2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV steering

Occupant safety
45G
Risk of injury
The airbag parts are hot after the airbag has
been deployed. Do not touch them, other-
wise you may burn yourself.
Have the airbags checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Otherwise, occupants
are not protected by the airbags in the
event of another accident.
Front airbags
The front airbags are designed to increase
protection for the driver's and front-
passenger head and chest.
The driver's front airbag and front-passenger
front airbag are deployed:
R at the start of an accident with a high rate
of vehicle acceleration or deceleration in a
longitudinal direction
R if the system determines that airbag
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
R if the seat belt is fastened
R independently of other airbags in the vehi-
cle
R if the vehicle overturns, but only if the sys-
tem detects high vehicle deceleration in a
longitudinal direction 1
Driver's front airbag
2 Front-passenger front airbag
Driver's front airbag 1deploys in front of the
steering wheel; front-passenger front airbag
2 deploys in front of and above the glove
compartment.
On vehicles with automatic child seat recog-
nition in the front-passenger seat*, front-
passenger front airbag 2is only deployed if
the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp in the centre console is not lit
(Y page 50). This means that there is not a
child restraint system with automatic child
seat recognition* fitted to the front-
passenger seat or that a child restraint sys-
tem with automatic child seat recognition*
has been fitted to the front-passenger seat
incorrectly. Driver's knee airbag
i
The driver's knee airbag is only available
in certain countries.
The driver's knee airbag can help reduce the
risk of injury to the knees, thighs and lower
legs. 1
Driver's knee airbag
Driver's knee airbag 1is always deployed
along with the driver's front airbag and
inflates underneath the steering column.
Sidebags G
Risk of injury
If you wish to use seat covers, Mercedes-
Benz recommends that, for safety reasons,
you only use seat covers that have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Safety
* optional
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Driving safety sys
tems 57Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
( Electronic Stability Program)
R EBV (electronic brake-power distribution)
R 4-ETS ( Electronic Traction Support)
R Distance warning function* (vehicles with
Distronic*)
i In wintry road conditions, always use win-
ter tyres (M+S tyres) and, where necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effectively as possible. G
Risk of accident
The risk of an accident is significantly
increased by driving too fast. This is partic-
ularly the case when cornering on wet and
slippery roads and when driving too close
to the vehicle in front. The driving safety systems described in this
section cannot reduce this risk nor override
the laws of physics.
For this reason, always adapt your driving
style to suit prevailing road and weather
conditions. Maintain sufficient distance
from other road users and objects on the
road. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 8 km/h
upwards, regardless of road surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently. G
Risk of accident
Do not depress the brake pedal several
times in quick succession (pumping).
Depress the brake firmly and evenly. Pump-
ing the brake pedal reduces the braking
effect. Braking If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
a pulsing in the brake pedal.
X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force. G
Risk of accident
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the
vehicle when braking and the braking dis-
tance may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to a malfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated.
There is an increased risk of your vehicle
skidding in certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style
to suit the prevailing road and weather con-
ditions.
Off-road ABS An ABS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically if the off-
road drive program (Y
page 140) is activated Safety
* optional
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Driving safety sys
tems58
or if the LOW RANGE* (Y
page 141) off-road
gear is selected.
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
lock cyclically during braking. The digging-in
effect achieved in the process reduces the
stopping distance on off-road terrain. This
limits steering capability. BAS (Brake Assist)
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. G
Risk of accident
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking sys-
tem remains available with full brake boost-
ing effect. However, braking force is not
automatically increased in emergency
braking situations and the stopping dis-
tance may increase. Adaptive brake lamps
i Adaptive brake lamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 25 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS,
the brake lamps flash rapidly. In this way,
traffic travelling behind you is warned in an
even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 70 km/h to a standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically. If the
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
light up continuously. The hazard warning
lamps switch off automatically if you drive
faster than 10 km/h again. You can also
switch off the hazard warning lamps using the
hazard warning switch button (Y page 95). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between tyres and
the road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified, if
necessary, to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
When ESP ®
intervenes, the vwarning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivate ESP ®
under any cir-
cumstances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit prevailing
road and weather conditions.
The vehicle could otherwise go into a skid. Safety
* optional
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Driving safety sys
tems601
To deactivate/activate ESP ®
X To deactivate: press button1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up. G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster is continuously lit when the engine
is running, ESP ®
is deactivated or not avail-
able due to a malfunction. There is an
increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style
to suit prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. X
To activate: press button 1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Off-road ESP ® An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically if the off-
road drive program is activated
(Y page 140) or if the LOW RANGE* off-road
gear is selected (Y page 141). It intervenes
with a delay if there is oversteering or under-
steering, thus improving traction. EBV (electronic brake-power distribu-
tion)
EBV monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability under braking. G
Risk of accident
If EBV is malfunctioning, the brake system
is still available with full brake boosting
effect. However, the rear wheels can still
lock, e.g. under full braking. This could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle
and cause an accident. You should there- fore adapt your driving style to the different
handling characteristics.
