2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 4 way

Welc
ometothe world ofMerce des-Ben z
Before youdrive off,please famil iarize
you rself withyourvehicle andread this
manual, especially thesafety andwarning
not es. This willhelp youtoobtain the
maximum pleasurefromyourvehicle and
avoid endanger ingyourself andother s.
The equipment ormodel designation ofyour
vehicle maydiffer accordingto:
R model
R order
R count ryvariant
R availabili ty
Mercedes- Benziscon stan tlyupdating its
vehicles tothe stateof the art.
Mercedes- Benztherefore reserv esthe right
to introduce changes inthe following areas:
R design
R equipment
R tec hnical features
Therefor e,you cann otbase anyclaims onthe
illustration sor tex tcont ent inthis Operator's
Manual.
The following areintegr alcompon entsofthe
vehicle:
R Operator's Manual
R Servic eBooklet
R Equipment -dependentsupplem ents
Kee pth ese documen tsinthev ehicle atall
times. Whenyousellthevehicle, alwayspass
the documen tson tothe new owner.
The technical documen tationteamat
Daimler AGwishes yousafe andpleasant
moto ring.
Mercedes- BenzUSA,LLC
Mercedes- BenzCanada, Inc.
AD aimler Company
1665841581
É1 665841581ÀË Í

Assis
tance men u(on-boa rd
comp uter) .......................................... 232
ASS YST PLUS
see ASSYST PLUSserviceinterva l
dis pla y
ATA (Anti-Theft Alarm syste m)
Activating/d eactivating ................... 68
Function ...........................................68
Swi tching offthe alarm .................... 68
ATTENTIO NASSIST
Act ivating/deact ivating................. 232
Displ aymessa ge............................ 258
Function/notes ............................. 194
Audio menu(on-bo ardcomputer) ....229
Audio system
see sepa rateoperating instructio ns
Authori zedMerce des-Be nzCenter
see Qualified speci alist worksh op
AUTO lights
Displ aymessa ge............................ 253
see Ligh ts
Automatic headlampmode.............. 110
Automatic transmission
Cha nging gear............................... 146
DIRECT SELECT lever..................... 144
Displ aymessa ge............................ 265
Driving tips.................................... 147
Emergency runningmode.............. 149
Kickdow n....................................... 147
Prob lem(malfunction) ................... 149
Pul ling away ................................... 141
Shift range s................................... 147
Starting theengine ........................ 140
Steering wheelpad dleshifte rs...... 147
Trai lertowi ng................................. 147
Transmi ssionposition display ........145
Transm issionposi tions .................. 146
Automatic transmission
emerge ncymode ............................ ...149 B
Back
support
see Lumb arsup port
Backup lamp
Displ aymessa ge............................ 252
Bag hook............................................ 288Ball
couplin g
Install ing........................................ 214
Rem oving ....................................... 218
Storing ........................................... 218
BAS (Brake AssistSyste m)................. 61
Basic settings
see Settings
BAS PLUS(Brake AssistSyste m
PLU S).................................................... 62
Battery (SmartKe y)
Che cking .............. ............................ 76
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 75
Rep lacing ......................................... 76
Battery (vehicle)
Cha rging ........................................ 340
Displ aymessa ge............................ 256
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 338
Ju mp starting ................................. 341
Belt
see Seat belts
Blin dSpot Assist
Activa ting/d eactiva ting................. 232
Notes/fu nction.............................. 198
Trai lertowi ng................................. 200
see Active BlindSpotAssist
BlueTE C(D EF ).................................... 387
Brake AssistSyste m
see BAS (Brake AssistSystem)
Brake fluid
Displ aymessa ge............................ 244
Notes ............................................. 389
Brake fluidlevel................................ 316
Brake lamps
Cha nging bulbs.............................. 117
Displ aymessa ge............................ 251
Brakes
ABS .................................................. 61
BAS .................................................. 61
BAS PLUS ........................................ 62
Brake fluid(notes) ......................... 389
Displ aymessa ge............................ 239
Driving tips.................................... 159
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 159
Mai ntenance .................................. 160
Warni nglamp ....... ..................... ..... 271 In
dex
5

Break
down
see Flattire
see Towing away
Bu lbs
see Changin gbulbs C
Califor
nia
Impo rtant notice forretail
cust omer sand lesse es.................... 22
Call ingupamalfunc tion
see Displ aymessa ges
Capac ities
see Techni caldata
Car
see Vehi cle
Care
Carpets .......................................... 325
Ca rwa sh ....... .............. .............. ..... 318
Displ ay........................................... 323
