2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG warning

352 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
on for a maximum of 6 seconds
after starting the engine.The seat belt telltale reminds you and your
passenger to fasten your seat belts before
driving off.Fasten your seat belts.
Regardless of whether the seat belts
are fastened or not, the seat belt tell-
tale always comes on and remains lit
for 6 seconds after starting the en-
gine.
maximum of 6 seconds after
starting the engine.You have forgotten to fasten your seat belt.Fasten your seat belt.
The warning chime stops sounding.
on while the vehicle is standing
still and the engine is running or
during driving.You and/or your passenger have forgotten to
fasten your seat belts.Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out.
There are items placed on the passenger seat
and therefore the system senses the passen-
ger seat as being occupied.Remove the items from the passenger
seat and put them in a safe place.
The seat belt telltale goes out.

353 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
telltale flashes and you addition-
ally hear an intermittent warning
chime with increasing intensity.The vehicle’s speed once exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h) and you and/or your
passenger have forgotten to fasten your seat
belts.Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out and the
warning chime stops sounding.
There are items placed on the passenger seat
and therefore the system senses the passen-
ger seat as being occupied.Remove the items from the passenger
seat and put them in a safe place.
The seat belt telltale goes out and the
warning chime stops sounding.
iAfter 60 seconds with an unfastened seat
belt, the warning chime stops sounding and the
seat belt telltale illuminates continuously. The
seat belt telltale will only go out if both, the
driver’s and passenger’s seat belt are fastened,
or the vehicle is standing still and a door is
opened.

354 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
1The red SRS indicator lamp
comes on when the engine is
running.There is a malfunction in the restraint sys-
tems. The air bags or Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) could deploy unexpectedly or
fail to activate in an accident.Drive with added caution to the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Warning!G
In the event that a malfunction of the SRS is
indicated as outlined above, the SRS may
not be operational. For your safety, we
strongly recommend that you contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center immedi-
ately to have the system checked; otherwise
the SRS may not be deployed when needed
in an accident, which could result in serious
or fatal injury, or it might deploy
unexpectedly and unnecessarily which
could also result in an accident and/or
injury to you or to others.

356 Practical hints
What to do if …
Warning!G
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the
Tire and Loading Information placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar (
page 294) or, if
available, the tire inflation pressure label on
the inside of the fuel filler flap (
page 279).
If your vehicle has tires of a different size
than the size indicated on the Tire and Load-
ing Information placard or, if available, the
tire inflation pressure label, you should de-
termine the proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitor-
ing system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly underinflated.
Accordingly, when the low tire pressure tell-
tale illuminates, you should stop and check
your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a
significantly underinflated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Underinflation also reduces fuel efficiency
and tire tread life, and may affect the vehi-
cle’s handling and stopping ability. Please
note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv-
er’s responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if underinflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumination of
the TPMS low tire pressure telltale.USA only:
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction, the
telltale will flash for approximately
one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the mal-
function indicator is illuminated, the system
may not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation of
replacement or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle
to ensure that the replacement or alternate
tires and wheels allow the TPMS to continue
to function properly.

357 Practical hints
What to do if …
Air bag off indicator lamp
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
5/The passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp illuminates and
remains illuminated with the
weight of a typical adult or some-
one larger than a small individual
on the passenger seat.The system is malfunctioning.Have the system checked as soon as
possible by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Also read and observe any messages in
the multifunction display and follow
corrective steps (
page 368).
Warning!G
If the5/indicator lamp illuminates
and remains illuminated with the weight of a
typical adult or someone larger than a small
individual on the passenger seat, do not
have any passenger use the passenger seat
until the system has been repaired.

358 Practical hints
What to do if …
ProblemPossible cause/consequenceSuggested solution
5/The passenger front air bag off in-
dicator lamp does not illuminate
and/or does not remain illuminat-
ed with the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard
child restraint or less on the pas-
senger seat.The system is malfunctioning.Make sure there is nothing between
seat cushion and child seat and check
installation of the child seat.
Make sure that no objects applying sup-
plemental weight onto the seat are
present.
If the passenger front air bag off indica-
tor lamp remains out, have the system
checked as soon as possible by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Do
not transport a child on the passenger
seat until the system has been repaired.
Also read and observe any messages in
the multifunction display and follow
corrective steps (
page 368).
Warning!G
If the5/indicator lamp does not
illuminate or remains out with the weight
of a typical 12-month-old child in a standard
child restraint or less on the passenger seat,
do not transport a child on the passenger
seat until the system has been repaired.

359 Practical hints
What to do if …
Vehicle status messages in the multi-
function display
Warning and malfunction messages
appear in the in the multifunction display
located in the instrument cluster.
Certain warning and malfunction mes-
sages are accompanied by an audible
signal.
Address these messages accordingly and
follow the additional instructions given in
this Operator’s Manual.
Selecting the vehicle status message
memory menu in the control system
(
page 156) displays both cleared and
uncleared messages.
High-priority messages appear in the mul-
tifunction display in red color.Certain messages of high priority cannot
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (
page 26) or
button j, k, ÿ, or è on the
multifunction steering wheel.
Other messages of high priority and mes-
sages of less immediate priority can be
cleared from the multifunction display us-
ing the reset button or button j, k,
ÿ, or è on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel. They are then stored in the vehi-
cle status message memory (
page 156).
Remember that clearing a message will not
correct the condition that caused the mes-
sage to appear.
Warning!G
All categories of messages contain impor-
tant information which should be taken note
of and, where a malfunction is indicated,
addressed as soon as possible at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Failure to repair condition noted may cause
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty, or result in property
damage or personal injury.

360 Practical hints
What to do if …
On the pages that follow, you will find a
compilation of the most important warning
and malfunction messages that may
appear in the multifunction display.
For your convenience the messages are
divided into two sections:

Text messages (page 361)

Symbol messages (page 376)
Warning!G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction
display is inoperative. Contact your nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
As a result, you will not be able to see
information about your driving conditions,
such as speed or outside temperature,
warning/indicator lamps,
malfunction/warning messages or the fail-
ure of any systems. Driving characteristics
may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, do so with
added caution. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
iSwitching on the ignition causes all instru-
ment cluster lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator lamps
unless activated) as well as the multifunction dis-
play to come on. Make sure the lamps and the
multifunction display are in working order before
starting your journey.