!When towing, pull away slowly and
smoothly. If the tractive power is too high, the
vehicles could be damaged.
!Shift the automatic transmission to Nand
do not open the driver's or front passenger's
door during towing. The automatic transmis-
sion may otherwise shift to position P, which
could damage the transmission.
!Do not tow with sling-type equipment. This
could damage the vehicle.
!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.
It is better to have the vehicle transported than
to have it towed away.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission damage,
have it transported on a transporter or trailer.
The automatic transmission must be in position N when the vehicle is being towed. If the auto-
matic transmission cannot be shifted to position
N, have the vehicle transported on a transporter
or trailer.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
Rcannot turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock
Rcannot release the electric parking brake
Rcannot shift the automatic transmission to
position N
Disarm the automatic locking feature before the vehicle is towed (
Ypage 89). You could other-
wise be locked out when pushing or towing the
vehicle.
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles:
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles may not be towed
away but must instead be transported, if:
Rthe multifunction display is not working or
Rthe á Towing Not Permitted SeeOperator'sManualmessage appears in the
multifunction display
If the vehicle is in a dangerous area, it can be
towed out of that area with both axles on the
ground. In this case, the towing distance must
not be greater than 165 ft (50 m)and must not
exceed a towing speed of 6 mph (10 km/h). For longer distances, have the vehicle loaded and
transported.
Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye
The brackets for the screw-in towing eye are
located in the bumpers. They are at the rear and
at the front, under covers :.
XRemove the towing eye from the vehicle tool
kit (Ypage 343).
XPress the mark on cover:inwards and
remove.
XScrew in the towing eye clockwise as far as it
will go and tighten it.
Removing the towing eye
XUnscrew and remove the towing eye.
XAttach cover :to the bumper and press until
it engages.
XPut the towing eye back into the vehicle tool
kit.
Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
Only vehicles without 4MATIC can be towed
with the rear axle raised.
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles: towing the vehicle
away with the rear axle raised should only be
carried out by professional recovery companies.
Towing and tow-starting355
Breakdown assistance
Z
!Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised, as
doing so will damage the transmission.
Vehicles with 4MATIC may either be towed away
with both axles on the ground or be loaded up
and transported.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission must
not be towed with the rear axle raised. The
vehicle/trailer combination may otherwise
swerve or even roll over.
Towing a vehicle with both axles on
the ground
The automatic transmission automatically shifts
to position Pwhen you open the driver's or front-
passenger door or when you remove the Smart-
Key from the ignition lock. In order to ensure
that the automatic transmission stays in posi-
tion Nwhen towing the vehicle, you must
observe the following points:
XMake sure that the vehicle is stationary.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the ignition
lock.
XDepress and hold the brake pedal.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
N.
XLeave the SmartKey in position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch on the hazard warning lamps
(Ypage 120).
In order to signal a change of direction when
towing the vehicle with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination switch
as usual. In this case, only the indicator lamps
for the direction of travel flash. After resetting
the combination switch, the hazard warning
lamp starts flashing again.
Transporting the vehicle
PLUG-IN HYBRID vehicles
Transportation of the vehicle should only be car-
ried out by professional recovery companies.
4MATIC vehicles/vehicles with auto-
matic transmission
!When the vehicle is loaded for transport, the
front and rear axles must be stationary and on
the same transportation vehicle. Positioning
over the connection point of the transport
vehicle is not permitted. The drive train may
otherwise be damaged.
All vehicles
!You may only secure the vehicle by the
wheels, not by parts of the vehicle such as
axle or steering components. Otherwise, the
vehicle could be damaged.
The towing eye can be used to pull the vehicle
onto a trailer or transporter for transporting pur-
poses.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 2in the ignition
lock.
XShift the automatic transmission to position
N.
As soon as the vehicle has been loaded:
XPrevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the electric parking brake.
XShift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it.
XSecure the vehicle.
Notes on 4MATIC vehicles
!
Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with either the front or the rear axle raised, as
doing so will damage the transmission.
356Towing and tow-starting
Breakdown assistance
