2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class ESP

Qualified
specialist workshop
An authorized Mercedes-BenzCenter isa
qualified specialist workshop. Ithas the
neces saryspecialist knowledge, toolsand
qualifications tocorr ectlycarry outthework
required onyour vehicle. Thisisespecially the
case forwork relevant tosafety.
Observe thenotesinthe service booklet.
Always havethefollowing workcarried outat
an authorized Mercedes-BenzCenter :
R work relevant tosafety
R service andmainten ancework
R repair work
R alteration s,inst allation workand
modificat ions
R work onelectr oniccompon ents Proper
use G
WARNIN
G There
arevarious warning stickersaffixed to
your vehicle. Theirpurpose isto alert youand
others tovarious dangers. Therefore, donot
remove anywarning stickersunless the
stick erclearly statesthatyoumay doso.
If you remove anywarning stickers,youor
others couldfailtorecogn izecert aindangers
and beinjured. G
WARNIN
G HYBRID
vehicles: Itis imperative thatyouread
the HYBRID Supplement alOperatin g
Inst ruction sincluded inyour vehicle literature
portf olio. Youmay otherwise notreceive all
neces sarysafety informationandwarning for
the operation ofyour vehicle.
The proper useofthe vehicle requires that
you familiarize yourselfwiththefollowing
inform ationandrules:
R safety notesinthis Operator' sManual
R tec hnical datainthis Operator' sManual R
traff icrules andregulations
R laws andsafety standards pertainingto
motor vehicles Problems
withyour vehicle
If you should experien ceap roble mwithyour
vehic le,part icularly onethat youbelieve may
affec tits safe opera tion,we urge youto
conta ctan autho rized Merce des-Be nzCenter
im med iatel yto have the problem diag nos ed
and rectified. Ifthe problem isnot resolved to
yo ur satis factio n,plea se discu ssthe problem
ag ainw ithaMerc edes- BenzCent eror
con tact usatone ofthe following addresses.
In the USA Customer
AssistanceCenter
Mercedes- BenzUSA ,LLC
One Mercedes Drive
Mont vale, NJ076 45-035 0
In Canada Customer
RelationsDepartment
Mercedes- BenzCanad a,Inc.
98 Van derh oofAvenue
Tor onto,On tarioM4G 4C9 Rep
orting malfunct ions releva ntto
saf ety
For theUS Aon ly:
The followin gte xt isrepr oduc edasrequi red
of all man ufacturers according toTitle49 ,
Code ofU.S. Fed eral Regulat ions,Part 575
purs uant totheNat ionalTraf ficand Motor
Veh icle SafetyAc tof 19 66.
Rep orting safety defects If
you believ eth at your vehicle has adef ect
whic hco uld caus eacr ash orcould caus e
inj ury ordeat h,you should imm ediat ely
inf orm theNat ionalHig hway TrafficSaf ety Int
rod uction
25 Z

Warning
andindic atorlamps Func
tion Page
:
Low-be
amheadlamps 109
;
ESP
® 273
=
High-be
amheadlamps 111
?
Electric
parkingbrake (red) 271
F
(USAonly) !
(Canada only) A
Electric
parkingbrake
(y ell ow) 271
B
Distance
warning signal 279
C
Turn
signa l 111
D
Tire
press uremonitor 280
E
SRS
275 Func
tion Page
F
Seat
belt 269
G
Diesel
engine: preglow 140
H
Coo
lant 277
I
Rea
rfog lamp 110
J
Check
engine 276
K
Reserve
fuel 276
L
ESP
®
OFF 273
M
ABS 272
N
Brakes 271
$
(USAonly) J
(Canada only) 30
Instrum
entclusterAt a glance

Cent
erconsole Cent
erconsole, upper sect ion Funct
ion Pag
e :
Audi
osyst em/ COMA ND;
see thesepar ateoper ating
ins truct ions ;
c
Seatheating 99
=
s
Seatventilatio n 10
0 ?
