
Problems with the transmission
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions The transmission has
problems shifting gear. The transmission is losing oil.
X Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop immediately. The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no
longer changes gear. The transmission is in emergency mode.
It is only possible to shift into
secondgear and reverse gear.
X Stop the vehicle.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Wait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
If D is selected, the transmission shifts into secondgear; ifRis
selected, the transmission shifts into reverse gear.
X Have the transmission checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop immediately. Transfer case
! Performance tests may only be carried
out on a 2-axle dynamometer. The brake
system or transfer case could otherwise be
damaged. Contact a qualified specialist
workshop for a performance test.
! Because ESP ®
is an automatic system,
the engine and ignition must be switched
off (SmartKey in position 0or 1or Start/
Stop button in position 0or 1) when the
electric parking brake is being tested on a
brake dynamometer (maximum
10 seconds).
Braking triggered automatically by ESP ®
may seriously damage the brake system.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised,
as doing so will damage the transmission.
This section is only valid for vehicles with 4-
wheel drive (4MATIC). Power is always trans- mitted to both axles. Refueling
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Fuel is highly flammable. If you handle fuel
incorrectly, there is a risk of fire and explo-
sion.
You must avoid fire, open flames, creating
sparks and smoking. Switch off the engine
and, if applicable, the auxiliary heating before refueling. G
WARNING
Fuel is poisonous and hazardous to health.
There is a risk of injury.
You must make sure that fuel does not come into contact with your skin, eyes or clothing
and that it is not swallowed. Do not inhale fuel
vapors. Keep fuel away from children. Refueling
177Driving and parking
Z

fewer changes. For more dynamic changes,
carry out a manual reset.
For further information on the ECO display,
see (Y page 270). Braking
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients !
On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting
early to a lower gear. This allows you to take advantage of the engine braking effect and
helps avoid overheating and excessive
wear of the brakes.
When you take advantage of the engine
braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn
for some time, e.g. on a slippery road sur-
face. This could cause damage to the drive train. This type of damage is not covered bythe Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Do not depress the brake pedal continuously while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. causing the
brakes to rub by constantly applying light
pressure to the pedal. This results in exces-
sive and premature wear to the brake pads.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident. Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy load, do not stop the vehicle immediately.
Drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac- tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has been washed or driven through deep water.
You then have to depress the brake pedal
more firmly. Maintain a greater distance from
the vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi- cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm up the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance.
R
Brake occasionally to remove any possible
salt residue. Make sure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
R Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead. 188
Driving tipsDriving and parking

Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface. G
DANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a quali-
fied specialist workshop at the onset of win-
ter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and braking maneuvers. Do not use the cruise
control or DISTRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Shift the transmission to position N.
Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package:
if driving in snow or with snow chains, select
the snow program (Y page 248) with the off-
road program selector wheel in the center
console.
i Vehicles with a diesel engine:
do not
cover the radiator, e.g. with a protective
cover. The measuring function of the
onboard diagnosis system may otherwise
provide inaccurate values. Some of these
values are required by law and must there-
fore always be accurate.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay. Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges. You
should pay special attention to road condi-
tions when temperatures are around the
freezing point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (Y page 403).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see (Y page 402).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 402). Off-road driving
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you drive on a steep incline at an angle or
turn when driving on an incline, the vehicle
could slip sideways, tip and rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
Always drive on a steep incline in the line of
fall (straight up or down) and do not turn the
vehicle. G
WARNING
If the vehicle level is high, the vehicle center of gravity is raised. This could cause the vehicleto tip over more easily on uphill or downhill
gradients. There is a risk of an accident.
Select the lowest possible vehicle level.
When driving off-road, sand, mud and water,
possibly mixed with oil, for example, could get
into the brakes. This could result in a reduced braking effect or in total brake failure and also
in increased wear and tear. The braking char- acteristics change depending on the materialingressing the brakes. Clean the brakes after
driving off-road. If you detect a reduced brak- ing effect or grinding noises, have the brake
system checked in a qualified specialist work-shop as soon as possible. Adapt your driving
style to the different braking characteristics. Driving
tips
191Driving an d parking Z

i
Cruise control should not be activated
when driving off-road.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise
control can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Cruise
control cannot take into account the road,
traffic and weather conditions. Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed,
for braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain a constant speed e.g.
in heavy traffic or on winding roads
R on slippery road surfaces. Braking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheels to lose traction and the vehicle could then skid
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to fog,
heavy rain or snow
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever 0043
To activate or increase speed
0044 To activate or reduce speed
0087 To deactivate cruise control
0085 To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the multifunction display
for five seconds. Activation conditions To activate cruise control, all of the following
activation conditions must be fulfilled:
R the electric parking brake must be
released.
R you are driving faster than 20 mph
(30 km/h).
R ESP ®
must be active, but not intervening.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R DSR must be deactivated.
R off-road program 2 must be deactivated
(vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package).
Storing, maintaining and calling up a
speed Storing and maintaining a speed
X
Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up 0043
or down 0044.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated. The vehicle
automatically maintains the stored speed.
You can accept the current speed if you are
driving faster than 20 mph (30 km/h).
i Cruise control may be unable to maintain
the stored speed on uphill gradients. The
stored speed is resumed when the gradient
evens out. Cruise control maintains the
stored speed on downhill gradients by
automatically applying the brakes. 196
Driving systemsDriving and pa
rking

Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level may change visibly if you
park the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehi-
cle level is lower; with an increase in temper-
ature, the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open a door, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant level changes, such as after the
vehicle has been stationary for a long period, the engine must be on. For safety reasons,
the vehicle is only lowered when the doors are
closed. Lowering is interrupted if a door is
opened, and it continues once the door has
been closed.
For information about driving off-road, see
(Y page 191). G
WARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered. G
WARNING
When you drive with the vehicle raised, the
driving characteristics could be impaired by
the vehicle's raised center of gravity. The vehi- cle could rollover more easily, for example on
a bend. There is a risk of an accident.
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble and adjust your driving style. G
WARNING
When you drive with the chassis lowered or
raised, the vehicle's braking and driving char-
acteristics can be significantly impaired. You
could also exceed the permissible vehicle height if the chassis is raised. There is a risk of
an accident.
Adjust the vehicle level before pulling away. G
WARNING
Due to the high center of gravity, the vehicle
may start to skid and roll over in the event of
an abrupt steering maneuver and/or when
the vehicle's speed is not adapted to the road conditions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
the vehicle's driving characteristics and to the prevailing road and weather conditions.
! When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance. You will otherwise damage the
vehicle.
R Utility vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles.
Failure to operate this vehicle safely may
result in an accident, rollover of the vehicle,
and severe or fatal injury.
R In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should
always wear your seat belts.
Basic settings The extent to which the vehicle is raised or
lowered depends on the basic setting selec-
ted.
Select:
R highway/high-speed level for driving on
normal roads
R off-road level 1 for driving on easily nego-
tiable off-road terrain
R off-road level 2 for driving on normal off-
road terrain
R off-road level 3 for freeing the vehicle in
particularly rough terrain at low speeds
only Driving systems
207Driving and parking Z

Level control
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When the vehicle is being lowered, people
could become trapped if their limbs are
between the vehicle body and the wheels or
underneath the vehicle. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure no one is underneath the vehicle or in the immediate vicinity of the wheel arches
when the vehicle is being lowered. G
WARNING
When you drive with the vehicle raised, the
driving characteristics could be impaired by
the vehicle's raised center of gravity. The vehi- cle could rollover more easily, for example on
a bend. There is a risk of an accident.
Always select as low a vehicle level as possi-
ble and adjust your driving style. G
WARNING
When you drive with the chassis lowered or
raised, the vehicle's braking and driving char-
acteristics can be significantly impaired. You
could also exceed the permissible vehicle
height if the chassis is raised. There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the vehicle level before pulling away. G
WARNING
Due to the high center of gravity, the vehicle
may start to skid and roll over in the event of
an abrupt steering maneuver and/or when
the vehicle's speed is not adapted to the road conditions. There is a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your speed and driving style to
the vehicle's driving characteristics and to the prevailing road and weather conditions.
! When driving on extremely rough terrain,
select a high vehicle level in good time.
Make sure there is always sufficient ground
clearance. You will otherwise damage the
vehicle. !
When you raise the vehicle in such a way
that not all wheels have contact with the
ground, remove the SmartKey from the
ignition lock.
R Utility vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles.
Failure to operate this vehicle safely may
result in an accident, rollover of the vehicle, and severe or fatal injury.
R In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a per-
son wearing a seat belt.
You and all vehicle occupants should
always wear your seat belts.
General notes
Further information about "Driving off-road"
(Y page 191).
Level control adapts the vehicle level auto-
matically to the current operating and driving situation. This results in reduced fuel con-
sumption and improved handling.
If you select ADS comfort mode (Y page 212),
the vehicle is lowered to high-speed level as
the speed increases. As the vehicle speed
decreases, the vehicle is raised back up to
highway level.
If you select ADS sport mode (Y page 212),
the vehicle skips highway level and lowers
directly to high-speed level depending on the
basic setting (Y page 214).
Make changes to the vehicle level while the
vehicle is in motion. This enables the vehicle
to adjust to the new level as quickly as pos-
sible.
The vehicle level may change visibly if you
park the vehicle and the outside temperature
changes. If the temperature drops, the vehi-
cle level is lower; with an increase in temper- ature, the vehicle level rises.
If you unlock the vehicle or open a door, the
vehicle begins to compensate for load dis-
crepancies while still parked. However, for
significant level changes, such as after the
vehicle has been stationary for a long period,
the engine must be on. For safety reasons, Driving systems
213Driving and parking Z

