2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV wheel

the centre of the driver's airba
gcover as
possible.
R move the fr ont-passenge rseatasf ar back
as possible. Thi sisespecially important if
yo uh aves ecure dac hild in achild restraint
syste mont he front-passenger seat.
R vehicle occupants –inparticular ,children
–m ust not lean their heads into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/window-
bag is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fit tedtot he front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger airbag has
been disabled. On the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger airbag is disabled
if ac hild rest raint system with atrans-
ponde rfor automatic child seat recognition
is fit tedtot he front-passenger seat in a
vehicle equipped with automatic chil dseat
recognition. The 4PASSENGE RAIRBAG
OF Findicator lamp must be continuously
lit.
If the front-passenger sea tofyour vehicle
does not have automatic child seat recog-
nition ,oryour rearward-facing child
rest raint system does not have automatic
child seat recognition, children must be
secured in achild rest raint system on a
suitable seat in the rear. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint system to the
front-passenger seat, you must move the
front-passenger seat as far back as possi-
ble.
R make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in the pockets of clothing.
R do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover of
the driver's/front-passenger airbag, partic-
ularly when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steerin gwheel on the outside.
This allow sthe airbag to be fully deployed.
You coul dbeinjured if the airbag is
deploye dand you are holding the inside of
the steerin gwheel. R
do not lean on the doors from insid ethe
vehicle.
R make sur ethat ther eare no people ,ani-
mals or obje ctsb etween the vehicle occu-
pants and the area where the airbags are
deployed.
R do not place any objects between the seat
back rest and the door.
R do not hang any har dobjects, for example,
coat hangers, on the grab handles or coat
hooks.
R do not atta chaccessories, e.g. cup holders,
to the doors.
It is not possible to rule out arisk of injury
being caused by an airbag, due to the high
speed at which the airbag must be deployed. G
WARNING
Airbag functionality can only be assured if the
following parts are not covered and no badges
or stickers are attached to them:
R padded steerin gwheel boss
R kneebag cover below the steerin gcolumn
R front-passenger airbag cover
R outer side of seat bolsters G
WAR
NING
As mall amo untofp owder is released when
an air bagisd eployed. The powder could
cause short-term breathing difficulties in peo-
ple with asthma or other respirator yprob-
lems.
In order to prevent bre athing difficulties ,you
should leave the vehicle as soon as it is safe
to do so. You can also open the window to
allow fresh air to enter the interior .The pow-
der does not constitute ahealth hazar dand
doe snot indicat ethat ther eisaf ire in the
vehicle. G
WARNING
The airbag parts are hot after the airbag has
been deployed. Do not touch them as you
could burn yourself. Occupant safety
43Safety
Z

Have the airbags replaced at
aqualified spe-
cialist workshop .Otherwi se,o ccupants are
not protecte dbythe airbags in the event of
anothe raccident.
Front airbags Th
ef ront airbags increase protection for the
driver's and front-p assenger' sheada nd
chest. Driver'
sairbag :deploy sinfront of the
st ee ring wheel; front-p assenger airbag ;
deploys in front of and above the glove com-
partment.
They are deployed:
R at the start of an acciden twith ahigh rate
of vehicle acceleration or deceleration in a
longitudinal direction
R if the system determines that airbag
deploymen tcan offer additional protec tion
to that provide dbytheseat belt
R if th eseat belt is fastened
R independently of other airbag sinthe vehi-
cle
If the vehicle overturns ,the front airbags are
generally not deployed. If the system detec ts
ah igh rate of vehicle deceleration in alongi-
tudinal direction, the front airbags are
deployed.
Front-passenger airbag ;is only activated if
the system determines that the front-
passenger seat is occupied. The 4
PASSENGER AIRBA GOFF indicato rlamp on
the centre console is not lit (Y page 52).
This means that achild restraint system with- out automatic chil
dseat recognition has been
fitted or that achild restraint system with
automatic chil dseat recognition is incorrectly
fitted.
! Do not place heavy object sonthe front-
passenger seat. The system ma ythen
detec tthat the seat is occupied and if there
is an accident ,the restraint system sonthe
front-passenger side could be deployed.
Hav erestraint system sthat hav ebeen trig-
gered replaced.
Driver' skneebag The driver'
skneebag increases protection of
the driver against:
R knee injuries
R thig hinjuries
R lowe rleg injuries Driver's kneebag
:is always deployed along
with the driver' sairbag and inflates under-
neath the steering column.
Sidebags G
WARNING
If you wish to use seat covers, Mercedes-Benz
recommends that, for safety reasons, you
only use seat cover sthat hav ebeen approved
for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
The seat cover smust have aspecial tear seam
for sidebags. Otherwise, the sidebags cannot
deploy correctly and would fail to provide the
intended protection in the event of an acci-
dent .Appropriate seat cover scan be 44
Occupant safetySafety

