2011 MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV traction control

1, 2,
3...
12 Vsocket
see Sockets
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) ....64
4MATIC (permanent four-wheel
drive) .................................................. 220A
ABS (Anti-lock Brakin gSystem)
Disp laym essage ............................ 254
Function/notes ................................ 61
Important safety notes ....................61
Warn ingl am p................................. 286
Activating/deactivating air-recir-
culation mode .................................... 128
Activating/d eactivating cooling
with air dehumidification .................124
Activ eBlindS pot Assist
Activating/deactivating (on-
board computer) ............................ 245
Display message ............................ 274
Function/notes ............................. 212
To wing atrailer .............................. 215
Activ eCurv eSyst em
Disp laym essage ............................ 269
Function/notes ............................. 188
Activ eDriving Assistanc epackage .212
Activ eLane Keepi ngAssist
Activating/deactivating (on-
board computer) ............................ 245
Display message ............................ 273
Function/informatio n.................... 215
To wing atrailer .............................. 217
Activ elight function ......................... 109
Activ ePark Assist
Display message ............................ 274
Activ eParkin gAssist
Important safety notes ..................194
To wing atrailer .............................. 197
Activ eService System PLUS
se eA SSYSTP LUS service interval
display
ADAPTIV EBRAKE ................................ .66
Adaptive bra kelamps ......................... 63
Adaptive Highbeam Assist Function/notes ............................. 110Adaptive Main-Beam Assist
Display message ............................ 265
Switch ingo n/off (on-board com-
puter) ............................................. 248
AdBlue ®
Display message ............................ 268
Service ind icator ............................ 323
topping up ..................................... 157
AdBlue ®
service indicator ................323
Additive s(engine oil)........................ 376
Adjustin gthe headlamp range .........108
AD S(Ad aptiv eDampin gSystem)
Function/note s............................. 188
Airbags
Activati on......................................... 41
Front airba g(driver, front
passenger) ....................................... 44
Important safety gu idelines ............. 42
Kneeba g.......................................... .44
Sidebag ............................................ 44
Windowba g...................................... 45
Ai rc onditioning
Settin gthe te mperature (rear
compartment) ................................ 126
Air-co nditionin gsyst em
se eC limate control
Ai rf ilter (whit edisplay message) ....267
AI RF LOW ........................................... 125
AIRMATIC package ADS (Ad aptive Damping System) ...188
Function/notes ............................. 188
Leve lcontrol .................................. 189
Ai rp ressure
see Tyr epres sure
Ai rv ents
Glove compartmen t....................... 135
Important safety notes ..................135
Rea r............................................... 136
Setting ........................................... 135
Setting the centre ai rvents ........... 135
Setting the si deairv ents ............... 135
Alarm system
seeA TA (Anti-Theft Alar msystem) 4
Index

Door
Automati clocki ng(on-boar dcom-
puter )............................................. 249
Automatic lockin g(switch) ...... ........ .78
Cent rallocking/unlocking (key) ......72
Contro lpane l................................... 37
Display message ............................ 281
Emergency lockin g........................... 79
Emergency unlocking .......................79
Important safety notes ....................77
Opening (fro mthe inside) ................ 77
Downhil lSpee dRegulation
see DS R(Downhill Speed Regulation)
Drink sholder
see Cup holders
Drive program
Automatic ...................................... 149
Display (DIRE CTSELECT lever) ......146
Manual .......................................... .150
Dri veprograms
se eO ff-roa dprog rams
Driver' sdoor
see Door
Driver's seat
see Seats
Driv esyst em
Active Blind Spot Assist .................212
Dri ving abroad
Service24 h.................................... 323
Symmetrical di pped bea m............. 106
Dri ving in mountainous terrain
Approach/departure angle ............168
Dri ving off-road
see Off-road driv ing
Driving programs
see On-road programs
Driving safety system
BAS PLUS (Brake Assist System
PLUS) .............................................. .62
Electroni cBrake-force Distribu-
tio n.................................................. 65
ESP ®
(Electroni cStability Pro-
gram) ............................................... 63
Important safety gu idelines ............. 61
Dri ving safety systems
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) ...64
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) .......61 ADAPTIVE BRAKE
............................. 66
Ada ptive brake lamps ......................63
BAS (Brak eAssist System ).............. 62
Overview .......................................... 60
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake ............................. 66
Steering assistant STEER CON-
TROL ................................................ 68
Dri ving system
Active Lan eKeeping Assist ............215
Active Parking Assis t..................... 194
Leve lcontrol (vehicle with AIR-
MATI Cpackage) ............................ .189
On-road programs .......................... 218
Dri ving systems
Active Curve System ...................... 188
Active Drivin gAssistanc epack-
age ................................................. 212
ATTENTION ASSIST ........................202
Blind Spo tAssist ...... ...................... 208
Cruise control ................................ 170
Display message ............................ 269
Distronic Pl us................................ 174
HOLD function ............................... 187
Lane Kee ping Assist ...................... 210
Lane package ................................ 208
Leve lcontrol (vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package) ................183
Nig htVie wA ssist Plus ................... 205
PARKTRONIC ................................. 191
Revers ingc amera .......................... 197
Speed Limi tAssist ......................... 203
Dri ving tips
Aquaplaning ................................... 164
Automatic transmission .................148
Brake s........................................... 162
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 181
Downhill gradient ........................... 163
Driving abroa d............................... 106
Driving in winte r............................ .165
Driving on flo oded roads ................ 164
Driving on sand .............................. 168
Driving on we troads ...................... 164
Driving ove robstacles ................... 168
Gen eral .......................................... 162
Icy road surfaces ........................... 165
Limited brak inge fficiency on sa l-
ted road s....................................... 163
New brak epads/linings ................ 163 Index
9