c
PARKTRO NIC 18
3 A
Ã
Downh illSpe ed
Regulat ion(veh icles
wit hout AIRMA TIC
pack age) 20
8 Funct
ion Pag
e B
£
Hazard warn ing
lamps 11
1 C
45
Indic ato rlamp 44
D
å
ESP® 6332
Cent
erconsoleAt a glance

Since
theairb ag inflate swithcon siderable
speed andforce, aproper seatingposit ion
and correctposit ioningof the hands onthe
ste erin gwheel willhelp tokeep youatasafe
dist ancefro mt heair bag. Occupants whoare
not wearing theirseatbelt, arenot seated
properly orare too close tothe airbag canbe
seriously injuredorkilled byan air bag asit
inflates withgreat forceinstant aneously :
R Sit with theseat beltproperly fastened ina
position thatisas upright aspossible with
your back against theseat backrest.
R Move thedriver's seatasfar back as
possible, stillpermittin gproper operation
of vehicle controls. Thedistance fromthe
cent erofthe driver's chesttothe cent erof
the airbag cover onthe steering wheel
must beatleast 10inches (25cm) ormore.
You should beable toaccomplish thisby
adjusting theseat andsteering wheel.If
you have anydifficulties, pleasecontactan
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er.
R Do not lean your head orchest closetothe
steerin gwheel ordashboard.
R Only holdthesteerin gwheel bythe rim.
Placing handsandarms inside therim can
incr ease therisk and poten tialseverit yof
hand/arm injurywhenthedriver frontair
bag inflates .
R Adj ust the fron t-passenger seatasfar back
as possible fromthedashboard whenthe
seat isoccupied.
R Occ upants, especially children,should
never placetheirbodies orlean their heads
in the area ofthe door where theside
impact airbag inflates .This could result in
serious injuries ordeath should theside
impact airbag bedeploy ed.Always sitas
upright aspossible, weartheseat belt
properly anduseanappropriately sized
child restraint ,infant restraint orbooster
seat recommen dedforthe size andweight
of the child.
Failure tofollow theseinstruct ionscanresult
in severe injuries toyou orother occupants. If
you sellyour vehicle, itis important thatyou
make thebuyer aware ofthis safety
information. Besure togive thebuyer this
Operator's Manual. G
WARNING Acc
ident research showsthatthesafest place
for children inan automobile isin arear seat.
As ide impact airbag relat edinjury may occur
if occ upant s,espec iallychildr en,are not
proper lyseate dor rest raine dwhen next toa
side impact airbag which needs todeploy
rapidly inaside impact inorder todo itsjob.
To help avoid thepossibili tyof injury, please
follow theseguidelines:
(1) Always sitasupright aspossible
and usetheseat belts properly.
Make surethatchildren 12years
old and under useanappropriately
sized childrestraint ,infant
restraint ,or booster seat
recommen dedforthe size and
weight ofthe child.
(2) Always wearseatbelts properly.
The airbags areonly deploy edifthe airbag
cont rolunit detects theneed fordeploy ment.
Only inthe event ofsuch asituation willthey
provide theirsupplemental protection.
The driver andpassenger shouldalwayswear
their seatbelts. Otherwise, itis not possible
for the airbags toprovide theirsupplemental
protect ion.
In the event ofother types ofimpacts and
impacts belowairbag deploy ment
thresholds, theairbags willnotdeploy .The
driver andpassengers willthen beprotect ed
to the exten tpossible byaproperly fastened
seat belt. Aproperl yfastened seatbeltisalso
needed toprovide thebest possible
protect ioninarollover.
Air bags provide additional protection;they
are not, however, asubstitute forseat belts.
All vehicle occupants mustfasten theirseat
belts regardless ofwhether yourvehicle is
equip pedwith airbags ornot. Occ
upant safety
41Safety Z

Occupants,
especiallychildren, shouldalways
sit asupright aspossible ,wear theseat belt
properly anduseanappropria telysized infant
restraint, toddlerrestraint, orbooster seat
recommended forthe size andweight ofthe
child.
