2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV warning light

cator lamps in the instrument cluster, se
at
belt" (Y page284).
Rear seat belt status indicator Th
er ear-com partment se at belt status indi-
cator tells you if the rear passengers have
their seat belts fastened.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator indicates the rear seat on which the belt
is fastened. The üsymbol in the display
indicates afastened seat belt. If aseat belt is
not fastened or if aseat is not occupied, the
ý symbol is displayed.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator appear sint he multifunction displa yfor
around 30 seconds if:
R you drive off and reach aspeed of approx-
imately 10 km/h.
R the rear passengers fasten or unfasten
their seat belts while the vehicle is in
motion.
R someon egets in or out of the vehicle and
the vehicle drives off again.
You can also can celthe rea rseat belt status
indicator immediately (Y page 253).
i The status indicator for the rear- compart-
ment seat belts is onl yavailable for certain
countries.
Bel ttensioners, belt force limiters The fron
tseat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with belt tensioners.
The belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in
an accident, pullin gthem close against the
body.
Belt tensioner sdonot correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly faste neds eat belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull vehicle occupants
back towards the back rest.
If the seat belt is also fitted wit habelt for ce
limiter and this is triggered, the forc eexerted
by the sea tbelt on the vehicle occupan tis
red uced. Th
eb elt force limiters on the front seats are
synchroni sedw ith the front airbags .They
tak eonap art of the deceleratio nforce,
resultin ginthe force exerted on the occupant
being distributed over agreater are a.
The belt tensioners can only be activated
when:
R the ignition is switched on.
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" (Y page 41).
R the front-passenger seat is occupied and
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the front-passenger side.
The belt tensioners on the outside seats in the
rear compartment are triggered independ-
ently of the lock status of the seat belts.
The belt tensioners are triggered depending
on the type and severit yofanaccident:
R if, in the event of ahead-on or rear-en dcol-
lision, the vehicle decelerates or acceler-
ates rapidly in alongitudinal direction dur-
ing the initial stages of the impact
R if, in the even tofaside impact, on the side
opposit ethe impac tthe vehicle deceler-
ates or accelerates rapidly in alateral direc-
tion
R if in certain situations where the vehicle
overturns and the system determines that
it can provide additional protection
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang, and asmall amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will th ebang
affect your hearing. The powde rthat is
released generally does not constitute a
healt hhazard. The 6SRS warning lamp
lights up. G
WARNING
If the seat belt tensioners have been trig-
gered, they provide no additional protection
in the event of another accident. Therefore,
have belt tensioners which have been trig-
gered replaced at aqualified specialist work-
shop. Occupant safety
49Safety
Z

You can obtain informa
tion about this at
any Mercedes-Ben zServic eCentre. G
WAR
NING
Do not leave child renu nsupe rvised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in achild
restraint system. They coul dinjure them-
selves on parts of the vehicle. The ycould also
be seriou slyor even fatally injure dbypro-
longed exposure to extreme heat or cold.
Do not expose th echild restraint system to
direc tsunlight .Part soft he child restraint sys-
te mc ould heat up and the child coul dburn
herself/himself on them.
If ac hild opens adoor, the child or other per-
sons coul dbeinjured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Also observe the notes on HOLD .Relevant
information can be foun dinthe index. G
WARNING
Unsecured or incorrec tlyp ositioned loads
inc rease the risk of injury for children and all
other occupant sinthe even tof:
R an accident
R ab raking manoeuvre
R as udden change of direction
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the vehi-
cle interior unless they are secured. You will
find further information under "Loading guide-
lines" in the index.
Child seat on the front-passenger seat Warning notice on the front-passenger sun visor Warning symbol for
arearward-facin gchild
rest raint system G
WARNING
If the front-passenger airbag is not disabled:
R ac hild secured in achild rest raint system
on the front-passenger seat could be seri-
ously and even fatally injured by the front-
passenger airbag deploying. This is espe-
cially arisk if the child is in the immediate
vicinit yofthe front-passenger airbag when
it deploys.
R never secur eachild on the front-passenger
seat in arearward-facing child restraint sys-
tem. Only secur earearward-facing child
restraint system on asuitable rear seat.
R alway smove the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secur eachild
in af orward-facing child rest raint system
on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger airbag is not disabled:
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat
R in vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition in the front-passenger seat, if no
special child restraint system with trans-
ponders for automatic child seat recogni-
tion in the front-passenger seat has been
fitted
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat, if the
PASSENGER AIRB AGOFF indicator lamp
4 is not lit.
To make you aware of this danger, acorre-
spondin gwarning sticker has been affixed on Children in th
evehicle
51Safety
Z

