2007 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 Signal light

38 Getting startedThe “Getting started” section provides an
overview of the vehicle’s most basic func-
tions. First-time Mercedes-Benz owners
should pay special attention to the infor-
mation given here.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions described here, the “Controls in
detail” section will provide you with further
information. The corresponding page
references are located at the end of each
segment.Unlocking
Unlocking with the SmartKeySmartKey1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button* for tailgate
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button (
page 95)

Press unlock buttonΠon the
SmartKey.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
vehicle unlocks. The locking knobs in
the doors move up. The anti-theft alarm
system is disarmed. The locator light-
ing comes on if the feature is enabled
in the control system (
page 172).

Enter the vehicle and insert the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 108).
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. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.

39 Getting started
Unlocking
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO*
With the KEYLESS-GO function, you can
lock or unlock the vehicle without using
the remote control buttons on the
SmartKey and start the engine without in-
serting the SmartKey into the starter
switch.

Grasp an outside door handle or the
tailgate handle.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The ve-
hicle unlocks. The locking knobs in the
doors move up. The anti-theft alarm
system is disarmed. The locator light-
ing comes on if the feature is enabled
in the control system (
page 172).

Enter the vehicle.
For more information, see “SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 112).
Starter switch positions
i
To unlock the vehicle, the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO must be outside the vehicle, no
further than approximately 3 feet (1 meter) away
from the respective door.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i
If the vehicle has been parked for more than
72 hours, you must pull an outside door handle
in order to activate the KEYLESS-GO function.
Warning!
G
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. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

57 Getting started
Driving
Starting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:
If you are starting the engine with the
SmartKey, turn SmartKey in starter
switch to position0 and repeat starting
procedure.

If you are starting the engine with
KEYLESS-GO*: Close any doors that
may be open to allow for better
detection of the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
Or:

Remove KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button from starter switch (
page 41).

Start the engine with the SmartKey as
radio signals from another source may
be interfering with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.

Repeat the starting procedure
(page 54). Remember that extended
starting attempts can drain the battery.

Get a jump start (
page 515).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
Parking brake
1Parking brake pedal
2Release handle

Release the parking brake by pulling on
release handle2.
The warning lamp; (USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.Warning!
G
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. Children could release the
parking brake, which could result in an acci-
dent and/or serious injury.

68 Getting startedParking and lockingLocking

Exit the vehicle and close all doors and
the tailgate.
Locking with the SmartKey

Press lock button‹ on the
SmartKey (
page 38).
With the tailgate and all doors closed,
the turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 108).Locking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button on the outside door handle

Press lock button1 on an outside
door handle.
With the tailgate and all doors closed,
the turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 108).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially 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 the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have
forgotten 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.

110 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingGlobal locking
Press button‹.
With the tailgate and all doors closed,
the turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the SmartKey so that
pressing buttonΠonly unlocks the
driver’s door and the fuel filler flap.

Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about 5 seconds
until battery check lamp5
(page 108) flashes twice.
The SmartKey will then function as
follows:Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap

Press buttonΠonce.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knob in the driver’s door moves
up. The anti-theft alarm system is
disarmed.
Global unlocking

Press buttonΠtwice.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is
disarmed.
Global locking

Press button‹.
With the tailgate and all doors closed,
the turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.Restoring to factory setting

Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about 5 seconds
until battery check lamp5
(page 108) flashes twice.
!
If you cannot lock or unlock the vehicle with
the SmartKey, the batteries in the SmartKey are
discharged, the SmartKey is malfunctioning, or
the vehicle battery is drained.


Check the batteries in the SmartKey and
replace them if necessary (
page 480).


Use the mechanical key to unlock the
driver’s door (
page 475).


Lock the vehicle as described in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 476).


Have the vehicle battery and the vehicle
battery connections checked (
page 507).
If the SmartKey is malfunctioning, contact
Roadside Assistance or an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

111 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Checking the batteries
Press button‹orŒ.
Battery check lamp5 (
page 108)
comes on briefly to indicate that the
SmartKey batteries are in order.Unlocking and opening the tailgate
(Vehicles with power tailgate*)
You can unlock and open the tailgate sep-
arately.
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.

Press and hold buttonŠ on the
SmartKey until the tailgate unlocks and
begins to open.Loss of SmartKey or mechanical key
If you lose a SmartKey or mechanical key,
you should do the following:

Have the SmartKey deactivated by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey or the
mechanical key immediately to your
car insurance company.

If necessary, have the mechanical lock
replaced.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center will be glad to supply you
with a replacement.
i
If battery check lamp5 does not come on
briefly during check, the SmartKey batteries are
discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 480).
You can obtain the required batteries at any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
i
If the batteries are checked within signal
range of the vehicle, pressing the
button‹orŒ will lock or unlock the
vehicle accordingly.
!
The tailgate swings open upwards automat-
ically. Always make sure there is sufficient over-
head clearance.
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tailgate stops
moving.
i
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked
with the SmartKey, the tailgate will lock automat-
ically when closed. The turn signals will flash
three times to confirm locking.

116 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingGlobal unlocking
Grasp any outside door handle other
than the driver’s outside door handle.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
Global locking

Press the lock button on an outside
door handle (
page 68).
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.Restoring to factory setting

Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about 5 seconds
until battery check lamp5
(page 112) flashes twice.Checking the batteries

Press button‹orŒ.
Battery check lamp5 (
page 112)
comes on briefly to indicate that the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO batteries
are in order.
!
If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO, the
batteries in the SmartKey are discharged, the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is malfunctioning or
the vehicle battery is drained.


Check the batteries in the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO (
page 116) and replace
them if necessary (page 480).


Use the mechanical key to unlock the
driver’s door (
page 475).


Lock the vehicle as described in the “Practi-
cal hints” section (
page 476).


Have the vehicle battery and the vehicle
battery connections checked (
page 507).
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is malfunc-
tioning, contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
i
If battery check lamp5 (
page 112) does
not come on briefly during check, the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 480).
You can obtain the required batteries at any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
i
If the batteries are checked within signal
range of the vehicle, pressing the
button‹orŒ will lock or unlock the
vehicle accordingly.

117 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Unlocking and opening the tailgate
(Vehicles with power tailgate*)
You can unlock and open the tailgate sep-
arately.
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.

Pull on the handle
or

Press and hold buttonŠ on the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO until the
tailgate unlocks and opens.Loss of the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
If you lose your SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO or mechanical key, you
should do the following:

Have the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
deactivated by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO or the mechanical key
immediately to your car insurance
company.

Have the mechanical lock replaced if
necessary.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center will be glad to supply you
with a replacement.
!
The tailgate swings open upwards automat-
ically. Always make sure there is sufficient over-
head clearance.
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tailgate stops
moving.
i
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked
with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*, the tailgate will lock automatical-
ly when closed (
page 121). The turn signals
will flash three times to confirm locking.