Page 439 of 585
438 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display message
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
P
Shift to P
You have started the engine or
switched on the ignition with
KEYLESS-GO* and opened the
driver’s door with the automatic
transmission not set to positionP.
Set the automatic transmission to
positionP.
or
Close the driver’s door.
Shift to P or N
to start engine
You have attempted to start the
engine with the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button while the auto-
matic transmission was set to
positionR orD.
Set the automatic transmission to
positionP orN.
Make sure the brake pedal is depressed
when attempting to start the engine
with the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop but-
ton.
Only shift to
Park when
vehicle is stationary
You have tried to shift the auto-
matic transmission into positionP
using the gear selector lever
although the vehicle is still in mo-
tion.
Stop the vehicle.
Apply the parking brake (
page 65).
Page 447 of 585
446 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Symbol messagesDisplay symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes:
alternator malfunctioning
broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake system
requires electrical energy and may be
operating with restricted capability.
Considerably greater brake pedal
force is required and the stopping dis-
tance is increased.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as
soon as it is safe to do so.
Apply the parking brake (
page 65).
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:
Drive immediately to the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center. Adjust driving to be consistent
with reduced braking responsiveness.
Page 450 of 585
449 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
Check
brake fluid level
There is insufficient brake fluid
in the reservoir.
Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle in a
safe location or as soon at is safe to do
so.
Apply the parking brake (
page 65).
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center. Do not add brake
fluid! This will not solve the problem.
?
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
Engine
Service
There may be a malfunction in
the
fuel injection system
ignition system
exhaust system
fuel system
Have the engine checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Check brake
fluid level
displayed can result in an ac-
cident. Have your brake system checked im-
mediately. 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 could be seri-
ously 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 451 of 585
450 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant level
Stop car, switch engine off
The coolant is too hot.
Among other possible causes
(the cooling fan could be
malfunctioning), the poly-V-belt
could be broken.
Stop the vehicle in safe location or as
soon as it safe to do so.
Apply the parking brake (
page 65).
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. Contact 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.
(Continued on next page)
Page 452 of 585
451 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/consequence
Possible solution
Observe the coolant temperature in the
multifunction display (
page 154).
If the temperature raises again:
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center immediately.
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 engine hood. Stay away from the en-
gine 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.
Page 453 of 585
452 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
B
Top up Coolant
See Oper. Manual
The coolant level is too low.
Add coolant (
page 362).
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 could be seriously burned.Warning!
G
In order to avoid potentially serious burns:
Use extreme caution when opening the
hood if there are any signs of steam or
coolant leaking from the cooling system,
or if the coolant temperature gauge indi-
cates that the coolant is overheated.
Do not remove pressure cap on coolant
reservoir if coolant temperature is
above 158°F (70°C). Allow engine to
cool down before removing cap. The
coolant reservoir contains hot fluid and
is under pressure.
Using a rag, slowly open the cap approx-
imately
1/2 turn to relieve excess pres-
sure. If opened immediately, scalding
hot fluid and steam will be blown out un-
der pressure.
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine
parts. Antifreeze contains ethylene gly-
col which may burn if it comes into con-
tact with hot engine parts.
!
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 engine damage.
Page 454 of 585
453 Practical hints
What to do if …
When the message
Add 1 qt. engine oil
at next refueling (Canada:
1 liter
)
appears while the engine is running and at
operating temperature, the engine oil level
has dropped to approximately the mini-
mum 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/consequence
Possible solution
N
Check eng. oil level
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.
Check the engine oil level (
page 360)
(except ML 500), or (
page 358)
(ML 500 only).
USA only:Add 1 qt. engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 liter engine oil
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.
Add engine oil (
page 361) and check
the engine oil level (page 360) (except
ML 500), or (
page 358) (ML 500 only).
Engine oil level
cannot be measured
The measuring system is
malfunctioning.
Have the measuring system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Page 455 of 585
454 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/conse-
quence
Possible solution
N
Engine oil level
Stop car, turn engine off
There is no oil in the engine.
There is a danger of engine
damage.
Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as soon as
it is safe to do so in a safe location.
Turn off the engine.
Add engine oil (
page 361) and check the en-
gine oil level (
page 360) (except ML 500), or
(
page 358) (ML 500 only).
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level
You have added too much
engine oil. There is a risk of
damaging the engine and/or
the catalytic converter (gaso-
line engine) or the oxidation
catalyst (diesel engine).
Have oil siphoned or drained off.
Observe all legal requirements with respect to
its disposal.
Engine oil level
Visit workshop
The engine oil has dropped to
a critical level.
Check the engine oil level (
page 360) (except
ML 500), or (
page 358) (ML 500 only) and
add oil as required (
page 361).
If you must add engine oil frequently, have the
engine checked for possible leaks.
!
The engine oil level warnings should not be
ignored. Extended driving with the symbol dis-
played could result in serious engine damagethat is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
