2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV ESP

G
WARNING
Do not le avec hildren unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they ar esecur edinac hild
restraint system .They could injur ethem-
selv eson parts of the vehicle. They could also
be seriously or even fatally injure dbypro-
longe dexpos uretoe xtreme hea torcold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Part softhe chil drestraint sys-
tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/himself on them.
If ac hild opens adoor, the child or other per-
sons coul dbeinjured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Observe the general notes on the HOLD func-
tion, which can be found under the same key-
word. G
WARNING
Unsecured or incorrectly positioned loads
increase the risk of injury for children and all
other occupant sinthe even tof:
R an accident
R sudden braking
R as udden change of direction
Do not transpor theavy or hard objects in the
vehicle interior unless they are secured. You
will fin dfurther information under "Loading
guidelines" in the index.
If ac hild is travellin ginyour vehicle, secure
the child using achild restraint system that is
recommended for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
The child restraint system must be appropri-
ate to the age, weight and size of the child.
You should preferabl yfit the child restraint
system to asuitable rear seat. Make sure that
the child is secured for the trip.
Mercedes -Benz recommends that you use
the listed child restraint systems
(Y page 58). You can obtain further infor-
mation about the cor rect chil drestraint sys-
tem from any Mercedes-Benz Ser vice Centre. i
It is advisabl etou se Mercedes-Ben zcare
product stoclean child restraint systems.
You can obtain information about this at
any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat G
WAR
NING
If the front-passenge rairbag is not disabled:
R ac hild secured in achild rest raint system
on the front-passenger seat could be seri-
ously and even fatally injured by the front-
passenger airbag deploying. This is espe-
cially arisk if the child is in the immediate
vicinit yofthe front-passenger airbag when
it deploys.
R never secur eachild on the front-passenger
seat in arearward-facing child restraint sys-
tem. Only secur earearward-facing child
restraint system on asuitable rear seat.
R alway smove the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secur eachild
in af orward-facing child rest raint system
on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger airbag is not disabled:
R on vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat
R in vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition in the front-passenger seat, if no
special child restraint system with trans-
ponders for automatic child seat recogni-
tion in the front-passenger seat has been
fitted
R on vehicles with automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat, if the
PASSENGER AIRB AGOFF indicator lamp
4 is not lit.
To make you aware of this danger, acorre-
spondin gwarning sticker has been affixed on
the dashboard and on both sides of the sun
visor on the front-passenger side.
Information about recommended child
restraint systems is available at any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Children in th
evehicle
51Safety Z

Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Parts of the child restraint sys-
tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/h imselfonthem.
If ac hild opens adoor, th echild or other per-
sons coul dbeinjured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Also observe the notes on HOLD .Relevant
information can be foun dinthe index.
Child- proof locks for the rear doors You secure each door individually with the
child-proof locks on the rear doors.
Adoor
secured with achild-proof lock can notbe
opened from inside the vehicle. When the
vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened
from the outside.
X To activate: press the child-proof lock
leve rdown in the direction of arrow ;.
X Make sure that the child-proof lock sare
workin gproperly.
X To deactivate: press thechild-proof lock
lever up in the direction of arrow :.Overrid
efeature for the rear side win-
dows X
To activate/deactivate: press button:.
If indicator lamp ;is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the driv-
er' sd oor. If indicator lamp ;is off ,oper-
ation is possible using the switches in the
rear compart ment. Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems overview
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
(Y pag e61)
R BAS (Brake AssistSystem) (Y page62)
R BAS PLUS ( BrakeAssist System Plus)
(Y pag e62)
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
(Y pag e63)
R Adaptive brak elamps (Y page 65)
R ESP ®
(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Y page 66)
R EBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
(Y page 68)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE (Y page 68)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 68)
R STEE RCONTROL (Y page 70)60
Driving safety systemsSafety

