2016 MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV warning

To ensure that the vehicle is safeguarded
against rolling away unintentionally:
R the parking brake must be applied
R the transmission must be in position Pand the
key must be removed from the ignition lock
R the transfer case must not be in the neutral
position
R on uphill or downhill gradients, turn the front
wheels towards the kerb
R the empty vehicle must be secured at the
front axle with awheel chock or similar
object ,for example, on uphill or downhill gra-
dients
R al aden vehicle must also be secured at the
rear axle with awheel chock or similar object,
for example, on uphill or downhill gradients Switching off the engine
G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is arisk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, alwayss witch
to parking position P.Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling awaybya pplying the parking
brake.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignitionlock
and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
X Firmly apply the parking brake.
X Turn the steering whee luntil the steering
whee llock engages.
If you switch the engine off with the transmis-
sion in position Ror D,t he automatic transmis-
sion shifts to Nautomatically.
If you then open the driver's door or the front-
passenger door or remove the key from the igni- tion, the automatic transmission shifts to P
automatically.
If you switch off the engine while the transmis-
sion is in position N,the automatic transmission
remains in Neven if adoor is opened .The auto-
matic transmission only automatically shifts into neutral
Nwhe nyou switc hoff the engine
using the key. Parking brake
G
WARNING
If you mus tbrake the vehicl ewith the parking
brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels coul dlock. This increa-
ses the risk of skidding and an accident.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi- cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly .Ifthe
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begi nturning again. G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they may be abletos et the vehiclein
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P
R start the engine
In addition, they may operate vehicl eequip-
ment and become trapped. There is arisk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alwayst ake the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. The brake light
sdonot light up when you brake
the vehicle with the parking brake.
If you pull away with the parking brake applied,
aw arning tones ounds.114
ParkingDriving and parking

X
To apply: pull parking brake lever ;up
firmly.
Whe nthe ignition is switched on, the red J
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
X To release: pull parking brake lever ;
slightly.
X Press release button :and guid eparking
brake ;down to the stop.
The J indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goe sout.
The vehicl ecan also be braked during an emer-
genc ybyu sing the parking brake.
X To brake in an emergency: press and hold
release button :and carefull ypullp arking
brake lever ;upwards.
If yo udrive on we troads or dirt-covered surfa-
ces, roa dsalta nd/or dirt could get into the
parking brake.
In order to prevent corrosion and areduction in
the braking powe rofthe parking brake, observe
the following:
R pull the parking brake upwards with release
button :depresse dfrom time to time before
beginning ajourney
R drive for approximatel y100 ma tamaximum
speed of 20 km/h Parkin
gupthe vehicle
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer than
four weeks, the battery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer than
six weeks, it may suffer from lack of use.
X Contact aqualified specialist workshop and
seek advice.
i You can obtain information on trickle charg-
ers from aqualified specialist workshop. Driving tips
General drivin
gtips
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available wit
hlimitations, or not at all. This could affect,
for example, th epower steerin gand th ebrake
boosting effect .You will requir econsiderably
mor eeffort to steer and brake. Ther eisarisk
of an accident.
Do not switch off th eignitio nwhile driving.
Drive sensibly –savef uel Observe the following tips to save fuel:
X The tyre sshould always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tyre pressure.
X Remove unnecessary loads.
X Remove roof carriers when they are not nee-
ded.
X Warm up the engine at low engine speeds.
X Avoid frequent acceleration or braking.
X Have all service and maintenance work car-
ried out at the specified intervals.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffic, on short jour- neys and in hilly terrain. Short journeys
! Vehicles with
adiesel particle filter: if the
vehicle is mostly driven for short distances, it
is possible that malfunction smay occur dur-
ing the automatic cleaning of the diesel par-
ticle filter. This may lead to fuel collecting in
the engine oil and cause engine failure. There- fore, if you frequently drive short distances,
you should take a20minute trip on amotor-
way or rural road at least every 500km. Brakes
Imp ortant safety notes G
WARNING
If you shift dow nonaslippery road surface in
an attempt to increas ethe engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels coul dlose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift downf or additionalengine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. Drivingt
ips
115Driving an dparking Z

