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
Driver's door
Rear door
0047
Locked
0048 Unlocked
X To unlock the driver's or rear door: press
the key release button on the remote con-
trol.
The key folds out.
X Insert the key fully into the door lock and
turn it to position 0048.
The door is unlocked.
X To lock the vehicle: lock all doors except
the driver's door and, if necessary the rear
door, from inside. To do this, press down
the door locking buttons.
X Press the key release button on the remote
control.
The key folds out.
X Insert the key fully into the driver's door
lock and turn it to position 0047.
The driver's door is locked. Remote control battery
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Batteries contain toxic and corrosive substan- ces. If batteries are swallowed, it can result in
severe health problems. There is a risk of fatal injury.
Keep batteries out of the reach of children. If
a battery is swallowed, seek medical attention immediately. H
Environmental note Batteries contain dangerous
substances. It is against the
law to dispose of them with
the household rubbish. They
must be collected separately
and recycled to protect the
environment. Dispose of batteries in an
environmentally friendly
manner. Take discharged
batteries to a qualified spe-
cialist workshop or a special
collection point for used bat-
teries.
The key batteries contain perchlorate mate-
rial, which may require special handling and
regard for the environment. Check with your
local government’s disposal guidelines. Cali-
fornia residents, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/
index.cfm.
We recommend that you have batteries
changed at a qualified specialist workshop.
Checking the batteries X
Press the 0036or0037 button for longer
than two seconds.
If battery indicator lamp (Y page 66) lights
up briefly, the batteries in the remote con- 68
KeyOpening and closing
Central locking
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Activate the child-proof door locks if children are traveling in the vehicle. The children could
otherwise open the doors while the vehicle is
in motion, injuring themselves and others. G
WARNING
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. Children could otherwise
injure themselves on parts of the vehicle.
They could be severely or even fatally injured by prolonged exposure to intense heat or
cold.
If children open a door, they could:
R injure other people
R get out of the vehicle and thereby injure
themselves or be injured by a passing vehi-
cle
R severely injure themselves by falling down,
in particular due to the vehicle height
Always take the key with you when leaving the
vehicle, even if you are only leaving for a short time.
You can open a locked front door from the
inside at any time. You can open a locked
sliding door or rear door from the inside if it
has been previously unlocked from inside. Locking and unlocking manually
Central locking buttons
Use the central locking buttons to centrally
lock/unlock either the entire vehicle or just
the sliding doors and rear doors from the
inside.
X To lock/unlock the entire vehicle: press
the upper 00BFcentral locking button
when the doors are closed.
When the entire vehicle is locked, the indi-
cator lamp in the 00BFcentral locking but-
ton lights up.
i If the key has been removed or is in posi-
tion 0in the ignition lock, the indicator
lamp in the 00BFcentral locking button
remains lit for 5 seconds.
X To lock/unlock the sliding doors and
rear doors: press the lower section of the
00C0 central locking button when the
doors are closed.
When the sliding doors and rear doors are
locked, the indicator lamp in the upper
00BF central locking button lights up. Automatic locking
General notes The vehicle locks automatically as standard
once a speed of 9 mph
(15 km/h)has been
reached. Depending on the vehicle's equip-
ment, the doors may be locked automatically once the ignition is switched on. Information
on the functions of the automatic locking Central locking
71Opening and closing Z
In order to reduce risks:
R draw the passengers' attention to the elec-
trical step. Wait until the electrical step is
fully extended.
R do not jump out of the vehicle.
R only use the grab handle and step. Only
they are designed for such a load.
R keep grab handles, access steps and entry
sills free from dirt, e.g. mud, clay, snow and ice. Operation and obstacle detection
Electrical step
The sliding door of your vehicle can be equip- ped with an electrical step.
X When getting in and out of the vehicle, use
the grab handles and electrical step 0043.
Electrical step 0043automatically extends
when the sliding door is opened and retracts
when it is closed.
Electrical step 0043is equipped with an
obstruction detection device on the front
side. If the step comes into contact with an
obstacle while it is extending, it stops.
After you have removed the obstacle, you
must first close the sliding door and open it
once again so that the step can extend com-
pletely.
i If the electrical step obstructs loading,
you can prevent the step from extending
when opening the sliding door via obstacle
detection. The electrical step can then
remain retracted and a forklift or other lift- ing equipment can be moved nearer to the
cargo compartment.
Vehicles without steering-wheel buttons:
if the 003E indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up and a warning tone sounds,
electrical step 0043is malfunctioning
(Y page 227).
Vehicles with steering wheel buttons: if
the Electrical Step
Electrical Step message is shown in
the display and a warning tone sounds, elec-
trical step 0043is malfunctioning (Y page 216).
If electrical step 0043is malfunctioning, the
step may only partially extend/retract or may not extend/retract at all. If a malfunction
does occur, you will have to retract and lock
electrical step 0043manually before continuing
the journey (Y page 74).
Before passengers get out of the vehicle, let
them know that electrical step 0043might not
be extended. Emergency release
! Driving with the step extended may result
in it being damaged.
If the electrical step does not retract auto-
matically, you will have to push it in and
lock it into place manually before continu-
ing your journey. X
Pull R-clips 0044on both rods 0043on the
underside of the step out of their respective
pins.
X Remove washers 0087and detach both
rods 0043. 74
Electrical stepOpening and closing
Useful information
This Operator's Manual describes all models
as well as standard and optional equipment of your vehicle that were available at the time of going to print. Country-specific variations are
possible. Note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the described functions.
This also applies to systems and functions
relevant to safety.
Read the information on qualified specialist
workshops (Y page 25). Exterior lighting
Important safety notes
For reasons of safety, we recommend that
you drive with the lights switched on even
during the daytime. There may be differences
in operation due to legal requirements and
voluntary recommendations in some coun-
tries. Bulb failure indicator
The bulb failure indicator is only an aid. You
are responsible for the proper functioning of
the vehicle lighting. Insufficient or non-func-
tioning vehicle lighting puts the operating
safety of the vehicle at risk.
For this reason, check the condition and func-
tion of your vehicle's lighting system and, if
necessary, that of the trailer before each jour- ney.
The bulb failure indicator monitors all of the
exterior lighting lamps, except the perimeter
lamp and the trailer lighting. If a bulb fails,
either the 0049(Ypage 35) indicator lamp
lights up, or you will see a corresponding
message in the display (Y page 208).
i Depending on the equipment, the bulb
failure indicator can fail for all lamps with
the exception of the turn signal lamps. Light switch
Operation 0047
0058
Automatic headlamp mode/
daytime running lamps
0048 003F
Lights off
0049 0060
Parking lamps, license plate and
instrument lighting
004A 0058
Low-beam/high-beam headlamps
004B 005A
Fog lamps
004C 005E
Rear fog lamp
If you hear a warning tone when you leave the
vehicle, the lights may still be switched on.
X Turn the light switch to 003For0058.
or
X If the rear fog lamp is switched on: press
the light switch in to the stop.
The turn signals, high-beam headlamps and
the high-beam flasher are operated using the combination switch (Y page 94).
Low-beam headlamps X
To switch on: turn the key to position 2in
the ignition lock or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to position 0058.
The 0058 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
Daytime running lamps You can activate/deactivate the daytime run-
ning lamps function using the on-board com-
puter. 92
Exterior lightingLights and windshield wipers