2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV Owners Manual

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

R
Persons under 1. 50mtall cannot wear the
seat belts correctly. For this reason secure
person sless than 1.50 mtall in specially
designed, suitable restraint systems.
R Children under 1. 50mt all and younger
than twelv eyears of age canno twear the
seat belts cor rectly. For thi sreason secure
them in special suitable child restraint sys-
tems installed on asuitable seat. Additional
information can be found in the Operating
Instructions in the chapter "Safety", "Chil-
dren in the Vehicle". Observe the installa-
tion instructions of the child restraint sys-
tem manufac turer.
R Do not secure an object wit haseat belt if
the seat belt is also being used by one of
the vehicle's occupants. G
WAR
NING
The seat belt doe snot offer the intended level
of protection unless the back rest is almost
ver tical. Under certain circumstances, this
coul dcause severe or even fatal injuries in the
event of an accident.
Befor estarting ajourney, mak esure that the
seat is properly adjusted and that the back-
rest is almost vertical. G
WARNING
Ad irtyo rdamaged seat belt or one that has
been modified or subjected to aload in an
accident no longer offers the intended level of
protection. Un dercertain cir cumstances, this
could caus esever eoreven fatal injurie sinthe
even tofana ccident.
For thi sreason ,chec kregularly that the seat
belts are not damaged or dirty.
Alway shave damaged seat belts or seat belts
that have been subjected to aload in an acci-
dent replaced at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
For safety reasons, Mercedes -Benz recom-
mends that you only use seat belts which have
been approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle. Seat belts are the most effectiv
emeans of
restraining the movemen tofvehicle occu-
pant sint he even tofanaccident. This
reduce sthe risk of vehicle occupan tscoming
into contact with parts of the vehicle interior.
Fastenin gseat belts X
Adjust the seat and move the backrest to
an almost vertical position (Y page 100).
X Pull the seat belt smoothly through belt
sash guide :.
X Without twistin git, guid ethe shoulder sec-
tion of the seat belt across the middle of
your shoulder and the hip section across
your hips.
X Engage belt tongue ;in buckle =.
Seat-belt adjustment :ifnecessary, the
driver' sand front-passenger sea tbelts
automatically adjust to the upper body
(Y page 48).
X If necessary, adjust the seat belt to the
appropriate height (Y page 48).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
For mor einformation about releasing the seat
bel tw ith release button ?,see "Releasing
seat belts" (Y page 48). Occupant safety
47Safety Z

Sea
tbelt adjustment The seat-belt adjustment func
tion adjusts the
driver's and front-passenger seat belt to the
upper body of the occupants.
The belt strap is tighte neds lightly when:
R you engage the belt tongue in the belt
buckle and you then turn the key to position
2in the ignition lock.
R the key is in position 2in the ignition lock
and you then engage the belt tongue in the
buckle.
The seat-belt adjustment will apply acertain
tightening force if any slack is detected
between the occupant and the seat belt. Do
not hold on to the seat belt tightly while it is
adjusting. You can switch the seat-belt
adjustmen tonand off in the on-board com-
puter (Y page285).
Th es eat-belt adjustmen tisani ntegral part of
the PRE-SAFE ®
convenience function. More
information abou tPRE-SAFE ®
can be found
under "PRE-SAFE ®
(preventative occupant
protection)" (Y page 45).
Belt height adjustment You can adjust the belt height for the front
seats
.Adjust the belt to aheight that allows
the upper part of the seat belt to be routed
across the centre of your shoulder.
X To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: press and hold belt sash guide
release :. X
Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Let go of belt sash guide release :and
mak esure that the belt sash guide has
engaged.
Releasing the seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt. Dam-
aged seat belts can no longer fulfil their
protective function and must be replaced.
Visit aqualified specialist workshop. :
Belt sash guide
; Belt tongue
= Buckle
? Release button
X Press release button ?and guide belt
tongue ;back towards belt sash
guide :.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger The
7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is areminder for all occupants
to fasten their seat belts. It may light up con- 48
Occupant safetySafety

