2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 Owner's Manual

120 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the tailgate
Closing the tailgate from the inside
electrically*
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate from
the inside using the remote tailgate switch.
Press remote tailgate switch1
(page 118) until tailgate begins to
close.
The tailgate closes. The indicator lamp
in the remote tailgate switch goes out.
While the tailgate is closing an acoustic
signal sounds.
To interrupt the closing procedure:

Press or pull remote tailgate switch1. If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high) the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of the area around the rear of
the vehicle while operating the tailgate with
the door mounted switch. Monitor the
closing procedure carefully to make sure no
one is in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, press or
pull the door mounted remote tailgate
switch.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the start-
er switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the remote tailgate switch can be operated.
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
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the
vehicle interior.

121 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate from the outside
manually
1Handle
Lower tailgate by pulling firmly on
handle1.

Close tailgate with hands placed flat on
it.
Closing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate
closing switch or the Šbutton on the
SmartKey.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the cargo
compartment opening when closing the tail-
gate. Be especially careful when small chil-
dren are around.
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.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the
vehicle interior.
iTo prevent an inadvertent lockout, do
not place the SmartKey in the cargo
compartment.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
To prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is rec-
ognized inside the vehicle or in the car-
go compartment.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it. The turn signals
flash three times to confirm locking.

122 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking1Tailgate closing switch
Press tailgate closing switch1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens.iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

press the tailgate closing switch1


press the Šbutton on the SmartKey


press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door)
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the tailgate closing switch
can be operated. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
cargo compartment. You may lock
yourself out.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it. The turn signals
will flash three times to confirm lock-
ing.

123 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate
closing switch or the Šbutton on the
SmartKey.
1Tailgate closing switch
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you.

Press tailgate closing switch 1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens slight-
ly.
iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
recognized inside the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

press the tailgate closing switch1


press KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch


press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO


press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door)


124 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate and locking the
vehicle from the outside (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system and KEYLESS-GO*, you can close
the tailgate and lock the vehicle simulta-
neously from the outside using the
KEYLESS-GO* locking/closing switch.
1KEYLESS-GO* locking/closing switch
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you.

Press switch1 briefly.The vehicle is locked and the tailgate
closes automatically. The turn signals
flash three times to confirm locking.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens
slightly.
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate
closing switch can be operated. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it. The turn signals
will flash three times to confirm lock-
ing.
iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
recognized inside the vehicle.


125 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Automatic central locking
The doors and the tailgate automatically
lock when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

press KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch
1


press the tailgate closing switch


press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*


press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door)
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate
closing switch can be operated. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more. You could therefore lock yourself
out when the vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand


during a wheel change

126 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingFor information on towing the vehicle, see
“Towing the vehicle” (
page 472).
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system
(
page 172).
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
tailgate from inside using the central lock-
ing or unlocking switch. This can be useful,
for example, if you want to lock the vehicle
before starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch, respectively.The switches are located on each front
door control panel.
1Central unlocking switch
2Central locking switch
Locking

Press central locking switch2.
If all doors and the tailgate are closed,
the vehicle locks.
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.
iWith the passenger-side door opened,
you cannot lock the vehicle with the
central locking switch.

127 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Unlocking
Press central unlocking switch1.
The vehicle unlocks.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey or the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*, it will
not unlock using the central unlocking
switch2.
If the vehicle was previously locked
with the central locking switch1:

While in the selective remote con-
trol mode, only the front door
opened from the inside is unlocked.


While in the global remote control
mode, the vehicle is unlocked com-
pletely when a front door is opened
from the inside.