2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML550 steering wheel adjustment

74 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal
impacts (front air bags), side impacts (side
impact air bags and window curtain air bags)
or rollovers (window curtain air bags).
However, no system available today can
completely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the seat backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and make sure it is
properly positioned on your body
(
page 51).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in a position that is as
upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.

Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any
problems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.

Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.

Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.

176 Controls in detail
Control system
Limiting opening height of tailgate*
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the limiting opening height of the tailgate.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Vehicle
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Opening Limiter
Tailgate
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to switch
the limiting opening height of the
tailgate
On or Off.Comfort submenu*
Access the
Comfort submenu via the
Settings menu. Use the Comfort submenu
to change the settings for a number of con-
venience features.
The following functions are available:Activating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and
deactivate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 46).
FunctionPage
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature*176
Setting fold-in function* for
exterior rear view mirrors177
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement, do one of
the following:

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk*
(
page 48).

Press one of the stored position
buttons* or the memory buttonM*
(
page 133).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

534 Index
Climate control 204
Air conditioning, Cooling 214, 215
Air distribution, Front 209
Air distribution, Rear 217
Air recirculation mode 212
Air vents, Front 210
Air volume 210
Control panel*, Rear 216
Control panel, Front 206
Deactivating system 208
Defogging 212
Defrosting 210
Rear window defroster 203
Residual engine heat (REST) 215
Clock 27, 169
Cloth upholstery,
Cleaning and care of 397
Cockpit 24
Cockpit Management and Data System
see COMAND system
Cold tire inflation pressure 380
Collapsible tire 518
Collapsible tire (ML 63 AMG only) 453
Collapsible wheel chock 452COMAND system see separate operating
instructions
Combination switch 59, 60, 62, 139
Compass 307
Adjustment 173
Calibration 174
Calling up the compass 307
Control and operation of radio
transmitters 334
Control system 147
Multifunction display 147
Multifunction steering wheel 148
Resetting to factory default 164
Control system menus 147
AIRMATIC*/Compass 162
AMG menu 156
AUDIO 160
NAV* 161
Settings 163
Standard display 154
TEL* 180
Trip computer 178
Vehicle configuration 177
Vehicle status message memory 162Control system submenus 151, 153, 166
Comfort* 176
Instrument cluster 167, 168
Lighting 170
Time/Date 169
Vehicle 173
Coolant 345, 528
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
mixing ratio and quantity 529
Capacities 522
Checking coolant level 339, 345
Messages in the multifunction
display 431, 433
Temperature 336
Temperature display 154
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps* 140
Messages in the multifunction
display 439
Replacing bulbs 469
Crossing obstacles 325
Cruise control 244
Activating 246
Messages in the multifunction
display 416

539 Index
G
Garage door opener 302
Gasoline see Fuel
GAWR 380
Gear range
Automatic transmission 192
Limiting 192
Shifting into optimal 194
Gear selector lever 25, 54, 183
Cleaning 397
Gearshift pattern 183
Messages in the multifunction
display 420
Position 186
Shifting procedure 186
Transmission position 187
Global locking/unlocking see Key,
SmartKey
Glove box 279
Good visibility 199
Gross Axle Weight Rating see GAWR
Gross Trailer Weight see GTW
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating see GVWR
Gross Vehicle Weight see GVWGTW 380
GVW 380
GVWR 380
H
Halogen headlamp see Headlamps
Hands-free microphone 33
Hard plastic trim items, cleaning 396
Hazard warning flasher 141
Head restraints 44, 127
Active head restraint 88, 127
Front seats, Adjusting 44
Rear seats 89
Rear seats, Adjusting 128
Rear seats, Removing and
installing 128
Headlamp aim
Adjusting 473
Headlamp cleaning system* 199, 346
Headlamp shut-off delay see Delayed
shut-off, Exterior lampsHeadlamps
Automatic headlamp mode 136
Bi-Xenon* 438, 467
Cleaning lenses 393
Cleaning system* 199, 346
Halogen 466
High beam see High beam flasher
High beam see High beam headlamps
Light sensor, Messages in the
multifunction display 438
Low beam see Low beam headlamps
Manual headlamp mode 136
Messages in the multifunction
display 438, 439, 440, 441, 442,
443
Replacing bulbs 463, 464
Switch 59, 135
Heated seats see Seat heating*
Heated steering wheel* 290
Height adjustment
Vehicle level control (Vehicles with
Air suspension program*) 257

549 Index
Spare wheel 518
Bolts 450
Mounting 479
Wheel bolts 484
Spare wheel (except ML 63 AMG) 452
Speed settings
Cruise control 246
Speedometer 27
Spinning see Tires, Direction of rotation
SRS 86
Indicator lamp 29, 410
Messages in the multifunction
display 410
Standing lamps 135
Replacing bulbs 463, 464, 468, 471
Standing water, Driving through 324
Starter switch 25, 40
Positions 40
Starting difficulties, Engine 57
Starting, Engine 54
Steep terrain, Driving 322
Steering column 47, 48Steering wheel 46
Adjustment, Electrically* 48
Adjustment, Manually 47
Buttons 30, 148
Cleaning 397
Steering wheel gearshift control
Automatic transmission 193
Stolen Vehicle Recovery services 301
Storage compartments 34, 279
Cup holder 284
Cup holders 284
Door pockets 34
Front center console 281
Glove box 279
Parcel net, Front passenger
footwell 283
Parcel nets, Front seat backrest 283
Rear seats, In front of 282
Storage/telephone* compartment
Armrest, Front 281
Storing tires 350
Stranded vehicle 503
Submenus see Control system submenus
Sun visors 201
Sunroof see Power tilt/sliding sunroofSuspension tuning see Air suspension pro-
gram*
Symbols used in this Operator’s
Manual 16
T
Tachometer 29, 146
Overspeed range 146
Tail lamps 471
Cleaning lenses 393
Messages in the multifunction
display 442
Replacing bulbs 464, 472
Tailgate
Closing from the inside,
Electrically* 122
Closing from the outside
(vehicles without
KEYLESS-GO*) 123
Opening 119
Opening from the inside,
Electrically* 121
Unlocking and opening the tailgate in
an emergency 456