2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Brakes

control
,cau sing anacci dent and/or serious
per sona linju ryto youand othe rs.Do not
swi tch onDSR inasitu ation whe rerap id
dece lerati oncou ldresu ltin alos sof vehi cle
control .
DSR control sthe setspeedwhe nitisactive
and theautomatic transmission isin the D,
R or Nposition. Youcandrive atahigher or
a lower speed thanthatsetonthe on-board
computer atany time byaccelerating or
braking. G
WARNING If
you depress theaccelerator pedalwithDSR
activated, thevehicle candrive faster thanthe
programmed setspeed. Youshould therefore
drive downhill withparticular cautionasit
could leadtoan accident and/orserious
injury toyou orothers. Keepinmind thatas
soon asyou remove yourfootfrom the
accelerator pedalwithDSR switched on,DSR
will start regula tingthevehicle's speed
including useofbrakes ifrequired. Depending
on the programmed setspeed, actualvehicle
speed andgradient, DSRcancause the
vehicle toslow down rapidly.Sudden and
unexpected deceleration canresult inloss of
vehicle control,causing anaccident and/or
serious personal injurytoyou and others.
For information ondriving off-road, see
(Y page 162).
Activating/deac tivatingDSR Activating
You
canonly activate DSRifyou aredriving
at 25 mph (40km/h) orslower. X
Press button :.
Indicator lamp;lights up.
The followi ngmessages appearint he
multifunction displayand inthe status
indicator, forexample: If
the driving speedistoo fast, theDSR
symbol andthe Max.
Speed 25mph (Canada
: 40
km/h )
message appearint he
multifunction display. i
You
cannot activate DSRifthe SPORT on-
road program isactivated. TheDSR symbol
and the Not
inDrive Program SPORT message
thenappea rint he multifunction
displa y.
Deactivating
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp;goes out.
The DSR symbol appearsinthe
multifunction displaywith the Off
message.
DSR isdeactivated automatically ifyou are
driving fasterthan30mph (Canada :
45 km/h). TheDSR symbol appearsinthe
multifunction displaywith the Off message.
Stat usindicator =goes out.Youalso hear a
warning. Off-r
oaddriving systems
209Driving and parking Z

You
willfindthe values approve dby the
manuf acturer onthe vehic leident ification
plates andthosefor the towin gvehic lein the
"Techn icaldata" section. G
WARN
ING When
towingatrailer, yourvehic le'shandlin g
char acterist icswill bediffe rentinc omparison
with when driving without atrail er.
The vehicl e/trail ercombina tion:
R isheavi er
R isrestricted inits accele rationand
grad ient-climbi ngcapa bility
R has anincrease dbraking distance
R isaffected morebystrong crosswi nds
R dema ndsmore sensitive steering
R has alarg erturning circle
As aresul t,the handl ingchara cteristics may
be impa iredandyoumay losecontrol ofthe
vehicl e.This could leadto an accide ntwith
serio usoreven fatalinjurie s.
When towing atrail er,alw aysadju styou r
speed tothe current roadandweather
conditions. Donot exceed themaximu m
permis siblespeed foryou rvehicle/t railer
combin ation. G
WARN
ING Never
depress thebrake pedalcontinuously
while thevehicle isin motion ,e.g. never cause
the brakes torub byapplying constant slight
pedal pressure. Thiscauses thebrake system
to overheat ,incr eases thebraking distance
and canlead tothe brakes failingcomplet ely. G
WARN
ING Under
nocirc umstan cestrytostraight enthe
vehicle/ trailercombin ationbyincr easing the
speed. General
information R
Do not exceed thelegally prescribed
maximum speedforvehicle/t railer
combin ationsinthe relevant country.
This lowers therisk ofan acciden t.
R Only installan approved trailercoupling on
your vehicle.
Furt herinfor mation onavailabil ityand on
inst allation isavailable fromanyauthorized
Mercedes- BenzCenter .
R The bumpers ofyour vehicle arenot
suitable forinst alling detachable trailer
couplings.
R Do not installhired trailer couplings or
other detachable trailercouplings onthe
bumpers ofyour vehicle.
R To reduce therisk ofdamage tothe ball
coupling, removeitfrom theball coupling
recess whennotinuse. i
When
towing atrailer, setthe tire
pressure onthe rear axle ofthe towing
vehicle foramaximum load;seethetire
pressure tableinthe fuel filler flap
(Y page 371).
You willfind installation dimension sand loads
in the "Technic aldata" section
(Y page 391).
The maximum noseweight ofthe trailer
drawbar onthe ball coupling is16
.However,
the actual noseweight mustnotexceed the
value given onthe trailer towhitchor trailer
identif ication plates.Thelowest weight
applies.
! Use adrawbar noseweight asclose as
possible tothe maximum permissible
noseweight .Donot use anoseweight of
less than theminimum permissible
noseweight, asthe trailer mayotherwise
come loose. Missing valueswerenot
availa bleattime ofgoing toprint.
Note thatthepayloa dand therear axle load
are reduced bythe actual payload.
16 Missing valuesunavailable attime ofgoing toprint. Tr
ailer towing
211Driving and parking Z