Child rencan bekilled orseriousl yinjured by
an inflating airbag. Note thefollowi ng
important information whencircumstances
require youtoplace achild inthe front -
passenger seat:
R Your vehicle isequip pedwith airbag
technology designedtodeactivate the
front -passenger frontairbag inyour vehicle
when thesystem sensestheweight ofa
typical 12-mon th-oldchildorless along
with theweight ofastandard appropria te
child restraint onthe front -passenger seat.
R Ac hild inarear-facing childrestraint onthe
front -passenger seatwillbeseriously
injured oreven killed ifthe front -passenger
front airbag inflates inacollision which
could occur under somecircumstan ces,
even withtheairbag techn ology installed
in your vehicle. Theonly means toeliminate
this riskcompletely isnever toplace achild
in arear-facing childrestraint inthe front -
passenger seat.Wetherefore strongly
recommen dthat youalwa ysplace achild
in arear-facing childrestraint onthe rear
seat.
R Ifyou install arear-facing childrestraint on
the front -passenger seat,make surethe
45 indicatorlampisillu minated,
indicating thatthefront -passenger frontair
bag isdeactivated. Shouldthe45
indicator lampnotilluminate orgo out while
the restraint isinstalled, pleasecheck
installation. Periodicallycheck the
45 indicatorlampwhile driving to
make surethatthe45 indicator
lamp isillu minated. Ifthe 45
indicator lampgoesoutorremains out,do
not transport achild onthe front -passenger
seat until thesystem hasbeen repaired. Ac
hild inarear-facing childrestraint onthe
front -passenger seatwillbeseriously
injured oreven killed ifthe front -passenger
front airbag inflates.
R Ifyou place achild inaforward-facing child
restraint onthe front -passenger seat:
- move theseat asfar back aspossible
- use theproper childrestraint
recommen dedforthe age, sizeand
weight ofthe child
- secure childrestraint withthevehicle's
seat beltaccording tothe child seat
manufacturer's instructions
R For children largerthanthetypical 12-
mont h-old child, thefront -passenger front
air bag may ormay notbeactivated.
If the driver's airbag deploy s,this does not
mean thatthefront -passenger frontairbag
also hastodeploy .
The OCS mayhave detected thattheseat:
R was empty oroccupied byaperson witha
weight ofup toor less than thatofatypical
12-m onth-oldchild seated inastandard
child restraint
R was occupied byasmall individua l,such as
a young teenager orasmall adult
R was occupied byachild inachild restraint
system, whoseweight isgreater thanthat
of atypical 12-month-oldchild.
These areexamples ofwhen theOCS
deactivates thefront -passenger frontairbag.
Deactivation takesplacealthough the
collision fulfillsthecriteria fordeploy ingthe
driver's airbag. 46
Occ
upant safetySafety

PRE-SAFE
®
(preventat iveocc upant
prot ection) G
WARNING The
PRE-SA FE®
system reduces theimpact of
an accident onvehicle occupants, aslong as
their seatbelts havebeen fastened correctly.
Although yourvehicle isequippe dwith aPRE-
SAF E®
system, thepossibility ofinjury inthe
event ofan accident cannotberuled out.You
should therefore alwaysdrive carefully and
adapt yourdriving styletothe prevailing road,
weather andtraffic condition s.
PRE-SA FE®
takes preemptive measuresto
protect occupants incertain hazardous
situations.
PRE-SA FE®
interv enes:
R in emergency brakingsituations, e.g.ifBAS
is activated or,invehicles withDISTRONIC
PLUS, BASPLUS intervenespowerfully
R ifthe radar sensor system detectsan
imminent dangerofcollision incertain
situations (onvehicles withDISTRONIC
PLUS)
R in critic aldriving situations, e.g.when
physical limitsareexceed andthevehicle
understeers oroversteers severely
PRE-SA FE®
takes thefollowing measures
depending onthe hazardous situation
detect ed:
R the front seatbelts arepre-ten sioned.
R on vehicles withmemory functionforthe
front -passenger seat:thefront -passenger
seat isadjusted ifit is in an unfavorable
position.
