Page 409 of 539
408 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
2
Brake wear
Visit workshop
The brake pads have reached
their wear limit.
Brake pad thickness must be visually in-
spected at the intervals specified in the
Maintenance Booklet.
Have the brake pads replaced as soon as
possible.
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
Changed braking behavior
Drive with extreme care
A malfunction in the Electronic
Brake Proportioning (
page 98)
was detected.
Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.
Read and observe messages in the dis-
play.
Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of an accident.
Page 410 of 539
409 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
!
(Canada only)
Release
parking brake
You are driving with the parking
brake set.
Release the parking brake (
page 52).
Brake fluid too low
Visit workshop
There is insufficient brake fluid
in the reservoir.
Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle and no-
tify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center. Do not add brake fluid! This
will not solve the problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Brake fluid
too low Visit workshop
displayed can
result in an accident. Have your brake
system checked immediately. Do not add
brake fluid before checking the brake
system. Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir
can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You can be seriously burned.!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
inspected by a qualified technician at
the intervals specified in the
Maintenance Booklet.
Page 411 of 539
410 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
?
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
Visit workshop
There may be a malfunction in
the:
Fuel injection system
Ignition system
Exhaust system
Fuel system
Have the measuring system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.
Add coolant (
page 332).
If you have to add coolant frequently,
have the cooling system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
the message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount
of coolant in the cooling system. The
engine will overheat causing major en-
gine damage.
Page 413 of 539
412 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant
Stop, engine off
The poly-V-belt could be broken.
Stop the vehicle and immediately turn off
the engine.
Check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:
Do not continue to drive. Otherwise the
engine will overheat due to an inoperative
water pump which may result in damage
to the engine. Notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
If it is intact:
Do not continue to drive the vehicle with
this message displayed. Doing so could
result in serious engine damage that is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limit-
ed Warranty.
Drive immediately to the nearest autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Coolant
Visit workshop
The cooling fan for the coolant is
malfunctioning.
Observe the coolant temperature gauge
in the instrument cluster.
Have the fan replaced as soon as possi-
ble.
Page 414 of 539
413 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
G
Display malfunction
Visit workshop
The instrument cluster display is
malfunctioning.
Continue driving with added caution.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible.
The displays for several systems
have malfunctioned. Some sys-
tems themselves may also have
malfunctioned.
Have the electronic systems checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
±
Display malfunction
Visit workshop
Certain electronic systems are
unable to relay information to
the control system. The follow-
ing systems may have failed:
Coolant temperature display
Tachometer
Cruise control display
Have the electronic systems checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
J
Doors open
Door open
You are attempting to drive with
one or more doors open.
Close the doors.
Page 416 of 539
415 Practical hints
What to do if …
When the
Add 1 qt. engine oil when
next refueling
(Canada:
1 liter
) mes-
sage appears while the engine is running
and at operating temperature, the engine
oil level has dropped to approximately the
minimum level.
When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.Visually check for oil leaks. If no obvious oil
leaks are noted, drive to the nearest
service station where the engine oil should
be topped to the required level with an ap-
proved oil specified in the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet.
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
N
Engine oil level
Visit workshop
The engine oil has dropped to a
critical level.
Check the engine oil level (
page 328)
(ML 500 only), or (
page 330) (ML 350
only) and add oil as required
(
page 331).
If you must add engine oil frequently, have
the engine checked for possible leaks.
Oil sensor malfunction
Visit workshop
The measuring system is mal-
functioning.
Have the measuring system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in
serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Page 417 of 539
416 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
A
Reserve fuel
The fuel level has dropped below
the reserve mark.
Refuel at the next gas station
(page 323).
Check gas cap
See Operator’s Manual
A loss of pressure has been de-
tected in the fuel system. The
fuel cap may not be closed prop-
erly or the fuel system may be
leaky.
Check the fuel cap (
page 323).
If it is not closed properly:
Close the fuel cap.
If it is closed properly:
Have the fuel system checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Cen-
ter.
a
Hood open
Trunk open
You are driving with the hood or
the tailgate open.
Close the hood (
page 326) or the tail-
gate (
page 120).
F
Key
Check battery
The SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* batteries are
discharged.
Change the batteries (
page 440).
Please do
not forget key
This display appears (for a maxi-
mum of 60 seconds) if the driv-
er’s door is opened with the
engine shut off and no SmartKey
in the starter switch.
This message is only a reminder.
Insert SmartKey in the starter switch.
Take the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
with you when leaving the vehicle.
Page 418 of 539
417 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
F
Key
not detected
The SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is not recognized
while the engine is running be-
cause
the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is not in the
vehicle
there is strong radio-fre-
quency interference
Stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so.
Search for the SmartKey.
Otherwise the vehicle cannot be centrally
locked nor can the engine be started
again after the engine is stopped.
Key
not detected
The SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is momentarily
not recognized.
Change the position of the SmartKey in
the vehicle.
Operate the vehicle with the SmartKey in
the starter switch if necessary.
Remove key
You have forgotten to remove
the SmartKey.
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Replace key
Drive to workshop
There is no additional code avail-
able for SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible.
