2013 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class warning light

PRE-SAFE
®
(anticipatory occupant
protection system) G
WARNING
The PRE-SAFE ®
system reduces the impact of
an accident on vehicle occupants, as long as
their seat belts have been fastened correctly.
Although your vehicle is equipped with a PRE-
SAFE ®
system, the possibility of injury in the
event of an accident cannot be ruled out. You
should therefore always drive carefully and
adapt your driving style to the prevailing road,
weather and traffic conditions. G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can become trapped
as you adjust the seat.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when resetting
the seats. There is a risk that the seats
and/or the objects could be damaged.
PRE-SAFE ®
takes preemptive measures to
protect occupants in certain hazardous
situations.
PRE-SAFE ®
intervenes:
R if BAS intervenes, e.g. in emergency
braking situations
R if BAS PLUS intervenes powerfully — on
vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS
R if, on vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS, the
radar sensor system detectsani mminent
dange rofcollision in certain situations
R in critical driving situations, e.g. when
physical limits are exceeded and the
vehicle understeers or oversteers severely
PRE-SAFE ®
takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation
detected:
R the front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
R vehicles with the memory function: the
front-passenger seat is adjusted if it is in an
unfavorable position. R
vehicles with a multicontour seat: the air
pressure in the side bolsters of the seat
backrest is increased.
R if the vehicle skids, the sliding sunroof/
panorama roof with power tilt/sliding
panel and the side windows are closed so
that only a small gap remains.
If the hazardous situation passes without
resulting in an accident, PRE-SAFE ®
slackens
the belt pretensioning. In vehicles with
multicontour seats, the air pressure in the
side bolsters is reduced again. All settings
made by PRE-SAFE ®
can then be reversed.
If the seat belts are not released:
X Move the backrest or seat back slightly, but
only when the vehicle is stationary.
The belt pretensioning is reduced and the
locking mechanism is released.
More information about seat belt adjustment,
a convenience function integrated into PRE-
SAFE ®
, can be found in the "Seat belt
adjustment" section (Y page 57). Seat belts
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Always fasten your seat belt before driving off.
Always make sure all of your passengers are
properly restrained. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases your
risk of injuries and their likely severity in an
accident.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries can
be considerably more severe without your
seat belt properly buckled. Without your seat
belt buckled, you are much more likely to hit
the interior of the vehicle or be ejected from
it. You can be seriously injured or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. The air bags can only protect 54
Occupant safetySafety

X
Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Release belt sash guide release 0002and
make sure tha tthe belt sash guide has
engaged.
Releasing seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt.
Damaged seat belts can no longer fulfill
their protective function and must be
replaced. Visit a qualified specialist
workshop. 0002
Belt sash guide
0003 Seat belt tongue
001F Buckle
001E Release button
X Press release button 001Eand guide belt
tongue 0003back towards belt sash
guide 0002.
Belt warning for the driver and front
passenger Regardless of whether the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts have already been
fastened, the
0020seat belt warning lamp lights up for six seconds each time the engine
is started. It then goes out if the driver and
the front passenger have fastened their seat
belts.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened when
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. The warning tone goes out
after approximately six seconds or once the
driver's seat belt is fastened.
If after six seconds the driver or front
passenger have not fastened their seat belts
and the doors are closed, the 0020seat belt
warning lamp lights up:
R until the driver's or front passenger's seat
belt is fastened
R if a vehicle speed of 15 mph (25 km/h) is
exceeded, a warning tone also sounds with
increasing intensity for a maximum of
60 seconds or until the driver or front
passenger have fastened their seat belts.
If the driver/front passenger unfasten their
seat belt while the vehicle is in motion, the
0020 seat belt warning lamp lights up and a
warning tone sounds again.
The warning tone ceases even if the driver or
front passenger have still not fastened their
seat belt after 60 seconds. The 0020seat belt
warning lamp stops flashing but remains
illuminated.
After the vehicle comes to a standstill, the
warning tone is reactivated and the 0020seat
belt warning lamp flashes again if the vehicle
speed again exceeds 15 mph (25 km/h).
The 0020 seat belt warning lamp only goes
out if:
R both the driver and the front passenger
have fastened their seat belts.
or
R the vehicle is stationary and a door is open.
i For more information on the 0020seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster,
seat belts" (Y page 317).58
Occupant safetySafety

Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat
belt force limiter
G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed must be renewed.
For your safety, when disposing of Emergency
Tensioning Devices, always observe the
safety instructions. These are available from
any authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter.
The PRE-SAFE ®
system has electrically
operated reversible pre-tensioners that do
not require replacement after activation.
! If the front-passenger seat is not
occupied, do not engage the seat belt
tongue in the buckle on the front-
passenger seat. Otherwise, the Emergency
Tensioning Device could be triggered in the
event of an accident.
X In order to ensure that the pyrotechnic
Emergency Tensioning Devices have not
been triggered, always have the seat belts
checked after an accident.
If the Emergency Tensioning Devices have
been triggered, they must be replaced.
The fron tseat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with Emergency
Tensioning Devices and belt force limiters.
The ETDs on the driver's and front-passenger
seat consist of pyrotechnic belt buckle
tensioners and belt anchor tensioners that
are triggered together. The belt buckle
tensioner is mounted on the B-pillar and the
belt anchor installing is mounted on the side
of the seat. After deploying, both tensioners
must always be replaced.
The ETDs tighten the seat belts in an accident,
pulling them close against the body.
The ETDs do not correct incorrect seat
positions or incorrectly fastened seat belts.
The ETDs do not pull vehicle occupants back
towards the backrest.
When triggered, seat belt force limiters help
to reduce the peak forc eexerted by the seat
belt on the vehicle occupant. The belt force limiters for the front seats are
synchronized with the front ai
rbags, which
take on a part of the deceleration force. This
results in the force exerted on the occupant
being distributed ove ragreater area.
The ETDs can only be activated when:
R the ignition is switched on.
R the restraint systems are operational; see
"SRS warning lamp" (Y page 43).
R the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
each of the lap-shoulder belts in the front.
R the front-passenger seat is occupied and
the belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the front-passenger side
The ETDs on the outside seats in the rear
compartment are triggered independently of
the lock status of the seat belts.
The ETDs are triggered depending on the type
and severity of an accident:
R if, in the event of a head-on or rear-end
collision, the vehicle decelerates or
accelerates rapidly in a longitudinal
direction during the initial stages of the
impact
R if, in the event of a side impact, on the side
opposite the impact the vehicle
decelerates or accelerates rapidly in a
lateral direction
R if, in certain situations where the vehicle
overturns, the system determines that it
can provide additional protection
If the ETDs are deployed, you will hear a bang,
and a small amount of powder may also be
released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is
released generally does not constitute a
health hazard. The 001FSRS warning lamp
lights up. Occupant safety
59Safety Z

in direction, the child may not be held
securely. The child could thus be seriously or
even fatally injured. For this reason, when
fitting a child restraint system, observe the
manufacturer's installation instructions and
the correct use of the child restraint system.
Child restraint systems should preferably be
fitted on the rear seats .The child is generally
better protected there.
The entire base of the child restraint system
must always rest on the seat cushion.
Therefore, never place objects, e.g. a cushion,
under the child restraint system.
Only use child restraint systems with the
original cover designed for them. Only replace
damaged covers with genuine covers.
We recommend that you use the child
restraint systems which have been
recommended for Mercedes-Benz. G
WARNING
Infants and small children should never share
a seat belt with another occupant. In the event
of an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
Ac hild's risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and/
or the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Children that are too large for a child restraint
must travel in seats using normal seat belts.
Position the shoulder belt across the chest
and shoulder, not face or neck.Ab ooster seat
may be necessary to achieve proper seat belt
positioning for children over 41 lb (18 kg) until
they reach a height where a lap-shoulder belt
fits properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use, remove
it from the vehicle or secure it with the seat
belt to prevent the child restraint from
becoming a projectile in the event of an
accident. G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Achild's unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury. The children
could:
R injure themselves on parts of the vehicle
R be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or cold
R injure themselves or cause an accident with
vehicle equipment that can be operated
even if the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock or removed from the vehicle,
such as seat adjustment, steering wheel
adjustment, or the memory function
If children open a door, they could injure other
persons or get out of the vehicle and injure
themselves or be injured by following traffic.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system's
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts. G
WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment or cargo
compartmentu nless they are firmly secured
in place.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child's risk of injury in the event
of
R strong braking maneuvers
R sudden changes of direction
R an accident
Further informatio nonsecure stowage of
loads can be found under "Loading
guidelines". Children in the vehicle
61Safety Z

Top Tether provides an additional connection
between a child restraint system, secured
with a LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seat mount,
and the rear seat. This helps reduce the risk
of injury even further.
The Top Tether anchorages are located on the
rear side of the rear seat backrests.
X Move head restraint 001Fupwards.
X Install the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system with Top Tether. Comply
with the manufacturer's installation
instructions when doing so.
X Route Top Tether belt 001Dunder head
restraint 001Fbetween the two head restraint
bars.
X Guide Top Tether belt 001Ddownwards
between cargo compartment cover 0002and
rear seat backrest 0003.
X Hook Top Tether hook 001Cof Top Tether belt
001D into Top Tether anchorage 001E.Ensure that:
R
Top Tether hook 001Cis hooked into Top
Tether anchorage 001Eas shown.
R Top Tether belt 001Dis not twisted.
R Top Tether belt 001Dis routed between rear
seat backrest 0003and cargo
compartment cover 0002if cargo
compartment cover 0002is installed.
R Top Tether belt 001Dis routed between the
rear seat backrest 0003and the cargo net
if the cargo net is installed.
X Tension Top Tether belt 001D.Comply with
the manufacturer's installation
instructions when doing so.
X Move head restraint 001Fback down again
slightly if necessary (Y page 106). Make
sure that you do not interfere with the
correc trouting of Top Tether belt 001D. Child-proof locks
Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Achild's unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury. The children
could:
R injure themselves on parts of the vehicle
R be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or cold
R injure themselves or cause an accident with
vehicle equipment that can be operated
even if the SmartKey is removed from the
ignition lock or removed from the vehicle,
such as seat adjustment, steering wheel
adjustment, or the memory function 64
Children in the vehicleSafety

