2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 Owner's Manual

408 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
2
Brake wear
Visit workshop
The brake pads have reached
their wear limit.

Brake pad thickness must be visually in-
spected at the intervals specified in the
Maintenance Booklet.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon as
possible.
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
Changed braking behavior
Drive with extreme care
A malfunction in the Electronic
Brake Proportioning (
page 98)
was detected.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.

Read and observe messages in the dis-
play.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of an accident.

409 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
!
(Canada only)
Release
parking brake
You are driving with the parking
brake set.

Release the parking brake (
page 52).
Brake fluid too low
Visit workshop
There is insufficient brake fluid
in the reservoir.

Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle and no-
tify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center. Do not add brake fluid! This
will not solve the problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Brake fluid
too low Visit workshop
displayed can
result in an accident. Have your brake
system checked immediately. Do not add
brake fluid before checking the brake
system. Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir
can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You can be seriously burned.!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
inspected by a qualified technician at
the intervals specified in the
Maintenance Booklet.

410 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
?
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
Visit workshop
There may be a malfunction in
the:

Fuel injection system


Ignition system


Exhaust system


Fuel system

Have the measuring system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 332).

If you have to add coolant frequently,
have the cooling system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
the message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount
of coolant in the cooling system. The
engine will overheat causing major en-
gine damage.

411 Practical hints
What to do if …
During severe operation conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant
Stop, engine off
The coolant is too hot.

Stop the vehicle and immediately turn off
the engine.

Only start the engine again after the mes-
sage disappears. You could otherwise
damage the engine.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
!The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

412 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant
Stop, engine off
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop the vehicle and immediately turn off
the engine.

Check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise the
engine will overheat due to an inoperative
water pump which may result in damage
to the engine. Notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive the vehicle with
this message displayed. Doing so could
result in serious engine damage that is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limit-
ed Warranty.

Drive immediately to the nearest autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Coolant
Visit workshop
The cooling fan for the coolant is
malfunctioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge
in the instrument cluster.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possi-
ble.

413 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
G
Display malfunction
Visit workshop
The instrument cluster display is
malfunctioning.

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible.
The displays for several systems
have malfunctioned. Some sys-
tems themselves may also have
malfunctioned.

Have the electronic systems checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
±
Display malfunction
Visit workshop
Certain electronic systems are
unable to relay information to
the control system. The follow-
ing systems may have failed:

Coolant temperature display


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
J

Doors open
Door open
You are attempting to drive with
one or more doors open.

Close the doors.

414 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
N
Check eng. oil level
when next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.

Check the engine oil level (
page 328)
(ML 500 only), or (
page 330) (ML 350
only).
USA only:Add 1 qt. engine oil
when next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 liter engine oil
when next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.

Add engine oil (
page 331) and check
the engine oil level (page 328) (ML 500
only), or (
page 330) (ML 350 only).
Engine oil level
Stop, engine off
There is no oil in the engine.
There is a danger of engine dam-
age.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as
soon as possible.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil (
page 331) and check
the engine oil level (page 328) (ML 500
only), or (
page 330) (ML 350 only).
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level
You have added too much en-
gine oil. There is a risk of damag-
ing the engine or the catalytic
converter.

Have oil siphoned or drained off. Observe
all legal requirements with respect to its
disposal.

415 Practical hints
What to do if …
When the
Add 1 qt. engine oil when
next refueling
(Canada:
1 liter
) mes-
sage appears while the engine is running
and at operating temperature, the engine
oil level has dropped to approximately the
minimum level.
When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.Visually check for oil leaks. If no obvious oil
leaks are noted, drive to the nearest
service station where the engine oil should
be topped to the required level with an ap-
proved oil specified in the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet.
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause
Possible solution
N
Engine oil level
Visit workshop
The engine oil has dropped to a
critical level.

Check the engine oil level (
page 328)
(ML 500 only), or (
page 330) (ML 350
only) and add oil as required
(
page 331).

If you must add engine oil frequently, have
the engine checked for possible leaks.
Oil sensor malfunction
Visit workshop
The measuring system is mal-
functioning.

Have the measuring system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in
serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.