Page 105 of 514

104 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP
® switch
With the engine running, press ESP
® 
switch1 until the ESP
® warning 
lampv in the instrument cluster 
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.
Switching on the ESP
®
Press ESP
® switch1 until the ESP
® 
warning lamp v in the instrument 
cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving 
mode with the ESP
® switched on.Four wheel electronic traction system 
(4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves the vehicle’s ability 
to use available traction, e.g. during winter 
operation in mountains under slippery road 
conditions, by applying power to all four 
wheels.
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lamp v is 
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is 
switched off or is not operational due to a 
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard 
driving maneuvers is reduced.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating 
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This 
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain 
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv 
flashing in the instrument cluster, 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. 
     
        
        Page 106 of 514
105 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
!
Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged, 
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty.
!
Performance testing must only be conduct-
ed on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged, 
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz 
Limited Warranty.
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically, 
the engine and the ignition must be shut off 
(SmartKey in starter switch position0 or 1 or 
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position0 
or1) when the parking brake is being tested on a 
brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
Operational tests with the engine running can 
only be conducted on a two-axle dynamometer. 
     
        
        Page 108 of 514

107 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the alarm system
The indicator lamp located in the central 
locking switch in the center console.
1Indicator lamp
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or 
KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times 
to indicate that the alarm system is 
armed. The indicator lamp1 begins to 
flash after approximately 30 seconds 
after arming the alarm system.
Disarming the alarm system
Unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey 
or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once to 
indicate that the alarm system is 
disarmed.Canceling the alarm
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter 
switch.
or
Press button Œ or ‹ on the 
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must 
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop 
button (
page 39).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must 
be inside the vehicle.
i
If the alarm stays on for more than 
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is ini-
tiated automatically by the Tele Aid system 
(
page 292) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary cellular service and GPS coverage are 
available.
i
If the turn signal lamps do not flash three 
times, one of the following elements may not be 
properly closed:
a door
the tailgate
Close the respective element and lock the vehi-
cle again.
i
The alarm system will rearm automatically 
after approximately 40 seconds if neither a door 
nor the tailgate was opened. 
     
        
        Page 111 of 514

110 Controls in detailIn the “Controls in detail” section you will 
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed on your vehi-
cle. If you are already familiar with the 
basic functions of your vehicle, this section 
will be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the 
“Getting started” section of this manual. 
The corresponding page numbers are 
given at the beginning of each segment.Locking and unlocking
For more information on locking and un-
locking, see “Getting started” (
page 36) 
and (
page 61).
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two 
SmartKeys, each with remote control and 
a removable mechanical key.
The locking tabs for the mechanical key 
portion of the two SmartKeys are a differ-
ent color to help distinguish each 
SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is 
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when 
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks
the doors
the tailgate
the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control1‹ Lock button
2Š Opening button for the tailgate
3Mechanical key locking tab
4Œ Unlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 96)
!
To prevent possible malfunction, avoid ex-
posing the SmartKey to high levels of electro-
magnetic radiation. 
     
        
        Page 121 of 514

120 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingOpening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are 
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handleFront doors
Pull on door handle2 on the 
respective front door to open door.
If door was locked, locking knob1 will 
move up.Rear doors
Pull up locking knob1 on the 
respective rear door to unlock door.
Pull on door handle2 on the 
respective rear door to open door.
i
If the vehicle has previously been locked 
with the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, opening a 
door from the inside will trigger the anti-theft 
alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:
Press button Œ or ‹ on the 
SmartKey.
Insert the SmartKey in the starter switch.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button 
(page 39).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be 
inside the vehicle.
Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be 
within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening 
the driver’s door.
In addition the message 
Switch off lights 
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps. 
     
        
        Page 125 of 514

124 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing tailgate from the outside 
manually
1Handle
Lower tailgate using handle1.
Close tailgate with hands placed flat on 
the tailgate.
1Strap in vehicles with folding bench 
seat
Pull the tailgate down from the inside of 
the vehicle using strap1.
i
If the vehicle was previously centrally 
locked, the tailgate will lock automatically after 
closing it. All turn signal lamps flash three times 
to confirm locking.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: To prevent a possi-
ble inadvertent lockout, the tailgate will open au-
tomatically if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is 
recognized inside the vehicle or in the cargo 
compartment.
The vehicle is only locked when the turn signals 
flash three times. If you are carrying a second 
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO with you, you can 
still lock the vehicle.
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. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident 
and/or serious personal injury. 
     
        
        Page 126 of 514

125 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate from the outside 
automatically*
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing 
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate 
closing switch.
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*1Tailgate closing switch
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*1Tailgate closing switch
Press tailgate closing switch1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.
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 button Š on the SmartKey or 
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
press or pull the tailgate opening switch 
(on the driver’s door)
press the tailgate closing switch 
press the KEYLESS-GO 
locking/closing* switch 
pull the tailgate handle
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the 
SmartKey or the SmartKey with 
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take 
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not 
leave children unattended in the vehicle. 
Children could open the tailgate from the in-
side, which could result in an accident 
and/or serious personal injury.
i
If the tailgate lid comes into contact with an 
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has been 
piled too high) in the upper motion sequence, the 
closing procedure is stopped and the tailgate re-
opens slightly. 
     
        
        Page 140 of 514

139 Controls in detail
Memory function
MMemory button
1, 2, 3Memory position button
Switch on the ignition (
page 37).
or
Open the respective door.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and 
exterior rear view mirrors to the de-
sired position (
page 41).
Press memory buttonM.
Release memory buttonM 
(page 139) and press memory posi-
tion button 1, 2 or 3 (
page 139) with-
in 3 seconds.
All the settings are stored at the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold memory position 
button1, 2 or3 (
page 139) until the 
seat, steering wheel and exterior rear 
view mirrors have completely moved to 
the stored positions.
!
Do not operate the power seats using the 
memory button if the seat backrest is in an ex-
cessively reclined position. Doing so could cause 
damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright position.
i
Releasing the memory position button stops 
movement to the stored positions immediately.
The multicontour seat* will continue to be ad-
justed.