2005 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 steering

109 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Canada only:
Turn combination switch to
positionD orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamp
For nighttime driving you should turn the
combination switch to positionõ to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a three minutes delay.When the engine is running, and you


turn the combination switch to
positionC, the parking lamps
switch on additionally.


turn the combination switch to
positionõ, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 107).Night security illumination
Use this function to set wether and how
long you would like the exterior lamps to il-
luminate during darkness after exiting the
vehicle and all doors closed.
When a time is set for the night security il-
lumination and the combination switch is
set to positionUbefore turning off the
engine, the following lamps will come on
after you have removed the key from the
steering lock:


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps


Front fog lamps
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
and the combination switch in
positionD, the high beam head-
lamps cannot be switched on.
The high beam flasher is always avail-
able.
iYou can reactivate this function within
ten minutes by opening a door.
If you do not open a door or do not
close an opened door after turning off
the engine, the lamps will automatically
switch off after 60 seconds.

110 Controls in detailLightingSetting illumination time
1Fog lamps switch
Switch on ignition (
page 33).

Turn combination switch to
positionD.

Press and hold the upper part of fog
lamps switch1 until the clock in the
instrument cluster displays the actual
illumination time.

Release fog lamps switch1.

Press the upper part of fog lamps
switch1 again.
Each time the switch is pressed, the
illumination time increases by
15 seconds. You can set the illumina-
tion time between 0 (off) and
60 seconds.
The time is factory-set to 0 seconds.
Approximately five seconds after
pressing the switch, the illumination
time is adopted and the clock is dis-
played again.

Turn the combination switch to
positionU before turning off the en-
gine (
page 107).
The night security illumination is acti-
vated.Deactivating night security illumination
temporarily
You can temporarily deactivate the
delayed shut-off feature.

Before exiting the vehicle, turn the key
in the steering lock to position0.

Then turn it to position2 and back to
position0.
The delayed shut-off feature is deacti-
vated. It will reactivate as soon as you
reinsert the key in the steering lock.

113 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching off the rear fog lamp separately
when both, the front and rear fog lamps
are switched on:
Press upper part1 of the fog lamps
switch.
The rear fog lamp switches off.
The yellow indicator lamp2 in the fog
lamp switch goes out.
The front fog lamps remain lit.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the key
removed from the steering lock.
The hazard warning flasher switches on au-
tomatically when an airbag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is locat-
ed on the top of the steering column.Hazard warning flasher switch
Switching on hazard warning flasher
Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All turn signals will flash.
Switching off hazard warning flasher

Press the hazard warning flasher
switch again.iWith the hazard warning flasher acti-
vated and the combination switch set
for either left or right turn, only the re-
spective turn signals will operate when
the ignition is switched on (
page 33).
iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press the haz-
ard warning flasher switch once to
switch it off.

114 Controls in detailLightingInterior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.Interior lighting switch1Left front interior lamp lens
2Right front interior lamp lens
3Automatic control off
4Automatic control on
5Rear interior lightingAutomatic control
Activating

Press the interior lighting switch to
center position4.
The interior lighting (except cargo com-
partment lamps) switches on in dark-
ness, when you:

unlock the vehicle


remove the key from the steering
lock


open a door
The interior lighting switches off automati-
cally after a brief delay when all doors are
closed and no key is inserted in the steer-
ing lock.Deactivating

Press lower part3 of the interior
lighting switch.
The interior lighting remain switched
off in darkness, even when you:

unlock the vehicle


remove the key from the steering
lock


open a door
iAn interior lamp switched on manually
does not go out automatically. This
could cause the battery to become dis-
charged.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lighting switches off automatically after
approximately 30 minutes.

115 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual control
Front interior lighting
Press front interior lamp lens1 or2.
The corresponding front interior lamp
switches on.

Press respective front interior lamp
lens1 or2 again.
The corresponding front interior lamp
switches off.
Rear interior lighting

Press upper part5 of the interior
lighting switch to switch the rear interi-
or lighting on or off.Operating rear interior lighting with
lamp lens
Rear interior lighting
Press gently on lamp lens in direction
of arrow to switch the rear interior
lighting on or off.Reading lamps
1Reading lamp
2Reading lamp on / off

Press reading lamp button2 to switch
the desired reading lamp on or off.
iWith the key in the steering lock
position0 or removed, the interior
lighting can be switched on for up to
30 minutes.

123 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe key can only be removed
from the steering lock with the
gear selector lever in positionP.
With the key removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in
positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 270).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

124 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
inN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 54).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
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.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, take it with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Children could move
the gear selector lever from positionP,
which could result in an accident and / or
serious personal injury.

127 Controls in detail
Transmission control – LOW RANGE mode
Transmission control – LOW RANGE mode
In the following situations you should
switch to LOW RANGE mode:

during off-road driving


when crossing water


when towing up or down on steep
gradients
Switching on LOW RANGE modeLOW RANGE mode switch
Stop the vehicle.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionN.

Press on the upper part of the switch.
During the changeover the indicator
lamp (
page 25) flashes three times.
Once the changeover is complete, the
indicator lamp comes on continuously.
Switching off LOW RANGE mode
Stop the vehicle.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionN.

Press on the upper part of the switch.
During the changeover the indicator
lamp (
page 25) flashes three times.
Once the changeover is complete, the
indicator lamp goes out.
For information on driving safety systems
during LOW RANGE mode, see the “Safety
and Security” section (
page 76).
!Only switch the LOW RANGE mode on
or off, when the vehicle is

at a complete standstill


the engine speed is less than
1500 rpm
Failure to do so may result in transmis-
sion or engine damage which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!You should only operate the vehicle on
a single axle dynamometer for briefly
testing the brakes.
The key must be in steering lock
position1 (
page 33).