Vehicle level
Level control adapts the vehicle level auto-
matically to the current operating and driving
situation. Level control ensures the best pos-
sible suspension and constant ground clear-
ance, even with a laden vehicle. This improves
driving safety and fuel consumption.
The AIRMATIC package and ACTIVE CURVE
SYSTEM are always components of AMG
adaptive suspension system (Y page 211).
Due to the sportier suspension settings com- pared to standard vehicles, the levels and
speed thresholds for sinking and raising the
vehicle are different.
In Comfort and Sport driving modes, after
locking the vehicle it lowers to the Sport+
level. When locking the vehicle at the raised
level, the vehicle does not lower.
The settings will remain stored after you
switch off the engine. When starting the
engine, the selected setting, e.g. AMG adap-
tive suspension system Comfort, is restored.
i The vehicle level may change visibly if you
park the vehicle and the outside tempera-
ture changes. If the temperature drops, the vehicle level lowers; with an increase in
temperature, the vehicle level rises.
Suspension tuning General notes
The electronically controlled damping system
works continuously. This improves driving
safety and ride comfort.
The damping is tuned individually to each
wheel and depends on:
R your driving style
R the road surface conditions
R your individual selection of Sport, Sport +
or Comfort
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock. Sport mode
The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode when employing a sporty
driving style, e.g. on winding country roads.
X Press button 0043once.
Indicator lamp 0044lights up. You have selec-
ted Sport mode.
The AMG
AMG Suspension Suspension System
SystemSPORT
SPORTmes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
Sport + mode
The very firm setting of the suspension tuning in Sport + mode ensures the best possible
contact with the road. Select this mode pref-
erably when driving on race circuits.
If indicator lamps 0087and 0044are off:
X Press button 0043twice.
Indicator lamps 0087and 0044light up. You
have selected Sport + mode. The vehicle is
lowered by 10 mm.
The AMG Suspension System SPORT + AMG Suspension System SPORT +
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
If indicator lamp 0044lights up:
X Press button 0043once.
Second indicator lamp 0087lights up. You
have selected Sport + mode. The vehicle is
lowered by 10 mm.
The AMG Suspension System SPORT + AMG Suspension System SPORT +
message appears in the multifunction dis-
play. 216
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

As soon as the parking procedure is com-
plete, the Park
ParkAssist
Assist switched
switched off
offmes-
sage appears and a warning tone sounds.
Active Parking Assist no longer supports you
with steering interventions. When Active
Parking Assist is finished, you must steer
again yourself. PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips:
R The way your vehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parking is dependent
on various factors. These include the posi-
tion and shape of the vehicles parked in
front and behind it and the conditions of the
location. It may be the case that Active
Parking Assist guides you too far into a
parking space, or not far enough into it. In
some cases, it may also lead you across or
onto the curb. If necessary, you should can- cel the parking procedure with Active Park-ing Assist.
R You can also select preselect transmission
position D. The vehicle redirects and does
not drive as far into the parking space.
Should the gear change occur too soon to
achieve a sensible parking position, the
parking procedure will be aborted.
Exiting a parking space In order that Active Parking Assist can sup-
port you when you exit the parking space:
R you need to have parked using Active Park-
ing Assist.
R the border of the parking space must be
high enough at the front and the rear. A
curb stone is too small, for example.
R the border of the parking space must not be
too wide, as the position of the vehicle must
not exceed an angle of 45° to the starting
position as it is maneuvered into the park-
ing space.
R a maneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available.
X Start the engine.
X Release the electric parking brake. X
Switch on the turn signal in the direction
you are pulling away.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
The Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No: Start Park Assist? Yes: OK No:
0038 message appears in the multifunction
display.
X To cancel the procedure: press the0038
button on the multifunction steering wheel or pull away.
or
X To exit a parking space using Active
Parking Assist: press the0076button on
the multifunction steering wheel.
The Park Assist Active Accelerate Park Assist Active Accelerate
and
and Brake
Brake Observe
Observe Surroundings
Surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
X Let go of the multifunction steering wheel.
X Reverse the vehicle or drive forwards, being
ready to brake at all times. Do not exceed a
maximum speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h) when exiting a parking space.
Otherwise Active Parking Assist will be can- celed.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor Ras
required while the vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in the other direction.
i You will achieve the best results by wait-
ing for the steering procedure to complete before pulling away.
If you back up after activation, the steeringwheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
X Drive forwards or back up the vehicle, being
ready to brake at all times.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
X Drive forwards and back up as prompted by
the PARKTRONIC warning displays, several
times if necessary.
Once you have exited the parking space com- pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and Driving systems
223Driving and parking Z