2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class vehicle not in position p

G
WARNING Do
not disconnect atrail erwith anengag ed
overru nbrake. Otherwi se,you rhand could
bec ome trapped between thebumpe rand
trai lerd rawb ar.
Observe themaximu mpermissible trailer
dimension s(width andlengt h).
Most federal statesand allCanadian
provin cesrequire bylaw:
R safety chains between thetowing vehicle
and thetrailer. Thechains should becross -
wound underthetrailer drawbar. Theymust
be fasten edtothe vehicle's trailer
coupling, nottothe bumper orthe axle.
Allow forenough playinthe chains to
facilitat eturn ingtight corners.
R aseparate brakesystem forcert aintypes
of trailer.
R asafety switch forbraked trailers. Check
the specific legalrequirement sapplicable
to your federal state.
If the trailer detaches fromthetowing
vehicle, thesafety switch applies the
trailer's brakes.
! Donot connectthe trailer's brakesystem
(if featured) tothe hydrau licbrake system
of the towing vehicle, asthe latter is
equipp edwith ananti-lock brakesystem.
Doing sowill result inaloss offunct ionof
the brake systems ofboth thevehicle and
the trailer.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Vehicles withtheAIRMATIC package:
select highway level.
X Vehicles withtheadaptive damping
system: setADS toAUTO orCOMF.
X Switch offthe engine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Coupl eup the trailer.
X Est ablish allelectrical connections. i
Vehicles
withtheAIRMATIC package:
if you couple upatrailer, thevehicle always
remains athighway level.When coupling up
a trailer, please observe thefollowing:
R ifhighway levelhasnotbeen set
manually ,the vehicle willautomatically
sink tohighway levelassoon asit
reaches aspeed of5m ph(8km/ h).
R high-spe edlevel isnot available.
These restrictions apply toall access ories
powered through acon nection tothe trailer
power socketofyour vehicle, e.g.abicycle
carrier . Towing
atrail er
Th ere arenum erouslega lreq uirem ents
conce rning the towingofatra iler, e.g.speed
rest rictions. Make surethatyour vehicle/
trailer combin ationcomplies withthelocal
requiremen tsnot only inyour areaof
residen cebut also atany location towhich
you aretrav eling. Thepolice andlocal
authorit iescan provide reliableinformation .
Please observe thefollowing whentowinga
trailer:
R To acquaint yourselfwithdrivin gwith a
trailer andwith theresultin gchang esto
handling, youshould practicecorn ering,
stoppin gand backin gup inatraf fic-free
location .
R Befor edrivin g,chec k:
- the trailer towhitch
- the safety switchfor braked trailers
- the safety chains
- the elect ricalconnection s
- the lights
- the wheels
R Adj ust the exterior mirror sto provide an
unobst ructedview ofthe rear sectionofthe
trailer.
R Ifthe trailer features electronic ally
con trolled brakes, pullaway thevehicle/
trailer combin ationcarefully, manually 216
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

brake
usingthebrake controller, andchec k
the brakes forcorr ectfunc tion.
R Sec ureany objec tson the trailer topreven t
the cargo fromslipping whenthevehicle is
in mot ion.
R Ifyou couple upatrailer, regularly check
the cargo forsecure fasteningand make
sure thatthetrailer lamps and(if
applicable) thetrailer brakes are
func tioningcorr ectly.
R Bear inmind thatthehandling willbeless
stable whentowingatrailer thanwhen
drivin gwithout one.Avoid sudden steering
movem ents.
R The vehicle/ trailercombin ationisheavier,
acceler atesmore slowly, hasadecreased
gradient climbingcapability andalonger
brakin gdistan ce.
It is more suscept ibletoside winds and
requires morecareful steering.
R Ifpossible, avoidabrupt braking.Depres s
the brake pedalmoderat elyatfirst ,so that
the trailer canactiv ateitsown brakes. Then
incr ease thepressure onthe brake pedal.
R Ifthe automatic transmission continues to
shift back andforthbetween twogears
when drivingup ordownhill, restrict the
shift range. Selectshiftrange 4,3,2,or 1.
Al ower gearandlower speed reduce the
risk ofengine failure.
