2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 display

53 Getting started
Driving
After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.For more information, see “Driving instruc-
tions” (
page 299).
For information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (
page 306).
!If you hear a warning signal and the
message
Release parking brake
appears in the multifunction display
when driving off, you have forgotten to
release the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.!Shift automatic transmission to
positionPorR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high
engine speeds may shorten the service
life of the engine.
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.

58 Getting startedDriving6Symbol in multifunction display indicat-
ing that rear window wiper is activated
Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
Activating intermittent wiping

Turn switch1 to position3.
Deactivating intermittent wiping

Turn switch1 to position4.Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Turn switch1 to position2 or5.
The rear window wiper operates with
washer fluid.
Hold switch1 in position2 or5
until the rear window is clean.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield/rear window
washer system and headlamp cleaning
system*” (
page 333).
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged.


The engine electronics may not be
operating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.
iThe rear window wiper engages auto-
matically if the automatic transmission
is shifted to positionR with the wind-
shield wipers switched on.


62 Getting startedParking and lockingSwitching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM.
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 138).
Turning off engine
Shift automatic transmission to
positionP.
Turning off with the SmartKey

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 (
page 34) and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 47).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the road curb.
iIf you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch with the trans-
mission in a position other thanP, the
transmission will automatically shift
toP.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine
with the SmartKey alone will not auto-
matically shift the transmission toP.
Only when the SmartKey is removed
from the starter switch will the trans-
mission automatically shift toP.
iWith the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds
and the message
Switch off lights

appears in the multifunction display if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.

82 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
If the 59indicator lamp illumi-
nates when an adult or someone larger than
a small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the
59indicator lamp goes out, or
check whether objects are caught under or
around the seat.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 401).
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front air
bag deployment when the OCS classified
the front passenger seat occupant as being
up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint or if the front passenger seat is
sensed as being empty.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being up
to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child
restraint, the 59indicator lamp
will illuminate when the engine is started
and remain illuminated, indicating that the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat is classified as being empty, the
59indicator lamp will illuminate
when the engine is started and remain
illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being
heavier than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint or as being a small individual
(such as a young teenager or a small adult),
the 59indicator lamp will illumi-
nate for approximately six seconds when
the engine is started and then, depending on
occupant weight sensor readings from the
seat, remain illuminated or go out. With the
59indicator lamp illuminated, the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
With the 59indicator lamp out,
the front passenger front air bag is activat-
ed.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
g e r s e a t o c c u p a n t i s c l a s s i f i e d a s a n a d u l t o r
someone larger than a small individual, the
59indicator lamp will illuminate
for approximately six seconds when the en-
gine is started and then go out, indicating
that the front passenger front air bag is
activated.

99 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Off-road - 4-ETS
With the off-road driving program switched
on (
page 248), the 4-ETS designed for
off-road use is automatically activated.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 382) and
(
page 387).
Warning!
G
When you see ESP
®-warning lampv
flashing in the speedometer, then proceed
as follows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.


While driving ease up on the accelera-
tor.


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The 4-ETS cannot prevent accidents resul-
ting from excessive speed.
!Because of the ESP’s
® automatic oper-
ation, the engine must be shut off
(
page 34) when the parking brake is
being tested on a brake test dynamom-
eter.
Active braking action through ESP
®
may otherwise seriously damage the
brake system.
Operational tests with the engine
running can only be conducted on a
two-axle dynamometer.
iIf the yellow ESP
® warning lampv
comes on while driving, the 4-ETS is be-
ing switched off temporarily to prevent
overheating of the drive wheel brakes.
In addition, the message
ESP unavail-
able See Operator’s Manual
appears
in the multifunction display.

103 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Switching off the tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm
feature, switch off the tow-away alarm be-
fore towing the vehicle, or when parking on
a surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
If the tow-away alarm is set to default en-
abled (On) in the control system and you
wish to retain the default setting, you can
switch off the tow-away alarm temporarily
on a one-time basis as follows:

Switch off the ignition (
page 34).
With the tow-away alarm set to default
enabled (On) in the control system, the
following message appears in the
multifunction display.

If you now wish to deactivate the
tow-away alarm on a one-time basis,
pressæ orç button on the
multifunction steering wheel.
The tow-away alarm is switched off.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display.

Exit vehicle and lock the vehicle
(page 60).
The alarm system is armed indepen-
dently of whether the tow-away alarm
is switched on or off.
iThe tow-away alarm feature can be set
to default enabled (On) or disabled (Off)
using the control system (
page 176).
iThe tow-away alarm is switched off on
a one-time basis only. It will be armed
automatically the next time you lock
the vehicle.
If you have disabled the tow-away
alarm feature in the control system
(page 176), you can also switch on
the tow-away alarm on a one-time basis
as described above.

112 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingImportant notes on using KEYLESS-GO*

You can also use the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO like a normal SmartKey
(page 106).


You can combine KEYLESS-GO func-
tions with normal SmartKey functions
(e.g. unlocking with KEYLESS-GO and
locking with the ‹button).


Always carry the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.


Never store the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO together with:

Electronic items such as a cellular
phone or another SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO


Metallic objects such as coins or
metal foil
Doing so could impair the function of
the KEYLESS-GO system.


To lock or unlock the vehicle, the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located outside the vehicle within ap-
proximately 3 ft (1 m) of the respective
door or the tailgate.


In order to start the engine with the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO:

The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be located in the vehicle.


All doors must be closed.


The brake pedal must be firmly de-
pressed. Do not depress the accel-
erator.


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
positioned farther away from the vehi-
cle, the system may no longer recog-
nize the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
The vehicle then cannot be locked or
the engine started via the KEYLESS-GO
system.


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is re-
moved from the vehicle while starter
switch position1 (e.g. if passenger ex-
its the vehicle with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO), the message
Key not
recognized
will appear in the multi-
function display while driving off.
Find the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO or
change its present location immediate-
ly (e.g. place it on the front passenger
seat or insert it in shirt pocket).

113 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking


Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO that is left inside the
vehicle.
Possibility 1 (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, one
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
If you leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, no message
appears in the multifunction display.
Possibility 2 (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, no
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
When exiting and locking the vehicle,
the message
Key recognized in
vehicle
will appear in the multifunction
display.Factory setting
Global unlocking

Grasp an outside door handle.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is switched
off.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and reactivate the anti-theft alarm system
within approximately 40 seconds of
unlocking if:


neither a door nor the tailgate is
opened


the central locking switch is not
activated.Global locking

Press lock button on an outside door
handle (
page 64) or tailgate
(
page 116).
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
i If the vehicle has been parked for more
t h a n 7 2 h o u r s , y o u m u s t p u l l a n o u t s i d e
door handle in order to activate the
KEYLESS-GO function.
iThe vehicle could be inadvertently
unlocked if the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO is within 3 ft (1 m) of the
vehicle and

an outside door handle is splashed
with water, or


you attempt to clean an outside
door handle.