(D Note
To avoid damage to the heating elements in the seats, do not kneel on the seats or
place heavy loads on a small area of the
seat.
(D Tips
The seat heating only works when the seat
detects body weight on it. Placing objects
on the seat could create enough weight to
switch seat heating on.
Setup
The basic climate control settings can be ad
justed in the radio or MM!* .
.. Se lect: I CARI funct ion button> A/C control
button. Or
.. Se lect:
I CARI function button > Car sys-
tems *
control button > AC.
Automatic recirculation*
When switched on, automatic recirculation
controls the recirculation mode automat ica lly.
If the windows fog up, press the
l
button.
Synchronization*
When synchronization is switched on, the
same settings are applied to both the driver
and front passenger, except for the seat heat
ing/ventilation*. Synchroni zation switches off
when you adjust the settings on the front pas
senger's side.
You can also switch synchronization on by pressing and holding the knob on the driver's
side.
Supplementary heater
The supplementary heater warms the interior
of vehicles with flexible fue l engines more
quickly . The supplementary heater is control
led automatically in the
Auto setting.
Warm and cold 7 3
Upper cabin heating
Applies to vehicles: with upper cabin heating
Fig. 85 Driver 's seat: ve nt for upper cabin heating
Fig. 86 Driver's seat: upper cabin heating button
I (I) m
The upper cabin area of the front seats can be
heated at three levels when the engine is run
ning.
.. Press the~ button to switch the upper cab
in heating on. The LED illuminates.
.. Press the~ button repeatedly until the LED
goes out to switch the upper cabin heating
off.
A WARNING
-
The output from the upper cabin heating
system may be very hot temporarily if the
air vents in the seats
r::!;>fig. 85 are cove red
by cloth ing or other objects when the sys
tem is switched on. This can cause burns
on unprotected skin exposed direct ly to
the vents .
{!) Tips
-Upper cabin heating always switches on
at the highest level. You can red uce the
heat output with the~ button and in
crease it with the~ button as needed.
82 On the road
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline , do the following:
.,. Keep the switch@¢ fig. 92 pulled and de
press the accelerator . The parking brake
stays applied and prevents the vehicle from rolling backward .
.,. You can release the switch @once you are
sure that you a re develop ing enough dr iv ing
f orce at the wheels by dep ress ing the accel
erator.
Depending on the weight of the r ig (veh icle
and tra iler) and the seve rity of the in cli ne , you
may roll backwards as you start . You can pre
vent rolling backwards by holding the parking brake switch @ pulled out and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill with
a conventional hand brake.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake system
foils or locks.
... In an emergency, pull the switch @
¢
fig. 92 and continue to pu ll it to slow your
vehicle down with the parking brake.
.,. As soon as you release the sw itch @ or ac-
celerate, the braking process stops.
If you pu ll the switch @and ho ld it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen
cy braking function is in iti ated. The vehicle is
braked at al l four wheels by activating the hy
d raul ic brake system . T he brake performance
is simi lar to making an eme rgency stop¢.&. .
In order not to activate the emergency brak ing by mistake, an audible warning tone (buz
zer) sounds when the switc h@ is pulled . As
soon as the switch @is released, or the accel
e rator pedal is dep ressed , emergency b ra ki ng
stops.
.&_ WARNING
Emergency braking sho uld only be used in
an emergency, when the normal foot brake
has failed or the brake pedal is obstructed . Using the par
king brake to pe rform emer
gency braking will s low your veh icle down
as if you had made a full brake application.
The laws of p hysics cannot be suspended
even with ESC and i ts associated compo
nents (ABS, ASR, EDS). In corners and
when road o r weathe r cond itions are bad,
a full brake appl ication can ca use the vehi
cle to s kid or the rear end to break away -
risking an acciden t.
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep
your driving speed below a set speed limit.
T he speed warning system warns if the driver
e xc eeds a previously stored max imum speed .
A warning tone w ill sound as soon as the vehi
cle speed exceeds the set speed by abou t
3 mph (3 km/h) . At the same t ime, a warning
symbol appears in the display . T he symbol's
appea rance might be different in some mod
els .
The speed warn ing system has two warning
t hr esholds that funct io n in dependent ly of
each other and that have somewhat diffe rent
purposes:
Speed wa rning 1
You can use speed warning 1 to se t the maxi
mum speed while you are driving . T his setting
will remai n in effect unt il you turn off the ig ni
t io n, assuming that you have not changed or
r ese t the sett ing.
The . (USA mode ls)
I. (Canada mode ls)
speed warning symbol in the warning 1 dis
play appears when you exceed the maximum
speed .
