ContentsSafety and Security........................... 65
Occupant safety................................... 66
Air bags .......................................... 67
Seat belts ....................................... 73
Preventive occupant safety*
(PRE-SAFE)
®................................... 77
Children in the vehicle .................... 78
Blocking of rear door
window operation ........................... 89
Panic alarm .......................................... 91
Activating ....................................... 92
Deactivating ................................... 92
Driving safety systems ......................... 93
ABS ................................................ 93
BAS ................................................ 95
ESP
®.............................................. 95
EBP................................................. 98
4-ETS .............................................. 98
Anti-theft systems.............................. 100
Immobilizer................................... 100
Anti-theft alarm system ................ 100
Tow-away alarm ........................... 102
Controls in detail............................. 105
Locking and unlocking ....................... 106
SmartKey ..................................... 106
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 110
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 117
Opening the tailgate ..................... 118
Closing the tailgate ...................... 120
Automatic central locking ............ 125
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 126
Seats ................................................. 128
Easy-entry/exit feature
(Vehicles with
memory function*) ....................... 128
Lumbar support............................ 130
Rear seat head restraints ............. 130
Multicontour seat* ....................... 132
Seat heating* ............................... 133Memory function* ............................. 135
Storing positions in memory ........ 136
Recalling positions
from memory ............................... 136
Storing exterior rear
view mirror parking position ........ 137
Lighting ............................................. 138
Exterior lamp switch .................... 138
Combination switch ..................... 142
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps*........................... 143
Hazard warning flasher ................ 144
Interior lighting ............................ 145
Door entry lamps ......................... 147
Instrument cluster ............................. 148
Instrument cluster illumination .... 148
Trip odometer .............................. 149
Tachometer .................................. 149
Outside temperature indicator ..... 149
128 Controls in detailSeatsFor information on seat adjustment, see
the “Getting started” section (
page 38).
For more information on seats, see “Load-
ing” (
page 259).
Easy-entry/exit feature (Vehicles with
memory function*)
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
activated or deactivated in the Convenience
submenu of the control sys-
tem (
page 173).When exiting the vehicle, with the
easy-entry/exit feature activated and
depending on your selection, the steering
wheel tilts upwards and/or the driver’s
seat moves a few inches to the rear when
you:
remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch,
or
open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position 0
or 1 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 36) in position1.
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:
Press seat adjustment switch
(page 39).
Move steering column stalk*
(page 42).
Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory button
M*
(
page 136).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
!Do not activate the easy-entry/exit fea-
ture if the seat backrest is in an exces-
sively reclined position. Doing so could
cause damage the front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright
position.
129 Controls in detailSeats
When entering the vehicle, with the
easy-entry/exit feature activated, the
steering wheel or, depending on your se-
lection, the steering wheel and driver’s
seat will return to their last set memory po-
sition or a factory-set maximum forward
position when you:
close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on
insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (
page 36) once
with the driver’s door closed.
iIf the current position for the steering
wheel is in the uppermost tilt position,
the steering wheel will no longer be
able to move upward when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
If the current seat position falls into a
factory-set position range and the sys-
tem recognizes the current seat posi-
tion to be rearward enough for easy
entry and exit, the driver’s seat will not
move to the rear when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
iFor safety reasons, the driver’s seat will
not return to its last set position with
the easy-entry/exit feature activated if
the system recognizes the last set posi-
tion as an extreme forward position. In-
stead, the driver’s seat will remain at or
move to a factory-set maximum for-
ward position. To again fully return the
driver’s seat to your last set position or
to memory position, adjust the seat to
the desired position or press and hold
the respective memory position button
(page 136).
135 Controls in detail
Memory function*
Memory function*
You can store up to three different settings
for each SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
The following settings are saved for each
stored position on the entry side of the
driver seat:
Driver’s seat, head restraint height and
backrest position
Steering wheel position
Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
position
Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror position
The following are saved for each stored po-
sition on the entry side of the front passen-
ger seat:
Front passenger seat, head restraint
height and backrest position
!Prior to operating the vehicle, the
driver should check and adjust the seat
height, seat position fore and aft, and
seat backrest angle if necessary, to
ensure adequate control, reach and
comfort. The head restraint should also
be adjusted for proper height. See also
the section on air bags (
page 67) for
proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, opera-
tion and comfort. Both the interior and
exterior rear view mirrors should be
adjusted for adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in a properly
secured restraint system that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213
and 210.2.
Warning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
512 IndexClosing the tailgate 123, 124
Closing the tailgate from
the inside electrically* 120
Closing the tailgate from the
outside (vehicles without
KEYLESS-GO*) 121
Closing tilt/sliding sunroof*
In an emergency 439
Cockpit 22, 501
Cold tire inflation pressure 365
Combination switch 142
High beam 54
Turn signals 54
Windshield wipers 55
Compass 295
Adjusting compass zone 171
Calibrating 171
Zone map North America 295
Zone map South America 295
Control and operation
of radio transmitters 320Control system 502
AUDIO menu 157
Convenience submenu 173
Display digital speedometer 156
Functions 154
Instrument cluster
submenu 164, 165
Lighting submenu 167
Menus 153, 154
Message memory menu 159
Selecting radio system 157
Selecting satellite radio* station
(USA only) 157
Settings menu 161
Standard display menu 156
Submenus 152, 154
TEL* menu 178
Trip computer menu 177
Vehicle submenu 171
Convenience submenu 173
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature* 173
Setting parking position*
for exterior rear view mirror 174Coolant 332, 497
Adding 333
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
quantity 498
Checking level 332
Messages in display 410, 412
Temperature 322
Coolant level
Checking 332
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps* 143
Switching off 144
Switching on 143, 144
Crossing obstacles 311
Cruise control 238, 502
Canceling 240
Driving downhill 240
Driving uphill 240
Message in display 398
Setting current speed 239
Setting speeds 243
Cruise control lever 238, 246
519 Index
L
Labels, identification 484
Lamp bulbs, exterior 443
Lamps, exterior
Front 443
Light sensor 420
Messages in display 418, 420
Rear 444
Lamps, indicator and warning
ABS 382
Air bag Off 72
Battery (SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*) 114
Battery (SmartKey) 108
Brakes 383
CHECK ENGINE 385, 386
CHECK Engine malfunction
indicator lamp 386
Engine diagnostics 385, 386
ESP
®
387
Front fog lamps 138
Fuel reserve 388
Rear fog lamp 138
Seat belts 388, 389
SRS 390Language
Multifunction display 164
Setting 164
LATCH type child seat anchors 88
LATCH type child seat mounts 88
Layout of poly-V-belt drive (ML 350) 485
Layout of poly-V-belt drive (ML 500) 485
Leather upholstery*
Cleaning 380
Lever
For cruise control 238
License plate lamps
Messages in display 419
Replacing bulbs 444, 451
Light alloy wheels
Cleaning 379
Light sensor 420
Lighter see cigarette lighterLighting 138
Automatic headlamp mode 139
Cargo compartment lamp 147
Daytime running lamp mode 140
Door entry lamps 147
Front fog lamps 142
High beams 142
Instrument cluster illumination 148
Interior 145
Locator lighting 141
Low beam 138
Manual headlamp mode 139
Night security illumination 141
Parking lamps 138
Rear fog lamp 142
Settings (control system) 167
Standing lamps 138
Limiting the gear range 187
Limp Home Mode 192
Line of fall 503