2006 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 Owner's Manual

56 Getting started
Driving
The coolant temperature is above
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.
Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 248).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:
Do not start the engine under any
circumstances.
Notify local fire and/or police
authorities.
If the extent of the damage cannot be
determined:
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
If no damage can be determined on the

major assemblies

fuel system

engine mount:
Start the engine in the usual manner.
i
Excessive coolant temperatures trigger
a warning message in the multifunction
display (
page 308).

57 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 lever
2Release button
Pull lever1 up as many notches as
possible.
When the engine is running, the warn-
ing lamp; (USA only) or3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Warning!G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
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.

Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.

Slowly release brake pedal.

When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.

Take the SmartKey and lock vehicle
when leaving.

58 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to M
(
page 51).
For more information, see “Exterior lamp
switch” (
page 110).
Turning off engine
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, 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 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 se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
i
Always set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On slopes, turn the front wheels to-
wards the road curb.

59 Getting started
Parking and locking
Press the seat belt release button3
(
page 45).
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 SmartKey
(
page 34).
With the hood, tailgate and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs on the doors
move down.
The anti-theft alarm system is armed.For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 92).
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The SmartKey can only be pulled out
when:

it has been turned to position0 in
the starter switch

the gear selector lever for the auto-
matic transmission is in positionP
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With the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s 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, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.

60

61 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Panic alarm
Driving and safety systems
Anti-theft systems

62 Safety and Security
In this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
Occupant safety
The restraint systems are

Seat belts

Emergency tensioning device

Airbags

Child seats

Child seat recognition

Lower anchors and tethers for children
(LATCH)
As independent systems, their protective
effects work in conjunction with each oth-
er.The 1indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 25) comes on:

for about four seconds when you turn
the SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1.

for about four seconds when you start
the engine by turning the SmartKey.
The 1indicator lamp goes out shortly
after you start the engine. This shows that
the restraint systems are operational.
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For information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 72).
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The 1indicator lamp remains lit if
the SmartKey is turned to position2
and left there. The indicator lamp will
go out when you start the engine.

63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
A malfunction in the system has been de-
tected if the 1 indicator lamp:

fails to extinguish after approximately
four seconds.

does not come on at all.

comes on after the engine was started
or while driving.
For safety reasons, we strongly recom-
mend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center imme-
diately to have the system checked.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 296).
Airbags
Warning!G
In the event that the 1indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center immedi-
ately 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 unexpect-
edly and unnecessarily which could also re-
sult in injury.
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 an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.Warning!G
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential
of injury in certain frontal (front airbags) im-
pacts, which may cause significant injuries.
However, no system available today can to-
tally eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The activation of the airbags temporarily re-
leases 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 airbag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.