2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class wheel

It
is important foryou rsafet yand that ofyour
passe ngerto have deplo yedairbags replaced
and tohave anymalf unctionin gair bags
repai red.This willhelp tomak esure theair
bags continue toperf orm their pro tective
fun ction fortheveh icle occupan tsinthe
eve ntofacr ash.
Fron tair bag s The
fron ta irbags increase protection forthe
drive r'sand front-pass enger's head and
ches t. Dr
iver' sair bag :deploys infro ntofthe
st eerin gwheel; front-pass engerfro ntair
bag ;deploys infro ntofand above theglove
box.
They aredeployed:
R in the even tof cer tain frontal impac ts
R ifthe syst emdete rmin esthat airbag
deploymen tcan offeraddit ionalpro tection
to that pro vide dby theseat belt
R ifth eseat beltisfast ened
R ind epen dentlyofother airbags inthe
veh icle
If th eveh icle overturn s,thefron tairbags are
gen erally notdeployed unlessthesyst em
dete ctshigh vehic ledecele ration ina
long itudin aldirec tion.
Your vehic lehas adaptiv e,two- stage frontair
bags. Inthe even tofa collisio n,the airb ag
co ntrol unit evaluat estheveh icle
dec eler ation.Inthefir st deplo ymentstag e,
the frontairb ag isfille dwit hen ough
pro pellan tgas toreduc eth er isk ofinjuries. The
frontair bag isfully deployed ifaseco nd
deploymen tthreshold isexceeded withina
few milliseconds.
The deploy mentofthe front -passenger front
air bag isalso influenced bythe weight
category ofthe front passenger, whichis
determined bythe Occupant Classification
System (OCS)(Ypage 44).
The lighter thepassenger sideoccupant, the
higher thevehicle deceleration raterequired
(predicted atthe start ofthe impact) for
second stageinflation ofthe front -passenger
front airbag. Inthe second stage,thefront
air bags areinflated withthemaximum
amount ofpropella ntgas availa ble.
The front airbags arenot deploy edin
situations wherealow impact severity is
predicted. Youwillthen beprotect edbythe
fastened seatbelt.
The front -passenger frontairbag willonly
deploy if:
R the system, basedonthe OCS weight
sensor readings, detectsthat thefront -
passenger seatisoccupied.
R the 45 indicatorlampinthe cent er
console isnot lit,(Ypage 44).
R the airbag cont rolunit predicts ahigh
impact severity.
Driver's kneebag 42
Occ
upantsafetySafety

Dri
ver 'sknee bag: provide sad ditio nal
pro tecti onfor the driver against:
R knee injuries
R thi gh inju ries
R lowe rleg injuries
Driv er's knee bag :deploys belowthe
steer ingwheel. Duringafron talimpact, ifthe
system determinesthatairbag deployment
can offer additional protectiontothat
provided bythe seat belt, driver's knee
bag :isdeployed alongwiththedriver's air
bag. Thedriver's knee bag :operates best
in con junc tion with aproperly positionedand
fasten edseat belt.
Side impactairbags G
WARN
ING The
pressure sensorsfor side impact airbag
con trol arelocated inthe doors. Donot
modify anycompon entsof the doors ordoor
trim panels including, forexample, the
addition ofdoor speakers.
Improper repairworkonthe doors orthe
modificat ionoraddition ofcompon entsto the
doors createarisk ofrender ingthe side
impact airbags inoperat iveorcausing
unint ended airbag deployment .Work onthe
doors musttherefor eonly beperformed by
quali fiedtechn icians. Contact anauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. G
WARNING Only
useseat covers whichhavebeen tested
and approved byMercedes-B enzforyour
vehicle model.Usingotherseatcovers may
interf erewith orprevent thedeployment of
the side impact airbags. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter for
availa bility. When
deployed, theside impact airbags offer
additional protectionforthe thorax andpelvis
of the vehicle occupant son the side ofthe
vehicle onwhich theimpact occurs. However,
they donot protect the:
R head
R neck
R arms Fron
tside impac tairbags :and rear side
impac tairbags ;deploy nexttothe outer
seat cushions.
The side impact airbags aredeployed:
R on the side onwhich animpact occurs
R at the start ofan accident withahigh rate
of lateral vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, e.g.inas ide impac t
R indep endently of seat beltuse
R indep endently of the frontair bags
R indep endently of the ETD s
If the vehic leover turns, the side impac tair
bags aregenerally notdeployed. Theyare
deployed ifthe syst emdete ctshigh vehic le
decele ration oracc elerat ioninalater al
direc tionanddete rmin esthat side impac tair
bag deploymen tcan offeraddit ional
pro tection tothat pro vide dbyth eseat belt.