the dashboard and on both side
softhe sun
visor on the fr ont-passenge rside.
Information about recommended child
restraint system sisavailabl eatany
Mercedes-Ben zServic eCentre.
Automatic child seat recognition on the
front-passenger seat If your vehicle does not have automatic child
seat recognition 1
on the fron t-passenger
seat, this is indicated by aspecial sticker .The
stic kerisa ffixe dtot he side of the dashboard
on the front-passenger side. The stic keris
visible when yo uopen the front-passenger
door. The front-passenger seat sensor system for
child restraint systems detect swhether a
special Mercedes-Ben zchild seat with a
transpo nder for automatic child seat recog-
nition has been fitted. In this case, 4
PASSENGER AIRBA GOFF indicato rlamp : lights up. The front-passenger front airbag is
disabled. G
WARNING
If the 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indica-
tor lamp does not light up when the child
restraint system is fitted, the front-passenger
airbag has not been disabled. If the front-
passenger airbag deploys, the child could be
seriously or even fatally injured.
Proceed as follows:
R do not use arearward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R fit arearward-facing child restraint system
on asuitable rear seat.
or
R only use aforward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat and
mov ethe front-passenger seat to the rear-
most position.
R hav ethe automatic chil dseat recognition
checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
To ensure that the automatic child seat rec-
ognitio nonthe front-passenger seat func-
tions/communicates correc tly, never place
objects, e.g. acushion, under the child
restraint system. The entire base of the child
restraint system must always rest on the seat
cushion. An incorrectly fitted child restraint
system cannot perform its intended protec-
tive function in the event of an accident, and
could lead to injuries.
i If the front-passenger front airbag is dis-
abled by the automatic child seat recogni-
tion, the following remain enabled on the
front-passenger side:
R the sidebag
R the windowb ag
R the belt tensio ner
1 Vehicles withou tautomatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat: if you turn the key to position
2int he ignition lock ,the 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp lights up briefly but has no function.
It does not indicate that there is automatic child seat recognition on the front-passenger seat. 52
Childre
ninthe vehic leSafety

G
WARNING
Do not pl acee lectronic devices on the front-
passenger seat, e.g.:
R laptops, when switched on
R mobil ephones
R cards with transponders, e.g. ski passes or
access cards
Signals from electronic equipment can cau se
interference in the automatic child seat rec-
ognitio nsensor system. This can lead to a
system malfunc tion. This may cause the
4 PASSENGER AIRBA GOFF indicator
lamp to light up without there being achild
seat with transponder sfor automatic child
seat recognition fit ted. The front-passenger
airba gwill not then deploy during an accident.
It is also possible that the 6SRS warning
lamp lights up and/or the 4PASSENGER
AIRB AGOFF indicator lam pdoes not light up
briefly when you tur nthe key in the ignition
lock to position 2.
ISOFIX child seat securing system for
th er ear seats ISOFIX is
astandardised securing syste mfor
specially designed child restraint system son
the rear seats .Securin grings for two ISOFIX
child restraint systems are fitted on the left
and right of the rear seats. G
WAR
NING
Ac hild restraint system secured by the ISOFIX
chil dseat securing system does not provide
sufficien tprotection for children weighing
more than 22 kg. For this reason, do not
secure children weighing more than 22 kg in
ac hild restraint system secured by the ISOFIX
chil dseat securing system. If the child weighs
mor ethan 22 kg, secur ethe chil drestraint
system using athree-point seat belt. G
WARNING
The chil drestraint system cannot perform its
protec tive function if it is not correctly fitted
to as uitable vehicle seat. The child cannot be restrained in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or sudde
nchanges of direction. The
chil dcould be seriously or even fatally injured.
For this reason, when fittin gachild restraint
system ,observ ethe manufacturer' sinstalla-
tion instructions and the correct use of the
child restraint system.
For reasons of safety, only use child restraint
systems with the ISOFIX child sea tsecuring
system on the rear seats.
We recommen dthat you use the ISOFI Xchild
restraint system sthat hav ebeen recommen-
ded for Mercedes-Benz.
An incorrectly fitted child restraint system
could com eloose and seriously or even fatally
injure the child or other vehicle occupants.
When fittin gthe chil drestraint system, always
mak esure that it is engage dcorrectly in the
securing rings on both sides. G
WARNING
Please note that if child restraint systems, or
their retaining systems, are damaged or sub-
jected to aload in an accident ,they ma ynot
be able to provide their protective function.
This coul dresult in serious or even fatal inju-
ries to the secured child in the event of an
accident, heavy braking or asudden change
in direction.
For this reason, have child restraint systems
and their anchorages which have been dam-
aged or subjected to aload in an accident
chec kedi mmediatel yataq ualified specialist
workshop.
! Whe nfittin gthe chil drestraint system,
mak esure that the seat belt for the centre
seat does not get trapped. Otherwise, the
seat belt could be damaged. Children in the vehic
le
53Safet y Z