Exterior lights ................................ 322
Gea rorselecto rlever .................... 324
Matte finish................................... 320
Nigh tView AssistPlus ................... 323
Notes ............................................. 318
Pai nt.............................................. 320
Pla stic trim .................................... 323
Pow erwa sher ................................ 319
Rea rview came ra.......................... 322
Roo flini ng ....... ............................ ...325
Seat belt........................................ 324
Seat cover ..................................... 324
Sensors ......................................... 322
Steering wheel............................... 324
Trim pieces .................................... 324
Was hing byhand ........................... 319
Whee ls........................................... 320
Windo ws........................................ 321
Wip erbla des .................................. 321
Wood entrim .................................. 324
Cargo compartm entcover ............... 289
Cargo compartm entenlargemen t... 287
Cargo compartm entfloor
Openi ng/closi ng............................ 292
Stowag ewell(under) ..................... 292Cargo
net
Attaching ....................................... 290
Importa ntsafe tyinforma tion......... 290
Cargo tiedow nrings ......................... 288
Car wash (care) ................................. 318
CD player/ CDchang er(on-bo ard
co mputer) .......................................... 230
Ce llphone
see Mobi lephone
Ce nter conso le
Lowe rsect ion .................................. 33
Uppe rsect ion .................................. 32
Ce ntral locking
Automa ticlocking (on-board
compu ter)...................................... 235
Locking/u nlocking(SmartKe y)........ 72
Chang ingbulb s
Brake lamps ................................... 117
High-b eamheadlamps ................... 116
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 114
Low-b eamheadlamps .................... 116
Overvi ewofbul btypes .................. 115
Parki nglamps ................................ 116
Rem oving/re placing thecover
(front wheelarch) .......................... 115
Side marker lamps ......................... 117
Standing lamps (front) ................... 116
Chi ld-proof locks
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 59
Rea rdoors ....................................... 59
Chi ldren
In the vehi cle................................... 54
Res traint systems ............................ 54
Chi ldseat
LATCH-typ e(ISOFIX) childsea t
anchors .................................... ...... .. 57
Specia lseat belt retractor ............... 56
Top Tether ....................................... 58
Ci garette lighter ................................ 296
Cl eani ng
Trai lertow hitch ............................. 322
Cli mate control
3-zone automatic climatecontrol ..126
Control lingautomatica lly............... 129
Coo ling with aird ehumidification ..128
Defrosting thewindows ................. 132
Defrosting thewindshi eld.............. 131 6
In
dex

Trip
menu ...................................... 227
Vehi clesub menu ........................... 235
On-b oard diagn osticsinte rface ..........24
Open ingand closi ng the side trim
panel s................................................. 117
Operatin gsafety
On-boa rddia gnostics interface........ 24
Operatin gsyste m
see On-boa rdcompu ter
Outside temperature display........... 223
Ove rhead control panel ...................... 34
Ove rride feature
Rea rside windows ........................... 59P
Pain
tcode num ber............................ 381
Pain twork (clean inginstruction s)... 320
Pani calarm .......................................... 60
Pano rama roofwith pow ertilt/
sli ding panel
Openi ng/closi ng.............................. 89
Openi ng/closi ngthe roller
sunbl ind........................................... 90
Prob lem(malfunction) ..................... 91
Res etting ......................................... 90
Pano rama sliding sunroo f
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 88
Parce lnet ........................................... 286
Parking ............................................... 155
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 155
Posi tion ofexterio rmirror, front-
pas senger side....... ........................104
Rea rview came ra.......................... 190
see PARKT RONIC
Parking aid
Active ParkingAssist ..................... 186
see Exterior mirrors
see PARKT RONIC
Parking brake
Displ aymessa ge............................ 241
Electric parking brake.................... 156
Parking lamps(changi ngbulb s)...... 116
PARK TRONIC
Deactiva ting/activa ting................. 185
Driving system ............................... 183
Function/notes ............................. 183
Prob lem(malfunction) ................... 186Ra
nge ofthe sensors ..................... 183
Trai lertowi ng................................. 185
Warni ngdispla y............................. 184
PAS SENGE RAIRBAG OFFindicat or
