2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class Instrument lights

Useful
information
i This
Operat or'sManual describesall
models andallstan dard andoption al
equipment ofyour vehicle available atthe
time ofpublication ofthe Operat or's
Manual. Country-specificdiffer encesare
possible. Pleasenotethat your vehicle may
not beequipped withallfeature s
descr ibed. Thisalso applies tosafet y-
related systemsand func tions. i
Please
readtheinfor mation onqualified
specialist workshops(Ypage 25). Occupant
safety Overview
ofoccupant safety
In this section, youwilllearn themost
import antfactsabout therest raint system
compo nentsof the vehicle.
The restraint system consists of:
R seat belts
R child restraint system s
R LATCH -type (ISOF IX)child seatanchors
Addit ional protection isprovided by:
R SRS (Supplemen talRestrain tSyst em)
R PRE -SAF E®
R Airb ag syst emcompo nentsw ith:
- PAS SENGER AIRB AG OFF indicator lamp
- fro nt-pa ssenge rseat with Occupant
Classification System(OCS)
The differen tairbag systems work
indep endently of each other.The protective
func tionsof the syst emwork incon junction
with each other.Not allair bags aredeployed
in an acc ident . G
WARN
ING Modif
ications toor work impro perly
con duct edon rest raint systemcom pone nts
or the irwirin g,as well astam perin gwith
int erc onn ectedelect ronicsyst ems, canlead to
the rest raint systems nolong erfunc tioning
as intende d.
Air bags orEm ergen cyTens ionin gDev ices
(ETD s),for exam ple,could deploy
inadv ertent lyor fail todeploy inacc ident s
altho ughthedecele ration threshold forair
bag deploymen tisexceeded. Therefore,
never modify therestraint systems. Donot
tamper withelectronic component sor their
software. i
See
"Children inthe vehicle"
(Y page 54)formore information on
infants andchildren traveling withyouin
the vehicle andrestraints forinfants and
children. SRS
(Supplemental RestraintSystem)
Introduction SRS
consists of:
R the 6 SRSwarning lamp
R air bags
R air bag cont rolunit (with crash sensors)
R Emergenc yTensioning Devicesforthe
front seatbelts andtheouter seatbelts in
the rear
R belt force limiters
SRS reduces therisk ofoccupants coming
into contactwith thevehicle's interiorinthe
event ofan accident. Itcan also reduce the
effect ofthe forces towhich occupants are
subjected duringanaccident.
SRS warning lamp SRS
function sare checked regularlywhen
you switch onthe ignition andwhen the
engine isrunning. Therefore, malfunctions
can bedetected ingood time.
The 6 SRSwarning lampinthe instrument
cluster lightsupwhen theignition isswitched
on. Itgoes outnolater thanafew seconds
after theengine isstarted. 38
Occ
upant safetySafety

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

Comb
inationswit ch
Tu rn signa ls :
High-beam headlam ps
; Right turns ignal
= High- beam flasher
? Left turnsign al
X To indica tebrief ly:press thecom binat ion
switc hbrief lyto the press urepoint inthe
direc tionofarrow ;or?.
The correspo ndingtur nsignal flashes three
tim es.
X To indica te:press thecom binat ionswitc h
beyond thepress urepoint inthe direc tion
of arrow ;or?.
High- beam headlamps X
To switch ontheh igh-b eamhead lamps:
turn theSmar tKey inthe ignit ionlock to
posit ion2or star tthe engin e.
X Turn thelight switc hto L orc or
Ã.
X Press thecom binat ionswitc hbeyond the
pressure pointinthe direct ionof
arrow :.
In the c orà position ,the high-
beam headlamps areonly switched on
when itis dark andtheengin eis runn ing. The
K indicat orlamp inthe instrument
cluster lightsupwhen thehigh-beam
headlamps areswitch edon.
X To switch offthe high-bea m
headla mps:move thecombin ationswitch
back toits norm alposition .
The K indicat orlamp inthe instrument
cluster goesout.
High-beam flasher X
To switch on:turn theSmart Keyinthe
ignition locktoposition 1or 2or start the
engin e.
X Pull thecombin ationswitch inthe direct ion
of arrow =. Haz
ard warning lamps The
hazard warning lampsautomatic ally
switch onif:
R an air bag isdeployed.
R the vehicle isslowed downseverely froma
speed ofover 45mph (70km/ h)and comes
to ahalt.
X To switch onthe hazard warning lamps:
press button :.
All turn signals flash.Ifyou now switch on
a turn signal usingthecombin ationswitch ,
only theturn signal lamponthe
corr espondin gside ofthe vehicle willflash.
X To switch offthe hazard warning
lamp s:press button :. Exterior
lighting
111Lights and windshield wipers Z