If childre
nopen a door, they could injure other
persons or get out of the vehicle and injure
themselves or be injured by following traffic.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight .The child restraint system's
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors G
WARNING
Children could open a rear door from inside
the vehicle. This could result in serious
injuries or an accident. Therefore, when
children ride in the rear always secure the rear
doors with the child-proof locks. You secure each door individually with the
child-proof locks on the rear doors. Adoor
secured with a child-proof lock cannot be
opened from inside the vehicle. When the
vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened
from the outside.
X To activate: press the child-proof lock
lever up in the direction of arrow 0002.
X Make sure that the child-proof locks are
working properly.
X To deactivate: press the child-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow 0003.Override feature for the rear side
windows G
WARNING
When children ride on the vehicle's rear seats,
activate the override switch. Otherwise, the
children could be injured, e.g. by trapping
themselves in the rear side window. X
To activate/deactivate: press button0002.
If indicator lamp 0003is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the
driver's door. If indicator lamp 0003is off,
operation is possible using the switches in
the rear compartment. Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
(Y page 66)
R BAS (Brake AssistSystem) (Y page 67)
R BAS PLUS ( BrakeAssist System PLUS)
(Y page 67)
R COLLISION PREVENTION
ASSIST(Y page 68)
R ESP ®
(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Y page 71)
R EBD ( electronic brake force distribution)
(Y page 73)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE( Ypage 73) Driving safety systems
65Safety Z

R
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 73)
R STEER CONTROL (Y page 75)Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or
become distracted, the driving safety
systems can neither reduce the risk of
accident nor override the laws of physics.
Driving safety systems are merely aids
designed to assist driving. You are
responsible for the distance to the vehicle in
front, for vehicle speed and for braking in
good time. Always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions and maintain asafe distance from
the vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
i The driving safety systems described only
work as effectively as possible when there
is adequate contact between the tires and
the road surface. Please pay special
attention to the note son tires,
recommended minimu mtire tread depths,
etc. (Y page 398).
In wintry driving conditions, always use
winter tires (M+S tires) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the
driving safety systems described in this
section work as effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Importan tsafety notes"
sectio n(Ypage 66). G
WARNING
If ABSi s faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking
characteristics may be severely impaired.
Additionally, further driving safety systems
are deactivated. There is an increased danger
of skidding and accidents. Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked
immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (Y page 318) and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (Y page 283).
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the
vehicle when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h) upwards, regardless of road-surface
conditions. ABS works on slippery surfaces,
even if you only brake gently.
The yellow 0019ABS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition
is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Braking X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking
situation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
a pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an
indication of hazardous road conditions, and
functions as a reminder to take extra care
while driving.
Off-road ABS An ABS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated on:
R
vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD
package (Y page 248)
R vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 248) 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

function detects that there is a risk of a
collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically.T he distance warning function
cannot prevent a collision without your
intervention.
Starting at a speed of around 20 mph
(30 km/h), this function warns you if you
rapidly approach a vehicle in front.An
intermitten twarning tone will then sound and
the 000F distance warning lamp will light up
in the instrument cluster.
X Brake immediately in order to increase the
distance from the vehicle in front.
or
X Take evasive action, provide ditis safe to
do so.
For the distance warning function to assist
you when driving, the function must be
activated in the on-board computer and be
operational (Y page 272).
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause the
system to display unnecessary warnings.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect
obstacles that are in the path of your vehicle
for an extended period of time.
At speeds up to 40 mph (70 km/h), the
distance warning function may also detect
stationary obstacles, for example stopped or
parked vehicles.
If you approach an obstacle and the distance
warning function detects a risk of a collision,
the system will initially alert you both visually
and acoustically.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if:
R there is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources
R there are strong radar reflections, for
example in parking garages R
a narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
R a vehicle traveling in front on a different line
relative to the center of your vehicle
Following damage to the front end of the
vehicle, have the configuration and operation
of the radar sensor checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. This also applies to
collisions at low speeds where there is no
visible damage to the front of the vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist i
Observe the "Important safety notes"
section (Y page 66). G
WARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic
situations. In these cases, Adaptive Brake
Assist may not intervene. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic
situation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R to stationary obstacles
R when cornering
As a result, Adaptive Brake Assist may not
intervene in all critical conditions. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic
situation and be ready to brake.
Adaptive Brake Assist provides braking
assistance in hazardous situations at speeds
greater than 20 mph (30 km/h) and uses
radar sensor technology to assess the traffic
situation.
With the help of Adaptive Brake Assist, the
distance warning signal can detect obstacles Driving safety systems
69Safety Z