Si de imp act airbags willnotd eploy inside
impacts whichdonot exceed thesystem' s
preset deployment thresholds forlateral
accelerat ion/deceleration .You will then be
protec tedbythe fastened seatbelt.
If the OCS detect sthat thefront -passenger
seat isnot occupied andthefront -passenger
seat beltisnot fastened (thebelttongue is Occupant
safety
43Safety Z

Ac
hild inarear-facing childrestraint onthe
front passenger seatwillbeseriously
injured oreven killed ifthe front passenger
front airbag inflates.
R Ifyou have toplace achild inaforward-
facing childrestraint onthe front passenger
seat, move theseat asfar back aspossible,
use theproper childrestraint
recommen dedforthe age, sizeandweight
of the child, andsecure childrestraint with
the vehicle's seatbeltaccording tothe
child seatmanufacturer's instructions. G
WARNING Infant
sand small children shouldnevershare
a seat beltwith another occupant. Duringan
accident, theycould becrushed between the
occupant andseat belt.
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 .
Children toobigforatoddler restraint must
ride inseats usingregular seatbelts. Position
the shoulder beltacross thechest and
shoulder, notface orneck .Abooster seat
may benecessary toachieve properseatbelt
positioning forchildren over41lb(18 kg)until
they reach aheight wherealap/shoulder belt
fits properly withoutabooster.
When thechild restraint isnot inuse, remove
it from thevehicle orsecure itwith theseat
belt toprevent thechild restraint from
becoming aproject ileinthe event ofan
accident .
If an infant orchild istraveling inthe vehicle:
X Secure theinfant orchild withan
appropriate infantorchild restraint
recommen dedforthe child's ageand
weight.
X Make surethattheinfant orchild is
properly securedatall times whilethe
vehicle isin motion . G
WARNING When
leaving thevehicle, alwaysremove the
Smart Keyfrom theignition lock.Always take
the Smart Keywith youand lock thevehicle.
Do not leave children unattendedinthe
vehicle, evenifthey aresecured inachild
restraint system,orwith access toan
unlocked vehicle.Achild's unsupervised
access toavehicle couldresult inan accident
and/or serious personal injury.Thechildren
could:
R injure themselves onparts ofthe vehicle
R be seriously orfatally injured through
excessive exposuretoextrem eheat orcold
R injure themselves orcause anaccident with
vehicle equipment thatcanbeoperated
even ifthe SmartKey isremoved fromthe
ignition lockorremoved fromthevehicle,
such asseat adjustment ,steering wheel
adjustment ,or the memory function
If children openadoor, theycould injure other
persons orget out ofthe vehicle andinjure
themselves orbe injured byfollowing traffic.
Do not expose thechild restraint systemto
direct sunlight. Thechild restraint system's
metal parts, forexample, couldbecome very
hot, andthechild could beburned onthese
parts. G
WARNING Do
not carry heavy orhard object sin the
passenger compartmen tortrunk unles sthey
are firmly secure din pla ce.
Unsecured orimprop erlypositioned cargo
increase sa child 'srisk ofinjury inthe event
of
R strong braking maneuvers
R sudd enchanges ofdirectio n
R an accide nt
Spec ialseat beltretr act or All
seat beltsexc ept thed river's seatbeltare
equ ipped with aspeci alseat beltretrac tor.
When activated, thespecial seatbelt 56
Childr
eninthevehicleSafety

comp
artme ntcove r: ifcarg o
comp artme ntcove r: isinsta lled.
R Top Teth erbel tB isrou ted betw eenrear
sea tback rest; and thecar gonetift he
cargo netisinstalled.
X Tension TopTether beltB.C omply with
the manufacturer 'sinstallation
instr uctions whendoing so.
X Move headrestraint=back down again
slightly ifnecessary (Ypage 97).Make
sure thatyoudonot inter ferewith the
correc trouting ofTop Tether beltB. Child-pr
ooflocks
Import antsafety notes G
WARNIN
G When
leaving thevehicle, alwaysremove the
Smart Keyfrom theignition lock.Always take
the Smart Keywith youand lock thevehicle.