R ifthe vehicle skids,thesliding sunroof/
panorama roofwith power tilt/sliding
panel andtheside windows areclosed so
that only asmall gapremains.
If the sliding sunroof, panorama roofwith
power tilt/sliding paneloraside window is
obstruct edduring closing, theclosing
procedure isstopped. Theobstruct edsliding
sunroof, panorama roofwith power tilt/ sliding
panelorside window opensagain
slightly.
If the hazardous situationpasseswithout
resulting inan accident, PRE-SAFE®
slackens
the belt pretension ing.Allsettin gsmade by
PRE-SA FE®
can then bereversed.
If the seat belts arenot released:
X Move thebackrest orseat back slightly, but
only when thevehicle isstationary.
The belt pretension ingisreduced andthe
locking mechanism isreleased. G
WARNING Make
surethatnobody canbecome trapped
as you adjust theseat.
! Make surethatthere arenoobject sin the
footwell orbehind theseats when resett ing
the seats. Thereisarisk that theseats
and/or theobject scould bedamaged.
More information aboutseat-belt
adjustment ,a conv enience function
integrated intoPRE-SA FE®
,can befound in
the "Seat-belt adjustment "section
(Y page 52). Seat
belts
Import antsafety notes The
useofseat belts andinfant andchild
restraint systemsisrequired bylaw inall 50
states, theDistr ictofColumbi a,the U.S.
territ ories andallCanadia nprovinces.
Even where thisisnot thecase, allvehicl e
occupa ntsshou ldhave theirseatbelts
fastened whenthevehicl eis in motion. i
For
further informati ononinfants and
child rentraveli nginthe vehicl eand on
infant andchild restrai ntsystems ,see
"C hildren inthe vehicl e"(Y pag e54). G
WARNING Alwa
ysfasten yourseat belt before driving off.
Always makesureallofyour passengers are Occupant
safety
49Safety
Z

ribs
orabd omen, whichcould severel y
injure internal organssuchasyou rliver or
spleen .
Adj ust the seat beltsothat theshoulder
sect ionislocat edasclos eas possible to
the middle ofthe shoulder .Its hould not
touch theneck .Never pass theshoulder
portion ofthe seat beltunder yourarm. For
this purpose, youcan adjust theheight of
the seat beltoutlet.
R Position thelapbelt aslow aspossible on
your hipsandnotacross theabdomen. If
the lapbelt isposition edacross your
abdomen, itcould cause serious injuries in
a crash.
R Never wearseatbelts overrigid or
breakable objectsinor on your clothing,
such aseyeglasses, pens,keysetc.,as
these might cause injuries.
R Make suretheseat beltisalway sfitt ed
snugly. Takespecial careofthis when
wearing looseclothing.
R Never useaseat beltformore thanone
person atatime. Donot fasten aseat belt
around aperson andanoth erperson or
other objectsat the same time.
R Seat belts should notbeworn twisted. Ina
crash, youwould nothave thefullwidth of
the seat belttodistribut eimpact forces.
The twisted seatbeltagainst yourbody
could cause injuries.
R Pregnant womenshouldalsoalway suse a
lap-shoulder belt.Thelapbelt portion
should bepositioned aslow aspossible on
the hips toavoid anypossible pressure on
the abdomen.
R Place theseat backrest inaposition thatis
as upright aspossible.
R Check yourseatbeltduring traveltomake
sure itis properly positioned.
R Never placeyourfeetonthe instr ument
panel, dashboard, oron the seat. Always keep
bothfeetonthe floor infront ofthe
seat.
R When usingaseat belttosecure infant
restraint s,toddler restraint s,or children in
booster seats,alwaysfollow thechild seat
manufacturer' sinstr uctions. G
WARNING Do
not pass seatbelts oversharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow theseat belttoget caught inthe
door orinthe seat adjustmen tmechanism.
This could damage theseat belt.
Never attempt tomake modifications toseat
belts. Thiscould impair theeffect iveness of
the seat belts.
