2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 ESP

33 Getting started
Unlocking
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO*
With the KEYLESS-GO function, you can
lock or unlock the vehicle without using
the remote control buttons on the
SmartKey and start the engine without in-
serting the SmartKey in the starter switch.SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button* for tailgate
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button (
page 91)

Grasp an outside door handle.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The ve-
hicle unlocks.The locking knobs in the
doors move up. The anti-theft alarm
system is disarmed.

Get in the vehicle.
For more information, see “SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 110).
iTo unlock the vehicle, the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO must be outside the
vehicle, no further than approximately
3 feet (1 meter) away from the respec-
tive door.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i If the vehicle has been parked for more
than 72 hours, you must pull an outside
door handle in order to activate the
KEYLESS-GO function.

34 Getting startedUnlockingStarter switch positions SmartKey
Starter switch0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary. If
a lamp in the instrument cluster re-mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (
page 382).
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iWhen you switch on the ignition, the in-
dicator and warning lamps (except high
beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps unless acti-
vated) in the instrument cluster come
on. The indicator and warning lamps
(except high beam headlamp indicator
lamp and turn signal indicator lamps if
activated) will go out when the engine
is running. This indicates that the
respective systems are operational.iWhen the SmartKey is removed from
the starter switch and the automatic
transmission is in a position other
thanP, the transmission automatically
shifts toP.

35 Getting started
Unlocking
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Vehicles equipped with the KEYLESS-GO
feature are supplied with a SmartKey with
integrated KEYLESS-GO function and a
removable KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button.With the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
inserted and the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO present in the vehicle, press-
ing the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button


without the brake pedal depressed cor-
responds to the various starter switch
positions (
page 36)


with the brake pedal firmly depressed
will start the engine (
page 49)
If you wish or should there be a need to
insert the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO in
the starter switch, the start/stop button
can be easily removed by pulling it out of
the starter switch.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be
sufficiently charged.

Check the battery and charge it if
necessary (
page 440).


Get a jump start (
page 470).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge or a completely discharged bat-
tery, always remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch when the engine is
not in operation.
iIf you firmly depress the brake pedal
while pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button, the engine starts
automatically.
iThe KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
does not need to be removed from the
starter switch when you leave the vehi-
cle. However, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO with you
when you leave the vehicle. As long as
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is in
your vehicle, the vehicle’s electrical
systems can be switched on or the
engine can be started using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

37 Getting started
Unlocking
For information on starting the engine
using the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button,
see “Starting with KEYLESS-GO*”
(page 50).iIf you now press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button once more, the
power supply is again switched off.iWhen you switch on the ignition, the
indicator and warning lamps (except
high beam headlamp indicator lamp
and turn signal indicator lamps unless
activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning
lamps (except high beam headlamp in-
dicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps if activated) should go out when
the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are
operational.

38 Getting startedAdjustingSeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The seat backrest and seat
belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and
belts are properly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 39).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being
adjusted.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant, or toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional
information, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 78).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.

39 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switch is located on
the entry side of each front seat base.
1 Head restraint height*
2Seat cushion tilt
3Seat height
4Backrest tilt
5Seat fore and aft adjustment
Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
or

Open the respective door.Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow5.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator/brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far to the rear
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow3.
!When moving the seat, make sure
there are no items in the footwell or
behind the seat. Otherwise you could
damage the seat.
When the rear bench seat is folded for-
ward, the front seats cannot be moved
to the rearmost position. Otherwise
you could damage the front seats and
the rear bench seat.!When adjusting the backrest tilt and
head restraint height, make sure that
the sun visor is folded up. If the head
restraint is in the uppermost position, it
could hit and damage the sun visor.
iThe memory function* (
page 135)
lets you store the setting for the seat
positions together with the setting for
the steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.

43 Getting started
Adjusting
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the steering column (lower left).
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
or

Open the driver’s door.Adjusting steering column in or out

Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down

Move stalk up or down in the direction
of arrow2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and that all the displays (including
malfunction and indicator lamps) on
the instrument cluster are clearly
visible.
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
iThe memory function* (
page 135)
lets you store the setting for the seat
position together with the setting for
the steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.
Warning!
G
In 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 respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their
liquid state and by applying plenty of
water.

44 Getting startedAdjustingInterior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 194).
Exterior rear view mirrorsThe buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Adjustment button
3Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror button

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).

Press button1 for the driver’s side ex-
terior rear view mirror or button3 for
the passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror.
The indicator lamp on the respective
button comes on for
approximately 15 seconds.

Push adjustment button2 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror.
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Check your interior rear view mirror or
glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.
iIf you do not make adjustments to the
selected exterior rear view mirror
within 15 seconds, the indicator lamp
goes out. You then will have to select
the desired exterior rear view mirror
again before any adjustments can be
made. Adjustments can only be made
with the indicator lamp for the respec-
tive exterior rear view mirror button
illuminated.iThe memory function* (
page 135)
lets you store the setting for the seat
position together with the setting for
the steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.
At low ambient temperatures, the
mirrors will be heated automatically.