Child-proof locks
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Activate th echild-proo flocks for th erear
door sand the override switch for the rear
windows whe nchildren are travelling in the
vehicle. Otherwise, the chil dren could open
doors or side windows while the vehicle is in
motion and injure themselv esor others. G
WARNING
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secur edinac hild
restraint system .They coul dinjure them-
selve sonp arts of the vehicle. They could also
be seriousl yoreven fata llyi njured by pro-
longed exposure to extreme hea torcold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Part softhe chil drestraint sys-
tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/himself on them.
If ac hild opens adoor, the child or other per-
sons coul dbeinjured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Also observe the notes on HOLD. Relevant
information can be found in the index.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors You secure each door individually with the
child-proo flocks on the rea rdoors. Adoor
secured with achild-proof lock can notbe
opened from inside the vehicle. When the
vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened
from the outside. X
To activate: press the child-proof lock
leve rupint he direction of arrow :.
X Make sur ethat the child-proof lock sare
workin gproperly.
X To deactivate: press thechild-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow ;.
Overrid efeature for the rear side win-
dows X
To activate/deactivate: press button:.
If indicator lamp ;is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the driv-
er' sd oor. If indicator lamp ;is off ,oper-
ation is possible using the switches in the
rear compart ment. Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems overview
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems: 60
Drivin
gsafety systemsSafety

The radar sensor system must be switched off
using the on-boar
dcomputer in the vicinit yof
radio telescop efacilities in the following vehi-
cles:
R vehicles without COMAND Online and nav-
igation
R vehicles without Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP PILOT
R vehicles for Australia
Information about switching off the rad ar sen-
so rs ystem using the on-board computer can
be found in the "On-board computer and dis-
plays “section (Y page 249).
For BAS PLUS to assist you when driving, the
rada rsensor system must be switched on and
operational; see "Radar sensor system "inthe
index. G
WARNING
BA SP LUS cannot alway sclearly identify
objects and complex traf fics ituations. BAS
PLU Scannot interven einthese cases.
There is arisk of an accident. Always pay
careful attention to the traf fics ituation and be
ready to brake.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if ther eis:
R dir tont he sensor soranything els ecover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heav yrain
R interference by other radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travellin ginfront, e.g .a
motorbike
R av ehicle travellin ginfront on adifferent
line G
WAR
NING
BAS PLUS doe snot react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomin gvehicles
R to crossin gtraffic
R when cornering As
aresult, BAS PLU Smay not interven ein
critical situatio ns.T here is arisk of an acci-
dent .Always pay careful attention to the traf-
fic situation and be ready to brake.
Followin gdamage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensors checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applie stocolli-
sion sats low speeds where ther eisnovisible
damage to the fron tofthe vehi cle.
If BA SPLUS is no tavailable du etoam alfunc-
tion in the rada rsensor system ,the brake
system remain savailable wit hfull brake
boostin geffect and BAS. Adaptiv
ebrak elamps
i Adapti vebrak elamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 50 km/ horifb raking is assisted by BAS
or BAS PLUS, th ebrake lamp sflas hrapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from aspee dofm ore
than 70 km/h to astandsti ll,t he hazard warn-
ing lam psare activated automatically .Ifthe
brakes ar eapplied again, the brak elamps
light up continuously .The hazard warning
lamps switc hoff automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h .You can also switc hoff
th eh azard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (Y page 109). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes i
See the "Importan tsafety notes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver ,one
or more wheels are braked to stabilis ethe
vehicle. If necessary, the engin eoutput is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired Driving safety systems
63Safety Z

