Contents
At the gas station .............................. 321
Refueling ...................................... 321
Check regularly and before a
long trip........................................ 323
Engine compartment ......................... 325
Hood ............................................ 325
Engine oil ..................................... 327
Transmission fluid level ................ 329
Coolant level ................................ 330
Battery ......................................... 331
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ......... 332
Tires and wheels ................................ 333
Important guidelines .................... 333
Tire care and maintenance........... 334
Direction of rotation ..................... 336
Loading the vehicle ...................... 336
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 341
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 342
Tire labeling.................................. 350
Load identification ....................... 354
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 355
Maximum tire load ....................... 356
Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 357Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) .............. 357
Tire ply material ............................ 359
Tire and loading terminology......... 359
Rotating tires ................................ 362
Winter driving ..................................... 364
Winter tires ................................... 364
Block heater* (Canada only) ......... 365
Snow chains.................................. 365
Maintenance....................................... 366
Maintenance service indicator
message ....................................... 366
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display ............... 368
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator ........................... 368
Vehicle care........................................ 369
Cleaning and care of vehicle ......... 369
Practical hints.................................. 379
What to do if … ................................... 380
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 380
Lamp in center console ................ 393
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display .................... 396
Where will I find ...? ............................ 432
First aid kit.................................... 432
Spare wheel .................................. 432
Luggage box ................................. 433
Vehicle tool kit.............................. 434
Vehicle jack .................................. 434
Unlocking/locking in an emergency .. 436
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 436
Locking the vehicle ....................... 437
Manually unlocking the gear
selector lever ................................ 438
Opening/closing in an emergency ..... 439
Power tilt/sliding sunroof or
panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel* ......................... 439
Resetting activated head restraints.... 440
Replacing SmartKey batteries ............ 441
SmartKey/SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* ............................... 441
27 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
2
vESP
® warning lamp
381
3
Speedometer
4
Multifunction display
151
5
lDistance warning lamp
Vehicles without Distronic*:
Warning lamp without func-
tion. It illuminates when the
ignition is on. It should go out
when the engine is running.
387
6
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
7
Coolant temperature
indicator with:
149
•Coolant temperature
warning lamp
386
Item
Page
8
Tachometer with:1Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS)
indicator lamp
390
-Antilock Brake System
(ABS) indicator lamp
380
BLow beam headlamp
indicator lamp
56
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator lamp
142
9
Main odometer with:
Gear selector lever
position
52
Program mode
190
a
Clock with:
171
;Brake warning lamp,
USA only
383
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only
383
Item
Page
úEngine malfunction
indicator lamp,
USA only
384
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
Canada only
384
HLow tire pressure tell-
tale*, Canada only
391
qPreglow indicator
lamp, diesel engine
only
53
b
Fuel display with:AFuel tank reserve
warning lamp
387
c
Reset button for:
Resetting trip odometer
149
Adjusting instrument
cluster illumination
148
Confirming new time
settings
171
57 Getting started
Driving
High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1.
The high beam headlamps and the high
beam headlamp indicator lampA in
the instrument cluster come on
(page 142).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 137).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp L or K in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 27).The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
i
To signal minor directional changes such as
changing lanes, press combination switch only
to point of resistance and release. The corre-
sponding turn signals will flash three times.
72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
(2) Always sit nearly upright, properly use
the seat belts and for children 12 years
old and under, use an appropriately
sized infant restraint, toddler restraint,
or booster seat recommended for the
size and weight of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
rear seat occupants to have the rear mount-
ed side impact air bags deactivated, then
deactivation can be accomplished upon
your written request to do so at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center at an additional
cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.
i
Air bags are designed to deploy only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags), side impacts
(side impact and window curtain air bags) which
exceed preset thresholds and in certain rollovers
(window curtain air bags). Only during these
events will they provide their supplemental pro-
tection.
The driver and passengers should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
air bags to provide their supplemental protec-
tion.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not be deployed. The driver and passenger will
then be protected to the extent possible by a
properly fastened seat belt. A properly fastened
seat belt is also needed to provide the best pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
sengers that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
that the vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.
Warning!
G
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Use only
seat belts installed or supplied by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Air bags and emergency tensioning de-
vices (ETDs) are designed to function on
a one-time-only basis. An air bag or ETD
that was activated must be replaced.
