2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV Owners Manual

Door contro
lpanel Function Page
:
Opens th
edoor 82
;
%&
Unlocks/locks
th ev ehicle 83
=
r4
5=
Stores se ttingsfor the seat,
exterior mirrors and steer-
ing wheel (memory func-
tion) 115
?
Adjusts the seat 101
A
7Z
ö\
Adjusts and folds the exte-
rior mirrors in/out electri-
cally 112 Function Page
B
W
Opens/closes the
side windows 89
C
±
Opens/closes the
hinged power side windows 90
D
q
Opens/closes the
tailgate 87
E
n
Activates/deacti-
vates the override feature
for the side windows in the
rear compartment 6038
Doo
rcontrol panelAt ag lance

Usefu
linfor mation .............................. 40
Occupant safety .................................. 40
Child renint he vehicle ........................ 50
Driving safety systems .......................60
Anti- theft systems .............................. 71 39Safety

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variation sare pos-
sible. Note that your vehicl emay not be
equippe dwith all of the function sdescri-
bed. This is also the case for system sand
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page25). Occupan
tsafety Impo
rtantsafety notes G
WARNING
If service work is not carrie dout correctly, the
operatin gsafet yofyour vehicle may be affec-
ted. This coul dcause you to lose contro lof
your vehicle and cause an accident. More-
over, the safety syste ms maynolonger be
able to protect you or other sastheya re
designed to do.
Always have se rvicew ork carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. G
WARNING
Modification stoorwork performed incor-
rectly on th efollowin gpartsc an result in the
restraint system snot functioning as in tended:
R ther estraint system, consisting of seat
belt sand their anchorage poi nts,belt ten-
sioners ,belt force limi ters and airbags
R the wiri ng
R networked ele ctronicsystems
Airbags and belt tensioners could fail to
deploy or be triggered in an accident despite
the deceleration for cebeing sufficien ttotrig-
ge rthe systems, or coul dbetriggered unin-
ten tionally. For this reason, never mak eany
modifications to the restraint systems.
Therefore, you must not tamper with elec-
tronic compone ntsort heir software. The seat belts, together with SRS (Supple-
men
talR estraint System), are complemen-
tary, co-ordinated restraint systems
(Y page 41). They reduc ethe risk of injury
in specific ,pre-defined types of accident sit-
uations and thereby increas eoccupant
safety. However, seat belts and airbags gen-
erall ydon ot protect against objec tspene-
tratin gthe vehicle from the outside.
To ensur ethat the restraint system scan
deliver their full potential protection, make
sure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 100).
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 47).
R the airbags can inflate unrestricted if
deployed (Y page 42).
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 100).
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied.
An airbag increases the protection of vehicle
occupant swearing aseat belt. However, air-
bags are only an additional restraint system
which complemen ts,b ut does not replace,
the seat belt. All vehicle occupant smust wear
their seat belt correctly at all times, even if
the vehicle is equipped with airbags. The air-
bags are not deployed in all types of acci-
dents. For example, if the protective capacity
of correctly fastened seat belts is not
increased by deploying the airbags, the air-
bags will not deploy.
Airbag deployment only provides increased
protection if the seat belt is worn correctly.
First ,the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
occupan tinthe best position in relation to the
airbag. Second, in ahead-on collision ,for
example, the seat belt prevent sthe vehicle
occupan tfrom being propelled toward sthe
point of impact. 40
Occupant safetySafety