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

X
To deactivate: press theÌ/Á but-
ton.
The indicator lamp in the Ì/Ábut-
ton goe sout.
i Residual hea tisdeactivated automati-
cally:
R after about 30 minutes
R when the ignition is switched on
R if the batter yvoltage drops
R if the coolant temperatur eistoo low Auxiliar
yheating
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Exhaust fumes are produced when the auxili-
ary heating is in operation. Inhalin gthese
exhaust fumes can be poisonous. You should
therefor eswitch off the auxiliary heating in
confined spaces without an extraction sys-
tem, e.g. agarage. G
WARNING
When operating the auxiliary heating, parts of
the vehicle may become very hot, and highly
inflammable material such as fuels could be
ignited. Operating the auxiliary heating is thus
prohibited at filling stations or when your vehi-
cle is being refuelled .You must therefore
switc hoff the auxiliary heating at filling sta-
tions.
! Operatin gthe auxiliary heating/ ventila-
tion draws on the vehicl ebattery. After you
have heated or ventilated the vehicle a
maximum of two times, drive for alonger
distance.
i Switch on the auxiliary heatin gregularly,
e.g. for about ten minutes ever ymonth.
The auxiliary heatin gheats the air in the vehi-
cle interior to the set temperature without
using the heat of the runnin gengine .The aux-
iliary heating is operated directly usin gthe
vehicle' sfuel. For this reason, the tank con- tent must be at least at reserve fuel level to
ensure that the auxiliary heating functions.
The auxiliary heating/ventilation automati-
cally adjusts to changes in temperature and
weather conditions. For this reason, the aux-
iliary heating could switch from ventilation
mode to heating mode or from heating mode
to ventilation mode.
The auxiliary heating switches off when the
engine is switched off. The auxiliary ventila-
tion switches off when you turn the key to key
position 2.
The auxiliary heating switches off automati-
cally after 30 minutes. This time limit can be
altered. To do this, visit aqualified specialist
workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
You can notu se the auxiliary ven tilation to
cool the vehicle interior to atemperature
lower than the outside temperature.
Before switching on X
Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Set the temperature.
The auxiliary heating/ventilation can be acti-
vated even when the climate control is being
controlled manually. Optimum comfor tcan
be attained when the system is set to auto-
matic mode. Set the temperature to 22 †.
The auxiliary heating/ventilation can be acti-
vated or deactivated using the remote control
or the button on the centre console.
The on-board computer can be used to spec-
ify up to three departure times, one of which
may be preselected (Y page 250).130
Operating the climate control systemClimate control

