2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV sensor

bag
;deploys in fron tofand above the glove
compartment.
The front airbags incre aseprotection for the
driver's and front-passenger's hea dand
chest.
The yare deployed:
R at th estart of an accident with ahigh rate
of vehicl eacceleratio nordeceleration in a
longitudina ldirection
R if the system determines that airbag
deployment can offer additional protection
to that provided by the seat belt
R depending on whether the seat belt is being
used
R independently of other airbags in the vehi-
cle
If the vehicle overturns, the fron tairbags are
generally not deployed. The fron tairbags are
deployed if the system detec tshigh vehi cle
deceleration in alongitudinal direction.
Vehicles with au tomatic child seat recog-
nition in th efront-passenger seat: the
fr ont-passenge rairbag is only activated if the
system determines that the fron t-passenger
seat is occupied. The 4PASSENGE RAIR-
BA GO FF indi cator lamp on the centr econ-
sole does not light up (Y page 52).
If ac hild restraint system is fitted on the fr ont-
pa ssenger seat and the 4PASSENGER
AIRB AGOFF indicato rlam pint he centr econ-
sol ed oesn ot light up:
R ac hild restraint system withou tatrans-
ponder for automatic child seat recognition
is fitted, or
R ac hild rest raint system with atransponder
for automatic child seat recognition is not
properly fitted. Driver's kneebag Driver'
skneebag :deploys under the steer-
ing column. The driver's kneebag is always
deploye dalong with the driver's front airbag.
The driver's kneebag is designed to operate
together with the front airbags in frontal
impact sifcertain thresholds are exceeded.
The driver' skneebag operates bes tincon-
jun ction with correctly positioned and fas-
tened seat belts.
The driver's kneebag increases protection of
the driver against:
R knee injuries
R thigh injuries
R lower leg injuries
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-Benz vehicles.
The seat covers must 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
obtained, for example, from aMercedes-Benz
Servic eCentre. G
WARNING
Sensor stocontrol the airbags are located in
the doors. Therefore, do not mak eany modi-
fications to the doors or doo rtrim, e.g .retro- 44
Occupant safetySafety

the seat back. There is
arisk thatthe seats
and/or the objec ts could be damaged.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes pre-emptive measures to
protect occupants in certain hazardous sit-
uations.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes:
R if BAS activates, e.g. in emergency braking
situations
R if BAS PLUS intervenes powerfull y—on
vehicles wit hDISTRONIC PLUS
R if, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS, the
radar sensor system detects an imminent
dang er of collision in cer tain situations
R in critical drivin gsituations, e.g. when phys-
ical limits are exceeded and the vehicle
understeers or oversteers severely
PRE-SAFE ®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detec-
ted:
R the front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
R vehicles with the memor yfunction: the
front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is in an
unfavourable position.
R vehicles with amulticontour seat: the air
pressure in the side bolsters of the back-
rest is increased.
R if the vehicle skids ,the slidin gsunroof/
panorama sliding sunroof and the side win-
dows are closed so that only asmall gap
remains.
If th ehazardous situation passe swithout
resulting in an accident ,PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pretensioning. On vehicles with mul-
ticontour seats ,the air pressur einthe side
bolster sisreduced again. All settings made
by PRE- SAFE®
can the nbereversed.
If the seat belts are not released:
X Move the backrest or seat back slightly, but
only when the vehicle is stationary.
The belt pretensioning is reduced and the
locki ng mech anism is released.
More information about seat belt adjustment,
ac onvenien ce function integ rated into PRE- SAFE
®
,c an be found in the "Seat belt adjust-
ment "section (Y page 48). Seat belts
Important safety notes G
WARNING
As eat belt which is not worn correctly, or
which has not been engaged in the seat belt
buckle correctly, can notp rovide th eintended
level of protection. Under certain circumstan-
ces, this could cause severe or even fatal inju-
ries in the event of an accident.
Therefore, make sure that all occupants —in
particular ,pregnant women —wear their seat
belts cor rectly at all times.
R Th es eat belt must fit snugly on your body
and must not be twisted.Therefore, avoid
wearing bulky clothing, e.g. awinter coat.
The shoulder section of the belt must be
routed across the centre of your shoulder
—onnoa ccount acros syour nec korunder
your arm —and pulled tight against your
uppe rbody. The lap belt must always pass
across your lap as low down as possible, i.e.
over your hip join ts—n ot across your abdo-
men .Ifn ecessary, push the seat belt
slightly downwards and adjust it by pulling
it in the direction the seat belt retracts.
R Do not rout ethe seat belt strap over sharp
or fragile objec ts.P lease make sure that
such object sare not on or in your clothing,
e.g .spectacles, pens or keys etc. The seat
belt strap could become damaged and tear
durin gana ccident and you or other vehicle
occupants coul dbeinjured.
R Only one person should use each sea tbelt
at any one time. Children must never travel
sittin gont he lap of another occupan t.The
child will not be secured in the even tofan
accident ,heavy braking or sudden change
of direction .This ma yresult in the child or
other occupants being seriously or fatally
injured. 46
Occupant safetySafety