Please
notethat when towing atrailer,
PARKTRONIC (Ypage 183)andBlind Spot
Assist (Ypage 198)areonly availabl ewith
limitations ,or not atall. i
On
vehicles withoutlevelcontrol,the
height ofthe ball coupling willalter
accordin gto the load placed onthe vehicle.
If necess ary,useatrailer withaheight-
adjustable drawbar.
Driving tips i
Observe
theinform ationonESP®
trailer
stabilization (Ypage 64)and onpulling
away withatrailer. (Ypage 141).
The maximum permissible speedforvehicle/
trailer combinat ionsdepends onthe type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journ ey,check
the trailer's document sto see what the
maximum permittedspeed is.Observe the
legally prescribed maximumspeedinthe
relevant country.
For cert ainMercedes- Benzvehicles, the
maximum permissible rearaxle load is
incr eased whentowing atrailer. Refertothe
"Technical data"sectiontofind outwhether
this applies toyour vehicle. Ifyou utilize any
of the added maximum rearaxle load when
towing atrailer, thevehicle/t railer
combinat ionmay notexceed amaximum
speed of60 mph(100 km/h)for reasons
conc ernin gthe operating permit.Thisalso
applies incount riesinwhich thepermissible
maximum speedforvehicle/t railer
combinat ionsisabove 60mph(100 km/h).
When towing atrailer, yourvehicle's handling
charact eristics willbedifferen tinc omparison
with when driving without atrail er.
On long andsteep downhill gradients, you
must selectshift range 1,2or 3in good time. i
This
alsoapp liesif you have activated
cruise control orDISTRONIC PLUS.
This willuse thebraking effectofthe engine,
so that lessbraking willbe requ iredto
maintai nthe speed. Thisrelieves theload on
the brake system andprevents thebrakes from
overheating andwearing tooquickly. If
you need additional braking,depressthe
brake pedalrepeatedly ratherthan
cont inuously .
Driving tips R
Maintain agreater distance fromthe
vehicle infront thanwhen driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. Ifpossible, brake
gently atfirst toallow thetrailer torun on.
Then, increase thebraking forcerapidly .
R The values givenforgradient-c limbing
capabil itiesfrom astandst illrefer tosea
level. When driving inmountainous areas,
note thatthepower output ofthe engine,
and consequent lythe vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability,decrease with
increasing altitude.
If the trailer swings fromsidetoside:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter- steer.
X Brake ifnecessary. Assemblin
gthe ball coupling
! Mercedes-Ben zrecomm endsthatyou
have theball coupling assembled ata
qualified specialist workshop.Only a
qualified specialist workshophas the
nec essary specialist knowledge andtools
to carry outthework required. Youcould
other wiseincorrectlyassemble theball
coupling ortight enthe nut with the
incor recttorque. Thiscould leadtothe ball
coupling andtheball coupling carrier
becomin gdetached whiletowing atrailer.
As aresult, youcould cause anacciden t.
Therefor e,have theball coupling
assembled ataqualified specialist
worksho p.
If the assembled ballcoupling hasbeen
permanen tlymount edon the vehicle, have
the ball coupling regularly checkedfor 212
Tr
ailer towingDriving and parking

