Page 369 of 505

368 Practical hints
What to do if …?
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
;
3 (USA only)
(Canada only)The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving and
you hear a warning sound.You are driving with the parking
brake set.Release the parking brake
(
page 52).
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving.There is insufficient brake fluid
in the reservoir.Risk of accident! Carefully stop the
vehicle and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Do not add
brake fluid before checking the brake
system.
Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can re-
sult in spilling brake fluid on hot engine
parts and the brake fluid catching fire. You
could 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.
Page 372 of 505

371 Practical hints
What to do if …?
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
•The red coolant warning lamp
comes on when the engine is
running.There is insufficient coolant in the reservoir.Add coolant to prevent engine from
overheating (
page 320).
If this warning lamp comes on frequently,
there is a leak in the cooling system.Have the cooling system checked.
If the coolant level is correct, the electric ra-
diator fan may be broken.If the coolant temperature is below
257 °F (125 °C), you can continue
driving to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Avoid high engine loads (e.g. driving
uphill) and stop-and-go driving.
•The red coolant warning lamp
comes on while driving and you
hear a warning sound.The coolant temperature has exceeded
257 °F (125 °C).Stop as soon as possible and allow
the engine and coolant to cool down.
Warning!G
Driving when your engine is overheated 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 which can occur just by open-
ing the 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.
Page 374 of 505
373 Practical hints
What to do if …?
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
AThe yellow fuel tank reserve
warning lamp comes on while
driving.The fuel level has gone below the reserve
mark.Refuel at the next gas station
(
page 312).
CThe yellow roll bar warning lamp
comes on or flickers when the
engine is running.The roll bar system is malfunctioning.Release the roll bars manually.
Have the system checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
on for a maximum of 6 seconds
after starting the engine.The seat belt telltale reminds you and your
passengers to fasten your seat belts before
driving off.Fasten your seat belts.
Regardless of whether the seat belts
are fastened or not, the seat belt tell-
tale always comes on and remains lit
for 6 seconds after starting the
engine.
maximum of 6 seconds after
starting the engine.You have forgotten to fasten your seat belt.Fasten your seat belt.
The warning chime stops sounding.
Page 375 of 505

374 Practical hints
What to do if …?
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
on while the vehicle is standing
still and the engine is running or
during driving.You and/or your front passenger have for-
gotten to fasten your seat belts.Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.Remove the items from the front pas-
senger seat and put them in a safe
place.
The seat belt telltale goes out.
telltale flashes and you addition-
ally hear an intermittent warning
chime with increasing intensity.The vehicle’s speed once exceeded 15 mph
(25 km/h) and you and/or your front pas-
senger have forgotten to fasten your seat
belts.Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out and the
warning chime stops sounding.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.Remove the items from the front pas-
senger seat and put them in a safe
place.
The seat belt telltale goes out and the
warning chime stops sounding.
iAfter 60 seconds with an unfastened seat
belt the warning chime stops sounding and the
seat belt telltale illuminates continuously. The
seat belt telltale will only go out if both,the driver’s and the front passenger’s seat belt
are fastened, or the vehicle is standing still and a
door is opened.
Page 376 of 505
375 Practical hints
What to do if …?
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
1The red SRS indicator lamp
comes on while driving.There is a malfunction in the restraint sys-
tems. The air bags or emergency tensioning
devices (ETDs) could deploy unexpectedly or
fail to deploy in an accident.Drive with added caution to the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Warning!G
In the event a malfunction of the SRS is indi-
cated as outlined above, the SRS may not be
operational. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked; otherwise the SRS may
not be deployed when needed in an acci-
dent, which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could also result in an
accident and / or injury to you or to others.
Page 377 of 505
376 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Lamp in center console
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
56The front passenger front air bag
off indicator lamp illuminates
and remains illuminated with the
weight of a typical adult or some-
one 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 Center.
Read and observe messages in the
multifunction display and follow cor-
rective steps (
page 382).
Warning!G
If the 56 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, do
not have any passenger use the front
passenger seat until the system has been
repaired.
Page 378 of 505

377 Practical hints
What to do if …?
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
56The front passenger front air bag
off indicator lamp does not illu-
minate and/or does not remain
illuminated with the weight of a
typical 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint or less
on the front passenger seat. The system is malfunctioning.Make sure that there is nothing be-
tween seat cushion and child seat and
check installation of the child seat.
Make sure that no objects applying
supplemental weight onto the seat
are present.
If the front passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp remains out, have the
system checked as soon as possible
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center. Do not transport a child on
the front passenger seat until the sys-
tem has been repaired.
Read and observe messages in the
multifunction display and follow cor-
rective steps (
page 382).
Warning!G
If the 56 indicator lamp does not il-
luminate or remains out with the
weight of a typical 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint or less on the front
passenger seat, do not transport a child on
the front passenger seat until the system
has been repaired.
Page 379 of 505

378 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display
Warning and malfunction messages
appear in the multifunction display located
in the instrument cluster.
Certain warning and malfunction messag-
es are accompanied by an audible signal.
Address these messages accordingly and
follow the additional instructions given in
this Operator’s Manual.
Selecting the vehicle status message
memory menu in the control system
(
page 152) displays both cleared and
uncleared messages.
High-priority messages appear in the
multifunction display in red color.Certain messages of high priority cannot
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (
page 136) or
button k,j, è, orÿ on the
steering wheel.
Other messages of high priority and
messages of less immediate priority can
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (
page 136) or
button k,j, è, orÿ on the
steering wheel. They are then stored in the
vehicle status message memory
(
page 152). Remember that clearing a
message will only make the message dis-
appear. Clearing a message will not
correct the condition that caused the
message to appear.
Warning!G
All categories of messages contain
important information which should be
taken note of and, where a malfunction is
indicated, addressed as soon as possible at
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Failure to repair condition noted may cause
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty, or result in property
damage or personal injury.