Fastening seatbelts G
WARNING Acc
ording toaccident statistics,children are
safer when properly restrained onthe rear
seats thanonthe front -passenger seat.Thus,
we stron glyrecommen dthat children be
placed inthe rear seat whenever possible.
Regardless ofseating position, children12
years oldand under mustbeseated and
properly securedinan appropriately sized
child restraint systemorbooster seat
recommen dedforthe size andweight ofthe
child. Foradditional information,seethe
"Child reninthe vehicle" section.
Ac hild's riskofserious orfatal injuries is
significantly increasedifthe child restraint s
are not properly securedinthe vehicle and/
or the child isnot properly securedinthe child
restraint . Occ
upant safety
51Safety Z

recommende
dfor the size andweight ofthe
child .The infant orchild restraint system
must beproperly securedinaccordance with
the manufacturer's instructions.Allinfant or
child restraint systemsmustmeet U.S.
Federal MotorVehicle SafetyStandards 213
and 225 andCanadia nMotor Vehicle Safety
Stan dards 213and210. 2.
An inform ationlabelonthe child restraint
system indicates whetheritmeets these
standards. Thisinform ationisalso provided
in the installation instructions supplied with
the child restraintsystem.
Always readandfollow themanufacturer 's
instr uctions whenusinganinfant orchild
restr aintsystem orbooster seat.
Observe allwarning signsinthe vehicle
inter iorand onthe infant orchild restraint. G
WARNIN
G Acc
ording toaccident statistics,children are
safer when properly restrained inthe rear
seating positions thaninthe front seating
position. Thus,westron glyrecommen dthat
children beplaced inthe rear seats whenever
possible. Regardless ofseating position,
children 12years oldand under mustbe
seated andproperly securedinan appropriate
infant restraint ,toddler restraint ,or booster
seat recommen dedforthe size andweight of
the child.
The infant orchild restraint mustbeproperly
secured withthevehicle's seatbelt, theseat
belt andtopteth erstrap, orlower anchors and
top teth erstrap, fullyinaccordanc ewith the
child seatmanufacturer 'sinstr uctions.
Occupant s,especially children,shouldalways
sit asupright aspossible, weartheseat belt
properly anduseanappropriately sizedinfant
restraint ,toddler restraint ,or booster seat
recommen dedforthe size andweight ofthe
child. Children
canbekilled orseriously injuredby
an inflating airbag. Note thefollowing
important informationwhen circumst ances
require youtoplace achild inthe front
passenger seat:
R Your vehicle isequipped withairbag
techn ology designed todeactivate thefront
passenger frontairbag inyour vehicle
when thesystem sensestheweight ofa
typical 12-mont h-old childorless along
with theweight ofastandard appropriate
child restraint onthe front passenger seat.
R For children largerthanthetypical
12- mont h-old child, thefront passenger
front airbag may ormay notbeactivated.
Always makesurethe45indicat or
lamp isilluminat ed,indic atingthat thefront
passen gerfrontair bag isdeact ivated.
R Ac hild inarear-facing childrestraint onthe
front passenger seatwillbeseriously
injured oreven killed ifthe front passenger
front airbag inflates inacollision which
could occur under somecircumstan ces,
even withtheairbag techn ology installed
in your vehicle. Theonly means to
completely eliminatethisriskisto never
place achild inarear-facing childrestraint
in the front seat. Wetherefore strongly
recommen dthat youalwa ysplace achild
in arear-facing childrestraint inabackseat.
R Ifyou must install arear-facing child
restraint onthe front passenger seat
because circumstan cesrequire youtodo
so, make surethe45indic ator
lamp isilluminat ed,indic atingthat thefront
passen gerfrontair bag isdeact ivated.
Should the45indic atorlamp not
illuminat eor go out while therest raint is
inst alled, please checkinsta llati on.
Pe rio dical lyche ckthe 45indicat or
lamp while drivingto make surethe4
5 indicatorlamp isilluminat ed.Ifthe
45indic atorlamp goesoutor
remain sout, donot transpo rtachild onthe
fro ntpassen gerseat untilthe syst emhas
been repaire d. Childr
eninthevehicle
55Safety
Z