G
WARNING
If you select the LOW RANGE off-road gearon as lippery road surface, the wheels coul dlose
traction:
R if you release the accelerator peda lwhen
the vehicl eisinmotion
R if Off-road ABS intervenes when braking
If the wheels lose traction, it willnol onger be
possible to steer the vehicle. This increases
the risk of skidding and having an accident.
Never select the LOW RANGE off-road gear
when driving on slippery road surfaces.
Information on the parking brake (Y page114).
Downhill gradients Shift to
alower gearing oodt ime on long and
stee pdownhil lgradients.
Take particula rnote of this when driving alad en
vehicl eand when towing atrailer.
Thi sw illu se the braking effect of the engine, so
less braking will be required to maintai nthe
vehicl espeed. Thi srelieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Heav yand light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave you rfoot on the brake peda lwhile driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even caus ethe braking system to fail .There is
ar isk of an accident.
Never use the brake peda lasafootrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
peda land the accelerator peda lwhile driving.
! Depressing the brake peda
lconstantly
results in excessive and premature wearto
the brake pads.
If heavy demands are made on the brakes ,do
not park the vehicl eimmediately. Drive on for a
short while. This allows the airflow to cool the
brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionall ytest their effectiveness.
To do this, brake more firmly from ahigher speed while paying attention to the traffic con-
ditions .This improves the grip of the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonge dperiod of
time withou tbraking, there may be adelayed
reaction from the brakes when braking for the
first time. This may also occur after the vehicle
has been washed.
You have to depres sthe brake pedalm ore
firmly .Maintai nagreater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on awet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This willw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salt-treated roads,
alayer of salt
may form on the brake discs and pads.T his can
increase the braking distance considerably.
R In order to prevent any salt build-up,a pplythe
brakes occasionally whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions.
R Carefullyd epressthe brake pedalatt he end
of the journey and when starting the next
journey.
R Maintai namuch greater distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
New brake discs and brake pads/
linings Brake pads/linings and discs that either are new
or have been replaced achieve optimum braking
effect only after several hundred kilometres of
driving. Compensate for the reduced braking
effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends only fittingt he following brake discs and
brake pads/linings:
R brake discs that hav ebeena pproved by
Mercedes-Benz
R brake pads/linings that hav ebeena pproved
by Mercedes-Benz or that are of an equivalent
standard of quality
Other brake discs or brake pads/linings can
compromise the safety of your vehicle. 116
Drivin
gtipsDriving and parking

Alway
sobserve the fording depth values
(Y page 255). Parkin
gthe vehicle after heavy loads
on the engine
! Vehicles with
adiesel engine: your vehi-
cle's exhaust gas turbocharger may get very
hot under heavy engine load, e.g. during:
R trailer towing
R longer motorway journeys at high speed
R longer journeys through mountainous ter-
rain
X Let the engine run for approximately another
two minutes while the vehicle is stationary
before switching off the engine.
This way, the exhaust gas turbocharger can
cool down more effectively. Winte
rdriving G
WARNING
If you shift dow nonaslippery road surface in
an attempt to increas ethe engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels coul dlose their grip.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift downf or additionalengine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface. G
WARNING
If you select the LOW RANGE off-road gearon as lippery road surface, the wheels coul dlose
traction:
R if you release the accelerator peda lwhen
the vehicl eisinmotion
R if Off-road ABS intervenes when braking
If the wheels lose traction, it willnol onger be
possible to steer the vehicle. This increases
the risk of skidding and having an accident.
Never select the LOW RANGE off-road gear
when driving on slippery road surfaces. G
DANGER
If the exhaus tpipe is blocke doradequate
ventilation is no tpossible, poisonous gases
suc hasc arbon monoxide (CO) may ente rthe
vehicle. This is th ecase, e.g. if th evehicle
become strapped in snow. There is ariskof
fatal injury.
If you leav ethe engin eortheauxiliary heating
running, mak esuret he exhaust pipe and area
around th evehicl eare clear of snow. To
ensur eana dequate supply of fresh air, open a
window on th eside of th evehicl ethatisn ot
facing int othe wind.
Hav eyour vehicl ewinterproofed at aqualified
specialist workshop at th eonset of winter.
You should drive particularly carefully on slip-
per yroads urfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration,
steering and braking manoeuvres.
If th evehicl ethreaten stoskidorc annotbe
stoppe dwhen moving at low speed:
X Shift th eautomatic transmission to position
N.
X Try to bring th evehicl eunder control by using
corrective steering.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefor eunsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in th eoutside temperature are dis-
played after ashort delay.
Indicate dtem peratures jus tabov ethe freezing
poin tdon otguarantee that th eroads urfac eis
free of ice .The roa dmay still be icy, especially in
wooded area soronbridges.The vehicl ecould
skid if you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle. Always
adapt your drivin gstyle and drive at aspeed to
suit th eprevailing weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to roa dcondi-
tion swhen temperatures are around freezing
point.
Further information on drivin gwiths nowc hains
(Y page 237).
Further information on drivin gwiths ummer
tyres (Y page 237).
Observ ethe note sint he"Winte roperation "sec-
tion (Y page 236). 118
Driving tipsDriving and parking