R
ABS ( Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R BAS PLU S(Brake Assist Sys tem Plus*)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
(Elec tronic Stability Program)
R EBD ( electronic brake force distribution)
R ADAP TIVE BRA KE
R PRE- SAFE ®
Brake
R STEER CONTROL Important safety notes
If yo ufail to adap tyou rd riving style, the driv-
ing safety systems ca nneither reduc ethe risk
of accident nor override the laws of physics.
Drivi ngsafety systems ar emerely aids
designed to assist driving. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front ,for
vehicle speed and for brakin gingood time.
Always adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the
prevailing road and weather conditions, as
well as the traffic conditions and maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front .Drive
carefully.
i Please note that th edriving safetys ys-
tems described only work as effectively as
possibl ewhen ther eisadequate contact
between the tyres and the road surface.
Pay particula rattention to the information
regarding tyres, recommended minimum
tyre tread depth setc. in the "Wheels and
tyres" sectio n(Ypage 356).
In wintr ydriving conditions ,always use
winter tyres (M+S tyres) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effec tivel yasp ossible. ABS (Anti-loc
kBrak ing System)
Impor tant safety notes i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). ABS regulates brake pressure in such
away
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from aspeed of about 8km/h
upwards, regardless of road-surfac econdi-
tions. AB Sworksons lippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently. G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the vehi-
cle when brakin gand the braking distance
may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to amalfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated. There
is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You shoul dalways adapt your drivin gstyle to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
Braking If ABS intervenes whe
nbraking, yo uwill feel
ap ulsing in the brake pedal.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depressthe
brake pedal with force until the brakin gsit-
uation is over.
X To mak eafull brake application:
depress th ebrake peda lwith full force.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and func-
tions as areminder to take extr acare while
driving. G
WARNING
Do not depress the brake pedal several times
in quick succession (pumping). Pumping the
brake pedal reduces the braking effect .You
might otherwise not be able to stop the vehi-
cle in tim eand could cause an accident.
Depres sthe brake pedal firmly and smoothly. Driving safety systems
61Safety Z

Off-road ABS
An AB
Ssystem specifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically once th eoff-
road program (Y page 222) is activated.
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
loc kc yclically durin gbraking .The digging-in
eff ect ac hieved in the process red ucesthe
stopping distanc eonoff-road terrain. This
limits steering capability. BAS (Brak
eAssist)
i Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usua lonce you
releas ethe brake pedal. BA Sisd eactivated. G
WARNING
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with ful lbrake boosting
effect. However, braking force is not auto-
matically increased in emergency braking sit-
uations and th estopping distance may
increase. BAS PLU
S(Brak eAssist System Plus)
BA SP LUS is only availabl eonvehicles with
DI ST RONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS PLUS assists you in braking during haz-
ardous situations at speeds above 30 km/h
and uses the radar sensor syste mtoevaluate
the traffic situation.
With the hel pofthe radar sensor system ,BAS
PLUS can detect obstacles that are in the path of your vehicl
efor an exte nded period of
time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h ,BAS
PLUS may also detect stationary obstacles,
for example ,stopped or parked vehicles.
Shoul dyou approach an obstacle and BAS
PLU Shas detected arisk of collision, BAS
PLU Scalculates the braking force necessary
to avoid arear-end collision .Should you apply
the brakes forcefully ,BAS PLUS can auto-
matically increase the braking force to alevel
suitabl efor the traffic conditions.
If BA SPLUS demand sparticularly high brak-
ing force, preventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)a re activate dsimul-
taneously.
X Keep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergenc ybraking situatio nisover.
ABS prevent sthe wheels from locking.
The brakes will wor knormally again if:
R you release the brake pedal.
R ther eisnol onger any danger of arear-end
collision.
R no obstacl eisdetected in front of your
vehicle.
BAS PLU Sisthen deactivated .Ifyou have
activated DSR (Y page 220), BASPLUS is
likewise deactivated.
Th er adar senso rsystem is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities in the following vehicles:
R vehicles with COMAND Online and naviga-
tion
R vehicles with Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP
PILOT
Becker ®
MAP PILOT must be connected;
see the separate Audio 20 operating
instructions. 62
Driving safety 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

course withi
nphysical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can als ostabilise the vehi-
cle durin gbraking.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashe sinthe instrumen tcluster. G
WAR
NING
If the ÷ warnin glamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivat eESP®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessar ywhen pulling away.
R adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into askid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
! Only operate the vehicl efor am aximum
of ten seconds on abrake dynamometer.
Switch off th eignition.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
ma yoth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Function or performanc etest sm ay only
be performed on a2-axle dynamometer. If
you wis htooperatethe vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aMercedes-
Benz Servic eCentr ebeforehand. You could
otherwise damage the driv etrain or the
brake system.
i Only us ewheels with the recommended
tyr es izes. Only then will ESP ®
func tion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
Traction control is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
viduall yifthey spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slipper ysurfaces, for example if the road surface is slippery on one
side .Ina ddition, mor edrive torqu eistrans-
ferre dtot he wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction con trol remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP ®
.
X In appropriate drivin gsituations, activate
the off- road program (Y page 222). G
WARNING
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. Traction control
cannot override the laws of physics.
Off-road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem)
A4 ETS syste mspecifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically onc ethe off-
roa ddrive progra m(Ypage 22 2)is activated.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
ESP ®
is activate dautomaticall ywhen the
engin eisstarted.
i Vehicle swith ECO start/stop func tion:
the ECO start/stop func tion switches the
engin eoff automatically when th evehicle
comes to astop. The engine starts auto-
matically when the driver wants to pull
away again. ESP ®
remains in its previously
selected status .Example: if ESP ®
was
deactivated before the engine was
switched off, ESP ®
remains deactivated
whe nthe engin eisswitched on again.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
WARNING
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply .ESP ®
will
oth erwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle 64
Drivin
gsafety systemsSafety

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