It goes ou t when the speed falls be low
the stored maximum speed .
T he speed warn ing symbol will also go out if
the speed
exceeds the stored maximum speed
by more than about 25 mph (40 km/h) for at
least 10 seconds. The sto red max imum speed
is de leted . .,..
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already insta l
led floor mats . Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
pedals.
- Always property reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean
ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver footwell wh ile the ve
hicle is moving. Objects can become
t rapped under t he brake pedal and accel
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
control.
Stowing Luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com
portment.
F ig. 134 Safe load pos ition ing: place heavy objects as
low a nd as fa r forwa rd as possible .
-M N 0 u.
ill
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characterist ics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
veh icle maneuver or in a collision .
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as poss ible
c::> fig . 134 .
Drivin g Sa fely 12 7
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid
ed
c::> page 68.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the ve hicle causing ser ious
pe rsonal injury in the event of hard brak
ing or an accident . To help reduce the risk
of ser ious persona l injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy i tems in the luggage com
pa rtment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compa rtment using the t ie-down eyelets
a nd suitab le st raps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur ve
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of contro l leading to serious personal
i nj ury :
-Always keep in mind w hen transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen
ter of gravity can a lso cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute t he load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rat
ing or the G ross Vehicle We ight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick
e r on the left door jamb. Exceeding per
miss ible weight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and hand le different ly .
- Ple ase observe in format ion on sa fe dr iv
ing
<::> page 121.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaus t gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting comp letely into the l uggage _..
128 Driving Safely
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power top,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win
dows, the power top and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used .
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
-
'
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor
mal load conditions, please see chapter
r::::>page 231.
Tie-downs
Applies to vehicles: with tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and o ther
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop
erly
r::::> page 12 7, Loading the luggage com
par tmen t.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4 .S kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre
vent items from shifting or flying for
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 140 U nbe lted occupa nts in a ve hicle hea ding for a
wall
F ig. 141 T he ve hicle c ras hes into t he wall
The physical principles are simp le. Both the
ve hicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith vehicle speed and body
weight . Enginee rs call this energy "kinetic en
e rgy ."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle 's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" i n the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most sign ificant factor . If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h) , the energy inc reases 4 t imes !
Because t he passengers of t his ve hicle are not
using safety belts
c:> fig . 140, they w ill keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, unt il something
stops them -here, the wall
c:> fig . 141 .
The same pr inc iples apply to peop le sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal co llision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to
50 km/h) , the forces act ing on the body can
Safety belts 133
reach one ton (2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are
even
higher .
People who do not use sa fe ty belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal coll i
sio n they wi ll also keep moving forward at the
speed their veh icle was t ravell ing just before
the crash. Of co urse, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of acc idents and col
lis ions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelt ed o ccupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 142 A dr ive r n ot wea ring a safety be lt is vi olently
throw n fo rwa rd
F ig . 14 3 A rear passenger no t wea ring a safety belt
w ill
fly forwa rd and strike the dr ive r
Unbelted occ upants a re not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by holding tight
or bracing themselves . Without the benefit of
safety restra int systems, the unrestrained oc
cupant will slam violently into the steer ing
whee l, instrument pane l, w indshield, o r what
ever else is in the way c:> fig . 142. This impact IJll-
142 Airbag system
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
all chi ldren, especially those 12 years and
younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly
restrained for their age and size. The airbag
on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a ch ild to ride.
The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or
a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle
has been certified to comply with the Requ ire
ments of United States Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front a irbag on the
passenger side to be turned off ("sup
pressed") if a child up to about one year of
age restrained in one of the rear-facing or for
ward -facing infant restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed on the front passenger seat . For a listing of the child re
strai nts that we re used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Standard
r=v page 163.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in
strument panel te lls you when the front Ad
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the e lectronic control unit.
Each t ime you turn on the ignition, the
PAS
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front passenger seat,
- wi ll go off if the front passenger seat is oc
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat
r=v page 1 S 1, Monitor
ing the Advanced Airbag System .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control un it detects a total weight
on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenge r
seat is more than that of a typica l 1 year -old
chi ld but less than the weight of a small
adult, the front airbag on the passenger side
can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the
front airbag on the passenger side has not
been turned off by the electronic con trol unit
and can deploy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the cond itions stored in its
memory .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typical 1
year-old ch ild is on the front passenger seat
( re gard less of whether the child is in one of
the child safety seats listed
r=v page 163), or
- a child who has outgrown ch ild restraints is
on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in
the instrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger s ide may
not deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not illum inate and stay lit) even if a
small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is
not sitt ing upright with their back against a
non-reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front
passenger seat
r=v page 122, Proper seating
position for the driver.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the
Federal Standard requires the airbag to meet
the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce
the risk of injury t hroug h interaction with the
airbag. "Low risk" deployment occurs in those
crashes that take place at lower dece lerat ions
as defined in the electronic control unit
r=v page 151, PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carr ier installed on the front seat may be
struck and knocked out of posit ion by the rap
idly inflat ing passenger's airbag in a frontal
collision . The air bag could greatly reduce the
effectiveness of the ch ild restraint and even
seriously injure the child during inflation .