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or
become distracted, th edriving sa fetysys-
tems ca nneith er reduce th erisk of accident
no ro verri dethe law sofphysics. Driving
safety system sare mere ly aids desig nedto
assis tdrivi ng.You ar eresponsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in fr ont, forvehicle speed
and for braking in good time. Alway sadapt
your drivin gstyle to suit the prevailing road
and weather condition sand maintain asafe
distance from the vehicle in front .Drive care-
fully.
i Thed riving safet ysystems described only
work as effectively as possibl ewhen there
is adequate con tact betwee nthe tyres and
the roa dsurface. Pleas epay special atten-
tion to the notes on tyres, recommended
minimum tyre tread depths ,etc.
(Y page 396).
In wintry driving 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 effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking .The steerability and brakin gcharac-
teristics ma ybeseverely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safet ysystems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diatel yata qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the infor mation on the ABS warning lamp (Y
page 326) and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (Y page 291).
ABS regulate sbrake 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.
The yellow !ABS warnin glamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition
is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Brakes X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To mak eafull brake application:
depress th ebrake peda lwith full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
ap ulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions, and func-
tions as areminder to take extr acare while
driving.
Off-road ABS An ABS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated on:
R
Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age (Y page 252)
R Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253)
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
lock cyclically during braking. The digging-in
effect achieved in the process reduces the
stopping distance when driving off-road. This
limits steering capability. Driving safety systems
61Safety Z

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

ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes i
Observ ethe "Important safety notes "sec-
tio n(Ypage 61). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is mal functioning, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilis ethe vehicle. In addition, othe rdriving
safety systems are switche doff. This increa-
se st he risk of skiddi ngand an accident.
Driv eonc arefully. Have ESP ®
checked at a
qualified specialis tworkshop.
! Only operat ethe vehicle for amaximum
of ten seconds on abrake dynamometer.
Switch off th eignition.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
ma yoth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Afunction or performanc etest should
only be carried out on atwin-axle dyna-
mometer .Before you operate th evehicle
on such adynamometer, pleas econsult a
qualified workshop. You coul dotherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ousl ywhen the engin eisrunning.
If the ÷ warning lamp and the åwarn-
ing lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not
available due to amalfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 329 )and display message swhich
ma ybes hown in the inst rument cluster
(Y page 291).
If ESP ®
detects that th evehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or mor ewheels ar ebrake dtos tabilise the
vehicle .The engin eoutput is also modified to
keep the vehicle on the desired course within
physical limits. ESP ®
assists the driver when
pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehicle during braking.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. If ESP
®
intervenes:
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
X When pulling away ,only depress the accel-
erator pedal as far as is necessary.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather condi tions.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyr es izes. Only then will ESP ®
func tion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) Traction con
trol is par tofESP®
.
Tractio ncontrol brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they 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 ®
.
In appropriate drivin gsituations, activate the
off-road program:
X Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age (Y page 252)
X Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253)
Off- road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem) A4
ETS syste mspecifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically onc ethe off-
roa dprogram is acti vated on:
R Vehicle swithout the ON&OFFROA Dpack-
age (Y page 252)
R Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253) 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

Deactivating/activating ESP
®G
WARNING
If you deactivat eESP®
,E SP ®
no longer sta-
bilises the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eESP®
in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing. X
To switch off: press button:.
The å ESP®
OF Fw arnin glamp in the
instrumen tcluster lights up.
X To switch on: press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warnin glamp in the
instrumen tcluster goes out.
ESP ®
is activated automatically when the
engin eisstarted.
The ECO start/stop fun ction switches the
engin eoff automaticall yifthe vehi cles tops
moving. When pulling away again, the engine
start sautomatically. ESP ®
remain sinits pre-
viousl yselected status. Example: if ESP ®
was
deactiva tedb efor ethe engine was switched
off ,ESP ®
remains deactivated when the
engine is switched on again.
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
th ei nstrumen tcluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilise th evehicle. It may be best to deact
ivateESP®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using sno wchains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longe rimproves driving stab ility.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
R engine torque is not limited and the drive
wheels are abl etospin. The spinnin gofthe
wheels resu ltsinac utting action for better
traction.
Off-roa dESP® An ESP
®
syste mspecif icall ys uited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road progra misactivate don:
R Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age (Y page252)
R Vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253)
Off-road ESP ®
intervenes with adelay if there
is oversteerin gorundersteering ,thus improv-
ing traction.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation G
WARNING
If roa dand weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilis ation will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with ahigh centre of gravit ycan
tip over before ESP ®
can detect this. There is
ar isk of an accident.
Always adap tyour driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
lurch, you can only stabilise the vehicle/
trailer combination by depressin gthe brake
firmly. Driving safety systems
67Safety Z