Warning notice on the front-passenger sun visor
Warning symbol for
arearward-facin gchild
rest raint system
Do not use arearward-facin gchild rest raint
system on aseat that is protected by an air-
bag installed in fron tofit.
Automatic chil dseat recognition on the
front-passenger seat G
WARNING
If the 4 PASSENGE RAIRBA GO FF indica-
tor lamp does not light up whe nthe child
restraint system is fitted, the fr ont-passenger
airbag has not been disabled. If the fr ont-
pa ssenger airbag deploys, the chil dcould be
seriou slyor even fatally injured.
Proceed as follows:
R do not use arearward-facin gchild restraint
system on the fr ont-passengers eat.
R fit arearward-facing child restraint system
on asuitable rear seat.
or R
only use aforward-facing child rest raint
system on the front-passenger seat and
move the front-passenger seat to the rear-
most position.
R have the automatic child seat recognition
checked at aqualified specialist workshop.
To ensure that the automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat func-
tions/communicates correctly, never place
objects, e.g. acushion, under the child
restraint system. The entire base of the child
restraint system must alway srest on the seat
cushion. An incorrec tlyf itted child restraint
system cannot perfor mits intended protec-
tive function in the event of an accident, and
could lead to injuries. G
WARNING
Do not place electronic devices on the front-
passenger seat, e.g.:
R laptops, when switched on
R mobile phones
R cards with transponders, e.g. ski passes or
access cards
Signals from electronic equipment can cause
interference in the automatic child seat rec-
ognition sensor system. Thi scan 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 2.52
Children in th
evehicleSafety

If th
efront-passenger seat of yo urvehicle
does no thave automatic child seat recogni-
tion, this is indicated by aspecial sticker. The
sticker is affixed to the side of the dashboard
on the front-passenger side. The sticker is
visible when you open the front-passenger
door.
Vehicles without automatic child seat recog-
nition on the front-passenger seat: if you turn
the key to position 2inthe ignition lock ,the
PAS SENG ER AIRBAG OFF 4indicator
lamp lights up briefly. It has no function, how-
ever, and doe snot indicate that the front-
passenger seat is equipped with automatic
child seat recognition. The front-passenger seat sensor system for
child restraint system
sdetect 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. 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 windowbag
R the belt tensioner
ISOFI Xchilds eat securing system for
the rear seats G
WARNING
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 with the vehicle seat belt as well. In
addition ,when fittin gachild restraint system,
be sur etoobservethe manufacturer' sinstal-
latio ninstructions and the instructions for
correct use of the child restraint system. G
WARNING
The child restraint system cannot perform its
protective 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 ,besure to observe the manufactur-
er's installatio ninstructions and the instruc-
tions for correct use of the child restraint sys-
tem.
For safety reasons, whe ninstalling child
restraint systems on the outer rear seats, only
use child restraint systems with the ISOFIX
child sea tsecuring system, which are spe-
ciall ytested and approved for Mercedes-Benz
vehicles.
An incorrectly fitted child restraint system
could com eloose and seriously or even fatally Children in the vehicle
53Safety
Z

