2012 MERCEDES-BENZ GLK SUV Owners Manual

Driving systems
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions ·
The red distance warn-
ing lamp lights up while
the vehicle is in motion.
G
WARNING
The distance to the vehicle in front is too small for the speed
selected.
There is a risk of an accident.
X Increase the distance. ·
The red distance warn-
ing lamp lights up while
the vehicle is in motion.
A warning tone also
sounds.
G
WARNING
You are approaching a vehicle or a stationary obstacle in your line
of travel at too high a speed.
There is a risk of an accident.
X Be prepared to brake immediately.
X Pay careful attention to the traffic situation. You may have to
brake or take evasive action.
More information about DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 178) and
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 69). 294
Wa
rning and indi cator lamps in the instrument clusterOn-board computer and displays

Useful information
............................296
Loading guidelines ............................296
Stowage areas .................................. 296
Features ............................................. 305 295Stowing and features

Useful information
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 variations are pos-
sible. Note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the functions descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 27). Loading guidelines
G
WARNING
Secure and position the load as described in
the loading guidelines.
Otherwise, vehicle occupants could
be injured by the load being thrown around in
the event of sharp braking, a sudden change
in direction or an accident.
You will find further information in the "Secur-
ing a load" section.
Even if you follow all the loading guidelines,
the load will increase the risk of injury in the
event of an accident. G
WARNING
Keep the tailgate closed when the engine is
running. Otherwise, you could be poisoned by
exhaust fumes entering the vehicle.
The handling characteristics of a laden vehi-
cle are dependent on the distribution of the
load within the vehicle. For this reason, you
should observe the following notes when
transporting a load:
R when transporting a load, never exceed the
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight
or the permissible axle loads for the vehicle
(including occupants).
R position heavy loads as far forwards as pos-
sible and as low down in the load compart-
ment as possible. R
the load must not protrude above the upper
edge of the seat backrests.
R always place the load against the rear or
front seat backrests. Make sure that the
seat backrests are securely locked into
place.
R hook in the safety net when loading.
R always place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
R secure the load with sufficiently strong and
wear-resistant lashing material. Pad sharp
edges for protection.
i Load restraints are available at any quali-
fied specialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre. Stowage areas
Stowage compartments
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The stowage compartments must be closed
when items are stored in them. Luggage nets
are not designed to secure heavy items of
luggage.
You or other vehicle occupants could be
injured by objects being thrown around if you:
R brake sharply
R change direction suddenly
R are involved in an accident
Sharp-edged and fragile objects must not be
placed in the luggage net.
Do not place hard objects in the map pockets.
Objects must not protrude from the map
pockets. 296
Stowage areasStowing and features

Front stowage compartments
Glove compartment
X
To open: pull handle :and open glove
compartment flap ;.
X To close: fold glove compartment flap ;
upwards until it engages.
The glove compartment can only be locked
and unlocked using the emergency key ele-
ment. X
To lock: insert the emergency key element
into the lock and turn it 90° clockwise to
position 2.
X To unlock: insert the emergency key ele-
ment into the lock and turn it 90° anti-
clockwise to position 1.
i The glove compartment can be ventilated
(Y page 142). Stowage compartment in the centre con-
sole
X
To open: slide cover :in the direction of
the arrow.
Stowage compartment/telephone com-
partment under the armrest X
To open: press left-hand button ;or right-
hand button :.
The stowage compartment opens.
i Depending on the vehicle's equipment, a
USB port and an AUX-IN jack or a Media
Interface are installed in the stowage com-
partment. A Media Interface is a universal
interface for portable audio equipment, e.g.
for an iPod ®
or MP3 player (see the sepa-
rate Audio or COMAND Online operating
instructions).
Before using these connections, you must
remove the mobile phone bracket (see the
separate installation instructions) and fold
up the preinstalled mobile phone holder
(Y page 310). Stowage areas
297Stowing and featu res Z

Stowage compartment under the front
seats G
WARNING
Only load the stowage compartment with the
maximum permissible load of 1.5 kg. Other-
wise, the transported load could, for example,
be thrown out of the stowage compartment if
you change direction suddenly or brake
sharply, and you or others could be injured. X
To open: pull handle :up and fold
cover ;forwards.
Rear stowage compartments Stowage compartment in the rear com-
partment
X
To open: fold down seat armrest ;.
X Fold cover :of the armrest upwards. Stowage net
G
WARNING
Only place lightweight objects in the luggage
net. Do not use it to transport heavy, sharp-
edged or fragile objects. The luggage net can-
not secure the objects sufficiently in the event
of an accident.
Stowage nets are located in the front-
passenger footwell and on the left-hand side
of the luggage compartment. Enlarging the luggage compartment
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside the
vehicle or in the luggage compartment unless
they are secured.
Otherwise, you and other vehicle occupants
could be injured by objects being thrown
around the vehicle in the event of sharp brak-
ing, a sudden change in direction or an acci-
dent.
When using the luggage compartment
enlargement, you should always clip in the
safety net, if at hand. G
WARNING
Always drive with the tailgate closed. Exhaust
fumes could otherwise enter the vehicle inte-
rior.
! Before folding the rear seat backrest for-
wards, make sure that the head restraints
are pushed in (lowest detent). Otherwise,
the front seats, the armrests and the Rear
Seat Entertainment System could be dam-
aged.
The left-hand and right-hand rear seat backr-
ests can be folded forwards separately to
increase the luggage compartment capacity. 298
Stowage areasStowing and features