Do not leave children unattendedinthe
vehicle, evenifthey aresecured inachild
restraint system,orwith access toan
unlocked vehicle.Achild's unsupervised
access toavehicle couldresult inan accident
and/or serious personal injury.Thechildren
could:
R injure themselves onparts ofthe vehicle
R be seriously orfatally injured through
excessive exposuretoextrem eheat orcold
R injure themselves orcause anaccident with
vehicle equipment thatcanbeoperated
even ifthe SmartKey isremoved fromthe
ignition lockorremoved fromthevehicle,
such asseat adjustment ,steering wheel
adjustment ,or the memory function
If children openadoor, theycould injure other
persons orget out ofthe vehicle andinjure
themselves orbe injured byfollowing traffic.
Do not expose thechild restraint systemto
direct sunlight. Thechild restraint system's
metal parts, forexample, couldbecome very
hot, andthechild could beburned onthese
parts. Child-proof
locksforthe rear doors G
WARNING Children
couldopenarear door from inside
the vehicle. Thiscould result inserious
injuries oran accident. Therefore, when
children rideinthe rear alwa yssecure therear
doors withthechild-proof locks.
You secure eachdoorindividua llywith the
child-proof locksonthe rear doors. Adoor
secured withachild-proof lockcann otbe
opened frominside thevehicle. Whenthe
vehicle isunlocked, thedoor canbeopened
from theoutside. X
To activat e:press thechild-proof lock
lever upinthe direction ofarrow :.
X Make surethatthechild-proof locksare
working properly.
X To deactivat e:press thechild-proof lock
lever down inthe direction ofarrow ;.
Overrid efeatu refor the rear side
windows G
WARNIN
G When
children rideonthe vehicle's rearseats,
activate theoverride switch.Otherwise, the
children couldbeinjured, e.g.bytrapping
themselves inthe rear side window. Children
inthe vehicle
59Safety Z

R
PRE-S AFE®
Brake
R Steering assistant STEERCONTROL Impor
tantsafety notes
If you failtoadapt yourdriving style,the
driving safetysystems canneither reducethe
risk ofaccident noroverride thelaws of
physics. Drivingsafety systems aremerely
aids designed toassist driving. Youare
responsible forthe distanc eto the vehicle in
fron t,for vehicle speedandforbraking in
good time. Always adaptyourdriving styleto
suit theprevailing road/weather conditions,
as well asthe traff iccondit ionsandmaintain
a safe distanc eto the vehicle infron t.Drive
carefully. i
Please
notethat thedriving safety
systems described onlywork aseffect ively
as possible whenthereisadequa tecont act
between thetires andtheroad surface. Pay
particular attentiontothe inform ation
regarding tires,recomm endedminimum
tire tread depths etc.inthe "Wheels and
tires" section(Ypage 350).
In wintry driving conditions,alway suse
winter tires(M+S tires)andifnecess ary,
snow chains. Onlyinthis way willthe
driving safetysystems described inthis
sect ionwork aseffect ivelyaspossible. ABS
(Anti-lock Braking System )
Impor tantsafety notes i
Observe
the"Importan tsafet yno tes"
sec tion(Ypage 61).
AB Sr egulates brakepressure insuch away
that thewheels donot lock when youbrake.
This allows youtocon tinue steer ingthe
vehicle whenbrakin g.
AB Sw orks from aspeed ofabout
5m ph(8 km/ h)upwards, regardless ofroad-
surface condition s.AB Sw orks onslippery
surfaces, evenwhen youonly brake gently. G
WARNIN
G If
the ABS malfunct ions,other driving systems
such asthe BAS orthe ESP ®
are also switched
off. Observe indicator andwarning lampsthat
may come onaswell asmessages inthe
multifunct iondisplay thatmay appear.
If the ABS malfunct ions,thewheels maylock
during hardbraking, reducing thesteering
capability andexten dingthebraking distance.
The ! warning lampinthe instr ument
cluster lightsupwhen theignition isswitched
on. Itgoes outwhen theengine isrunnin g.
Br aking If
ABS intervenes whenbraking, youwillfeel
a pulsing inthe brake pedal.
X IfABS intervenes: continue todepress the
brake pedalwithforce untilthebraking
situation isover.
X To mak eafull brake application:
depress thebrake pedalwithfullforce.
The pulsating brakepedalcanbean
indication ofhazardous roadcondit ions,and
funct ionsasareminder totake extracare
while driving. G
WARNIN
G Do
not pump thebrake pedal. Usefirm, steady
brake pedalpressure instead.Pumping the
brake pedaldefeats thepurpose ofthe ABS
and significant lyreduces braking
effect iveness. BAS
(BrakeAssist System) i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
BAS operates inemergenc ybraking
situations. Ifyou depress thebrake pedal
quickly, BASautomatically booststhebraking
force, thusshorten ingthe stopping distance.