BAS (Brak
eAssis tSystem)
i Observet he "Imp ortant safety notes "sec-
tion (Y page 61). G
WARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased .There is arisk of accident.
In an emergenc ybraking situa tion, depress
the bra kepedal with full force. AB Sprevents
th ew heels fr om locking.
BAS operate sinemergency brakin gsitua-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the brakin gforce,
thus shortening the stoppin gdistance.
The brakes will func tion as usual onc eyou
release the brake pedal. BA Sisd eactivated. BAS PLUS (Brake Assist Syste
mPlus)
i Observe the "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS PLUS is only available on vehicles with
DISTRONIC PLUS.
BAS PLUS provides braking assistance in haz-
ardous situations at speeds greater than
7k m/h and uses rad ar sensortechnology to
assess the traffic situation.
With the help of the rada rsensor system ,BAS
PLU Scan detect obstacles that are in the
path of your vehicle for an extended period of
time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/ h,BAS
PLUS may also det ects tationar yobstacles,
for example, stopped or parked vehicles.
To prevent afront-en dcollision, BA SPLUS
calculate sthe brake force necessary if:
R you approach an obstacle, and
R BA SP LUS ha sdetected arisk of collision
If you ar edriving at aspeed over
30 km/h:ify ou depress the brake sharply,
BA SP LUS automatically raise sthe brake
pressur etoavalue adapted to the traffic sit-
uation. If you are driving at
aspeed under
30 km/h:ify ou depress the brake, BA SPLUS
is activated. Braking will be carried ou tatthe
last possible moment.
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 niso ver.
ABS prevents th ewheels from locking.
BA SP LUS is deactivate dand the brakes func-
tion as usual ,if:
R you release th ebrake pedal.
R there is no longe rany danger of arear-end
collision.
R no obstacl eisdetected in front of your
vehicle.
If you have activated DSR (Y page 251), BAS
PLU Sisa lso deactivated.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinit yofradio 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 operating instructions.
The radar senso rsystem must be switched off
using the on-board computer 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
For information on switching off the radar
senso rsystem using the on-board computer,
see (Y page 283). 62
Driving safety systemsSafety

For BAS PLUS to assis
tyou whe ndriving, the
rad ar se nsorsystem must:
R be switched on (Y page 283)
R be operational (Y page 298)
If the radar sensor syste mism alfunctioning,
BA SP LUS wi llnot be available. The brake
system is stil lavailable wit hcomplete brake
boostin geffect and BAS. G
WARNING
BAS PLUS canno talways clearly identify
objects and complex traffic situations. BAS
PLU Scannot intervene in these cases. There
is ar isk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
In partic ular,the detection of obstacles can
be im paired if there is:
R dirt on the sensors or anything else cov er-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by othe rradar sources
R the possibility of stron gradar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travellin ginfront,e.g. a
motorcycle
R av ehicle travel lingin fron tonad ifferent
line G
WARNING
BA SP LUSd oes no treact:
R to peopl eoranimals
R to oncomin gvehicles
R to crossin gtraffic
R when corneri ng
As aresult, BAS PLU Smay not intervene in all
critical situations. There is arisk of an acci-
dent.
Always pay careful attention to the traf fics it-
uation and be ready to brake.
Following damage to the fron tend of the vehi-
cle ,havet he configuration and operation of
the radar sensors checked at aqualified spe- cialist workshop. This also applie
stoc olli-
sions at slow speeds where ther eisnovisible
damage to the fron tofthe vehicle. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
Genera lnotes COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consist
sof
Adaptive Brake Assist and the distance warn-
ing function, which are described in the fol-
lowing.
Distance warnin gfunction Important safety notes
i
Observe th e"Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). G
WARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomin gvehicles
R to crossing traffic
R when cornering
Thus, the distanc ewarning function cannot
provide awarning in all critical situations.
There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
The distance warnin gfunction cannot always
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning signal
may:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give awarning
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation, do not rely on the distance warning
function alone.
Function
X To activate/deactivate: activate or deac-
tivate the distance warning function in the
on-board computer (Y page 278). Driving safety systems
63Safety Z