lam p................................. .....................44
Ped als.................. .................. .............1 58
Permane ntfour-w heeldrive
see 4MATIC (permanent four-
whe eldrive )
Plas tictrim (clean inginstruction s).3 23
Pow erwashe rs.................................. 319
Pow erwindow s
see Side windows
PRE-SA FE®
(Pre ventive occupant
safety system)
Displ aymessa ge............................ 245
Opera tion.................. .................. .....4 9
PRE-SAFE ®
Bra ke(vehicl eswith
DISTRONIC PLUS)
Display message ............................ 245
Function/notes ................................65
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 232
Warni nglamp ....... ..................... ..... 279
Preve ntiveoccupant safety
syste m
see PRE-SAFE ®
(Pre ventive
occup antsafe tysys tem)
Produc tinfo rmation ............................ 21
Pull ingaway
Automa tictransmis sion................. 141
Trai ler............................................ 141 Q
Quali
fieds pec ialistw ork shop ........... 25 R
Radar
sensor syste m
Activating/d eactivating ................. 236
Displ aymessa ge............................ 259
Radiator cover ................................... 313
Radio Sele cting astati on......................... 229
see sepa rateoperating instructio ns
Radio-c ontrolleddevi ces
(in stalli ng).......................................... 309
Readin glamp ..................................... 11314
In
dex

Rear
compartment
Setting theairv ent s...................... 135
Setting thetempera ture................ 130
Rear foglamp
Displ aymessa ge............................ 252
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 110
Rear seat
Adjusting ......................................... 98
Rear viewcamera
Cl eani nginstructio ns..................... 322
Function/notes ............................. 190
Rear-vie wmirror
Anti-glar e(manua l)........................ 103
Dippi ng(automa tic)....................... 104
Rear window defros ter
Prob lem(malfunction) ................... 133
Rear window heatin g
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 132
Rear window wiper
Rep lacing thewiper blade ....... ....... 119
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 118
Refue ling
Fuel gauge....................................... 29
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 149
Ref ueling proces s.......................... 150
see Fuel
Remote control
Ga rage door opener ....................... 305
Reportin g
Mal functions relevant tosafe ty....... .25
Res erve (fueltank)
see Fuel
Res erve fuel
Disp laym essage ............................ 257
Warni nglamp ........................ 276,277
see Fuel
Resi dual heat (climate control) ........ 133
Restrain tsyste m
see SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System)
Roadsi deAss istanc e(bre akdow n).... 22
Roll ersunb lind
Panor amaroofwith pow ertilt/
sli ding pane l....... ..............................90
Roof carrie r........................................ 293
Roof lining and carpets (clean ing
guide lines) ......................................... 325Roof
load(maximum) ........................ 390
Route see Routegui dance (navigation)
Route guidan ce(nav igati on)............ 228 S
Safety
Childre nint he vehicle ..................... 54
Chi ldrestrai ntsys tems .................... 54
Occupa ntClass ifica tion System
(OC S)............................................... 44
Overvi ewofoccup antsafe ty
sys tems ........................................... 38
Safety systems
see Driving safetysys tems
Seat belts
Adjusting thedrive r'sand front-
pas senger seatbelt ......................... 52
Adjusting theheight ....... .............. ....52
Belt force limiters ............................ 53
Cl eani ng....... ....... ........................... 324
Corr ectusage.................................. 50
Emergency Tensioning Devices ........53
Faste ning......................................... 51
Importa ntsafe tygui del ines ............. 49
Rel eas ing ......................................... 53
Safety guidel ines ............................. 39
Specia lseat belt retractor ............... 56
Switchi ngbeltadju stment on/off
(on-boa rdcompu ter)...................... 237
Warni nglamp ....... ..................... ..... 269
Warni nglamp (function) ................... 53
Seats
Adjusting (electrical ly). .................... 96
Adjusting the4-way lumba r
sup port ............................................ 99
Adjusting theheadrestrai nt............ 97
Cl eani ngthe cover ......................... 324
Corr ectdrive r'ssea tposi tion ...........94
Fold ingthe rear bench seat
forwa rds/ba ck....... ..................... ...287
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................... 95
Seat heating prob lem.................... 100
Seat ventila tionprob lem................ 100
Storing settings (memory
function) ........................................ 105 In
dex
15

Tow
ingat rail er
Activ ePark ing Assist ..................... 189
Cl eani ngthe trail ertow hitch .........322