X Keep thebrake pedalfirmly depressed until
the emergenc ybraking situation isover.
ABS prevent sthe wheels fromlockin g. Driving
safetysystems
61Safety Z

The
brakes willfunct ionasusual onceyou
release thebrake pedal. BASisdeactivated. G
WARNIN
G If
the BAS malfunct ions,thebrake system still
funct ions, butwithout theadditional brake
boost availabl ethat theBAS would normally
provide inan emergenc ybraking maneuver.
Therefore, thebraking distancemay increase. BAS
PLUS (BrakeAssist System Plus)
BAS PLUS isonly availab lein vehicles
equipped withDISTRONIC PLUS. i
Observe
the"Importan tsafet yno tes"
sec tion(Ypage 61).
At speeds aboveapproximat ely
20 mph (30km/ h),BASPLUS assists you
when brakin gin hazardous situationsand
uses theradar senso rsyst em toeva luat eth e
tr aff icco nd ition s. i
This
devicehas been approved bytheFCC
as a"Veh icular Radar System". The rada r
sen sor syst emisinte nd ed foru se inan
automotive radarsystem only.Removing,
altering ortampering withthedevice will
void anywarranties, andisnot permitted
by the FCC. Donot tamper with,alter, or
use inany non- approved way.
Any unauthorized modificationtothis
device couldvoidtheuser's authority to
operate theequip ment.
With thehelp ofthe radar sensor system, BAS
PLUS candetect obstacles thatareinthe
path ofyour vehicle foranextended periodof
time.
At speeds uptoapproximately
40 mph (70km/h), BASPLUS canalso detect
stationary obstacles, forexample stoppedor
parked vehicles.
Should youapproa chan obstacle andBAS
PLUS hasdetected arisk ofcollision, BAS
PLUS calcula testhe braking forcenecessary
to avoid arear-end collision. Shouldyouapply
the brakes forcefully, BASPLUS can automaticall
yincrease thebraking forcetoa
level suitabl efor the traffic conditions.
X Keep thebrake pedaldepressed untilthe
emergency brakingsituation isover.
ABS prevents thewheels fromlocking.
The brakes willwork normally againif:
R you release thebrake pedal.
R there isno longe rany dange rofarea r-end
colli sion.
R no obstacl eis detected infront ofyou r
vehicl e.
BAS PLUS isthen deactivated. Ifyou have
activated DSR(Ypag e208), BASPLUS is
likew isedea ctivated.
For BAS PLUS toassi styou when driving,the
rada rsensor system mustbeswitch edon and
operation al,see "Rada rsensor system" inthe
index. G
WARN
ING BAS
PLUS cannotalway sclearly identify
objec tsand complex trafficsituation s.BAS
PLUS cannotinte rven ein these cases.
There isarisk ofan acciden t.Always pay
careful attentiontothe traff icsituation andbe
ready tobrake.
In particular, thedetec tionofobstac lescan
be impaired ifther eis:
R dirt onthe sensor sor anythin gelse
cover ingthe sensor s
R snow orheavy rain
R int erferen cebyother radarsources
R the possibility ofstr ong radar reflect ions,
for example inparkin ggarages
R anarrow vehicle travelingin fron t,e.g. a
moto rbike
R avehicle travelin gin fron tonadi fferent line G
WARN
ING BA
SPLUS doesnotreact :
R to people oranimals
R to onc oming vehicles 62
Driving
safetysystemsSafety

R
to cros sing traffic
R in cur ves
As ares ult, BAS PLUScann otinte rvenein
cri tica lsi tua tions. The reisaris ko fan
acc iden t.Always paycareful attent ion tothe
tr aff icsit uatio nand berea dytobra ke.
Fol lowi ng dama getothe front endofthe
veh icle, ha ve the confi guratio na nd opera tion
of the rada rs ensor schec kedataqualified
specialist workshop.This also applies to
collisions atlow speeds wherethereis no
visible damage tothe fron tofthe vehicle.
