
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
0001 Solutions
X
Wait fo raperiod of at least 60 seconds until the necessary
system checks have been completed.
X Make sure that the display messages do not appear in the
multifunction display.
If these conditions are fulfilled, the front-passenger seat can be
occupied again. Whether the 00030005indicator lamp remains lit
or goes out depends on how OCS classifies the occupant.
If the conditions are not fulfilled, the system is not operating
correctly.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
For further information about the Occupant Classification System,
see (Y page 45). Front Passenger
Airbag Disabled
See Operator's
Manual The front-passenger air bag and front-passenger knee bag are
deactivated during the journey, although:
R
an adult
or
R a person larger than a certain size is occupying the front-
passenger seat.
If additional forces are applied to the seat, the system may
interpret the occupant's weight as lower than it actually is.
G WARNING
The front-passenger fron tair bag and front passenger knee bag
may not be triggered in the event of an accident.
There is an increased risk of injury.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 155).
X Switch the ignition off.
X Have the occupant get out of the vehicle.
X Keep the seat unoccupied, close the front-passenger door and
switch on the ignition.
X Observe the 00030005indicator lamp in the center console and
the multifunction display and chec kthe following:
Seat unoccupied and ignition switched on:
R the 00030005 indicator lamp must light up and remain lit. If the
indicator lamp is on, OCS has disabled the front-passenger air
bag and front-passenger knee bag (Y page 45).
R the Front Passenger Airbag Enabled See Operator's Manual or
Front Passenger Airbag Disabled See Display messages
221On-board computer and displays Z

Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid
towing ba rif:
R the engine is not running.
R there is a brake system malfunction.
R there is a malfunction in the power supply
or the vehicle's electrical system.
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will need more
force to steer and brake, you may have to
depress the brake pedal with maximu mforce.
Before towing away, make sure that the
steering can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum
permissible gross vehicle weight of your
vehicle. G
WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOLD function
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLD and DISTRONIC PLUS if the
vehicle is to be towed.
! Only secure the tow rope or tow bar at the
towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicle could
be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
this could damage the vehicle. If in doubt,
recover the vehicle with acrane.
! When towing, pull away slowly and
smoothly .Ifthe tractive power is too high,
the vehicles could be damaged.
! Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage the vehicle.
! On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop
button. Turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock and shift the automatic transmission to
N. Then, turn the SmartKey
back to 0and leave it in the ignition lock.
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit a qualified specialist workshop.
! The vehicle can be towed a maximum of
30 miles (50km). The towing speed of
30 mph (50 km/h) must not be exceeded.
If the vehicle has to be towed more than
30 miles (50km), the entire vehicle must be
raised and transported.
! If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum
permissible gross vehicle weight of your
vehicle.
Information on your vehicle's gross vehicle
weight rating can be found on the vehicle
identification plate (Y page 347).
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
when towing a vehicle, the automatic
transmission must be in position N.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock
R cannot shift the transmission to position
N on vehicles with automatic transmission
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
release the selector lever lock manually to
move it out of position P(Y page 152).
i Deactivate the automatic locking feature
(Y page 206). You could otherwise be
locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle. Towing and tow-starting
301Breakdown assistance Z

after driving a few minutes
message.
X Press the 0004button.
The Use Current Pressures as New Reference Values message appears in
the multifunction display.
If you wish to confirm the restart:
X Press the 000Bbutton.
The Tire Press. Monitor Restarted message appears in the multifunction
display.
After driving for a few minutes, the system
checks whether the current tire pressures
are within the specified range. The new tire
pressures are then accepted as reference
values and monitored.
If you wish to cancel the restart:
X Press the 0007button.
The tire pressure values stored at the last
restart will continue to be monitored. Loading the vehicle
Instruction labels for tires and loads
G
WARNING
Overloaded tires can overheat, causing a
blowout. Overloaded tires can also impair the
steering and driving characteristics and lead
to brake failure. There is a risk of accident.
Observe the load rating of the tires. The load
rating must be at least half of the GAWR of
your vehicle. Never overload the tires by
exceeding the maximum load.
Two instruction labels on your vehicle show
the maximum possible load.
(1) The Tire and Loading Information placard is on the B-pillar on the driver's side. The
Tire and Loading Information placard
shows the maximum permissible number
of occupants and the maximum
permissible vehicle load. It also contains
details of the tire sizes and corresponding pressures for tires
installed at the factory.
(2) The vehicle identification plate is on the B-pillar on the driver's side. The vehicle
identification plate informs you of the
gross vehicle weight rating. It is made up
of the vehicle weight, all vehicle
occupants, the fuel and the cargo. You
can also find information aboutt he
maximum gross axle weight rating on the
front and rear axle.
The maximum gross axle weight rating is
the maximum weight that can be carried
by one axle (front or rear axle). Never
exceed the maximum load or the
maximum gross axle weight rating for the
front or rear axle. 0003
B-pillar, driver's side Maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight rating Loading the vehicle
319Wheels and tires Z

