
latest, after receiving the first warning mes-
sage via the on-board computer.
To conform to emission regulations, you must
operate the vehicle with DEF and refill the
supply regularly. The engine management
recognizes attempts to operate the vehicle
without DEF, with thinned DEF or with
another reducing agent. After previous warn-
ing messages, the engine management then
prevents a further engine start.
If the DEF level drops below 1.5 US gal (5.5 l), the first warning message is issued and a
warning tone sounds. After the message
appears for the first time, and under normal
driving conditions, the remaining DEF supply
will last for approximately 1000 miles
(1600 km).
If a reserve mark of 0.8 US gal (3.0 l) is
reached, a second warning message is issued and a warning tone sequence sounds. After
the first message, the DEF supply will last for
approximately 1200 miles (1900 km). Subse-
quently, you will only be able to start the
engine a further 16 times.
You should immediately add 2.0 US gal (7.6 l)
of DEF (Y page 147) or have the DEF supply
reservoir filled at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
When the number of remaining engine starts
is 0
0 and the engine is restarted, the engine
management prevents the vehicle from being
driven at a speed exceeding 5 mph (8 km/h).
If the 00B9 Check Engine indicator lamp lights
up, the exhaust gas aftertreatment is faulty or
an emission-related malfunction has occur-
red (Y page 211). You will then only be able to
drive a maximum 50 mi (80 km) before the
engine management restricts the number of
starts remaining.
If the exhaust gas aftertreatment is faulty,
have it checked and repaired at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Further information on DEF can be found in
the "Refueling" (Y page 147) and "Service
products and capacities" (Y page 320) sec-
tions. Attachments, bodies, equipment and
conversions
Information about body/equipment
mounting directives !
For safety reasons, have add-on equip-
ment manufactured and installed accord-
ing to the Sprinter body/equipment mount- ing directives in force. These body/equip-
ment mounting directives ensure that the
chassis and the body form one unit and that
maximum operating and road safety is ach- ieved.
We recommend for safety reasons that:
R you carry out no other modifications to
the vehicle.
R you obtain the agreement of the distrib-
utor named on the inside of the front
cover for any deviations from the
approved body/equipment mounting
directives.
Approval from certified inspection agen-
cies or official approvals cannot rule out
risks to your safety.
Please observe the information concerning
Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts (Y page 27).
Further information can be obtained at any
authorized Sprinter Dealer. G
WARNING
The function of systems or components can
be affected by conversions or modifications
to the vehicle. They might not function prop-
erly any more and/or jeopardize the opera-
tional safety of the vehicle. There is an
increased risk of an accident and injury.
Conversions or modifications should always
be carried out at qualified specialist work-
shop.
If you intend to make modifications to your
vehicle, we strongly recommend that you
contact the distributor named on the inside of
the front cover. There you will receive all the
necessary information and a charge may be
levied. 26
Introduction

If the problem cannot be rectified to your sat-
isfaction there:
R please discuss the problem with a manage-
ment representative from the authorized
Sprinter Dealer.
R if necessary, contact the distributor named
on the inside of the front cover. Data stored in the vehicle
A wide range of electronic components in
your vehicle contain data memories.
These data memories temporarily or perma-
nently store technical information about:
R the vehicle's operating status
R events
R malfunctions
In general, this technical information docu-
ments the state of a component, a module, a
system or the surroundings.
This includes, for example:
R operating conditions of system compo-
nents, e.g. fluid levels.
R the vehicle's status messages and those of
its individual components, e.g. number of
wheel revolutions/speed, deceleration in
movement, lateral acceleration, accelera-
tor pedal position.
R malfunctions and defects in important sys-
tem components, e.g. lights, brakes.
R the vehicle's reactions and operating sta-
tuses in special driving situations. e.g. air
bag deployment, intervention of stability
control systems.
R ambient conditions, e.g. outside tempera-
ture.
This data is exclusively technical in nature
and can be used to:
R assist in the detection and rectification of
malfunctions and defects
R analyze vehicle functions, e.g. after an acci-
dent
R optimize vehicle functions The data cannot be used to trace the vehicle's
movements.
When you use one of the available services,
technical information may be read from the
event data memory and malfunction data
memory.
Services include, for example:
R repair services
R service processes
R warranty claims
R quality assurance
The information is read out by employees of
the service network (including manufactur-
ers) using special diagnostic testers. Further
information is available there if required.
After a malfunction has been rectified, the
information is deleted from the malfunction
memory or is continually overwritten.
When operating the vehicle, situations are
conceivable in which this technical data, in
connection with other information - if neces-
sary, under consultation with an authorized
expert - could be traced to a person.
Examples include:
R accident reports
R damage to the vehicle
R witness statements
Further additional functions which are con-
tractually agreed with the customer likewise
allow specific vehicle data to be obtained
from the vehicle. Such additional functions
include vehicle locating in an emergency, for
example. Introduction
29 Z

