2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 center console

249 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching Off-road driving program on
Press switch1 (
page 248).
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The
symboly appears in the lower
multifunction display.
Switching Off-road driving program off

Press switch1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out. The
symboly disappears.
Air suspension package*
Air suspension automatically optimizes
your vehicle’s suspension tuning and regu-
lates the vehicle level. The system consists
of two components:

Suspension tuning: Adaptive Damping
System (ADS) (
page 249)


Vehicle level control (
page 250)
Adaptive Damping System (ADS)*
The fine tuning of the damping and suspen-
sion is dependent on:

your driving style


road surface conditions


your personal ADS settings


your personal vehicle level settingsThe switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1ADS switch
2Indicator lamp for SPORT setting
3Indicator lamp for COMF setting
The following settings are available:


AUTO (for normal driving situations)
Indicator lamps2 and3 are out.


SPORT (for sporty driving)
Indicator lamp2 comes on.


COMF (for comfort driving)
Indicator lamp3 comes on.

252 Controls in detailDriving systems
Setting the vehicle level*
The switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1Vehicle level switch
2Indicator lampThe following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected using the vehicle level
switch in the center console:
The following is the approximate change in
ride height as compared to the highway
level for each of the level settings:
iThe vehicle is automatically lowered to
the high-speed level when the vehicle
exceeds a certain speed threshold and
is automatically raised to the highway
level when vehicle speed drops below a
certain speed threshold. Note the ex-
ception in the ADS SPORT mode, where
the system disregards the highway lev-
el and automatically lowers the vehicle
to the high-speed level.
In comparison to vehicle behavior
when in the ADS AUTO mode,

the vehicle is lowered to the
high-speed level when set to the
SPORT mode,


and remains at the highway level
over a greater speed range when
set to the COMFORT mode.
Level
Driving situation
Raised
For off-road driving or
driving in rough ter-
rain. The indicator
lamp is on.
Highway/High-
speed
For driving on paved
roads in fair or better
condition. The indica-
tor lamp is off.
Level
Ride height
Raised
+ 3.1 in (80 mm)
Highway
+/- 0 in (0 mm)
High-speed
- 0.6 in (-15 mm)

271 Controls in detail
Useful features
1Unlocked
2Locked
Locking the glove box
Insert mechanical key (
page 435)
into the glove box lock and turn it to
position2.
Unlocking the glove box

Turn mechanical key in the glove box
lock to position1.Storage compartment in the center
console
Vehicles without ashtray*

Briefly press the front of the cover.
The cover opens automatically.Storage compartment (depending on
vehicle configuration)

Briefly press the front of the cover.
The cover opens automatically.

275 Controls in detail
Useful features
Closing cup holder
Slide cup holder in until it engages.
Removing and reinstalling cup holder
1Cup holder
2Cup holder bridge

Hold cup holder at its bridge2 and
pull out bridge in direction of arrow.

Pull cup holder1 out in direction of
arrow.

Insert the cup holder1 and then in-
sert bridge2.
Armrest in rear seat bench
Pull the armrest down by its top.
Ashtrays*
Center console ashtray
1Ashtray insert
2Cover plate
Opening the ashtray
Briefly touch cover plate2.
The ashtray opens automatically.
!Close the cup holder before folding the
armrest upwards.

276 Controls in detailUseful featuresRemoving ashtray insert
Grip the ashtray insert1 on the sides
and pull it out upwards.
Reinstalling ashtray insert

Install ashtray insert1.Rear center console ashtray
Cover plate for rear ashtrayOpening rear ashtray
Briefly touch cover plate.
The ashtray opens automatically.Removing rear ashtray insert

Grip the insert on the sides and pull it
out upwards.
Reinstalling rear ashtray insert

Install ashtray insert.

Close the ashtray.
Cigarette lighter

Switch on the ignition.

Push in cigarette lighter.
The cigarette lighter will pop out auto-
matically when hot.
!Close the ashtray in the rear center
console before folding the rear seat
bench.

393 Practical hints
What to do if …
Lamp in center consoleProblem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
59
The front passenger front
air bag off indicator lamp
illuminates and remains
illuminated with the
weight of a typical adult
or someone larger than a
small individual on the
front passenger seat.
The system is malfunctioning.

Have the system checked as soon as
possible by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

Also note any messages in the
multifunction display and follow cor-
rective steps (
page 401).
Warning!
G
If the59indicator lamp
illuminates and remains illuminated with the
weight of a typical adult or someone larger
than a small individual on the front passen-
ger seat, do not have any passenger use the
front passenger seat until the system has
been repaired.

402 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
Front passenger
airbag
activated
see Oper.’s Man.
Monitor the 59indicator lamp on the center console (
page 27) and the
multifunction display in the instrument cluster (
page 24) for the following:
With the seat unoccupied and the ignition turned on,


the 59indicator lamp on the center console should illuminate and
remain illuminated, indicating that the OCS (
page 81) has deactivated the
air bag.


the message
Front passenger airbag activated see Oper.’s Man.
or the
message
Front passenger airbag deactivated see Oper.’s Man.
should
not appear in the multifunction display at any time the seat is unoccupied.
Wait at last 60 seconds for the system to complete the necessary check cy-
cles and to make sure neither message appears in the multifunction display.
If above conditions are met, you can occupy the front passenger seat again.
Depending on the front passenger classification sensed by the OCS (
page 81),
the 59indicator lamp will remain illuminated or go out.
If above conditions are not met, the system is not working properly. Have the
system checked as soon as possible by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Warning!
G
If the 59indicator lamp remains
out even after performing the above correc-
tive steps, do not have any children 12 years
old and under and other small individuals
use the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired.

404 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
Front passenger
airbag
deactivated
see Oper.’s Man.
Monitor the 59indicator lamp on the center console (
page 27) and the
multifunction display in the instrument cluster (
page 24) for the following:
With the seat unoccupied and the ignition turned on,


the 59indicator lamp on the center console should illuminate and
remain illuminated, indicating that the OCS (
page 81) has deactivated the
air bag.


the message
Front passenger airbag activated see Oper.’s Man.
or the
message
Front passenger airbag deactivated see Oper.’s Man.
should
not appear in the multifunction display at any time the seat is unoccupied.
Wait at last 60 seconds for the system to complete the necessary check cy-
cles and to make sure neither message appears in the multifunction display.
If above conditions are met, you can occupy the front passenger seat again.
Depending on the front passenger classification sensed by the OCS (
page 81),
the59indicator lamp will remain illuminated or go out.
If above conditions are not met, the system is not working properly. Have the
system checked as soon as possible by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
Warning!
G
If the 59indicator lamp remains
illuminated with an adult occupant on the
front passenger seat even after performing
the above corrective steps, do not have any
passenger use the front passenger seat until
the system has been repaired.