144 Airbag system
-Never place additiona l items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
F ig . 150 Location of driver airbag: in steer ing whee l
Fig. 151 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the in
strument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced
A irbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ( FM VSS) 208 as app licab le at the time your
ve hicl e was manufac tured. The system senses
the position of the front seats and controls
front airbag inflation with a valve, depending
on the distance between the respect ive seat
and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
The safety belts for the seats have "preten
sioners" that he lp to take slack out of the belt
system . The pretensioners a re also activated
by the electron ic cont ro l unit for the ai rbag
system. T
he front safety belts also have load limiters
to help reduce the forces applied to the body
i n a crash .
T he airbag for the drive r is in the stee ring
whee l hub¢
fig. 150 and the airbag for the
front passenger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 151. The general locat ion of the a irbags
is marked "AIRBAG".
T here is a lot you need to know about the ai r
bags in your vehicle. We urge you to read the
detailed information about airbags, safety
belts and child safety in this and the other
chapters that make up the owner's literature.
P lease be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely importa nt for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in
fants and small chi ldren.
_&. WARNING
Neve r rely on airbags alone for p rotection.
- Even w hen they deploy, airbags provide
only s upplement al pro te ctio n.
- Airbag work most effect ive ly when used
with p roperly wor n safety bel ts.
- Therefore, always wea r you r safety belts
a nd make sure tha t eve rybody in your ve
h icle is properly res trained.
_&. WARNING
A pe rson on the front passenger seat, es
pe cial ly infa nts and sm all ch ildren, w ill re
ceive serio us inju ries and can even be kil
l ed by being too close to the airbag when
it inflates .
- Although t he Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to tur n off the
front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passe nger
seat, nobody can absolutely guarantee
that deployment under these special
conditions is imposs ible in all conceiva
b le sit uat ions that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy
i n acco rdance with the "low risk" option
unde r the U.S . Feder al Standard if a child
that is heav ie r than the typical one -year
-
.
old child is on the front passenger seat
and the other conditions for airbag de
ployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that chil
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
- For their own safety, all children, espe cially 12 years and younger, should al
ways ride in the back properly restrained
for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supple ments the safety belts to provide additional
protection for the driver's and front passeng
er's heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes.
The airbags inflate only in frontal impacts
when the vehicle deceleration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the
front seat occupants is not a substitute for
your safety belts. Rather, it is part of the over
all occupant restraint system in your vehicle.
Always remember that the ai rbag system can
only help to protect you, if you are sitting up right, wearing your safety belt and wearing it
properly . This is why you and your passengers
must always be properly restrained, not just
because the law requires you to be.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low risk" re
quirements for 3 and 6 year-old children on
the passenger side and very small adults on
the driver side. The low risk deployment crite
ria are intended to help reduce the risk of in
jury through interaction with the front airbag
that can occur , for example , by being too
close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to
comply with the "suppression" requirements
Airbag system 145
of the Safety Standard, to turn off the front
airbag for infants 12 months old and younger
who are restrained on the front passenger
seat in child restraints that are listed in the
Standard
¢ page 163 , Child restraints and
Advanced Airbags .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the
passenger side to be turned off if:
- a child up to about one year of age is re
strained on the front passenger seat in one
of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified . For a listing of the child restraints
that were used to certify your vehicle's com pliance with the US Safety Standard
¢page 163,
-weight less than a threshold level stored in
the control unit is detected on the front pas
senger seat.
When a person is detected on the front pas
senger seat, weighing more than the total
weight of a child that is about 1 year old re
strained in one of the rear-facing or forward
facing infant restraints (listed in Federal Mo
tor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
was certified), the front airbag on the passen ger side may or may not deploy.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the electronic control unit detects a to
tal weight on the front passenger seat that re
quires the front airbag to be turned off. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger
side has not been turned off by the control unit and can deploy if the control unit senses
an impact that meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
If the total weight on the front passenger
seat is more than that of a typical 1 year-old ,
but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may deploy
(the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on). ..,. •
•