if the vehicle starts to skid or
awheel starts
to spin.
When you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves drivin gstabili ty.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in acuttin gaction, which
provides bet terg rip.
R tractio ncontrol is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides suppor twhen you
bra ke.
If ESP ®
is deactivate dand one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilis ethe vehicle. X
To deactivate: press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warnin glamp in the
instrument cluster lights up. G
WARNING
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running.
If the ÷ warning lamp and åwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not availa-
ble due to amalfunction.
There is an increased risk of your vehicle skid-
ding in certain situations.
You shoul dalway sadapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. X
To activate: press button :.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrumen tcluster goes out.
Off- road ESP® An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program (Y page 222)isa ctivated. It
intervene swithadelay if there is oversteering
or understeering, thus improvin gtraction.
ESP ®
traile rstabilisation If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilis ethe vehicle/ trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and can
detect if the vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by brakin gand limiting the engine output until
the vehicle/traile rcombination has stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active abov espeeds of
about 60 km/h. G
WARNING
If road and weather condi tions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent
the trailer from swerving and will thus be
unable to reduce the risk of an accident .Trail-
ers wit hahigh centr eofgravity can tip over
before ESP ®
can detec tthis.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disable dbecause of amal-
function. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61).
EBD monitors and control sthe brake pres-
sur eonthe rea rwheels to improv edriving
stab ility while braking. Driving safety systems
65Safety Z

G
WARNING
If EBD ha smalfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect. However, the rear wheels can still lock,
e.g. under full braking. This coul dcaus eyou
to lose control of your vehicle and cause an
accident. You shoul dtherefore adapt your
drivin gstyle to the different handling charac-
teristics.
X Observe the notes on warning and indica tor
lamps (Y page 286) as well as display mes-
sages (Y page 256). ADAPTIV
EBRAKE
ADAPTI VEBRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIV EBRAKE
als oh as the HOLD function (Y page187) and
hi ll st art assist (Y page141). For further
information, se eDriving tip s(Ypage 162). PRE-SAFE
®
Brake
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is only available in vehic les
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61).
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can help you to minimise
the ris kofaf rontal collision wit havehicle
ahead or reduce the effects of such acolli-
sion. If PRE-SAFE ®
Brake has detected arisk
of collision, you wil lbewarned visuall yand
acoustically as wel lasbyautomatic braking.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot prevent acollision
withou tyou rintervention.
Thi sfun ctio nwill issue awarnin gats peeds of
arou nd 30 km/h or moreif:
R for aperiod of several seconds ,the dis-
tance to the vehi cleinf ront is to oshor tfor
the speed at which you ar etravelling .The ·
distanc ewarning lamp then lights up
in the instrument cluster.
R you are rapidly approaching the vehicle in
front .Ani ntermittent warning tone will
then sound and the ·distance warning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster.
X Brake immediately in order to increas ethe
distanc efrom th evehicle in front.
or
X Take evasiv eactio nprovide ditiss afe to do
so.
If the driver and passengers have fastened
their seat belts, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can also
can also perform the following at speeds of
above approximately 30 km/h:
R brake the vehicle automatically from a
spee dofuptoa pproximately 20 0km/h
R trigge rpreventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-S AFE®
)( Ypage 45)
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause
unnecessar ywarnings or the unnecessary
intervention of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake. To end this,
you can either depress the accelerator pedal
further, activate kickdown or release the
brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is
ended automatically if:
R you drive slowe rthan approximately
15 km /h.
R you manoeuvre to avoid the obstacle.
R there is no longe rany danger of arear-end
collision.
R there is no longer an obstacl edetected in
front of your vehicle.
If you have activated DSR (Y page 220), PRE-
SAFE ®
brak eisd eactivated.
With the help of the rada rsensor system,
PRE- SAFE ®
Brake can detect obstacles that
are in front of your vehicle for an exte nded
period of time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km /h,
PRE- SAFE ®
Brake may als odetect stationary 66
Driving safet
ysystemsSafety