When the distan
cewarning function is acti-
vated, the multifunction display shows the
Ä symbol as long as the HOLD function is
not activated (Y page 211). On vehicles with
Active Parking Assist, the Äsymbol is dis-
played when position Pis engaged or you are
driving faster than 35 km/h.
The distanc ewarning function can help you
to minimise the risk of acollision with the
vehicle in fron torreduce the effects of such
ac ollision .Ifthe distanc ewarning function
detect sthat ther eisar isk of acollision ,you
will be warned visually and acoustically .The
distanc ewarning function cannot preven ta
collision without your inte rvention.
The distan cewarning function will issue a
warning at speed sofaround 30 km/h or
more if:
R thed istanc etothe vehicle in fron tist oo
short for the speed you ar edriving at for
severa lseconds. The ·distan cewarn-
ing lamp then lights up in the instrument
cluster.
R you are rapidly approaching the vehicle in
front. An intermittent warning ton ewill
then sound and the ·distanc ewarning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster.
X Brak eimmediatel yinordertoi ncreas ethe
distanc efrom th evehicle in front.
or
X Take evasiv eactio nprovide ditiss afe to do
so.
For the distanc ewarning function to assist
you when driving, the function must be acti-
vated in the on-board computer and be opera-
tional (Y page 278).
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause the
system to display an unnecessary warning.
With the help of the radar senso rsystem, the
distanc ewarning function can detect obsta-
cles that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h, the
distance warning fun ction may also detect stationary obstacles, for example, stopped or
parked vehicles.
If you approach an obstacle and the distance
warnin gfunction detects arisk of acollision,
the system will initially aler tyou both visually
and acoustically.
In particular ,the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if ther eis:
R dir tont he sensors or anythin gelse cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interferenc ebyother radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks
R an arro wvehicle travelling in front, e.g. a
motorcycle
R av ehicle travelling in fron tonadifferent
line
Following damage to the fron tend of the vehi-
cle ,havet he configuration and operation of
the radar sensor checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applie stoc olli-
sions at slow speeds where ther eisnovisible
damage to the fron tofthe vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). G
WARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions. In these cases, Adaptive Brake Assist
may not intervene. There is arisk of an acci-
dent.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
Adaptive Brak eAssist does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomi ng vehicles
R to crossing traffic 64
Driving safety systemsSafety

R
to stationary obstacles
R when cornering
As aresult, Adaptive Br akeA ssist may not
int ervene in al lcritica lconditions .There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay carefu lattention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
Adaptive Brake Assist aids you in braking dur-
ing hazardous situations at speeds above
30 km/h and uses the radar sensor system
to evaluate the traffic situation.
With the hel pofthe adaptive Brake Assist ,the
distanc ewarning signal can detect obstacles
that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
Should you approach an obstacle and the
adaptive Brake Assis thas detected arisk of
collision, the adaptive Brake Assist calculates
the brakin gforc enecessar ytoavoidac olli-
sion with the vehicle in front .Should you
apply the brakes forcefully ,the adaptive
Brake Assist will automatically increase the
brakin gforc etoal evel suitable for the traffic
conditions.
X Keep the brak epedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if:
R you release the brak epedal.
R there is no longer any danger of arear-end
collision.
R no obstacl eisdetected in front of your
vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
If adaptive Brake Assist demands particularly
high braking force, preventative passenger
protec tion measure s(PRE-SAFE ®
)a re activa-
ted simultaneousl y.
Up to vehicl espeeds of around 25 0km/h,
th ea daptiv eBrake Assist is capable of react-
ing to moving objects that have alread ybeen
recognised as such at least once over the
period of observation .Adaptiv eBrake Assist
does not react to stationary obstacles. If th
eadaptiv eBrake Assist is not available
du et oam alfunction in the radar senso rsys-
tem, the brake syste mremains available with
ful lbrake boostin geffect and BAS.
In particular, th edetection of obstacles can
be impaired if there is:
R dirt on the sensors or anything else cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other rada rsources
R the possibility of stron gradar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travelling in front ,e.g. a
motorcycle
R av ehicle travelling in front on adifferent
line
Following damage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensor checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applies to colli-
sions at slow speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle. Adaptive brake lamps
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 50 km/ horifbraking is assisted by BAS
or BAS PLUS, th ebrake lamp sflash rapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 70 km/ htoastandstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are 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 button (Y page 122). Driving safety systems
65Safety Z