R On long andsteep gradients thatare
difficult todrive down inshift range 1,
switch tothe off-road program orengage
the LOW GEAR off-road gear.
R When driving downhill, shifttoalower gear
to utilize theengine's brakingeffect.
Avoid continuous brakeapplication asthis
may overheat thevehicle brakesand,if
installed, thetrailer brakes.
R Ifthe coolant temperat ureincreases
dramatically whiletheair-con ditioning
system isswitched on,switch offthe air-
condit ioning system.
Coolant heatcanadditionally bedissipated
by opening thewindows andbysett ingthe blower
fanand theinterior temperat ureto
maximum.
R When overtak ing,payparticular attention
to the exten dedlength ofyour vehicle/
trailer combinat ion.
Due tothe length ofyour vehicle/t railer
combinat ion,youwillhave totravel an
additional distancebeyondthevehicle you
are overtak ingbefore returningtothe
previous lane. Deco
upling atrail er G
WA
RNI NG Ve
hicle swi th airs uspen sionprogram :While
you arecoupling ordecoupling atrailer, make
sure nobody locksorunlocks thevehicle and/
or opens orcloses doorsorthe tailgate.
The vehicle's levelcould change andyou
could endanger yourselfand/orothersasa
result.
Make surethatyoudonot operate theADS
switch orthe vehicle levelcontrolsystem
when coupling/decoupling thetrailer.
! Donot disconnec ta trailer withan
engaged overrunbrake.Otherwise, your
vehicle couldbedamaged bythe
rebounding ofthe overrun brake.
X Make surethattheautomatic transmission
is set toposition P.
X Apply thevehicle's electricparking brake.
X Start theengine.
X Close alldoors andthetailgate.
X Apply thetrailer's parkingbrake. G
WARNING Vehicles
withairsuspension program:As
soon asyou disconnec tthe electrical
conn ection between thetrailer andthe
vehicle, thevehicle willlower. Tohelp avoid
personal injury,makesurenoone isnear the
wheel housing orunderneath thevehicle
before theelectrical connection is
disconnec ted. Tr
ailer towing
217Driving and parking
Z

!
Ifthe coolant temperature istoo high a
displa ymessage isshown.
If the coolant temperature risesabove
248 ‡(120 †),donot drive anyfurther as
this could damage theengine. Tachometer
The redband inthe tachometer indicatesthe
engine's overrevving range.
! Donot drive inthe overrevving range,as
this could damage theengine.
The fuel suppl yis interrupted toprotect the
engine whenthered band isreached. Outside
tempera turedisplay
The outside temperature displayis in the
multifunction display(Y page 224). G
WARNING The
outside temperature indicatorisnot
designed toserve asan ice-warning device
and istherefore unsuitablefor that purpose.
Indicated temperatures justabove the
freezing pointdonot guara nteethattheroad
surface isfree ofice. The road maystillbeicy,
especial lyin wooded areasoron bridges.
Changes inthe outside temperature are
displa yedafter ashort delay. Speedometer
withsegments
The segments inthe speedometer indicate
which speed rangeisavail able.
Cruise control(Ypage 167)activated:
The segments lightupfrom thestored speed
to the maximum speed.
DISTRONIC PLUS(Ypage 169)activated:
One ortwo segments inthe setspeed range
light up.
DISTRONIC PLUSdetects avehicle infront :The
segments betweenthespeed ofthe
vehicle infront andthestored speedlightup. Operating
theon-board computer
Overview The
on-board computer isactivated assoon
as you turn theSmartKey toposition 1in the
ignition lock.
You cancont rolthe multifunction displayand
the settings inthe on-board computer using
the buttons onthe multifunction steering
wheel. :
Multifunction display
; Toswitch onthe Voice Control System;
see theseparate operating instructions
= Right controlpanel
? Left controlpanel
A Back button Dis
plays andoperation
223On-board computer and displays Z

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions The
displaymes sage ison lysho wnwhile theveh icleis in mot ion.
The yello w! warning lamp lightsup and thered F (USA
on ly)/ ! (Canadaonly) indic ato rlamp flashes.
It is no tp ossible toapply theelectric parking brakemanually .