X
Specification for maximum gross vehicle
weight 0003is listed in the Tire and Loading
Information placard: "The combined weight
of occupants and cargo should never
exceed XXX kilograms or XXX lbs."
The gross weight of all vehicle occupants,
load and luggage mus tnot exceed the
specified value.
i The specifications shown on the Tire and
Loading Information placard in the
illustration are examples. The maximum
permissible gross vehicle weight rating is
vehicle-specific and may differ from that in
the illustration. You can find the valid
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight
rating for your vehicle on the Tire and
Loading Information placard. Number of seats
Maximum number of seats
0003indicates the
maximum number of occupants allowed to
travel in the vehicle. This information can be
found on the Tire and Loading Information
placard.
i The specifications shown on the Tire and
Loading Information placard in the
illustration are examples. The number of
seats is vehicle-specific and can differ from
the details shown. The number of seats in
your vehicle can be found on the Tire and
Loading Information placard. Determining the correct load limit
Step-by-step instructions The following steps have been developed as
required of all manufacturers under Title 49,
Code of U.S. Federal Regulations, Part 575
pursuant to the "National Traffic and Motor
Vehicle Safety Act of 1966".
X Step 1: Locate the statement "The
combined weight of occupant sand cargo
should neve rexceed XXX kg or XXX lbs." on
your vehicle’s Tire and Loading Information
placard.
X Ste p2:Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers tha twill be riding
in your vehicle.
X Step 3: Subtract the combined weight of
the drive rand passengers from XXX
kilograms or XXX lbs.
X Ste p4:The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity. For example, if the "XXX" amount
equals 1,400 lbs and there will be five
150 lbs passengers in your vehicle, the
amount of available cargo and luggage load
capacity is 650 lbs (1,400 – 750 (5 x 150)
= 650 lbs).
X Step 5: Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in step 4. Example: steps 1 to 3
The following table shows examples on how
to calculate total and cargo load capacities
with varying seating configurations and
number and size of occupants. The following
examples use a maximum load of 1,500 lbs
(680 kg). This is for illustration purposes
only. Make sure you are using the actual load
limit for your vehicle stated on your vehicle's
Tire and Loading Information placard
(Y page 319). 320
Loading the vehicleWheels and tires

The higher the weight of all the occupants, the
smaller the maximum load for luggage.
Step 1 Example 1 Example 2
Combined
maximum
weight of
occupants
and cargo
(data from the
Tire and
Loading
Information
placard)
1500 lbs
(680 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg)
Step 2
Example 1 Example 2
Number of
people in the
vehicle (driver
and
occupants)
1 2
Weight of the
occupants
Occupant
1: 175 lbs
(80 kg) Occupant
1: 175 lbs
(80 kg)
Occupant
2: 195 lbs
(88 kg)
Gross weight
of all
occupants
175 lbs
(80 kg) 370 lbs
(168 kg) Step 3
Example 1 Example 2
Permissible
load
(maximum
gross vehicle
weight rating
from the Tire
and Loading
Information
placard minus
the gross
weight of all
occupants)
1500 lbs
(680 kg)
001A175 lbs
(80 kg) =
1325 lbs
(600 kg) 1500 lbs
(680 kg)
001A370 lbs
(168 kg) =
1130 lbs
(512 kg)
Vehicle identification plate
Even if you have calculated the total load
carefully, you should still make sure that the
gross vehicle weight rating and the gross axle
weight rating are not exceeded. Details can
be found on the vehicle identification plate on
the B-pillar on the driver's side of the vehicle
(Y page 319).
Permissible gross vehicle weight: the
gross weight of the vehicle, all passengers
and the load must not exceed the permissible
gross vehicle weight.
Gross axle weight rating: the maximum
permissible weight that can be carried by one
axle (front or rear axle).
To ensure that your vehicle does not exceed
the maximum permissible values (gross
vehicle weight and maximum gross axle
weight rating), have your loaded vehicle
(including driver, occupants and the load)
weighed on a suitable vehicle weighbridge. Loading the vehicle
321Wheels and tires Z

Make sure that your tires have the required
speed rating, e.g. when buying new tires. The
required speed rating for your vehicle can be
found in the "tires" section (Y
page 335).
Further information about reading tire data
can be obtained from any qualified specialist
workshop.
Load index In addition to the load bearing index, load
rating
0003may be imprinted after the letters
that identify speed rating on the sidewall of
the tire (Y page 323).
R If no specification is given: no text (as in the
example above), represents astandard
load (SL) tire
R XL or Extra Load: represents a reinforced
tire
R Ligh tLoad: represents a light load tire
R C, D, E: represents a load range that
depends on the maximum load that the tire
can carry at a certain pressure
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example. Maximum load rating Maximum load rating
0003is the maximum
permissible weight for which the tire is
approved.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit. The maximum
permissible load can be found on the
vehicle's Tire and Loading Information
placard on the B-pillar on the driver's side
(Y page 319).
i The actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration.
DOT, Tire Identification Number (TIN) U.S. tire regulations prescribe that every tire
manufacturer or retreader must imprint aTIN
in or on the sidewall of every tire produced. The TIN is a unique identification number. The
TIN makes it easier for tire manufacturers or
retreaders to notify customers of recalls or
other safety-related matters. It makes it 326
All about wheels and tiresWheels and tires