If BAS PLUS isnot availa bledue toa
malfunction inthe radar sensor system, the
brake system remains availablewith full
brake boosting effectandBAS. ESP
®
(Ele ctronic Stability Program)
Import antsafety notes i
See
the"Important safetynotes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat thevehicle isdeviating
from thedirection desiredbythe driver, one
or more wheels arebraked tostabilize the
vehicle. Ifnecessary, theengine outputisalso
modified tokeep thevehicle onthe desired
course withinphysical limits.ESP®
assists
the driver whenpullingaway onwet or
slippery roads.ESP®
can also stabilize the
vehicle duringbraking.
If ESP ®
interven es,the ÷ ESP®
warning
lamp flashes inthe instrumen tcluster . G
WARN
ING Und
erno circums tances should you
deact ivateES P®
when the÷ ESP®
warnin glamp inthe instrumen tclust er
flashe s.Proc eedasfollows :
R when drivingoff ,apply aslittlethr ottleas
possible .
R while driving,ease upon the accelerat or
pedal.
R adapt yourspeed tosuit theprev ailing road
and weathe rconditions .
Failure toobserve theseguidelines could
cause thevehicle toskid. ESP®
cann ot
prevent accident sresulting fromexcessive
speed.
! Only operate thevehicle foramaximum
of ten seconds onabrake test
dynamometer. Switchoffthe ignition.
Application ofthe brakes byESP ®
may
otherwise destroythebrake system.
! Funct ionorperformanc etest smay only
be performed ona2-axle dynamometer. If
you wish tooperate thevehicle onsuch a
dynamometer, pleaseconsult an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter
beforehand. Youcould otherwise damage
the drive trainorthe brake system. i
Only
usewheels withtherecommen ded
tire sizes. OnlythenwillESP ®
funct ion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
Traction controlispart ofESP ®
.
Traction controlbrakes thedrive wheels
individuall yif they spin. Thisenables youto
pull away andaccelerate onslippery surfaces,
for example ifthe road surface isslippery on
one side. Inaddition, moredrivetorque is
trans ferred tothe wheel orwheels with
tract ion. Driving
safetysystems
63Safety Z

Traction
controlremains activeifyou
deactivate ESP®
. G
WARNIN
G Traction
controlcann otreduce therisk ofan
accident ifyou drive toofast. Traction control
cann otoverride thelaws ofphysics.
Deactivating/activat ingESP ® i
Observe
the"Importan tsafet yno tes"
sec tion(Ypage 61). G
WARN
ING ES
P®
should notbedeactiv atedduring
norm aldrivin gother thaninthe
circ umstan cesdescribed below.Disabling
the system willreduce vehicle stability in
drivin gmaneuver s.
Do not deactiv ateESP®
when theemergen cy
or spare wheel ismount ed.
ES P®
is activ ated automatic allywhen the
engin eis start ed.
It may bebest todeactiv ateESP®
in the
following situations:
R when usingsnowchains
R in deep snow
R on sand orgravel G
WARN
ING Switc
hon ESP®
immediately ifone ofthe
previously statedcon dition sis no longer met.
Other wise, ESP®
cann otstabilize thevehicle
if it begins tolurch orwhen awheel spins.
When youdeactiv ateESP®
:
R ES P®
no longer improves drivingstability.
R the engin e'storque isno longer limited and
the drive wheels canspin. Thespinn ingof
the wheels resultsinacutt ingaction ,which
provides bettergrip.
R trac tion controlis still activ ated.
R ES P®
still provides supportwhenyou
brake. If
ES P®
is deactiv atedandone ormore wheels
start tospin, the÷ ESP®
warning lampin
the instrument clusterflashes. Insuch
situation s,ES P®
will notstabilize thevehicle. X
To deact ivate:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clusterlightsup. G
WARN
ING When
theå ESP®
OFF warning lampislit,
ES P®
is deactiv ated.
If the ÷ ESP®
warning lampandthe
å ESP®
OFF warning lampremain lit,
ES P®
is not available duetoam alfun ction .
When ESP®
is deac tivate dor noto peration al,
vehicle stability instan dard driving
maneuver sis reduced.
Adapt yourspeed anddriving tothe prevailing
road condition sand tothe non-operat ing
stat usofthe ESP®
.
! Avoid spinningthe driven wheels foran
ext ended period withESP®
deactiv ated.
You could otherwisedamage thedrivet rain.
X To activa te:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clustergoesout.
ESP ®
trailer stabiliz ation If
your vehicle withtrailer (vehicle/ trailer
combin ation)begins tolurch, youcan only
stabilize thevehicle/ trailercombin ationby
depressin gthe brake firmly. 64
Driving
safetysystemsSafety