2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 TAILGATE ALARM

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 71
Occupant safety................................... 72
Air bags .......................................... 74
Occupant Classification System ..... 79
Seat belts ....................................... 84
Active head restraint ...................... 88
Rear head restraints ....................... 89
Children in the vehicle .................... 89
Blocking of rear door
window operation ........................... 96
Panic alarm .......................................... 97
Activating ....................................... 97
Deactivating ................................... 97
Driving safety systems ......................... 98
ABS ................................................ 98
BAS .............................................. 100
ESP
®............................................. 100
EBP............................................... 104
4-ETS ............................................ 104
Anti-theft systems.............................. 106
Immobilizer................................... 106
Anti-theft alarm system ................ 106
Controls in detail ............................. 109
Locking and unlocking ....................... 110
SmartKey ..................................... 110
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 113
Checking the batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 118
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 118
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 118
Tailgate/Power tailgate*.............. 119
Automatic central locking ............ 125
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 126
Seats ................................................. 127
Front seat active head restraints . 127
Rear seat head restraints ............. 127
Lumbar support............................ 129
Multicontour seat* ....................... 129
Seat heating* ............................... 130
Seat ventilation* .......................... 131Memory function* ............................. 133
Storing positions into memory ..... 134
Recalling positions from memory. 134
Lighting ............................................. 135
Exterior lamp switch .................... 135
Combination switch ..................... 139
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps*........................... 140
Hazard warning flasher ................ 141
Interior lighting ............................ 142
Door entry lamps ......................... 144
Cargo compartment lamp ............ 144
Instrument cluster ............................. 145
Adjusting instrument
cluster illumination ...................... 145
Resetting trip odometer ............... 146
Tachometer.................................. 146
Outside temperature indicator ..... 146

38 Getting started
The “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 SmartKey
SmartKey
1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button* for tailgate
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button (
page 97)
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 171).
Enter the vehicle and insert the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 110).
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.

69 Getting started
Parking and locking
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 110).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 110).

106 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 41) on the starter
switch once.
The engine is turned off.
Open the driver’s door.
Deactivating
With the SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 (
page 39).With KEYLESS-GO*
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens

a door

the tailgate

the hood
The alarm will stay on, even if the activat-
ing element (a door, for example) is imme-
diately closed.The alarm system will also be triggered
when

the vehicle is opened with the mechan-
ical key, see “Unlocking the vehicle”
(
page 455)

a door is opened from the inside, see
“Opening the doors from the inside”
(
page 118)
iStarting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the
vehicle’s battery is charged), the system is not
operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA), or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is
initiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 294) provided that the Tele Aid service
was subscribed to and properly activated, and
that necessary cellular service and GPS cover-
age are available.

107 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the alarm system
The alarm system indicator lamp is located
to the lower left of the hazard warning
flasher.
1Alarm system indicator lamp
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
with KEYLESS-GO* (
page 68).
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the vehicle is locked.
The alarm system is armed within ap-
proximately 10 seconds. Alarm system
indicator lamp1 flashes.Disarming the alarm system
Unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or with KEYLESS-GO* (
page 38).
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed. Indicator lamp1 goes out.Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or
Press theŒ or ‹button on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 41).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash three
times, one of the following elements may not be
properly closed:

a door

the tailgate
Close the respective element and lock the
vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automatically
again after approximately 40 seconds if neither a
door nor the tailgate is opened.

112 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is
disarmed.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and rearm the anti-theft alarm system
within approximately 40 seconds of un-
locking if

neither door nor tailgate is opened

the SmartKey is not inserted in the
starter switch

the central locking switch is not
activatedGlobal 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 110) 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.

113 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
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 110) flashes twice.
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Vehicles equipped with KEYLESS-GO come
with two SmartKeys with KEYLESS-GO,
each with remote control and a removable
mechanical key.
The KEYLESS-GO function is integrated
into the SmartKey. On these vehicles, the
validity of the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
is checked when you grasp an outside door
handle.
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is valid,
your vehicle unlocks

the doors

the tailgate

the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
1‹ Lock button
2Š Unlock button* for tailgate
3Locking tab for mechanical key
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 97)

116 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
removed from the vehicle (e.g. if a
passenger exits the vehicle with the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO)

when pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button or trying to lock
the vehicle with the look button on
an outside door handle the mes-
sage
Key Not Detected appears in
the multifunction display

with the engine running, the mes-
sage
Key Not Detected appears in
the multifunction display while
driving off.
Find the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO or
change its present location immediate-
ly (e.g. place it on the front passenger
seat or insert it in shirt pocket).

Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO that is left inside the
vehicle.
Possibility 1 (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, one
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
If you leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, no message
appears in the multifunction display.
Possibility 2 (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, no
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
When exiting and trying to lock the
vehicle, the message
Key Detected In
Vehicle
will appear in the multifunction
display. The vehicle will not be locked.Factory setting
Global unlocking
Grasp an 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.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and rearm the anti-theft alarm system
within approximately 40 seconds of
unlocking if

neither a door nor the tailgate is
opened

the central locking switch is not
activated
iThe vehicle could be inadvertently unlocked
if the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is within 3 ft
(1 m) of the vehicle and

an outside door handle is splashed with
water
or

you attempt to clean an outside door handle