allows malfunctions to be detected in good
time.
When the ignition is switched on, the 0075
restraint system warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up. It goes out no later
than a few seconds after the vehicle is star-
ted. The components of the restraint system
are on standby.
A malfunction has occurred if the 0075
restraint system warning lamp:
R does not light up after the ignition is
switched on.
R does not switch off after a few seconds.
R goes out, but then lights up again, e.g. when
the engine is running. G
WARNING
If restraint system is malfunctioning, restraint system components may be triggered unin-
tentionally or might not be triggered at all in
the event of an accident with a high rate of
vehicle deceleration. This can affect the Emer- gency Tensioning Device or air bag, for exam-
ple. This poses an increased risk of injury or
even fatal injury.
Have the restraint system checked and
repaired in a qualified specialist workshop as
soon as possible. Seat belts
Introduction Seat belts are the most effective means of
restricting the movement of vehicle occu-
pants in the event of an accident or the vehi-
cle rolling over. This reduces the risk of vehi- cle occupants coming into contact with parts
of the vehicle interior or being ejected from
the vehicle. Furthermore, the seat belt helps
to keep the vehicle occupant in the best posi- tion in relation to the air bag. The seat belt system comprises:
R Seat belts
R Emergency Tensioning Devices and seat
belt force limiters for the driver's and front-
passenger seat belts
On vehicles with two seats on the front-
passenger side, both seat belts on the
front-passenger side have an Emergency
Tensioning Device. Only the seat belt on the
outer front-passenger seat has a seat belt
force limiter.
The seat belt system only includes Emer-
gency Tensioning Devices and seat belt force
limiters for the driver and front passenger if
the vehicle is equipped with a driver's air bag.
If the seat belt is pulled out of the belt outlet quickly or with a jerky movement, the belt
retractor locks. The belt strap cannot be
extracted any further.
The Emergency Tensioning Device tightens
the seat belt in an accident, pulling the belt
close against the body. However it does not
pull the vehicle occupant back in the direction
of the backrest.
The Emergency Tensioning Device does not
correct an incorrect seat position or the rout- ing of an incorrectly fastened seat belt.
When triggered, seat belt force limiters help
to reduce the force exerted by the seat belt on
the vehicle occupant.
The seat belt force limiters are synchronized
with the front air bags, which absorb part of
the deceleration force. This can reduce the
force exerted on the vehicle occupants during an accident.
! If the front-passenger seat is unoccupied,
do not insert the belt tongue into the buckle of the front-passenger seat. This may oth-
erwise lead to the triggering of the Emer-
gency Tensioning Device in the event of anaccident, which will then need to be
replaced.
Vehicles with two seats on the front-
passenger side: the Emergency Tensioning
Device of the inner front-passenger seat is Occupant safety
43Safety Z