4ETS
4-ETS makes it possible to pull away or accel-
erate on a slippery surface. It brakes the
wheels individually if they start to spin.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up briefly when the engine is
started. This indicates that the warning lamp
is operational.
X Activate the off-road drive program
(Y page 140) or the LOW RANGE* off-road
gear (Y page 141) if appropriate to driving
conditions.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes at any speed if at least one tyre
has exceeded its tyre grip limit. Safety
* optional
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65
Opening and closing
...........................66
Key positions ....................................... 75
Seats .................................................... 76
Steering wheel .................................... 83
Mirrors ................................................. 85
Memory functions* .............................87
Seat belts ............................................. 89
Lights ................................................... 92
Windscreen wipers .............................98
Side windows ...................................... 99Driving and parking
..........................103
Transmission ..................................... 106
Instrument cluster ............................113
On-board computer ..........................115
Off-road driving ................................. 138
Driving systems ................................ 145
Air conditioning ................................. 169
Sliding sunroof .................................. 187
Loading and stowing ........................190
Features ............................................. 203 Controls
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Steering wheel
83Steering wheel
Points to remember
Depending on the vehicle equipment, you can
adjust the steering wheel either manually or
electrically*. G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the steering wheel when the
vehicle is stationary and do not pull away
until the steering wheel adjustment mech-
anism is locked in position. You might oth-
erwise drive without the steering wheel
adjustment mechanism being locked in
position. As a result you could be distracted
from road and traffic conditions by an unex-
pected movement of the steering wheel
and thereby cause an accident.
The steerability of the vehicle is however
not affected.
When you adjust the steering wheel, make
sure that:
R the steering wheel can be reached with
your arms slightly bent
R you can move your legs freely
R you can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly Adjusting the steering wheel man-
ually
1
Release handle
2 Steering column height
3 Steering column fore-and-aft adjustment
X Pull handle 1out completely.
The steering column is unlocked.
X Set the desired steering wheel position.
X Push handle 1in completely until it
engages fully.
The steering wheel is locked in position. Adjusting the steering wheel electri-
cally*
1
Steering column fore-and-aft adjustment
2 Steering column height
X Press the lever in direction of arrow 1or
2 until the steering wheel has moved into
the desired position.
You can find more information in:
R Easy-entry/exit feature (Y page 84)
R Storing settings (Y page 87) Controls
* optional
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Steering wheel
84 Steering wheel heating*
1
To switch on the steering-wheel heating
2 To switch off the steering-wheel heating
3 Indicator lamp
X To switch on or off: make sure that the
key is in position 2in the ignition lock.
X Turn the lever in direction of arrow 1or
2.
Indicator lamp 3comes on or goes out.
i The steering-wheel heating does not
switch off automatically. Easy-entry/exit feature*
The easy-entry/exit feature makes getting in
and out of your vehicle easier.
The steering wheel swings upwards when
you:
R remove the key from the ignition lock
R open the driver's door when the key is in
the ignition lock or in position 1.
The steering wheel is moved automatically to
the position previously set when the key is
inserted into the ignition lock with the driver's
door closed. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped when you activate the easy-entry/exit
feature.
If there is a risk of becoming trapped, stop
the adjustment procedure. To halt the pro-
cedure:
R press the steering-column adjustment
switch
R press one of the memory function posi-
tion buttons
The steering column stops moving immedi-
ately. Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could open the driver's door
and thereby unintentionally activate the
easy-entry feature and become trapped.
The most recent position of the steering
wheel is stored when you switch off the igni-
tion or when you store a memory position
(Y page 87).
You can activate and deactivate the easy-
entry/exit feature via the on-board computer
(Y page 133). Controls
* optional
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Memory functions*
87Memory functions*
Storing settings
You can store up to three different settings
using the memory button.
The following settings are stored as a single
memory preset:
R position of the seat, backrest and head
restraint
R driver's side: steering-wheel position
R driver's side: position of the exterior mir-
rors on the driver's and front-passenger
sides G
Risk of injury
The memory function can still be used when
the key has been removed. For this reason,
children should never be left unsupervised
in the vehicle. They could otherwise
become trapped when moving the seat or
the steering wheel. G
Risk of accident
Only use the memory function on the
driver’s side when the vehicle is stationary.
You could otherwise be distracted from the
traffic conditions by the steering wheel and seat moving of their own accord, and cause
an accident. M
Memory button
1, 2, 3 Storage position switches
X Adjust the seat ( Ypage 76).
X On the driver's side, also adjust the steer-
ing wheel (Y page 83) and the mirrors
(Y page 85).
X Press the Mmemory button.
X Press one of storage position switches 1,
2 or 3within three seconds.
The settings are stored in the selected pre-
set position. A tone sounds when the set-
tings have been completed. Calling up a stored setting
G
Risk of accident
Only use the memory function on the
driver’s side when the vehicle is stationary.
You could otherwise be distracted from the
traffic conditions by the steering wheel and
seat moving of their own accord, and cause
an accident.
X Press and hold the relevant storage posi-
tion switch 1,2or 3until the seat, steering
wheel and mirrors are in the stored posi-
tion.
i The setting procedure is interrupted as
soon as you release the storage position
switch. Controls
* optional
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