2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 center console

85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The 59indicator lamp is located
in the center console.
159indicator lamp
The 59indicator lamp1 will be
illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed from the starter switch or with
the starter switch in position0
(page 34).


that the seat was occupied by a
small individual (such as a young
teenager or a small adult) or a child
weighing more than the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child in a stan-
dard child restraint - instances
where the system may suppress
deployment of the front passenger
front air bag even though the
impact met the criteria and was of
sufficient severity to deploy the
driver front air bag.
Warning!
G
If the 1indicator lamp and the
59indicator lamp are lit at the
same time, there is a malfunction in the
Occupant Classification System. The front
passenger front air bag will be deactivated
in this case. Have the system checked as
soon as possible by qualified technicians.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:

Do not place more than 4.4 lbs (2 kg)
into the ruffled storage bag on the back
of the front passenger seat. Otherwise,
the OCS may not be able to properly
approximate the occupant weight
category.


86 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification Sys-
tem
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice, the 59 indicator lamp1
located in the center console illuminates. If
an adult occupant is properly sitting on the
front passenger seat and the system sens-
es the occupant as being an adult, the
59indicator lamp will illuminate
and go out after approximately
six seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the front passenger seat as being
empty, the 59indicator lamp
will illuminate and not go out.For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 401).


Do not place objects under and/or
around the front passenger seat.


Do not hang anything from or attach any
items to the seats.


Do not stuff objects such as books be-
tween the middle console and the front
passenger seat.


Do not move the front passenger seat
backwards against stiff objects.


Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.


Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.


Only have the seat repaired or replaced
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.


Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
Warning!
G
If the 59indicator lamp should not
illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must see an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center before seating any child
on the front passenger seat.Warning!
G
Never place anything between seat cushion
(e.g. pillow), since it reduces the effective-
ness of the Occupant Classification System.
The bottom of the child seat must make full
contact with the passenger seat cushion. An
incorrectly mounted child seat could cause
injuries to the child in case of an accident,
instead of increasing protection for the
child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.


97 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Switching off the ESP
®
To improve the vehicle’s traction, turn off
the ESP
® in driving situations where it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:


starting out on slippery surfaces and in
deep snow in conjunction with snow
chains


in sand or gravelWhen you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip


the 4-ETS will still brake a spinning
wheel


the ESP
® continues to operate when
you are brakingThe switch is located on the upper center
console.
1ESP
® switch

With the engine running, press ESP
®
switch1.
The ESP
®warning lampv in the
instrument cluster comes on. The
ESP
® is deactivated.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a
Minispare wheel is mounted.
!Turn ESP
® on immediately if the afore-
mentioned circumstances do not apply
anymore.
iWhen the ESP
® is switched off and one
or more drive wheels are spinning, the
ESP
® warning lampv in the instru-
ment cluster flashes. However, the
ESP® will then not stabilize the vehicle.

133 Controls in detailSeats
Seat cushion depth
Adjust the seat cushion depth to the
length of your upper leg using
switch3.
Backrest contour

Adjust the contour of the backrest to
the desired position usingæ
orç.

Move the backrest support to the bot-
tom using button2 or to the center
using button1.
Backrest side bolsters

Adjust the side bolsters so that they
provide good lateral support using
switch4.
Seat heating*
Both switches for the front seats are locat-
ed in the center console. The red indicator
lamps in the switch1 come on to show
which heating level you have selected.
1Seat heating switch

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
Leveloff
No indicator lamps on.
1
One indicator lamp on (lowest
level).
2
Two indicator lamps on.
The seat heater automatically
switches to level 1 after approxi-
mately ten minutes.
3
Three indicator lamps on
(highest level).
The seat heater automatically
switches to level 2 after approxi-
mately five minutes.

144 Controls in detailLightingSwitching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and cornering
fog lamp can be switched off by returning
the combination switch to its original posi-
tion.Driving rearward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Shift the automatic transmission in
positionR.
The inverse front fog lamp comes on
automatically depending on the
steering direction and steering angle.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Shift the automatic transmission out of
positionR.
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter switch
or with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the upper part of the center
console.
1Hazard warning flasher switch

158 Controls in detailControl system
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.Operate the CD player

Turn on the Modular COMAND System
and press AUDIO on the COMAND
headunit until you see the CD soft keys
for CD operation. Refer to separate
Modular COMAND System operating
instructions.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the display for the CD
currently being played in the multifunc-
tion display.
1Current CD (for CD changer*)
2Current track

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.
NAV* menu
The
NAV
menu contains the functions
needed to operate your navigation system.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the navigation display in
the multifunction display:


If the Modular COMAND System is
switched off, the message
NAV off
is
shown in the display.


With the Modular COMAND System
switched on but route guidance not
activated, the direction of travel and, if
available, the name of the street cur-
rently traveled on appear in the multi-
function display.
iFeature description is based on prelim-
inary information available at time of
printing.
Additional optional satellite radio
equipment and a subscription to satel-
lite radio service provider are required
for satellite radio operation. At time of
printing, no date for the availability of
optional equipment required for satel-
lite radio operation had been set. Con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center for details and avail-
ability for your vehicle.
For more information, refer to separate
Modular COMAND System operating
instructions.
iTo select a CD from the magazine,
press a number on the Modular
COMAND system key pad located in
the center console.


245 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching the Downhill Speed
Regulation on/off
The switch is located in the lower part of
the center console.Switch for DSR1DSR on/off
2Indicator lampSwitching Downhill Speed Regulation on

Press DSR switch1 (
page 245).
The indicator lamp2 comes on.
The message
DSR
and the set speed ap-
pear in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
If the accelerator pedal is depressed while
the Downhill Speed Regulation is activated,
the vehicle can drive faster than the pro-
grammed set speed. You should therefore
drive downhill with particular caution as it
could otherwise lead to an accident and/or
serious injury to you or others. Keep in mind
that as soon as you remove the foot from
the accelerator pedal with the DSR switched
on, the DSR will start regulating the vehicle’s
speed including use of brakes where re-
quired. Depending on the programmed set
speed, actual vehicle speed and gradient,
the DSR can cause the vehicle to slow down
rapidly. Sudden and unexpected decelara-
tion can result in loss of vehicle control,
causing an accident and/or serious person-
al injury to you and others.
iThe DSR can only be switched on if the
vehicle speed is below 18 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h).

248 Controls in detailDriving systems
Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Each time the set speed is changed, DSR
will appear in the multifunction dis-
play and the newly set speed is shown.
Off-road driving program
The off-road driving program is designed to
assist the driver when driving off-road in
terrain and crossing water. The off-road
driving program adjusts the engine power
and shifting of the automatic transmission
to be more suitable for the off-road use of
the vehicle. In addition, the ABS, ESP
®,
and 4-ETS designed for off-road use are
automatically activated.
In the following situations you should
switch to the Off-road driving program:


during off-road driving


when crossing water


when towing up or down on steep
gradientsThe switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1Switch for Off-road driving program
2Indicator lamp
iThe new speed is set and the vehicle
will accelerate or decelerate. Keep in
mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has reached the new
set speed.iThe set speed is canceled when DSR is
switched off. If DSR is switched on
again, DSR will use the programmed
default speed (
page 176).