Cou pling up atrail er...................... 215
Decoup lingatrail er....................... 217
Driving tips.................................... 210
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 210
Install ingthe ballcoup ling............. 214
Ligh tsdis pla ym essage .................. 250
Mou nting dimensions .................... 391
Pow ersup ply................................. 219
Pul ling away with atrail er.............. 141
Rem oving theballcoup ling............ 218
Shift range ..................................... 147
Storing theballcoup ling................ 218
Trai lerloads................................... 391
Towi ngaway
With both axleson the grou nd....... 344
Tow-s tarting
Emergency enginestarting ............ 345
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 343
Trailer couplin g
see Towingatrail er
Trailer loadsanddrawbar
nos eweig hts ...................................... 218
Trailer towing
Active BlindSpotAssist ................. 205
Active LaneKeepingAssist ............ 208
Blind SpotAssist ............................ 200
ESP ®
................................................ 64
PARKT RONIC................................. 185
Permi ssibletrail erloa dsand
dra wba rnoseweights ..................... 218
Transmiss ion
see Automa tictransmis sion
Transporting thevehi cle .................. 345
Traveli nguphill
Brow ofhill....... ..............................166
Driving downhill ............................. 167
Maxi mum gradient-clim bing
capa bility ....................................... 166
Trim pieces(clean inginstruction s).3 24
Trip computer (on-bo ard
co mputer) .......................................... 227
Trip meter
see Trip odom eter Trip
odome ter
Ca lling up ....... ..................... ...........227
Res etting (on-boa rdcompu ter)...... 228
Trunk
see Tailga te
Turn signals
Displ aymessa ge............................ 251
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 111
TWR (TongueWeight Rating)
(defi nition) ......................................... 374
Type identification plate
see Vehi cleidentificati onplate U
Unl
ocking
Emergency unlocking ....................... 80
From insidethe vehi cle(central
unlo cking button) ............................. 79 V
Vanity
mirror(insun visor).............. 295
Vehic le
Corr ectuse ...................................... 25
Data acquisition ............................... 26
Displ aymessa ge............................ 265
Equi pment ....................................... 21
Indivi dualsett ings .......................... 233
Limi tedWarr anty ............................. 26
Load ing.......................................... 362
Locking (inanemerg ency)............... 80
Locking (SmartKe y)....... ................... 73
Lowe ring........................................ 337
Mai ntenance .................................... 22
Parki ngfor along period....... .........157
Pul ling away ................................... 141
Ra ising ........................................... 334
Rep orting problems ......................... 25
Tow ingaway .................................. 343
Transp orting.................................. 345
Unlocking (inanemerg ency)........... 80
Unlocking (SmartKey)...................... 73
Vehi cledata ................................... 390
Vehic lebattery
see Battery (vehicle)
Vehic ledata ....................................... 390
see Techni caldata In
dex
19

Infor
mation for cust omersin
Cali fornia
Un der Califo rnia law you may beentitled toa
rep lace men tofyour vehicle orarefund ofthe
purchase priceorlease price, ifafter a
reasonable numberofrepair attempt s
Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC and/or its
authorized repairorservice facilities failtofix
one ormore substant ialdefects or
malfunct ionsinthe vehicle thatarecovered
by its express warranty. Duringtheperiod of
18 mont hsfrom original delivery ofthe
vehicle orthe accumulation of18 000 miles
(approximately 29000 km)onthe odometer
of the vehicle, whichever occursfirst,a
reasonable numberofrepair attempt sis
presumed foraretail buyer orlessee ifone or
more ofthe following occurs:
(1) thesame substant ialdefect or
malfunct ionresults inacondit ionthat is
likely tocause deathorserious bodily
injury ifthe vehicle isdriven, thatdefect
or malfunct ionhas been subject torepair
two ormore times, andyouhave directly
not ified Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC in
writing ofthe need foritsrepair.
(2) thesame substant ialdefect or
malfunct ionofaless serious naturethan
category (1)has been subject torepair
four ormore times andyouhave directly
not ified Mercedes-B enzinwriting ofthe
need foritsrepair.
(3) thevehicle isout ofservice byreason of
repair ofthe same ordifferent substantial
defects ormalfunct ionsforacumulative
tot alof more than30calendar days.
Please sendyourwritten notice to:
Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC
Customer AssistanceCenter
One Mercedes Drive
Mont vale, NJ0764 5-0350 Maintenance
The Servic eand Warranty Bookletdescribes
all the necessary maintenancework which
should bedone atregular intervals.