SRS (Supplementa
lRestraint System)
Introduction SRS consist
sof:
R theS RS warning lamp6
R airbags
R the airbag control unit with crash sensors
R belt tensio ners forthe front seat belts and
the outer seat belts in the rear
R belt force limiters
SRS reduce sthe risk of occupants coming
int oc ontact with the vehicle' sinterior in the
event of an accident. It can also reduce the
forces to which occupant sare subjecte ddur-
ing an accident.
SRS warning lamp G
WARNING
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be triggered unintentionally or might not
be triggered in the event of an accident with
ah igh rate of vehicle deceleration.
Am alfunction has occurred if:
R the 6 SRS warning lamp does not light
up when the ignition is switched on.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp does not go out after afew
seconds.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp lights up again.
In this case, have SRS checked immediately
at aq ualified specialist workshop.
SRS functions are checked regularly when
you switch on the ignitio nand whe nthe
engin eisrunning. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The 6 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than afew seconds
after the engine is started. Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiters and airbags During the first stage of
acollision ,the airbag
con trol unit evaluates important physical
data relatin gtovehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as:
R duration
R direction
R magnitude
Based on the evaluation of this data, the air-
bag control unit pre-emptively triggers the
belt tensioners in the first stage.
If there is an even higher rat eofvehicle decel-
eration or acceleration in alongitudinal direc-
tion ,the front airbags ar ealso deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air-
bags. The airbag control unit evaluates vehi-
cle deceleration or acceleration in the event
of ac ollision .Inthe first deploymen tstage,
the front airbag is filled with enoug hpropel-
lan tgas to reduce the risk of injuries. The
front airbag is fully deploye difasecond
deployment threshold is reached within afew
milliseconds.
The belt tensioner and airbag triggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the
rat eofd eceleration or acceleration of the
vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in nature.
The triggerin gprocess mus ttake place in
good time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen-
tially determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collisio nangle
R the deformation characteris tics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteris tics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after acollision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag, Occupant safety
41Safety Z

nor do they provid
eanindicatio nofairbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e.g. the bonnet or the wing, withou tanairbag
being deployed. This is the case if only parts
which are relatively easily deformed are affec-
ted and the rat eofdeceleration is not high.
Conversely, airbags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor defor-
mation. This is the case if, for example, very
rigid vehicle part ssuch as longitudinal body
members are hit, and sufficien tdeceleration
occu rsas aresult.
i The fron tbelt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the seat belt tongues on the front
seats are cor rectly engage dinthe seat belt
buckles.
i Not all airbags ar edeployed in an acci-
dent .The different airbag system swork
independently of each other.
How the airbag system work sisdeter-
mined by the severity of the accident detec-
ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
R head-on collision
R side impact
R overturn Airbags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however ,asubstitute for seat belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the risk
of serious or even fatal injury caused by airbag
deployment:
R all vehicle occupants –inparticular ,preg-
nant women –must wear their seat belt
correctly at all times and lean back against
the backrest, which should be posi tioned
as close to th evertical as possible. The head restraint must support th
eback of the
head at about eye level.
R always secur echildren less than
1.50 mtall or under 12 years of age in suit-
able child restraint systems.
R all vehicle occupant smust select aseat
position that is as far away from the airbag
as possible. The driver' sseat position must
allow the vehicle to be driven safely .The
driver's chest should be as fa raway from
the centre of the driver' sairbag cover as
possible.
R move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible .This is especially important if
you hav esecured achild in achild rest raint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R vehicle occupant s–inparticular ,children
–m ust not lean their heads into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/window-
bag is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fit tedtot he front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger airbag has
been disabled. On the front-passenger
seat, the front-passenger airbag is disabled
if ac hild rest raint system with atrans-
ponde rfor automatic child seat recognition
is fit tedtot he front-passenger seat in a
vehicle equipped with automatic chil dseat
recognition. The 4PASSENGE RAIRBAG
OF Findicator lamp must be continuously
lit.
If the front-passenger sea tofyour vehicle
does not have automatic child seat recog-
nition ,oryour rearward-facing child
rest raint system does not have atrans-
ponde rfor automatic child seat recogni-
tion ,children must be secured in achild
rest raint system on asuitable seat in the
rear. If you secure aforward-facing child
rest raint system to the front-passenger
seat, you must move the front-passenger
seat as far back as possible.
R make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in the pockets of clothing. 42
Occupant safetySafety

