether strap between head
restraint and top of seat back. Head
restraint must be installed and posi-
tioned such that the top tether strap
can pass freely between the head re-
straint and top of seat back.
1Hook
2Anchorage ring

Securely fasten the hook1 to the an-
chorage ring2.
For safety, make sure the hook has at-
tached to the ring beyond the safety
catch, as illustrated.Vehicle without third row seats
3Anchorage rings for second row seats
4Anchorage rings for third row seats*
This vehicle is provided with three tether
anchorages3 for a top tether strap be-
hind the second row seats.
Please be sure to check the indicator every
time you use the special system child seat.
Should the light go out while the restraint is
installed, please check installation. If the
light remains out, do not use the
BabySmart
TM restraint to transport children
on the passenger seat until the system has
been repaired.
Warning!
G
Do not place powered-on laptops, cell
phones and like electronic devices on the
passenger seat. Signals from such devices
may interfere with the BabySmart
TM system.
Such signal interference may cause the
7indicator lamp not to come on during
self-test or be continuously lit, indicating
that the system is not functioning.
!Do not use the tether anchorages4
for a top tether strap on a second row
seat.

76 Safety and SecurityDriving and safety systems
Driving and safety systemsIn this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


4-ETS (E
lectronic T
raction S
ystem)


EBP (E
lectronic B
rake P
roportioning)


ESP (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km / h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even with light brake pressure.
The -indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 25) comes on when you
turn the key to position2. It goes out when
the engine is running.
iIn winter operation, the maximum ef-
fectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, the
ESP, the EBP, and the 4-ETS is only
achieved with winter tires (M + S tires)
or snow chains as required.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of
accidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
ABS, BAS, ESP and 4-ETS cannot reduce this
risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

108 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
combination switch. For combination
switch, see (
page 107).
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.

Turn the combination switch toU.iIf you remove the key and open the
driver’s door while the parking lamps or
low beam headlamps are switched on,
then a warning sounds.
Warning!
G
If the combination switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning combination
switch toõ when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toõ with the
vehicle at a standstill. Switching fromU
toõ will briefly switch off the head-
lamps. Doing so while driving in low ambient
lighting conditions may result in an acci-
dent.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle's lights at all
times.iIf the automatic headlamp mode is ac-
tivated, the fog lamps can also be
switched on (
page 111). The low
beam headlamp and parking lamps are
activated simultaneously.

111 Controls in detail
Lighting
Fog lamps
The switch is located on the upper center
console.1Front fog lamps
2Indicator lamp
3Front fog lamps and rear fog lamp
Switching front fog lamps on and off

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Press upper part1 of switch.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster comes on.

Press upper part1 of switch again.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster goes out.Switching front fog lamps and rear fog
lamps on and off

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Press lower part3 of switch.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster comes on in addi-
tion to the yellow indicator lamp2 in
the switch.

Press lower part3 of switch again.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster and the yellow indi-
cator lamp2 in the switch go out.
Switching rear fog lamp on and off

Press upper part1 of switch.
The yellow indicator lamp2 in the
switch goes out.

Press upper part1 of switch.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from positionU toB with
the vehicle at a standstill. Switching
fromU toB will briefly switch off the
headlamps. Doing so while driving in low
ambient lighting conditions may result in an
accident.iThe fog lamps can be switched on with
combination switch in positionõ
orU. Consult your state Motor Reg-
ulations regarding allowable lamp oper-
ation.

112 Controls in detailLightingHazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activa-
ted with the ignition switched on or off. It
is activated automatically when an airbag
is deployed.
The switch is located on top of the steering
column.Hazard warning flasher switch
Switching on hazard warning flasher
Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All the turn signals will flash.
Switching off hazard warning flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch
again.
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Left front interior lamp lens
2Right front interior lamp lens
3Automatic function off
4Automatic function on
5Rear interior lighting
iIf the hazard warning flasher was acti-
vated automatically, press the hazard
warning flasher switch twice to deacti-
vate.

126 Controls in detailGood visibility
Good visibilityInformation on the windshield wipers
(page 49) and for setting the rear view
mirrors (
page 40) is found in the
“Getting started” section.
Rear view mirror
Interior rear view mirror, antiglare
position
1Lever
Tilt the mirror to the antiglare night po-
sition by moving lever1 towards the
windshield.
The interior rear view mirror is dimmed.Automatic antiglare rear view mirror*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when:


the automatic antiglare function is acti-
vated (
page 127)


the ignition is switched on


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior light is turned on
Warning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the inside rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the cargo area is fully
loaded.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or the respiratory sys-
tem. In case it does, immediately flush af-
fected area with water, and seek medical
help if necessary.