X
Insert Start/S topbutton :into ignition
lock ;. i
When
youinsert Start/S topbutton :
into ignition lock;,thesystem requiresa
detection timeofapp roximately two
seconds beforeyoucan useStart/S top
button :. Start/St
opbutton
= USA only
? Cana daonly
X Positio n0: ifStart/S topbutton :has not
yet been pressed ,this corresponds tothe
SmartKey beingremoved fromtheignition.
X Positio n1: press Start/S topbutton :
once.
You cannow activate thewindshi eld
wip ers, forexampl e. i
If
you press Start/S topbutton :twice
when inthis positio n,the powe rsupply is
deac tivat ed again .
X Pos ition 2(ign ition ):pre ssStart /S top
but ton: twice. i
If
you pressStart /S topbut ton: once
when inthis posi tion and thedriv er'sdoor
is open ,th epower supplyis deac tivat ed
again .
As soo nasthe ignition isswitched on,allthe
indicator lampsinthe instrument clusterlight
up. Ifan indicator lampdoesnotgoout after
the engine isstarted orifit lights upwhile the
vehicle isin motion, see(Ypage 271). Star
ting theengin e
Importa ntsafety notes G
WARNING Inhalation
ofexhaust gasishazardous toyour
health. Allexhaust gascont ains carbon
monoxide (CO),andinhaling itcan cause
unconsciousness andpossible death.
Do not run theengine inconfined areas(such
as agarage) whicharenot properly ventilated.
If you think thatexhaust gasfumes are
entering thevehicle whiledriving, havethe
cause determined andcorrect ed
immediately .Ify ou must driveunder these
condit ions,drive onlywith atleast one
window fullyopen atall times. i
Vehicles
withagasoline engine:the
catalytic converter preheats forupto30
seconds afteracold start.Durin gth is time,
th een gin esoun dmay bediff ere nt.
Aut oma tic trans mission X
Sh ift thetrans mis sion toposi tion P.
The trans mis sion position disp layinthe
mult ifunction disp laysho wsP
(Y page 145). i
You
canalso start theen gin ewhen the
tr ans mis sion isin posi tion N.
St artin gpr ocedu rewith theSm artKey X
To star tag asolineeng ine:turn the
SmartKey toposi tion 3in the ignition lock
(Y pag e139) andrelease itas soon asthe
engine isrunning.
X To start adiesel engine: turnthe
Smar tKey toposit ion2in the ignit ionlock
(Y page 139).
The % preglow indicatorlamp inthe
inst rumen tcluster lightsup.
X When the% preglo windic atorlamp
goes out,turnthe SmartK eytoposition 3
(Y page 139)andrelease itas soon asthe
engine isrunning. 140
DrivingDriving and parking