X
Adjust the seat (Y page 82).
The seat backrest must be in an almost
upright position.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly from belt sash
guide 0087and engage belt tongue 0044into
belt buckle 0043.
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body. The shoulder section of the belt must always
run over the center of the shoulder. Adjust the
belt outlet if necessary.
X To raise: slide belt guide 0087upwards.
The belt outlet engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: press belt guide release 0085and
slide belt guide 0087downwards.
X Let go of belt guide release 0085in the
desired position and make sure that the
belt guide engages.
All seat belts in the vehicle, except the driv-
er's seat belt, are equipped with a special seat belt retractor to secure child restraint sys-
tems properly. Further information can be
found under "Special seat belt retractor"
(Y page 52).
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. Dam-
aged seat belts can no longer fulfill their protective function and must be replaced.
Visit a qualified specialist workshop.
X
Press release button 0043, hold belt
tongue 0044firmly and guide it back towards
belt outlet 0087.
Belt warning for drivers and co-drivers The
0076 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder for all occupants to
fasten their seat belts. It may light up contin-
uously or flash. A warning tone may also
sound.
Regardless of whether the driver has already
fastened their seat belt, the 0076seat belt
warning lamp lights up for 6 second s each
time the ignition is switched on. After the
engine is started, it goes out as soon as the
driver's seat belt had been fastened.
If the driver's seat belt is not fastened after
the engine is started, an additional warning
tone will sound. This warning tone switches
off after a maximum of 6 seconds or once the
driver's seat belt is fastened.
If a vehicle speed of 15 mph (25 km/h) is
exceeded and the driver has still not fastened their seat belt, a warning tone sounds again.
The warning tone sounds for 60 seconds or
until the driver has fastened their seat belt. 46
Occupant safetySafety

Thorax bags are only available in combination
with individual seats on the driver's and co-
driver's side.
When deployed, thorax bag 0043offers addi-
tional thorax protection. However, it does not protect the:
R head
R neck
R arms
The thorax bag is deployed on the side of the impact.
Window curtain air bags Window curtain air bags
0043are integrated
into the side of the roof frame above the front
doors.
When deployed, the window curtain air bag
enhances the level of protection for the head.
However, it does not protect the chest or
arms.
In the event of a side impact, the window cur- tain air bag is deployed on the side on which
the impact occurs.
If the system determines that they can offer
additional protection to that provided by the
seat belt, a window curtain air bag may be
deployed in other accident situations
(Y page 49). Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devices and air bags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
been deployed. There is a risk of injury.
Do not touch the air bag parts. Have a
deployed air bag replaced at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop as soon as possible. G
WARNING
A deployed air bag no longer offers any pro-
tection and cannot provide the intended pro-
tection in an accident. There is an increased
risk of injury.
Have the vehicle towed to a qualified special- ist workshop in order to have a deployed air
bag replaced.
It is important for your safety and that of your
passenger to have deployed air bags replaced and to have any malfunctioning air bags
repaired. This will help to make sure the air
bags continue to perform their protective
function for the vehicle occupants in the
event of a crash. G
WARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that have been deployed are no longer opera- tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Therefore, have pyrotechnic Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices which have been triggered
immediately replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
If Emergency Tensioning Devices are trig-
gered or air bags are deployed, you will hear a
bang, and a small amount of powder may also be released. The 0075restraint system warn-
ing lamp lights up.
Only in rare cases will the bang affect your
hearing. The powder that is released gener-
ally does not constitute a health hazard, but it Occupant safety
49Safety Z

As a result, they could:
R activate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
R activate or deactivate systems, thereby
endangering other road users
Unsecured animals could also be flung around the vehicle in the event of an accident or sud-
den steering or braking, thereby injuring vehi- cle occupants. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Never leave animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Always secure animals properly during
the journey, e.g. use a suitable animal trans-
port box. Driving safety systems
Overview
In this section, you will find information about the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
R ASR (A cceleration SkidControl)
R BAS (B rakeAssist System)
R EBD ( Electronic Brake Force Distribution)
R ESP ®
(E lectronic StabilityProgram) Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you
are inattentive, the driving safety systems can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor over-
ride the laws of physics. Driving safety sys-
tems are merely aids designed to assist driv- ing. You are responsible for the distance to
the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, braking in good time and for staying in your lane.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions and maintain a sufficient, safe distance from other road
users. Drive carefully.
The driving safety systems described can only
attain their maximum effectiveness when
there is optimum contact between the tires and the road can. Pay particular attention to
the information regarding tires, recommen-
ded minimum tire tread depth etc. under
"Wheels and tires" (Y page 284).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tires (M+S tires) and if necessary, snow
chains. This is the only way to get the full
benefit from the driving safety systems
described. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes Observe the important safety guidelines for
the driving safety system (Y
page 57). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid- ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
If ABS is malfunctioning, other systems will
also fail, including driving safety systems.
Observe the information relating to the 0025
warning lamp (Y page 218).
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently.
The yellow 0025warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up when the ignition is
switched on. The lamp goes out when the
engine starts running. Driving safety systems
57Safety Z