tinuousl
yorflash. In addition, th erem ay be a
warning tone.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes ou tand
the warning tone ceases when the driver and
the front pass enger hav efastened their seat
belt.
For certain coun tries only: regardless of
whether th edriver and the front passenger
have fastened their seat belts, the 7seat
bel tw arning lamp lights up for six seconds
after the engin eisstarted. It then goes out if
th ed river and the front passenger have fas-
tened thei rseat belts.
i For mor einformation on the 7seat
bel twarning lamp, see "Indicator and warn-
in gl am ps in the instrument cluster ,seat
belt" (Y page 325).
Rear seat belt status indicator Example: rear-compartment sea
tbelts tatus indi-
cator
The rear-comp artment sea tbelt status indi-
cator indicates the rear seat on which the belt
is fastened. The status indicator displays peo-
ple in the direc tion of travel. In the example,
the passenger sonthe outer seats in the rear
hav etheir seat belts fastened. The üsym-
bol in the multifunction displa yindicates a
fastened sea tbelt. If aseat belt is not fas-
tened or if aseat is not occupied, the ý
symbol is displayed. The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator appear
sint he multifunction displa yfor
around 30 seconds if:
R you drive off and reach aspeed of approx-
imately 10 km/h.
R the rear passengers fasten or unfasten
their seat belts while the vehicle is in
motion.
R someon egets in or out of the vehicle and
the vehicle drives off again.
You can also can celthe rea rseat belt status
indicator immediately (Y page 290).
i The status indicator for the rear- compart-
ment seat belts is only available for certain
countries.
Bel ttensioners, belt force limiters G
WARNING
If the seat belt tensioners have been trig-
gered, they provide no additional protection
in the event of another accident. Therefore,
have belt tensioners which have been trig-
gered replaced at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Comply with safety regulations when dispos-
ing of belt tensioners. An yMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre can provid edetails of these
regulations.
! If the front-passenger seat is not occu-
pied, do not engage the seat belt tongue in
the buckl eonthe front-passenger seat.
Otherwise, the belt tensioner could be trig-
gere dint he even tofanaccide nt.
X In order to ensur ethat the pyrotechnic seat
belt tensioner shave not been triggered,
alway shave the seat belts checked after an
accident.
If the belt tensioners have been triggered,
they must be replaced. Occupant safety
49Safety Z

The seat belts on the following seats have belt
tensioner
sand bel tforc elimiters:
R driver's and front-passenger seat
R the outer seats in the second row
R the seats in the third row
The belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in
an accident ,pulling them close against the
body.
Belt tensioners do not correc tincorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened sea tbelts.
Belt tensioners do not pull vehicle occupants
back towards the backrest.
If the seat belt is also fit tedw ithabelt force
limiter and this is triggered, the force exer ted
by the seat belt on the vehicle occupant is
reduced.
The belt force limiters for the fron tseats are
synchronised with the fron tairbags, which
tak eona part of the deceleration force. This
result sinthe force exerted on the occupant
being distributed over agrea tera rea.
Th eb elt tensioners can only be activa ted
when:
R the ignition is switched on.
R the restraint system sare opera tional; see
"SR Swarnin glamp" (Y page 41).
The belt tensioners on the outside seats in the
second row and on the seats in the thir drow
ar et riggere dindependently of the lock status
of the sea tbelts.
The belt tensioners are triggere ddepending
on the type and severity of an accident:
R if, in the even tofahead-on or rear-end col-
lision, the vehicle decelerates or acceler-
ates rapidly in alongitudinal direction dur-
ing the initial stages of the impact
R if, in the even tofaside impact, on the side
opposit ethe impac tthe vehicle deceler-
ates or accelerates rapidly in alateral direc-
tion
R in certain situations where the vehicle over-
turns and the system determines that it can
provide additional protection If the airbags are deplo
yed,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. Children in the vehicle
Child restraint systems
Important safety notes G
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal
injury to the child in the event of asudden
change in direction, braking or an accident:
R children less than 1.50 mtall and under
twelve years of age must always be secured
in special child restraint systems on asuit-
able vehicle seat. This is necessary
because the seat belts are not designed for
children.
R Do not drive with achild secured in arear-
ward-facing child restraint system on the
front-passenger seat. Exception: if the vehi-
cle is equipped with automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat
and the child is secured in achild restraint
system with transponders for automatic
chil dseat recognition
R if you secur eaforward-facing child
restraint system to the front-passenger
seat, you must mov ethe front-passenger
seat as fa rback as possible.
R children must never travel sitting on the lap
of another occupant. Due to the forces
which occur in the event of asudden
change of direction, heavy braking or an
accident, it would not be possible to
restrain the child. The child could be thrown
against parts of the vehicle interior and be
seriously or even fatally injured. 50
Children in the vehicleSafety

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

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