No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or re-
moving any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges etc. over the steering
wheel hub, front passenger front air bag
cover, outboard sides of the front seat
backrests, door trim panels,
74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyFront air bags
1Driver front air bag
2Front passenger front air bag
Driver and front passenger front air bags
are deployed:
in the event of certain frontal impacts
if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold
independently of the side impact
air bagsThe air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.The front passenger front air bag will only
be deployed if:
the system senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied
the 75 indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(page 79)
the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
i
The front air bags in this vehicle have been
designed to inflate in two stages. This allows the
air bag to have different rates of inflation that are
based on the rate of vehicle deceleration as as-
sessed by the air bag control unit.
USA only:
On the front passenger side, the front air bag de-
ployment is additionally influenced by the pas-
senger’s weight category as identified by the
Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 75).
USA only:
The lighter the front passenger side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.
!
Canada only:
Do not place objects heavier than 20 lb (9 kg) on
the front passenger seat. This could cause the
front or side impact air bag on the front passen-
ger side to deploy in a crash which exceeds the
system’s deployment threshold.
75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Side impact air bags, window curtain
air bags
1Side impact air bags
2Window curtain air bag
The side impact air bags1 and window
curtain air bags2 are deployed:
on the impacted side of the vehicle
in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold
independently of the front air bagsIn addition, the window curtain air bags 2
are deployed:
in certain vehicle rollovers
The side impact air bags1 and window
curtain air bags2 are not deployed in im-
pacts which do not exceed the system’s
deployment threshold.Occupant Classification System
(USA only)
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
automatically turns the front passenger
front air bag on or off based on the classi-
fied occupant weight category determined
by weight sensor readings from the front
passenger seat.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a po-
sition that is as upright as possible with
their back against the seat backrest and
feet on the floor to be correctly classified.
If the occupant’s weight is transferred to
another object in the vehicle (e.g. by lean-
ing on armrests), the OCS may not be able
to properly approximate the occupant’s
weight category. i
The system does not deactivate the front
passenger side impact air bag, the window cur-
tain air bag and the emergency tensioning de-
vice.
77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
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 75 indicator lamp will illu-
minate for approximately 6 seconds when
the engine is started and then, depending on
occupant weight sensor readings from the
seat, remain illuminated or go out. With the
75 indicator lamp illuminated,
the front passenger front air bag is deacti-
vated. With the 75 indicator
lamp out, the front passenger front air bag is
activated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as an adult or
someone larger than a small individual, the
75 indicator lamp will illumi-
nate for approximately 6 seconds when the
engine is started and then go out, indicating
that the front passenger front air bag is acti-
vated.
If the 75 indicator lamp is illu-
minated, the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 75 indicator lamp is not
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is activated and will be deployed:
in the event of certain frontal impacts
if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold
independently of the side impact
air bags
If the front passenger front air bag is
deployed, the rate of inflation will be
influenced by:
the rate of relevant vehicle deceleration
as assessed by the air bag control unit
front passenger’s weight category as
identified by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS).
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriate infant or child restraint recom-
mended for the size and weight of the child.
The infant or child restraint must be properly
secured with the vehicle’s seat belt, the seat
belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors
and top tether strap, fully in accordance
with the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
Always sit nearly upright, properly use the
seat belts and for children 12 years old and
under, use an appropriately sized infant re-
straint, toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of the
child.
84 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this sec-
tion, as that could result in serious inju-
ries in case of an accident.
Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver front air
bag, front passenger front air bag, side
impact air bags, window curtain air bags
for side windows), ETD (seat belt emer-
gency tensioning device), and front seat
knee bolsters.
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to properly belted oc-
cupants in certain frontal (front air bags
and ETD) and side (side impact and win-
dow curtain air bags and ETD) impacts
which exceed preset deployment
thresholds and in certain rollovers (win-
dow curtain air bags and ETD).
Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would in-
crease the chance of head and neck in-
juries. The shoulder belt would also
apply too much force to the ribs or abdo-
men, which could severely injure inter-
nal organs such as your liver or spleen.
Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, SmartKeys
etc., as these might cause injuries.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the lap belt is positioned across
your abdomen, it could cause serious in-
juries in a crash.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.
Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full
width of the seat belt to distribute im-
pact forces. The twisted seat belt
against your body could cause injuries.