Page 65 of 457

64 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(
page 56).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 117).
Turning off engine
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.Apply the parking brake (
page 62).
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
Releasing seat belts
Press seat belt release button
(
page 50).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding latch
plate.
Warning!G
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the
engine not running, there is no power assis-
tance for the brake and steering systems. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is
necessary to brake and steer the vehicle.
iAlways set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park positionP (
page 164).
On slopes, turn the front wheels towards the
road curb.
iThe SmartKey can only be removed from the
starter switch with the gear selector lever in park
positionP and the SmartKey in starter switch
position0.
!M a k e s u r e t h e s e a t b e l t r e t r a c t s f u l l y s o t h a t
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim
panel. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Page 66 of 457

65 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking
Exit the vehicle and close all doors and
the tailgate.
Press lock button‹ on the
SmartKey (
page 38).
With the hood, tailgate and all doors
closed:
All turn signal lamps flash three
times.
The locking knobs in the doors
move down.
The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 100).
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be
especially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iIf 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.
!Failure to switch off the headlamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.
Page 67 of 457
Page 68 of 457
67
Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Panic alarm
Driving safety systems
Anti-theft systems
Page 69 of 457

68 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
In this section you will learn the most
important facts about the restraint
systems of the vehicle.
Seat belts (page 74)
Child restraints (page 84)
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CH
ildren (LATCH) (page 83)
Additional protection potential provide
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with
Air bags (page 70)
Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)
Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) for seat belts (
page 78)
Air bag system components with
Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp (
page 81)
BabySmartTM air bag deactivation
system (
page 81)Although independent systems, their
protective functions work in conjunction
with each other.
The 1indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 27) comes on:
for about 4 seconds when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1.
for about 4 seconds when you start the
engine by turning the SmartKey.The SRS components are in operational
readiness if the 1indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the 1 indicator lamp:
fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds.
does not come on at all.
comes on after the engine was started
or while driving.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 334).
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and restraint
systems for infants and children, see “Children
in the vehicle” (
page 78).
iThe 1indicator lamp remains lit if the
SmartKey is turned to position2 and left there.
The indicator lamp will go out when you start the
engine.
Page 70 of 457

69 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Modifications to or work improperly con-
ducted on restraint systems (such as seat
belts and anchors, emergency tensioning
devices, seat belt force limiters or air bags)
or their wiring, as well as tampering with in-
terconnected electronic systems, can lead
to the restraint systems no longer function-
ing as intended.
Air bags or emergency tensioning devices,
for example, could deploy inadvertently or
fail to deploy in accidents although the de-
celeration threshold for air bag deployment
is exceeded. Therefore, never modify the re-
straint systems. Do not tamper with elec-
tronic components or their software.
Warning!G
In the event that the 1indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center immedi-
ately to have the system checked; otherwise
the SRS may not deploy when needed in an
accident, which could result in serious or
fatal injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly
and unnecessarily which could also result in
injury.
In addition, improper work on the SRS cre-
ates a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative
or causing unintended air bag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be
performed by qualified technicians. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
If it is necessary to modify an air bag system
to accommodate a person with disabilities,
contact a local authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.
Page 71 of 457

70 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal
impacts (front air bags), or side impacts
(window curtain air bags). However, no
system available today can completely elim-
inate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
The service life of the passenger front air
bag extends to the date indicated on the
label located on the driver side B pillar. To
provide continued reliability after that date,
they should be inspected at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center at that
time and replaced when necessary.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the seat backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and make sure it is
properly positioned on your body
(
page 50).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:
Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
Page 72 of 457

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The
distance from the center of the driver’s
breastbone to the center of the air bag
cover on the steering wheel must be at
least 10 inches (25 cm) or more. You
should be able to accomplish this by a
combination of adjustments to the seat
and steering wheel. If you have any
problems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.
Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.
Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and appropriate
size infant or child restraint system.
Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmartTM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front air bag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will
be struck by the air bag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
Warning!G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a
child 12 years old or under in the front pas-
senger seat of your vehicle, you must prop-
erly use a BabySmart
TM child restraint which
will turn off the passenger front air bag.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and use an appro-
priately sized infant or child restraint
system for all children 12 years old or
under.
(2) Always wear seat belts properly.