2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV Owners Manual

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
J
The red brake system
warnin
glamp comes on
while the engine is run-
ning. Awarning tone
also sounds. G
Risk of accident
There is insufficient brake fluid in the fluid reservoir.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions. Do not continue driving
under any circumstances.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Consult aqualified specialist worksho pimmediately.
X Observe th eadditiona ldisplay messages in the multifunction
display.
Do not top up the brake fluid. This does not correct the error. !
The yello
wABS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running. G
Risk of accident
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) has bee ndeactivated due to afault.
For this reason, BAS (Brake Assist), BAS PLUS, ESP ®
(Electronic
Stability Program), PRE-SAFE ®
,P RE-SAFE ®
Brake, the HOL Dfunc-
tion, hill start assist, the adaptive brake lights and ESP ®
trailer
stabilisation are also deactivated, for example.
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheel scould therefor elock if you
brake hard ,for example.
ATTENTION ASSIS Tisdeactivated.
X Observ ethe additiona ldispla ymessages in the multifunction
display.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop.
If the ABS control unit is faulty, there is also apossibility that other
systems, such as the navigation system or the automatic trans-
mission ,will not be available. 286
Warning and indicator lamp
sinthe instrument clusterOn-board compute rand displays

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
!
The yellow AB
Swarning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running. G
Risk of accident
ABS is temporarily unavailable. Therefore, BAS ,BAS PLUS, ESP ®
,
EBD (electronic brake force distribution), PRE-SAFE ®
,
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake, the HOLD function, hil lstart assist, the adaptive
brake lights and ESP ®
trailer stabilisation, for example, are also
deactivated.
Self-diagnosi sisnot yet complete or the on-boar dvoltage ma ybe
insufficient ,for example.
The brake system con tinues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above .The wheels could therefor elock if you
brake hard ,for example.
ATTENTION ASSIS Tisdeactivated.
X Careful lydriv eonas uitable stretch of road, making slight steer-
ing movements, at aspeed above 20 km/h.
The functions mentioned above are available again when the
warning lamp goes out.
If the warning lamp is still on:
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. !
The yello
wABS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running .A
warning tone also
sounds. G
Risk of accident
EBD is faulty. Therefore, ABS ,BAS, BAS PLUS, ESP ®
,P RE -SAFE ®
,
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake, the HOLD functi on,hills tart assist, the adaptive
brake lights and ESP ®
trai lers tabilisation, for example, are not
availabl eeither.
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above .The wheels could therefor elock if you
brake hard ,for example.
ATTENTION ASSIS Tisdeactivated.
X Observ ethe additiona ldisplay messages in the multifunction
display.
X Driv eonc arefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. Warnin
gand indicator lam psin the instrument cluster
287On-boardcomputera nd disp lays Z

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
J֌!
The red brake warning
lamp, the yellow ESP
®
and ESP ®
OFF warning
lamps and the yellow
AB Sw arning lamp are
lit while the engine is
running. G
Risk of accident
ABS and ESP ®
are malfunctioning. Therefore, BAS ,BAS PLUS,
EBD ,PRE-SAFE ®
,P RE-SAFE ®
Brake, the HOLD function, hill start
assist, the adaptive brake lights and ESP ®
trailer stabilisation, for
example, are not available either.
The brake syste mcontinue stofunction normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheel scould therefor elock if you
brake hard ,for example.
ATTENTION ASSIS Tisdeactivated.
X Observ ethe additiona ldisplay messages in the multifunction
display.
X Driv eonc arefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. ÷
The yello
wESP®
warn-
ing lamp flashes while
the vehicle is in motion. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
or traction control has intervened because there is arisk of
skidding or at least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLU Sisd eactivated.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as necessar ywhen
pulling away.
X Ac celerate more gently during the journey.
X Adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the road and weather conditio ns.
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
.
Exceptions: (Y page 63). å
The yello
wESP®
OFF
warning lamp is lit while
the engine is running. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
and ESP ®
traile rstabilisatio nare deactivated. ESP ®
will not
stabilis ethe vehicle if it starts to skid or if awheel starts to spin.
X Reactivate ESP ®
.
For exceptions, see: (Y page 63).
X Adap tyour drivin gstyle to suit the road and weather conditio ns.
If ESP ®
cannot be activated:
X Have ESP ®
checked at aqualified specialist workshop. 288
Warnin
gand indicator lam psin the instru ment clusterOn-board computer and displays

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
֌
The yellow ESP
®
and
ESP ®
OFF warning
lamps ar elit while the
engine is running. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
,B AS ,BAS PLUS, PRE-SAFE ®
,P RE-SAFE ®
Brake, the HOLD
function, hill start assist, the adaptive brake lights and ESP ®
trailer
stabilisatio nare not availabl edue to amalfunction .ESP ®
will not
stabilise the vehicl eifitstarts to skid or if awheel starts to spin.
The brake system con tinues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
X Observe the additional displa ymessages in the multifunction
display.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. ֌
The yellow ESP
®
and
ESP ®
OFF warning
lamps are lit while the
engine is running. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
,B AS ,PRE-SAFE ®
,t he HOL Dfunction, hill start assis tand
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation are temporarily not available.
The adaptive brake lights ,BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may
also have failed.
ESP ®
will not stabilis ethe vehicle if it starts to skid or if awheel
starts to spin.
Self-diagnosis is not yet complete.
The brake system con tinues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above .The wheels could therefor elock if you
brake hard ,for example.
ATTENTIO NASSIST is deactivated.
X Carefully drive on asuitable stretc hofroad, makin gslight steer-
ing movements, at aspeed above 20 km/h.
The functions mentioned above are available again when the
warning lamp goes out.
If the warning lamp is still on:
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. Warnin
gand indicator lam psin the instru ment cluster
289On-boardcomput er anddisplays Z

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
!
The red indicator lamp
for the electric parking
brake flashes and/or
the yellow warning
lam pfor the electric
parkin gbrake lights up. Th
ee lectric parkin gbrake is temporaril ymalfunctioning or is
defective.
X Observe the additional display message sint he multifunc tion
display. 6
The red SRS warning
lam
pisl it while the
engine is running. G
Risk of injury
The restrain tsystems are malfunctioning. The airbags or belt ten-
sioners may eithe rbetriggered unintentionall yor, in th eevent of
an accident, may not be triggered at all.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist worksho pimmediately. Engine
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
;
Th
ey ellow engine diag-
nostic swarning lamp
lights up while the
engine is running. There may be
afault, for example:
R in the engine management
R in the fuel injection system
R in the exhaust system
R in the ignition system (for vehicles with petrol engines)
R in the fuel system
The emissio nlimit values may be exceeded and the engine may
be running in emergenc ymode.
X Hav ethe vehicle chec kedass oon as possible at aqualified
specialist workshop. Vehicles with
adiesel engine: the fuel tank has been run dry
(Y page 156).
X Star tthe engin ethree to fou rtimes after refuelling.
If the yellow engine diagnostics warnin glamp goes out, emer-
gency running mode is cancelled. The vehicle need not be
checked. 290
Warnin
gand indicator lam psin the instru ment clusterOn-board computer and displays

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
8
The yellow reserve fuel
warnin glamp lights up
while the engine is run-
ning. The fuel level has dropped into the reserve range.
Operation of the auxiliary heating is deactivated when the fuel level
drops into the reserve range.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. ?
The red coolant warn-
ing lamp lights up while
the engine is running
and the coolant tem-
perature gauge is at the
start of the scale.
The temperature senso
rfor the coolant temperatur egauge is
faulty.
The coolant temperature is no longer being monitored. There is a
risk of engine damage if the coolant temperature is too high.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traf-
fic conditions, and switch off the engine. Do not continue driving
under any circumstances.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. Warnin
gand indicator lam psin the instru ment cluster
291On-boardcomput er anddisplay s Z

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
?
The red coolant warn-
ing lam
pcomes on
while the engin eisrun-
ning. The coolant level is too low.
If the coolant level is correct, the airflow to the engine radiator
may be blocked or the electric engine radiator fan may be mal-
functioning.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to road and traf-
fic conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Let the engine and coolant cool down.
X Check the coolant level and top up the coolant (Y page 321).
Observe the warning notes as you do so.
X If you have to top up the coolant frequently, have the engine
cooling system checked.
X Make sure that the air suppl ytot he engin eradiator is not
blocked, e.g. by frozen slush.
X If the coolant temperature is less than 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialis tworkshop.
X Avoid heav yloads on the engin easyou do so, e.g. driving on
mountain roads and stop-star ttraffic. ?
Th
er ed coolan twarn-
ing lamp comes on
while the engine is run-
ning. Awarning tone
also sounds. The coolant temperature has exceeded 120 †. The airflow to the
engine radiator may be blocked or the coolant level may be too
low.
The engine is not being cooled sufficiently and may be damaged.
X Observe the additional display message sint he multifunc tion
display.
X Stop the vehicle immediately, paying attention to roa dand traf-
fic conditions, and switch off the engine.
X Let the engine and coolant cool down.
X Check the coolant level and top up the coolant (Y page321).
Observe the warning notes as you do so.
X If you have to top up the coolan tfrequently, have th eengine
cooling system checked.
X Make sure that the air supply to the engine radiato risnot
blocked, e.g. by frozen slush.
X If the coolant temperatur eisless than 12 0†,you can con tinue
driving to the neares tqualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving on
mountain roads and stop-s tart traffic. 292
Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument clusterOn-boar
dcomputer and displays

Driving systems
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
·
The red distanc
ewarn-
in gl amp lights up while
th ev ehicle is in motion. G
Risk of acc
ident
The distanc etothe vehicle in frontistoo smal lfor the speed
selected.
X Increase the distance. ·
The red distance warn-
ing lam
plights up while
the vehicle is in motion.
Aw arning ton ealso
sounds. G
Ris
kofa ccident
The warning is issued if you approach astationar yvehicle or a
vehicle driving ahead of you at to ohigh aspeed.
X Be prepared to brak eimmediately.
X Pa yc areful attention to the traffic situation. You may have to
brak eort akee vasive action.
Mo reinformatio nabout DISTRONI CPLUS(Ypage 174) and
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 66). Tyres
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
h
The yellow tyr
epres-
sure monitor warning
lamp is on. G
Risk of accident
Th et yrep ressure monitor has detected aloss of pressure in at
least on eofthe tyres.
X Stop the vehicl ewithout making any sudden steering or braki ng
manoeuvres .Pay attention to the traffic conditions as you do
so.
X Observ ethe additiona ldisplay messages in the multifunction
display.
X Check the tyre pressure. If necessary, correc tthe tyr epressure
(Y page 361).
X If necessary, change awheel (Y page 363). Wa
rning and indicator lamp sinthe instrument cluster
293On-boardcomputerand disp lays Z