Braking
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsating in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and func-
tions as a reminder to take extra care while
driving.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force. ASR (acceleration skid control)
General notes Important safety notes
Observe the important safety guidelines for
the driving safety system (Y
page 57).
ASR can neither reduce the risk of an accident nor suspend the laws of physics if the driver
does not pay attention when pulling away or
accelerating. ASR is only an aid. Always adapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road
and weather conditions.
Vehicles without steering wheel buttons: if
ASR is malfunctioning, the 003Dindicator
lamp lights up while the engine is running and the engine power may be reduced
(Y page 218).
ASR significantly improves traction, i.e. the
transmission of power from the tires to the
road surface, and thus increases the vehicle's driving stability. If the driving wheels start to
spin, ASR brakes individual drive wheels and
limits the engine torque. ASR thus signifi-
cantly assists you when pulling away and
accelerating, especially on wet or slippery
roads.
If traction on the road surface is not sufficient,
even ASR will not allow you to pull away with- out difficulty. The type of tires and total
weight of the vehicle as well as the gradient of
the road also play a crucial role. If ASR intervenes, the
0072warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes.
Activating/deactivating ASR G
WARNING
If deactivated, ASR will not attempt to stabi-
lize the vehicle during pulling away and accel- eration. There is an increased risk of skiddingand of an accident.
Only deactivate ASR in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
! If you deactivate ASR, ESP ®
will still inter-
vene to stabilize the vehicle. Frequent brak-
ing automatically triggered by ESP ®
can
damage the brake system.
For this reason, deactivate ASR only briefly and when absolutely necessary. When ESP
®
is intervening and the 0072warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster is flashing,
leave ASR on. In this case, only depress the
accelerator pedal as far as required when
pulling away.
X Press the 00E3button.
If ASR is deactivated, the 0072warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
ASR is automatically activated when the
engine is started.
It may be best to deactivate ASR briefly in the
following situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel 58
Driving safety systemsSafety

If you deactivate ASR:
R engine torque is not limited and the drive
wheels are able to spin. The spinning
wheels will then achieve a cutting effect for
better traction.
R traction control remains active through
brake intervention. If a drive wheel attains
its tire traction limit because one side of the
road is slippery, for example, that wheel is
braked. The traction is then increased in
this situation.
R active brake intervention by ESP ®
to
increase driving stability remains active.
The 0072 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes when ESP ®
is intervening. BAS (Brake Assist System)
G
WARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Vehicles without steering wheel buttons: if
the BAS driving safety system is malfunction-
ing, the 003Dwarning lamp lights up while the
engine is running (Y page 218).
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake quickly, BAS
automatically increases the brake pressure,
thereby reducing the stopping distance.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion) G
WARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the risk of skidding and an accident. You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure to the rear wheels. This enables EBD to
improve handling during braking.
Observe the information on warning and indi- cator lamps (Y page 218). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes Observe the important safety guidelines for
the driving safety system (Y
page 57). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning it will not provide
any vehicle stabilization. There is an increased
risk of skidding or of an accident.
Exercise caution when continuing to drive.
Have ESP ®
checked at a qualified specialist
workshop.
! Do not run the vehicle on a roller dyna-
mometer (e.g. for performance tests). If
you must operate the vehicle on a roller
dynamometer, please consult a qualified
specialist workshop in advance. You could
otherwise damage the drive train or the
brake system.
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, the 0089warning
lamp lights up while the engine is running and
the engine power may be reduced
(Y page 218).
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function properly.
Crosswind Assist Crosswind Assist does not work if ESP
®
is
deactivated or disabled because of a mal-
function. Driving safety systems
59Safety Z