possible for the purchaser to easily identify
the affected tires.
The TIN consists of the manufacturer
identification code 0004, tire size0024, tire type
code 0023and manufacturing date 0021.
DOT (Department of Transportation): tire
symbol 0003indicates that the tire complies
with the requirements of the U.S .Department
of Transportation.
Manufacturer identification code:
manufacturer identification code 0004provides
details on the tire manufacturer. New tires
have a code with two symbols. Retreaded
tires have a code with four symbols.
For further information about retreaded tires,
see (Y page 308).
Tire size: identifier0024describes the tire size.
Tire type code: tire type code0023can be
used by the manufacturer as a code to
describe specific characteristics of the tire.
Date of manufacture: date of manufacture
0021 provides information about the age of a
tire. The first and second positions represent
the week of manufacture, starting with "01"
for the first calendar week. Positions three
and four represent the year of manufacture.
For example, a tire that is marked with
"3208", was manufactured in week 32 in
2008.
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
Tire characteristics This information describes the type of tire
cord and the number of layers in
sidewall
0003and under tire tread 0004.
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
Definition of terms for tires and loading Tire ply composition and material used
Describes the number of plies or the number
of layers of rubber-coated fabric in the tire
tread and sidewall. These are made of steel,
nylon, polyester and other materials.
Bar
Metric unit for tire pressure.
14.5038p
ounds per square inch (psi) and
100 kilopascals (kPa) are the equivalent of
1 bar.
DOT (Department of Transportation)
DOT marked tires fulfill the requirements of
the United States Department of
Transportation.
Normal occupant weight
The number of occupants which the vehicle
is designed for, multiplied by 68 kilograms
(150 lb).
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
Au niform standard to grade the quality of
tires with regards to tread quality, tire traction
and temperature characteristics. Ratings are
determined by tire manufacturers using U.S.
government testing procedures. The ratings
are molded into the sidewall of the tire.
Recommended tire pressure
The recommended tire pressure applies to
the tires mounted at the factory.
The Tire and Loading Informatio nplacard
contains the recommended tire pressures for
cold tires on a fully loaded vehicle and for the
maximum permissible vehicle speed.
The tire pressure table contains the
recommended pressures for cold tires for All about wheels and tires
327Wheels and tires Z

various operating conditions, i.e. differing
load and speed conditions.
Increased vehicle weight due to optional
equipment
This is the combined weight of all standard
and optional equipment available for the
vehicle, regardless of whethe
ritis actually
installed on the vehicle or not.
Rim
This is the part of the wheel on which the tire
is mounted.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)
The GAWR is the maximum permissible axle
weight. The actual load on an axle must never
exceed the gross axle weight rating. The
gross axle weight rating can be found on the
vehicle identification plate on the B-pillar on
the driver's side.
Speed rating
The speed rating is part of the tire
identification. It specifies the speed range for
which the tire is approved.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)
The gross vehicle weight includes the weight
of the vehicle including fuel, tools, the spare
wheel, accessories installed, occupants,
luggage and the drawbarn oseweight, if
applicable. The gross vehicle weight must not
exceed the gross vehicle weight rating GVWR
as specified on the vehicle identification plate
on the Bpillar on the driver's side.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)
The GVWR is the maximum permissible gross
weight of a fully loaded vehicle (the weight of
the vehicle including all accessories,
occupants, fuel, luggage and the drawbar
noseweight, if applicable). The gross vehicle
weight rating is specified on the vehicle
identification plate on the B-pillar on the
driver's side. Maximu
mloaded vehicle weight
The maximum weight is the sum of:
R the curb weight of the vehicle
R the weight of the accessories
R the load limit
R the weight of the factory installed optional
equipment
Kilopascal (kPa)
Metric unit for tire pressure. 6.9 kPa
corresponds to 1 psi. Another unit for tire
pressure is bar. There are 10 0kilopascals
(kPa) to 1bar.
Load index
In addition to the load-bearing index, the load
index may also be imprinted on the sidewall
of the tire. This specifie sthe load-bearing
capacity more precisely.
Curb weight
The weight of a vehicle with standard
equipment including the maximum capacity
of fuel, oil and coolant. It also includes the air-
conditioning system and optional equipment
if these are installed in the vehicle, but does
not include passengers or luggage.
Maximum load rating
The maximum tire load is the maximum
permissible weight in kilograms or lbs for
which a tire is approved.
Maximum permissible tire pressure
Maximum permissible tire pressure for one
tire.
Maximum load on one tire
Maximum load on one tire. This is calculated
by dividing the maximum axle load of one axle
by two.
PSI (pounds per square inch)
As tandard uni tofmeasure for tire pressure. 328
All about wheels and tiresWheels and tires