X Shift thetrans mission toP.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop. F(USA
only)!(Canada
only)
Turn
Onthe Ignition
to Release
the Parking
Brake The
redF (USAonly)/ !(Canada only)indicator lamplights
up.
You attempt edtorelease theelectric parking brakewhilethe
ignition wasswitched off.
X Smar tKey: turntheSmart Keytoposition 1in the ignition lock.
X KEYL ESS-GO: switchonthe ignition. $(USA
only)J(Canada
only)
Check
BrakeFluid Level G
Risk
ofaccident There
isnot enough brakefluidinthe brake fluidreservoir.
Additionally, thered $ (USAonly)/ J(Canada only)
warning lamplights upinthe instr ument cluster andawarning
ton esounds.
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyassoon aspossible, paying
atten tiontoroad andtraffic conditions.Donot cont inue driving
under anycircumst ances.
X En gage theelectric parking brake.
X Consult aquali fiedspecialist workshop.
X Do not add brake fluid.Thiswillnotrect ifythe malfunct ion. G
WARNIN
G Drivin
gwith themessage Check Brake Fluid Level display
edcan result inan accident .Have
your brakesyst emcheck edimm ediat ely.
Do notadd brake fluidbefore checkingthe brake system. Overfillingthebrake fluidreserv oircan
result inspilling brakefluidonhot engin eparts andthebrake fluidcatching fire.Youcanbe
seriously burned. 244
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions Che
ck Tir
es G
Ri
sk ofacci dent The
tire pre ssur ein on eor mor etires has dropped signific ant ly.
The whee lpos ition isdisp layed inthemult ifunction disp lay.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Stop theveh icle without makingany sudde nstee ring orbra king
ma neu vers.Pa yatte ntiontothe traffic conditionsasyou doso.
X Correct thetire pressure (Ypage 359).
X Ifnecessary, changeawheel (Ypage 374). Caution:
Tire
Malfunction G
Risk
ofaccident The
tirepressure inone ormore tireshasdropped suddenly. The
wheel position isdisplay edinthe multifunct iondisplay .
X Stop thevehicle without makinganysudden steeringor braking
maneuvers. Payatten tiontothe traffic conditionsasyou doso.
X Ifnecessary, changeawheel (Ypage 374). Correct
Tire
Pressure The
tirepressure istoo low inat least oneofthe tires orthe tire
pressure differencebetween thewheels istoo great.
X Check thetire pressures atthe next opportunit y.Ifnecessary,
correc tthe tire pressure (Ypage 359).
X Restart thetire pressure monitor(Y page 361). Tire
Press. Sensor(s)
Missing There
isno signal fromthetire pressure sensorofone orseveral
wheels. Thepressure ofthe affect edtire isnot display edinthe
multifunct iondisplay .
X Have thedefectiv etire pressure sensorreplaced ataq ualifi ed
spec ialist workshop. Tir
e Pre
ss. Mon
itor Cur
rently Unavail. Due
toasour ceofradio interf ere nce, no sign alscan berec eive d
fr om thewheel sensors.The tire pre ssur emon itor istempo rarily
malf unction ing .
X Dr ive on.
The tire pre ssur emon itor res tartsauto maticallyas soo nasthe
problem hasbeen solved. h
Tire
Press. Warning
Caution Tire
Malfunction G
Risk
ofaccident The
tirepressure inone ormore tireshasdropped suddenly .
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Stop theveh icle without makingany sudde nstee ring orbra king
ma neu vers.Pa yatte ntiontothe traffic conditionsasyou doso.
X Ifnecessary, changeawheel (Ypage 374). 264
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions h
Che
ck Tir
e Pre
ssure G
Ri
sk ofacci dent The
tire pre ssur ein on eor mor etires has dropped signific ant ly.
X Stop theveh iclewit hout makingany sudd ensteer ingor brak ing
man euve rs.P ay attentio ntothe traffic conditionsasyou doso.
X Ifnecessary, changeawheel (Ypage 374).
X Check thetire pressure. Ifnecessary, correctthe tire pressure
(Y page 359). h
Correct
Tire Pressure The
tirepressure istoo low inat least oneofthe tires orthe tire
pressure differencebetween thewheels istoo great.