Folding the rear seat backrest forward
X
Fully insert the backrest head restraints
(Y page 99).
X Move the driver's or front-passenger seat
forward if necessary.
X Pull left-hand or right-hand release han-
dle ;of the seat backrest forwards.
Corresponding seat backrest :is
released.
X Fold backrest :forwards.
X Move the driver's or front-passenger seat
back if necessary.
Folding the rear seat backrest back :
Backrest
; Lock verification indicator
= Backrest release handle
X Move the driver's or front-passenger seat
forward if necessary.
! Make sure that the seat belt does not
become trapped when folding the rear seat backrest back. Otherwise, it could be dam-
aged.
X Fold seat backrest :back until it engages.
Red lock status indicator ;is no longer
visible. G
WARNING
Make sure that the seat backrest is correctly
engaged. The red lock verification indicators
on the left and right sides should no longer be
visible. If they are visible, the backrests are
not locked in position.
Occupants could otherwise be injured in the
event of an accident, e.g. by objects being
thrown forwards through the vehicle interior
from the luggage compartment.
X Adjust the head restraints if necessary
(Y page 99).
X Move the driver's or front-passenger seat
back if necessary. Securing a load
Lashing eyelets G
WARNING
Use only the intended lashing eyelets; on no
account should you use the child-seat anchor-
age points on the rear seat backrest.
Distribute the load on the lashing eyelets
evenly.
Otherwise, vehicle occupants could be
injured by objects being thrown around if you:
R brake sharply
R change direction suddenly
R are involved in an accident
Please observe the loading guidelines.
Observe the following notes on securing
loads:
R secure the load using the lashing eyelets.
R do not use elastic straps or nets to secure
a load, as these are only intended as an
anti-slip protection for light loads. Stowage areas
299Stowing and featu res Z

R
do not route lashing materials across sharp
edges or corners.
R pad sharp edges for protection.
There are four lashing eyelets in the luggage
compartment and two in the rear-compart-
ment footwells. :
Lashing eyelets in the load compartment :
Lashing eyelets in the rear-compartment
footwell
Bag hook G
WARNING
Only hang light loads on the bag holders. Do
not use them to transport heavy, sharp-edged
or fragile objects. When braking sharply,
changing direction quickly or in the event of
an accident, the bag hooks will not secure the
items sufficiently. This could result in injury to
yourself or others.
! The bag hook can bear a maximum load
of 5 kg. Do not use it to secure a load.
There is one bag hook on the left side wall in
the luggage compartment and there are two hooks on the right and left of the lower D-pillar
trim.
Luggage compartment cover
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The luggage compartment cover is not a
restraint system. Secure the load under the
luggage compartment cover by suitable
means. Make sure that the luggage compart-
ment cover is engaged securely. If luggage is
not sufficiently secured, it can be thrown over
the backrest into the passenger compart-
ment, for instance during heavy braking, sud-
den changes of direction or in the event of an
accident. You could cause an accident or
cause injury to yourself and others.
! When loading the vehicle, make sure that
you do not stack the load in the luggage
compartment higher than the lower edge of
the side windows. Do not place heavy
objects on top of the luggage compartment
cover.
The luggage compartment cover is located
behind the rear bench seat backrest.
i You can fold up the solid section of the
luggage compartment cover approximately
45° to facilitate loading the luggage com-
partment. 300
Stowage areasStowing and features

Extending and retracting the luggage
compartment cover X
To extend: pull luggage compartment
cover :back and clip it into the retainers
on the left and right.
X To retract: unhook luggage compartment
cover :from the retainers on the left and
right and guide it forwards by the grab han-
dle until it is fully retracted.
Fitting/removing the luggage compart-
ment cover X
To remove: make sure that luggage com-
partment cover :is rolled up.
X Press handle ;on the right underside to
the left.
X Remove luggage compartment cover :.X
To fit: attach luggage compartment
cover :to the opening on the left-hand
side.
X Press handle ;to the left.
X Allow luggage compartment cover :to
engage in the appropriate recess. Safety net
Important safety notes G
WARNING
You must make sure that the safety net is
correctly secured at the top and bottom.
Do not use a damaged safety net.
The safety net cannot restrain heavy loads.
For this reason, you should always secure the
load.
Otherwise, objects that have not been
secured sufficiently might be thrown around
if you brake suddenly, change direction sud-
denly or are involved in an accident, and could
cause you an injury.
Preparing the safety net The safety net can be used in two different
positions (behind the B-pillar or the C-pillar).
R
The brackets behind B-pillar :are
required for the luggage compartment
enlargement . Stowage areas
301Stowing and features Z