2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV light

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

Top Tether
Top Tethe
ranchorages To
pT ethe rprovides an additional connecti on
between the child restraint system secured
with ISOFIX and the rear seat. It help sreduce
the risk of injury even further.
The Top Tether anchorages for the second
row of seats are located on the rear of both
outer rear seat back rests. For the thir drow of
seats, use the lashin geyelets in the luggage
compartment floor.
X Move head restraint =upwards.
X Fit the ISOFIX child restraint syste mwith
Top Tether .Compl ywith the manufactur-
er' sinstallatio ninstructions whe ndoing so.
X Rout eTop Tether belt Bunder head
rest raint = between the two head restraint
bars.
X Guide Top Tether belt Bdownwards
between luggage compar tment cover:
and rear seat backrest ;.
X Hook Top Tethe rhook Aof Top Tether belt
B intoT op Tether anchorage ?.Ensure that:
R
Top Tether hook Ais hooked int oTop
Tether anchorage ?as shown.
R Top Tether belt Bis not twisted.
R Top Tether belt Bis routed between rear
seat backrest ;and luggage compart-
men tcover :if luggage compartment
cover is fit ted.
R Top Tether belt Bis routed between the
rear seat backrest ;and the safety net
if the safety net is fit ted.
X Tension Top Tether belt B.Complywith
the manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions when doing so.
X Move head restraint =back down again
slightly if necessary (Y page 103). Make
sure that you do not interfere with the cor-
rect routing of Top Tether belt B. Children in the vehicle
55Safety Z

Problems wit
hautomatic chil dseat recognition Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The
4 PASSENGER
AIRB AGOFF indicator
lam ponthe cen trecon-
sole is lit. As
pecial Mercedes-Benz child seat with atransponde rfor auto-
matic child seat recognition has been fit tedtot he front-passenger
seat. The front-passenger fron tairbag has therefore been disabled
as desired. The
4 PASSENGER
AIRBA GOFF indi cator
lamp on the centr econ-
sole is lit.
or
The 6 warnin glamp
lights up and/or the
4 PASSENGER AIR-
BA GO FF indi cator
lamp doe snot light up
briefly when you switch
the ignition on. G
WARNING
There is no child seat fitted to the fr ont-passengerseat .Automatic
child seat recognition is malfunctioning.
There is arisk of injur y.
X Remove electronic equipment from the front-passenger seat,
e.g.:
R
laptop
R mobil ephone
R card switht ransponders, such as sk ipasses or accessc ards
If the 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is still lit:
X Vis itaq uali fieds pecialist workshop. Suitable positioning of the child
restraint syste
ms X
Ifyou fit achild restraint system to the
front-passenger seat, position the front-
passenger seat in its rearmos tposition.
X If you install achild rest raint system on the
rear seat on the second row, move the rear
seat backrest sinthe secon drow to an
upright position.
Key to the letters used in the following table:
XS eat which is unsuitable for children in
this weight category.
US uitable for child rest raint systems in the
"Universal" categor ythat ar eapproved
for use in this weigh tcategory.
LS uitable for child rest raint systems as rec-
ommended; see th efollowin gtable of
"Recommended child restraint systems"
(Y page 58). Front-passenger seat Weight cat-
egories Front-
passenger
front air-
bag is not
disabled. Front-
passenger
front air-
bag is disa-
bled.
Categor
y0:
up to 10 kg X U
Cate
gory
0+: up to
13 kg X U
Category I:
9to18kg
L U
Category II:
15 to 25 kg
L L
Category
III: 22 to
36 kg
L L56
Children in the vehicleSafety

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

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

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