X Check thetire pressures atthe next opportunit y.Ifnecessary,
correc tthe tire pressure (Ypage 359). Vehicle
Display
messages Possible
causes/conse quencesandM Solutions
Shift to 'P' or 'N'
to
Start Engine You
have attempt edtostart theengine withthetrans mission in
position Ror D.
X Shift thetrans mission toposition Por N. Auxiliary
Battery Malfunction The
auxilia rybattery forthe automatic transmission isno longer
being charged.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop atthe next opportunit y.
X Unt ilthen ,set the automatic transmission toposition Pbefore
you switch offthe engine.
X Before leaving thevehicle, applytheelectric parking brake. Apply
Brake to Shift
from'P' You
have attempt edtomove thetrans mission selector leverto
position D,Ror Nwithout depressing thebrake pedal.
X Depress thebrake pedal. Door
Open Vehicle
Notin'P' The
driver's doorisopen andthetrans mission isin position R,N
or D.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Sh ift thetrans mis sion toposi tionP.
X Ap ply theelec tric park ingbrak e. Displ
aymes sages
265On-board computer and displays Z

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions Ser
viceReq uired Do Not Shi
ft Gea
rs Vis
itDealer You
cannotchange thetransmission positionduetoamalfunction.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
If trans mis sion positionD is selec ted:
X Dr ive toaqualifi edspec ialist workshopwit hout shiftingth e
tr ans mis sion from posi tionD.
If trans mis sion positionR, Nor Pis selec ted:
X Not ifyaqualifi edspec ialist workshopor break down service. Onl
yShi ft to
'P' when Veh
icleis Sta
tionary The
vehicle ismov ing.
X Pull overand stop thevehiclesa fel yas soo naspossible ,pay ing
attent iontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Shift thetransmission toposition P. A The
tailgate isopen.
X Close thetailgate. ? G
Risk
ofaccident The
hood isopen.
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyassoon aspossible ,pay ing
attent iontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Apply theelectric parking brake.
X Close thehood. C At
least onedoor isopen.
X Close allthe doors. D
Power
Steering Malfunction
See Operator's
Manual G
Risk
ofaccident The
power steering ismalfunctioning.
You willneed touse more forcetosteer.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Chec kwhether youareable toapply theextr aforce required.
X Ifyou areable tosteer safely: carefully driveontoaqual ified
specialist workshop.
X Ifyou areunable tosteer safely: donot drive on.Contact the
nearest qualified specialist workshop. 266
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions +
Key
NotDetected (re
ddisp laymes sage ) The
KEYLE SS-GO keyis no tin theveh icle.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
If th een gin eis swit ched off,you can nolonger lockthe vehicle
cent rally orstart theengine.
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyassoon aspossible, paying
attent iontoroad andtraffic condition s.
X Apply theelectric parking brake.
X Locate theKEYLE SS-GO key. The
KEYLE SS-GO key isnot detect edwhile theengine isrunning
because thereisinterfer encefromastron gsource ofradio waves.
Aw arning tone also soun ds.
X Pull overand stop thevehiclesa fel yas soo naspossible ,pay ing
attent iontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Engage theelectric parking brake.
X Operate thevehicle withtheSmartKey inthe ignition lock. +
Key
NotDetected (White
display
message) The
KEYLES S-GOkeycannot bedetected atpresent.
X Change thelocation ofthe key with theKEYLES S-GOfunction s
in the vehicle.
If the KEYLES S-GOkeyisstill notdetected:
X Operate thevehicle withtheSmartKey inthe ignition lock. +
Key
Detected in Vehicle The
KEYLES S-GOkeyhas been detected insidethevehicle during
locking.
X Remove theKEYLES S-GOkeyfrom thevehicle. +
Remove
'Start' Button
andInsert Key KEYLES
S-GOistemporarily malfunctioning orisdefective. A
warning tonealsosounds.
X Insert theSmartKey intotheignition lockandturn itto the
desired position.
X Visit aqual ified speciali stworkshop. +
Close
Doorsto Lock
Vehicle At
least onedoor isopen. Awarning tone also soun ds.
X Close alldoor sand lockthe vehicle again. 268
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays