2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV towing

X
To switc hthe conn ected powe rsupply
on or off: turn thekey in the ignition lock
to position 2or 0respectivel y. Bulb failure indi
cator for LE Dlamps
i If LED lamps are fitte dinthe trailer, an
error message ma yappear in the multi-
function display even if there is no fault. The
reason for the error message may be that
the current has fallen below the minimum
of 50 milliamper es(mA).
To ensure reliabl eoperation of the bul bfailure
indicator, each LED chai ninthe trailer lighting
must be guaranteed aminimum current of
50 mA. Trailer with 7-pin connector
Genera linforma tion If your trailer has
a7-pin connector, you can
connect it to the 13-pin socket on the ball
coupling using an adapter or, if necessary, an
adapter cable .Both of these can be obtained
at aq ualified specialist workshop, e.g. at a
Mercedes-Ben zService Centre.
Fitting the adapter X
Open the socket cover.
X Insert the connector with lug :into
groove ;on the socket and tur nthe con-
nec torc lockwise to the stop. X
Let the cover engage.
X If you are using an adapter cable, secure
the cable to the trailer with cable ties.
! Make sure that there is sufficient cable
play so that the cable cannot become
detached when cornering. Towing
atrailer
231Driving andparki ng Z

Problems wit
htrailer towing Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The released ball cou-
pling cannot be
engaged. X
Visit aqualified specialist workshop. The ball coupling does
not unlock, even
though:
R the vehicle is station-
ary.
R no trailer cable is
connected.
R the release knob to
unlock the ball cou-
pling has been pulled
for more than asec-
ond. The on-boar
dvoltage is insufficient.
X Start the engine.
If the ball coupling still does not unlock:
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 232
Towin
gatrailerDriving and parking

Driving systems
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
À
At
tention Assist: Drowsines
sdetec‐ ted Base
donspecific criteria, ATTENTION ASSIST has determined that
th ed river is tired or paying less attention. Awarning ton ealso
sounds.
X If necessary, tak eabreak.
During long journeys, tak eregular break singood tim esoyou get
enough rest. À
At
tention Assist inoperative ATTENTION ASSIST ha
sfailed.
X Visit aquali fieds pecialist workshop. Á
Please
reduce speed You can
notc hang ethe vehicle level. Possible causes:
R you ar edriving to ofast for the selected vehicle level.
R you are towing atrailer.
R thet railer-coupling socket is being used ,e.g. for abicycle rack.
X Driv emore slowly and then select the desire dvehicle level
again.
R Vehicles with the ON&OFFROA Dpackage (Y page 183)
R Vehicles with the AIRMATI Cpackage (Y page 189)
X Observ ethe notes ontowing atrailer (Y page 226). Á
Co
mpressor is cool‐
ing Yo
uh ave selected ahigher vehicle level. The compressor first
needs to cool down because of frequen tlevel changes.
X Driv einam anner appropriate for the curren tvehicle level.
X Make sure that ther eissufficien tground cle arance.
X Allow the compresso rtocool down.
When the compressor has cooled down, the display message
disappears. The vehicle then con tinues rising to the selected
level. Á
Malfunction AIRMATIC is faulty.
X
Drive as appropriate for the current vehicl elevel, but do not
exceed 80 km /h.
X Make sur ethat ther eissufficient ground clearance.
X Have the vehicle checked at aqualified specialist workshop. The Active Curve System is faulty. The vehicle's handling charac-
teristics may be affected.
X Do not exceed amaximum spee dof80k m/h.
X Have th evehicle checked at aqualified specialist workshop. Display messages
269On-boardcomputer anddispl ays Z

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Bl
indS potA ssist currently unavail‐
abl
eS ee Owner's Manual or
Ac tive Blind Spo
tAssist currently unavail‐
abl
eS ee Owner's Manual Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assis
tist emporaril yinop-
erative .Possible causes:
R you have established the electrical con nectio nbetween the
trailer and your vehicle.
R the sensors are dirty.
R function is impaired due to heavy rai norsnow.
R the radar sensor system is outside the operating temperature
range.
R the radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio sta-
tions or other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
The yellow 9indicator lamps also light up in the exterior mir-
rors.
X Whe ntowing atrailer, con firm th edisplay message with a.
If you are drivin gwithout atrailer and th edisplay message does
not disappear:
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible ,paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Clean the sensors (Y page 327).
X Restart the engine.
If the system detect sthat the sensor sare full yoperational, the
display message disappears.
Blin dSpot Assist or Active Blin dSpot Assist is operational again. Blin
dSpot Assist inopera‐
tive or
Active Blind Spot Assist inoper‐
ative Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assist is faulty.
Th ey ellow 9indicator lamps also light up in the exterior mir-
rors.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. Park Assist
cancelled The driver'
sdoor is open and the driver' sseat belt has not been
fastened.
X Repeat the parking process with the seat belt fastened and the
driver' sdoor closed. You have inadvertently touched the multifunc
tion steerin gwheel
while steerin gintervention was active.
X While steerin gintervention is active, make sure that the multi-
function steerin gwheel is not touched. 274
Displa
ymessagesOn-board compu tera nd displays

Usefu
linfor mation ............................ 296
Loading guidelines ............................296
Stowage areas .................................. 296
Features ............................................. 306 295Stowing
andfeatures

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment
available to your vehicle at the time of pub-
lication of the Owner's Manual. Country-
specific deviation sare possible .Please
not ethat your vehicle ma ynot be equipped
with all featur es described. This also
applies to safety-releva ntsystems and
functions.
i Please read the information on qualified
specialist workshops (Y page 24).Loading guidelines
G
WARNING
Secur eand position the load as described in
the loading guidelines.
Otherwise, vehicl eoccupan tscould
be injured by the loa dbeingthrown around in
th ee vent of sharp braking ,asudden change
in directio noranaccident.
You wil lfind further information in the "Secur-
ing aload" section.
Even if you follow all the loadin gguidelines,
the load will increase the risk of injury in the
event of an accident. G
WARNING
Keep the tailgate closed when the engine is
running. Otherwise, you could be poisoned by
exhaust fumes enterin gthe vehicle.
The handling characteristics of aladen vehi-
cle are dependent on the distribution of the
load within the vehicle. For this reason, you
should observe the following notes when
transporting aload:
R when transpor ting aload, never exceed the
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight or the permissible axle loads for the vehicle
(includin goccupants).
R position heavy loads as far forward saspos-
sible and as low down in the load compart-
men tasp ossible.
R the load must not protrude abov ethe upper
edge of the seat backrests.
R always plac ethe load against the rea ror
front seat backrests .Make sure that the
seat backrests are securely locked into
place.
R hook in the safety net when loading.
R always place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
R secure the load with sufficiently stron gand
wear-resistant lashing material. Pad sharp
edges for protection.
i Load restraints are available at any quali-
fied specialis tworkshop, e.g. aMercedes-
Benz Servic eCentre. Stowage areas
Stowage compartments
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The stowage compartments must be closed
when item sare store dinthem. Luggage nets
ar en ot designed to secur eheavy item sof
luggage.
You or other vehicle occupant scould be
injure dbyo bjectsbeing thrown around if you:
R brak esharply
R change direction suddenly
R arei nvolved in an accident
Sharp-edge dand fragile object smust not be
placed in the luggag enet. 296
Stowage areasStowing and features

Fron
tstowage compartments Glove compartment
i
The glove compartment can be cooled
(Y page 135). X
To open: pull handle :and open glove
compartment flap ;.
X To close: fold glove compartment flap ;
upwards until it engages.
The glove compartmen tcan only be locked
and unloc kedu singthe emergenc ykey ele-
ment. 1
Glove compartmen tunlocked
2 Glove compartment locked
Ap artition for stowin gflat object sislocated
in th eupper sectio nofthe glov ecompart-
ment. It can be removed to increase the stow-
age space in the glove compartment. X
To remove: pull out partition :forwards
X To install: insert partition :and push it
back until it engages.
Spectacles compartment X
To open: press marking :.
Stowage compartment in th ecentre con-
sole X
To open: slide cover :forwards.
Stowage compartment ;appears. Stowage areas
297Stowingandfeatures Z

Stowage compa
rtment/telephone com-
partment under the armrest
i Depending on the vehicle's equipment, a
USB port and an AUX-I Njack or aMedia
In terf ace are installed in the stowage com-
partment .AMedia In terface is auniversal
interface for portable audi oequipment, e.g.
for an iPod ®
or MP3 player (see the sepa-
rat eA udio or COMAND operating instruc-
tions).
i There is aremovable stowage tray in the
storage compartment, in which objects
such as an iPod ®
can be stored. X
To open: pull handle :upwards.
The armrest folds out.
Rea rstowage compartments Stowage compartment in the rear centre
cons ole X
To open: briefly pres sthe stowage com-
partment marking.
The stowage compartmen topens. i
Depending on the vehicle's equipmen t,
there may be ope nstowag espaces above
and below the stowage compartment. Luggage nets
G
WAR
NING
Only place lightweight obje ctsint he luggage
net .Don ot use it to transport heavy ,sharp-
edged or fragile objects. The luggag enet can-
not secur ethe objects sufficiently in the event
of an accident.
Luggage net sare locate dinthe front-
passenger footwell and on the bac kofthe
driver 'sand the front-passenger seat. Through-loading facility in the rear
compartment
The through-loading facility is opened from
the luggag ecompartmen t. X
Unlatch th erear seat back rests and tilt
them in the cargo/load position.
X Fold down the rea rseat armrest.
X Pull the centr ehead restraint on the rear
benc hseat int othe uppermost position
(Y page 94).
X Slide release cat ch: to the left and swing
flap ;to the left until it is lying on the rear
sid eoft he rea rbenc hseat. 298
Stowage areasStowing and fea
tures