In this situation, ESP
®
assist syou and can
detec tifthe vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by brakin gand limiting the engine outp ut until
the vehicle/trailer combinatio nhas stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 60 km/h.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of amal-
function.
Crosswin dAssist Strong crosswinds can cause your vehicle to
deviate from astraight course. The crosswind
driving assistance function integrated into
ESP ®
significantly reduces thes eeffects.
ESP ®
intervene sautomatically according to
the direction and intensity of the crosswinds
affecting your vehicle.
When driving on straight roads or gentle
bends ,your vehicle is kept safel yonc ourse
by astabilising brake intervention.
Crosswind driving assistance is active above
av ehicle speed of 80 km /h.
Crosswind driving assistance does not work
if ESP ®
is deactivated or disabled because of
am alfunction. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the rear wheels can
still lock, e.g. under full braking. This increa-
ses the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefor eadapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brak esystem checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (Y
page 327) as well as dis-
play messages (Y page 293).
EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking. ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
also has the HOLD function (Y page 211) and
hill start assist (Y page 162). PRE-SAFE
®
Brake
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is only available in vehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can help you to minimise
the risk of acollision with avehicle in front or
reduc ethe effect sofsuchacollision .IfPRE-
SAFE ®
Brake has detected arisk of collision,
you will be warned visually and acoustically
as well as by automatic braking. PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot prevent acollision withou tyour
interven tion.
This func tion will issue awarning if:
R at speeds of around 30 km/ horm ore over
several seconds, the distance maintained
to the vehicle travellin ginfront is insuffi-
cient.
The · distance warning lamp then lights
up in th einstrument cluster.
R at as peed of approximately 7km/h or
high er,y ou ver yquickly approach avehicle
in front.
An intermittent warning tone will then
sound and the ·distance warning lamp
will light up in the instrumen tcluster. 68
Driving safety systemsSafety

X
Brake immediatel yinorder to increas ethe
distanc efrom th evehicle in front.
or
X Take evasive actio nprovided it is safe to do
so.
From aspeed of approxim ately 7km/h ,ifthe
driver and passengers hav efastened their
seat belts, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can brake the
vehicl eautom atically at speeds up to approx-
imatel y200 km/h.
Due to the nature of the sy stem, particu larly
comp licate ddriving conditions may cause
unneces sary warnings or th eunneces sary
interventi onof PRE-SAFE ®
Brake.
You can stop PRE-SAFE ®
Brake interventi on
at any time by:
R depressing the accelerato rpedal further
R activa ting kickdown
R releasing the brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE ®
Brak eis
ended automatically if:
R you manoeuvr etoavoidthe obstacle.
R ther eisnol onger any danger of arear-end
collision.
R ther eisnol onger an obstacle detected in
fron tofy our vehicle.
If you have activa tedD SR (Y page 25 1)PRE-
SAFE ®
Brak eisa lso deactiva ted.
With the help of the rada rsensor system,
PRE- SAFE ®
Brake can detect obstacles that
are in front of your vehicle for an extended
period of time.
At speed suptoapproximately 70 km/h, PRE-
SAFE ®
Brak ecan also detect stationary
obstacles such as stopped or parked vehi-
cles.
If you approach an obstacle and PRE-SAFE ®
Brak edetects arisk of acollision ,the system
will aler tyou both visually and acoustically .If
you do not brake or take evasive action, the
syste mwill warn you by automatically braking
the vehicle gently. If ther eisanincreased risk
of collision, preventativ epassenger protec-
tion measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)a re activated (Y
page 45). If, at speeds ove r30km/h, arisk
of collision remains and you do not brake,
take evasive action or significantly acceler-
ate, automatic brakin gmay be performed up
to alevel of automatic emergency braking.
Automatic emergency brakin gisnot per-
formed until immediately prior to an accident
that can no longer be avoided. G
WARNING
PRE- SAFE®
Brake wil linitiall ybrake your vehi-
cle by apartial application of the brakes if a
danger of collisio nisd etected. There may be
ac ollision unless you also brake. Automatic
emergency brakin gcannot preven tacolli-
sion. There is arisk of an accident.
Always apply the brakes yourself and try to
take evasive action. G
WARNING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brak ecannot alway sclearly iden-
tify objects and complex traf ficc onditions.
In these cases, PRE- SAFE®
Brake may:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
R neithe rgive awarning nor intervene
There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traf fic
situation and be ready to brake, especiall yif
PRE- SAFE®
Brake warns you. Terminate the
intervention in anon-critical driving situation.
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
motorcycle
R av ehicle travellin ginfront on adifferent
line Drivin
gsafety systems
69Safety Z