Always havetheServic eand Warranty
Booklet withyouwhen youbring thevehicle
to an authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
service advisor willrecord everyservice for
you inthe Servic eand Warranty Booklet. Roadsid
eAssistance
The Mercedes-B enzRoadside Assistance
Program offerstechnicalhelp inthe event of
a breakdown. Callsto the toll-fr eeRoadside
Assist anceHotline areanswered byour
agents 24hours aday, 365days ayear.
1-800-FOR-MER Cedes(1-800-367-6372)
(USA)
1-800-387-0100 (Canada)
For additional information,refer tothe
Mercedes-B enzRoadside Assistance
Program brochure (USA)orthe "Road side
Assist ance" section inthe Servic eand
Warranty booklet(Canada) .You will find both
in your vehicle literature portfolio.
In accordanc ewith standard program
guideli nes,Roadside Assistanceprovides
vehicle service uptoareasonable distance
from thenext paved road.Wewill make every
effort toassist inabreakdown situation.
However, theaccessibility ofyour vehicle will
be determin edbyour authorized Mercedes-
Benz Servic etechn icianorthe tow service
provider onacase-by-case basis.
Additional chargesmaybeapplicabl efor a
breakdown locationdetermin ednot tobe a
reasonably accessibleroadsidelocationas
determin edbyour authorized technicianand
tow service provider. 22
Introdu
ction

hard,
donot overload it.And, alwayswear
your seatbelts atall times. Inarollover crash,
an unbelted personissignificantly morelikely
to die than aperson wearing aseat belt. Operat
ingsafety Safety
notes G
WARNING Work
improperly carriedoutonelectronic
componen tsand associated softwarecould
cause themtocease functioning. Because the
vehicle's electronic componentsare
interc onnec ted,anymodifications mademay
produce anundesired effectonother
systems. Electronicmalfunctions could
seriously impairtheoperating safetyofyour
vehicle.
Contact anauthorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er
for repairs ormodificat ionstoelectr onic
compon ents.
Other improper workormodificat ionsonthe
vehicle couldalsohave anegativ eimpact on
the operatin gsafety ofthe vehicle.
Some safety systems onlyfunction when the
engine isrunn ing.You should thereforenever
turn offthe engine whiledriving. G
WARN
ING Heavy
blowsagainst thevehicle underbody or
tires/ wheels maycause serious damage and
impair theoperatin gsafety ofyour vehicle.
Such blows canbecaused, forexample, by
runn ingover anobstacle, roaddebris ora
pothole.
If you feel asudden significantvibration or
ride disturbanc e,or you suspect thatdamage
to your vehicle hasoccurr ed:
R turn onyour hazard warning flashers.
R slow down carefully.
R drive withcaution toan area which isasafe
distanc efrom theroad.
Inspec tthe vehicle underbody andtires/
wheels forpossible damage. Ifthe vehicle appea
rsunsafe, haveittowed tothe nearest
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent eror other
qualified maintenanc eor repair facility for
furth erinspect ionorrepairs. On-boar
ddiagnost icinter face G
WARN
ING If
you connectequipmen tto the on-board
diagnos ticsint erfac e,itcan affec tthe
operat ionofthe vehic lesyste ms.This can
impair theoperat ingsafet yofyour vehicle
while driving. Thereisarisk ofaccident .
Do not conn ectany equipment tothe on-
board diagnostics interface. G
WARNING Loose
equipment orequipment cableswhich
are conn ected tothe on-board diagnostics
interf acecan obstruct thearea around the
pedals. Theequipment orthe cables couldget
between thepedals inthe event ofsudden
braking oracceleration. Youmay then no
longer beable tobrake, operate theclutch or
accelerate asinten ded.There isarisk of
accident .
Do not attach anyequipment orcables inthe
driver footwell.
Connect ingequipment tothe on-board
diagnostics interfacecan lead toemissions
monit oringinformat ionbeing reset. Thismay
lead tothe vehicle failingtomeet the
requirements atthe next special emissions
test ormain inspect ion.
If the engine isswitched offand equipment
on the on-board diagnostic interfaceisused,
the start erbattery maydischarge.
The on-board diagnostics interfaceisonly
inten dedforthe conn ection ofdiagnostic
equipment ataquali fiedspecialist workshop. 24
Introdu
ction