X
App lythe electri cpark ing brak e.
X Sh ift thetrans mis sion toposi tionP.
Using theSm artKey X
Turn theSm artKey toposi tion0 inthe
ign ition lockand remove it.
The imm obiliz erisact ivat ed. i
If
you turnoff theen gin ewit hth e
Sm artKey and then rem ove itfrom the
ign ition lockor open afron tdoor ,th e
auto matictrans mis sion shiftsto P
auto maticall y.
Using KEYLESS- GO X
Pre sstheSt art /S topbut ton( Ypage 139).
The engin estops andallthe indicat or
lamps inthe instrument clustergoout. i
If
you usetheStart/ Stop butt ontoswitc h
off the engin e,the automatic transmission
shift sto Nautomatic ally.Ifyou then open
one ofthe fron tdoors, theautomatic
trans mission shiftstoP. i
In
an emergenc y,the engine canbe
turned offwhile thevehicle isin motion by
pressing andholding theStart /Stopbutton
for three seconds. Elec
tric par king brake
General information i
The
electric parking brakeperforms a
funct iontest atregular intervalswhile the
engine isswitched off.The sounds thatcan
be heard whilethisisoccurrin gare normal. G
WARNIN
G When
leaving thevehicle, alwaysremove the
Smart Keyfrom thestart erswitch, takeitwith
you, andlock thevehicle. Donot leave
children unattendedinthe vehicle, orwith
access toan unlocked vehicle.Children could
release theparking brakeand/or shiftthe
automatic transmission outofpark position P,
either ofwhich couldresult inan accident
and/or serious personal injury. Applying/releasing
manually X
To app ly:press handle :.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster lightsup. i
The
electric parking brakecanalso be
applied whentheSmart Keyisremoved.
X To release: pullhandle :.
The redF (USAonly)or! (Canada
only) indicator lampinthe instr ument
cluster goesout. i
The
electric parking brakecannotbe
released unlesstheSmart Keyisin position
1 in the ignition lockorthe ignition has
been switched onusing theStart /Stop
button .
To ensure thatyoudon't rollbackwards when
pulling awayonanuphill slope, engage the
electric parking brake(Ypage 141).
Applying automat ically Your
vehicle's electricparking brakeis
automatically appliedifDIS TRONIC PLUSor
the HOLD functionbring thevehicle toa
standst ill,orare engaged tokeep thevehicle
station ary.Inaddition, atleast oneofthe
following conditionsmust befulfilled: 156
Par
kingDriving and parking

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions PRE
-SAFE Fun
ctions Limited See
Operator's Man
ual G
Ri
sk ofacci dent PRE
-SAF E®
Br ake isdef ective. BASPLU Sor thed istanc ewarning
sign almay alsohave failed.
X Visi taqu alified specialist workshop. 6
SRS
Malfun ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y There
isamalfunc tioninthe SRS (Supplemen talRestrain t
Syst em). The6 warning lampalsolights upinthe instrument
cluster .
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Front
LeftSRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed or
Front
Right Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y SRS
hasmalfunc tionedatthe fron ton the left orright .The 6
warning lampalsolights upinthe instrument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Rear
LeftSRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed or
Rear
Right SRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y SRS
hasmalfunc tionedatthe rear onthe left orright .The 6
warning lampalsolights upinthe instrument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Rear
Center SRS Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y SRS
hasmalfunc tionedatthe rear center. The 6 warning lamp
also lights upinthe instrument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 6
Left
SideCurtai n Airbag Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed or
Right Side Curtai
n Airbag Malfun
ction Servic
eRequir ed G
Risk
ofinjur y There
isamalfunc tioninthe left- hand and/or right-handwindow
curt ainairbag. The6 warning lampalsolights upinthe
inst rument cluster.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 246
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Warning
andindic atorlamps inthe instrument cluster Seat
belt Probl
em Pos
siblecause s/cons equen cesand M Sol
utions 7
After
starting the
engine, thered seat
bel twarn ing lamp lights
up for sixsec onds. The
seat beltwarn inglamp remindsth edriv erand fron tpasse nger
to fast entheir seat belts.
X Fas teny our seat belt(Ypage 49). 7
Aft
erstart ingthe
engine, thered seat
belt warning lamplights
up. Inaddition, a
warning tonesounds
for uptosix seconds. G
Risk
ofinjur y The
driver's seatbeltisnot fastened.
X Fasten yourseatbelt(Ypage 49).
The warning toneceases. 7
The
redseat belt
warning lamplights up
after theengine starts,
as soon asthe driver's
or the front -passenger
door isclosed. G
Risk
ofinjur y The
driver orfront passenger hasnotfastened theirseatbelt.
X Fasten yourseatbelt(Ypage 49).
The warning lampgoesout. G
Risk
ofinjur y There
areobject son the front -passenger seat.
X Remove theobject sfrom thefront -passenger seatandstow
them inasecure place.
The warning lampgoesout. War
ning andindicator lampsin the instru mentcluster
269On-board computer and displays Z