2005 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Shift Lock

ContentsAnti-theft systems................................ 83
Immobilizer..................................... 83
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 83
Tow-away alarm,
glass breakage sensor.................... 84Controls in detail............................... 87
Locking and unlocking ......................... 88
Remote control with folding key ..... 88
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................... 90
Opening the liftgate........................ 91
Closing the liftgate ......................... 92
Automatic central locking .............. 93
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................... 94Seats ................................................... 95
Removing and installing
front seat head restraints............... 95
Rear seat head restraints ............... 96
Heated seats* ................................ 98
Rear seats ...................................... 99
Third row seats* .......................... 102
Memory function* ............................. 105
Storing positions into memory ..... 106
Recalling positions
from memory ............................... 106
Storing exterior rear
view mirror parking position......... 106
Lighting.............................................. 107
Combination switch ..................... 107
Fog lamps .................................... 111
Hazard warning flasher ................ 113
Interior lighting............................. 114
Instrument cluster ............................. 117
Instrument cluster illumination .... 117
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 118
Display in the speedometer ......... 118
Resetting trip odometer ............... 119
Tachometer .................................. 119
Outside temperature indicator ..... 119
Setting the clock .......................... 119Automatic transmission ..................... 120
One-touch gearshifting ................ 121
Gear ranges ................................. 122
Gear selector lever position ......... 123
Driving tips................................... 124
Towing a trailer ............................ 125
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 126
Transmission control –
LOW RANGE mode ............................ 127
Switching on LOW RANGE mode.. 127
Switching off LOW RANGE mode . 127
Good visibility .................................... 128
Rear view mirrors ......................... 128
Electrically folding
exterior rear view mirrors............. 130
Windshield wipers ........................ 131
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 133
Rear window wiper....................... 133
Sun visors .................................... 134
Rear window defroster ................. 135

47 Getting started
Driving
Starting the engine Automatic transmission
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position with gear selector lever
lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 120).Starting

Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.

Do not depress accelerator.

Turn the key in the steering lock to
position3 and hold until the engine
starts (
page 33).

Depress the brake pedal.
The gear selector lever lock is released.
For information on turning off the engine,
see “Turning off engine” (
page 55).
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with at least one win-
dow fully open.

55 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the combination switch to1
(page 50).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 107).
Turning off engine
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.

Turn the key in the steering lock to
position0 (
page 33) 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 123).
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.


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.

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.

207 Operation
Driving instructions
Traction in steep terrain

Be easy on the accelerator and watch
for continuous wheel traction when
driving in steep terrain.
The 4-ETS helps greatly when starting
out on a steep incline when the front
wheels have then the tendency to slip
due to the weight shifting away the
front axle.
The 4-ETS recognizes the situation and
limits the torque for the front wheels by
braking them. Simultaneously the
torque for the rear wheels is increased.Driving across a hilltop


Decelerate just ahead of a hilltop (do
not select gear rangeN), to prevent the
vehicle from speeding up too much af-
ter climbing a hill.
Use the momentum of the vehicle to
drive across the hilltop.
Driving in this manner prevents the ve-
hicle from jumping across the hilltop
and thus loosing its forward momen-
tum.Driving downhill


Select gear range1 on the automatic
transmission (
page 122).


Drive downhill observing the same
rules as driving uphill (
page 206).


The special LOW RANGE – ABS setting
allows for precise and brief (cyclical)
blocking of the front wheels, permitting
them to dig into loose ground.
Remember that the front wheels when
stopped, slide across a surface, thus
loose their ability to steer the vehicle.

270 Practical hintsUnlocking / locking in an emergencyManually unlocking the transmission gear selector lever
In the case of power failure the transmis-
sion gear selector lever can be manually
unlocked, e.g. to tow the vehicle.
1Pin

Insert a pin1, e.g. ball point pen, into
the covered opening below the
position D of the shift pattern.

Perform the following two steps simul-
taneously:
Push the pin down.

Move gear selector lever from
positionP.

Remove pin1.
The cover returns to its closed position
after moving the gear selector lever to
positionD.iThe gear selector lever is locked again
when moving it to positionP.