R
do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover of
the driver's/front-passenger fron tairbag,
particularly when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the airbag to be fully deployed.
You could be injured if the airbag is
deployed and you are holding the inside of
the steering wheel.
R do not lean on the doors from inside the
vehicle.
R make sure that ther eare no people ,ani-
mals or obje ctsb etween the vehicle occu-
pants and the area where the airbags are
deployed.
R do not place any objects between the seat
back rest and the door.
R do not hang any har dobjects, e.g. coat
hangers ,onthe gra bhandles or coat hooks.
R do not attac haccessories ,e.g. cup holders,
to the doors.
It is not possible to rule out arisk of injury
being caused by an airbag, due to the high
speed at which the airbag must be deployed. G
WARNING
Airbag functionality can only be assured if the
following parts are not covered and no badges
or stickers are attached to them:
R padded steering wheel boss
R kneebag cover below the steering column
R front-passenger airbag cover
R outer side of seat bolsters G
WARNING
When an airbag deploys, asmall amount of
powder is released. Th epowder may cause
short-term breathin gdifficulties to persons
sufferin gfrom asthma or other pulmonary
conditions.
In order to prevent potentia lbreathing diffi-
culties, you should leave th evehicle as soon
as it is safe to do so. You can also open the
window to allow fresh air to enter the vehicle interior
.The powder does not constitute a
healt hhazard and does not indicat ethat there
is af ire in the vehicle. G
WARNING
The airbag parts are hot after the airbag has
been deployed. Do not touch them as you
could burn yourself.
Have the airbags replaced at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. Otherwise, occupants are
not protected by the airbags in the event of
another accident.
Airbag deployment slow sdown and restric ts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
If the airbags are deployed ,you will hear a
bang and asmall amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will th ebang
affect your hearing. The powde rthat is
released generally does not constitute a
healt hhazard. The 6SRS warning lamp
lights up.
The airbag installation location sare identified
by th eAIRBAG symbol.
Front airbags !
Do no tplace heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. The system may then
detec tthat the seat is occupied and if there
is an accident ,the restraint system sonthe
front-passenger side could be deployed.
Hav erestraint system sthat hav ebeen trig-
gered replaced. Driver's airbag
:deploys in front of the
steerin gwheel; front-passenger front air- Occupant safety
43Safety Z

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

fitting lo
udspeakers. Damag etothe doors
can affec toperation of the sidebags. Front sidebags
:and sidebag sinthe 2nd
row of seats ;inflate nex ttothe outer seat
cushion.
When deployed, the sidebag soffer additional
protectio nfor the thorax and, on the front
seats, the pelvis of the vehic leoccupants on
the side of the vehic leon which the imp act
occurs. Howev er,they do not protect the:
R head
R neck
R arms
The sidebag sare deploy ed:
R on the side on which an imp acto ccurs
R at the start of an accident with ahigh rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion, e.g. in aside impact
R independently of the use of the sea tbelt
R independently of the fron tairbags
R independen tlyo fthe belt tensioners
If the vehi cleo verturns, th esidebags are gen-
erally not deployed. Sidebags are deployed if
the system detects high vehicle deceleration
or acceleration in alatera ldirection, or als oif
the vehicl eoverturns ,and the system deter-
mines that sid ebag deployment can offer
additiona lprotectio ntothat provided by the
seat belt. Windowbags
Windo
wbags :enhance the leve lofprotec-
tio nfor the head, but not chest or arms, of the
vehicle occupants on the side of the vehicle
on which the impact occurs.
The windowbags ar eintegrate dinto the side
of the roof frame and dep loyint he area
extendin gfrom th efront door (A-pi llar) to the
rear side windo w(D-pillar).
Windo wbagsa re deploy ed:
R at the start of an accident with ahigh rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion ,e.g. in asidei mpact
R on th esideonw hich an impact occurs
R on the driver's and the front pass enger's
sid eift he vehicle overturns and the system
determines that windowbag deployment
can off eradditiona lprotectio ntothat pro-
vided by the sea tbelt
R independently of the use of the seat belt
R regardless of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
R independently of the fron tairbags PRE-SAFE
®
(preventative occup ant
protection) G
WARNING
Whe nadjusting the seat ,makes ure that
nobody can become trapped.
! Make sure that there are no object sinthe
footwell or behin dthe seat swhen moving Occup
ants afety
45Safety Z