fitted to you
rvehicle which have been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which cor respond to an equivalen tquality
standard. Brak epads/linings which have not
been approved for Mercedes -Ben zvehicles or
which are not of an equivalent qualit ycould
affect your vehicle' soperatin gsafety. Tyr
etrac tion G
WARNING
Whereas the vehicle can be fully controlle dat
ac ertain speed on dry roads, you must reduce
your speed on wet or icy roads to achiev ethe
sam eroad safety. You coul dotherwise cause
an accident.
Pay particular attention to the road conditions
at temperatures around freezing point.
If ice has formed on the road surface (e.g.
from fog), athin fil mofw ater rapidly forms on
the ice when you brake, considerably reduc-
ing tyre traction. Driv ewith particular care in
such weather conditions. Driving on wet roads
Aqua planing If water ha
saccumulate dtoacertain depth
on the road surface, ther eisadanger of aqua-
planing occurring, even if:
R you are driving at low speeds.
R the tyres have adequate tread depth.
For this reason, do not drive in tyre ruts, and
brake carefully.
Driving on flooded roads If you have to drive on stretches of road on
which water has collected, please bear in
mind that:
R the maximum permissible still water depth
depends on the vehicle equipment.
R you should drive no faster than at walking
pace. !
Bear in mind that vehicles travellin gin
front or in th eopposite direc tion create
waves. This ma ycause the maximum per-
missible water depth to be exceeded.
Thes enotes must be observed under all
cir cums tances. You could othe rwise dam-
age the engine, the electronics or the trans-
mission.
Off- road fording Th
et able shows fordin gdepth :when the
vehicle is loaded and ready to drive.
Loaded and ready to driv emeans: afull tank,
all fluids topped up and the driver is in the
vehicle.
On vehicles with the AIRMATIC package or
the ON&OFFROAD package, loads up to the
maximum permissible load have no influence
on the fordin gcapability. Fording
depth Steel-sprung vehicles
50 cm
Vehicles with the AIRMATIC
pack
age Raised level 50 cm
Vehicles with the ON&OFF-
ROAD package
Off-road level 3 60 cm
Off-road level 2 50 cm
Off-road level 1 50 cm164
Driving tipsDrivin
gand parking

The following system
sare switche doff when
th er adar senso rsystem is deactivated:
R DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 174)
R BAS PLUS (Y page 62)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 66)
R Blind Spot Assist (Y page 208)
R Active Blind Spot Assist (Y page 212)
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing whee ltoselect the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Rada rsensor (See Owner's Man.): .
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Heating menu Auxiliary heating depa
rtur et ime
This function is only availa bleo nvehicles with
auxiliar yheatin g(Ypage 130).
In the Heating submenu, you can select a
stored departure tim eorchange adeparture
time.
The auxiliar yheatin gtimer func tion calcu-
lates the switch-on tim eaccording to the out-
sid etemperature so that the vehicle is pre-
heated by the departure time. When the
departure tim eisreached, the auxiliar yheat-
ing continues to heat for afurther five
minutes and then switches off. The auxiliary
heating adopts the THERMATI Cor
THERMOTRONI Ctemperature setting.
You can switc hoff th eauxiliary heating by
using the remote control or the auxiliary heat-
ing button on the centre console. G
WARNING
Exhaust fumes are produced when the auxili-
ary heating is in operation. Inhaling these
exhaust fumes can be poisonous. You should
therefore switch off the auxiliary heating in confined spaces without an extraction sys-
tem, e.g.
agarage. G
WARNING
When operating the auxiliary heating parts of
the vehicle can get very hot. Make sure that
the exhaust system does not under any cir-
cumstances come into contact with easily
ignitable material such as dry grass or fuels.
The material could otherwise ignite and set
the vehicle alight. Choos eyour parkin gspot
accordingly.
Operating the auxiliary heating is thus pro-
hibited at fillin gstations or when your vehicle
is being refuelled .You must therefore switch
off the auxiliar yheatin gatf illing stations.
! Operating the auxiliary heating/ventila-
tion draws on the vehicle battery. After you
have heated or ventilated the vehicle a
maximum of two times, drive for alonger
distan ce.
i Switch the auxiliary heating on regularly
once amonthfor about 10 minutes.
Selecting th edepartur etime or deactivat-
ing aselected depa rtur et ime
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Heating submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select
one of the three departur etimes or Timer off (no timer active).
X Press the abutton to confirm.
When adeparture tim eisselected, the yel-
low indicator lam plights up on the auxiliary
heating button. 250
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

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