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

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions The
yello w! warning lamp lightsup. The redF (USA
on ly)/ ! (Canadaonly) indic ato rlamp flashes for
appro ximately10 sec onds aftertheelec tric park ingbrak ehas
been applied orrele ased. Itth en goes outorrem ains lit.
The electric park ingbrak eis malf unctionin g.
X Swit choff theign ition and turnit back on.
X En gage theelec tric park ingbrak e.
If it is no tp ossible toengage theelectric parking brake:
X Shift thetrans mission toP.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop.
If it is not possible torelease theelectric parking brake:
X Release theelectric parking brakeautomatically (Ypage 156).
If the electric parking brakestillcann otbe released:
X Consult aquali fiedspecialist workshop. The
yellow !warning lamplights up.When yourelease orapply
the electric parking brakemanually ,the red F (USA
only)/ !(Canada only)indicator lampflashes.
The electric parking brakeismalfunct ioning.Itis not possible to
apply theelectric parking brakemanually .
X Shift thetrans mission toP.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop. F(USA
only)!(Canada
only) Pkg
Brake Inoperative The
yellow !warning lamplights up.The redF (USA
only)/ !(Canada only)indicator lampflashes for
approximately 10seconds aftertheelectric parking brakehas
been applied orreleased. Itthen goes outorremains lit.
The electric parking brakeismalfunct ioning,e.g.because of
overvoltage orundervoltage.
X Remove thecause forthe overvoltage orundervoltage, e.g.by
charging thebattery orrestart ingthe engine.
X En gage orrelease theelectric parking brake.
If it remains impossible toapply orrelease theelectric parking
brake:
X Switch offthe ignition andturn itback on.
X En gage orrelease theelectric parking brake.
If the electric parking brakestillcann otbe released:
X Consult aquali fiedspecialist workshop. Display
messages
243On-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

Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
!
The
yello wABS warning
lamp islit while the
engine isrunning. A
warning tonealso
sounds. G
Risk
ofaccident EBD
isfaulty. Therefore, BAS,BAS PLU S,ESP ®
,PR E-SAFE ®
,PR E-
SAFE ®
Bra ke, the HOLD functio n,hillsta rtas sist and ESP®
tra iler
sta bilizati onarealso una vailab le,for exa mpl e.
The brakesystem continuestofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefor elock ifyou
brake hard,forexample.
ATTE NTION ASSISTisdeactivated.
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop. $
(USAonly)
J (Canada only)
֌!
The redbrake warning
lamp, theyellow ESP®
and ESP®
OFF warning
lamps andtheyellow
ABS warning lampare
lit while theengine is
runnin g. G
Risk
ofaccident ABS
andESP®
are faulty. Therefore, BAS,BAS PLUS, EBD,PRE-
SAF E®
,PRE-S AFE®
Brake, theHOLD function,hillstart assist and
ESP ®
trailer stabilization arealso unavailab ledue toa
malfunct ion,forexample.
The brake system continues tofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefor elock ifyou
brake hard,forexample.
ATTE NTION ASSISTisdeactivated.
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop. ÷
The
yellow ESP®
warning lampflashes
while thevehicle isin
motion . G
Risk
ofaccident ESP
®
or tract ioncont rolhas interv enedbecause thereisarisk of
skidding oratleast onewheel hasstart edtospin.
Cruise controlorDIS TRONIC PLUSisdeactivated.
X Only depress theaccelerator pedalasfar asnecessary when
pulling away.
X Ease offthe accelerator pedalwhilethevehicle isin motion .
X Adapt yourdriving styletosuit theroad andweather conditions.
X Do not deactivate ESP®
.
Ex ception s:(Y page 63). War
ning andindicator lampsin the instru mentcluster
273On-board computer and displays Z