2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 automatic transmission

141 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after
making the turn, the turn signal and the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps can be
switched off by returning the combination
switch to its original position.Driving in reverse
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to
reverse gearR (
page 185).
The front fog lamp opposite to your
steering direction comes on.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to a
gear other than reverse gearR
(
page 185).
The respective corner-illuminating
front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter switch
or with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the center console.
1Hazard warning flasher switchiThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
come on automatically depending on the steer-
ing angle and vehicle speed, even if you did not
switch on either turn signal. If the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps came on
automatically, they will also go out automatically
depending on the steering angle and vehicle
speed.
iThere may be a brief delay before the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps switch off.

183 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For more information on driving with an
automatic transmission, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 54).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
right of the steering column.
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmission
PPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic
converter (gasoline engine) or the oxidation
catalyst (diesel engine) to heat up more quickly
to operating temperature.
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedal’s range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.

184 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from P to N
Moving the gear selector lever up or down
shifts the automatic transmission out of
park positionP:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up or down to
resistance point to select neutral
positionN.Shifting from N to R or from N to D
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up past the re-
sistance point to select reverse gearR.
or
Move gear selector lever down past the
resistance point to select drive
positionD.
Release the parking brake (page 57).
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.
iThe current transmission positionP, R, N,
orD appears in the multifunction display
(
page 187).
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.

185 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from P to R
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up past the re-
sistance point to select reverse gearR.
Release the parking brake (page 57).
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.Shifting from P to D
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever down past the
resistance point to select drive
positionD.
Release the parking brake (page 57).
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.Shifting from D, R, or N to P
If you want to select park positionP with
the transmission being in drive positionD,
reverse gearR or neutral positionN:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(
page 65).
Press button on gear selector lever in
direction of arrow (
page 183) to
select park positionP.
Release the brake pedal.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
!Shift the automatic transmission directly
from drive positionD to reverse gearR, from
reverse gearR to drive positionD or directly to
park positionP only when the vehicle is stopped.
Otherwise the automatic transmission could be
damaged.
When trying to free a vehicle stuck in mud or
snow, see “Rocking the vehicle” (
page 191).

186 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from D or R to N
If you want to select neutral positionN
with the transmission being in drive
positionD or reverse gearR:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(
page 65).
Move gear selector lever up to resis-
tance point when in drive positionD or
down to resistance point when in
reverse gearR to select neutral
positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

drive positionD (page 187) with gear
ranges (
page 192)

the selected program mode (M/C/S)
(ML 63 AMG only) (
page 194)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 190)

the vehicle speedWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (page 193) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
iWhen the vehicle needs to be moved with
the engine switched off and the transmission set
to neutral positionN (
page 184), do not
depress the parking brake pedal.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

187 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Transmission positions
The current transmission position appears
in the multifunction display.
1Current transmission position
!If the current transmission position does not
appear in the multifunction display due to a
malfunction, for example, make sure that the
automatic transmission is in the desired position
by carefully driving off with the transmission in
drive positionD.
ML 63 AMG:
Select program modeC (
page 194).
Do not limit the gear range.
Effect
ìPark position
Shift into park positionP only
when vehicle is stopped. The
park position is not intended to
serve as a brake when the vehi-
cle is parked. Rather, the driver
should always set the parking
brake in addition to shifting into
park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the automatic
transmission could remain
locked in park positionP.
Have the vehicle checked as
soon as possible by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
!SmartKey:
If you turn off the engine using the SmartKey and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a front door
the transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine with the
SmartKey alone only will automatically shift the
transmission to neutral positionN.
!KEYLESS-GO*:
If you turn off the engine using the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button and open a front door, the
transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine using
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone only
will automatically shift the transmission to
neutral positionN.

188 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
If you want the gear position to remain in
neutral positionN, e.g. when taking the
vehicle through an automatic conveyor
type car wash, observe the following
instructions.
iMake it a practice to always shift into park
positionP before turning off the engine and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a front door
or when using KEYLESS-GO*, before turning off
the engine with the start/stop button and open-
ing a front door.
Effect
íReverse gear
Shift into reverse gearR only
when the vehicle is stopped.
ëNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmis-
sion, never shift into neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Shift into neutral positionN only
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button, the transmission will shift to neutral
positionN automatically.
Warning!G
When leaving the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle.
It is possible for children to switch on the
ignition which could result in unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment.
A child’s unsupervised access to a vehicle
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

189 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Vehicles with SmartKey:
With the vehicle at a standstill and the
ignition switched on shift the automatic
transmission to neutral positionN.
If engaged, release the parking brake
(
page 57).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
With the ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to park
positionP.
Release the brake pedal.
Remove the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button from the starter switch
(
page 41).
Insert the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* into the starter switch.
Switch on the ignition.
Depress the brake pedal.
Shift the automatic transmission to
neutral positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
If engaged, release the parking brake
(
page 57).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* in the
starter switch.
!Observe instructions

when taking the vehicle through an
automatic conveyor type car wash
(
page 392)

when towing the vehicle (page 499)
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason in neutral positionN can result in trans-
mission damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Effect
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle without shifting
into park positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 65).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.