Off-road driving
Important safet ynotes G
WARNING
If you driv eonas teep incline at an angle or
turn on asteep incline, the vehicl ecoulds lip
sideways, tip and overturn. There is arisk of
an accident.
When driving on an incline, drive into the line of fall (upwards or downward sinastraight
line) and do not turn. G
WARNING
Flammable materia lsuch as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust system. There is arisk
of fire.
When driving off road or on unpaved roads,
check the vehicle's underside regularly. In
particular, remove parts of plants or other
flammable materials which have become
trapped. In the case of damage, contact a
qualified specialist workshop.
! There is
arisk of damage to the vehicl eif:
R the vehicl ebecome sstuck, e.g. on ahigh
kerb or an unpaved road
R you drive too quickly over an obstacle, e.g.
ak erb, slowing thresholds or apothol ein
the road
R ah eavy object strikes the underbody or
parts of the chassis
In situations like this, the body ,underbody,
chassi sparts, wheels or tyres coul dbedam-
agedw ithout the damage being visible. Com-
ponents damaged in this way can unexpect-
edlyf ail or, in the case of an accident, no lon-
ger withstand the strain they are designed to withstand.
If the underbody panelling is damaged, com-
bustible materials such as leaves, grass or
twigs can gather between the underbody and
the underbody panelling. If these materials
come into contact with hot parts of the
exhaust system, they can catch fire.
In such situations, have the vehicl echecked
and repaired immediatel yataqualified spe-
cialist workshop. If, on continuing yourj our-
ney, you notice that driving safety is impaired, stop the vehicle immediately
,paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. In such
cases, consult aqualified specialist work-
shop.
! If there are steep gradients while driving off-
road, asufficient filling level in the AdBlue ®
tank must be ensured. Make sure for this rea- son that there is aminimum fill level of ten
litres before driving off-road.
When driving off-road, substances such as sand,
mud and water or water mixed with oil may get
into the brakes. This may lead to areduction in
braking performance or total brake failure as a
result of increased wear. The braking charac-
teristics will vary depending on the substances
that get into the brakes. Cleant he brakes after
driving off-road. If you notice grinding noises or ar eduction in braking performance, have the
brake system checked at aqualified specialist
workshop immediately.A dapt your driving style
to the altered braking characteristics.
Driving off-road increases the possibility of dam- age to the vehicle, which may cause assemblies
or systems to fail. Adapt your driving style to the
conditions of the terrain. Drive carefully.H ave
vehicle damage rectified immediately at aquali-
fied specialist workshop.
Do not shift into transmission position Nwhen
driving off-road. You could lose control of the
vehicle if you attempt to brake the vehicle using
the service brake. If the gradient is too steep for your vehicle, back up in reverse gear.
General notes H
Envi
ronmenta lnote
Protection of th eenvironmen tisofprimary
importance. Treat nature with respect.
Observe all prohibiting signs.
Read this sectio nbefore driving your vehicle off-
road. Practis ebydriving over mor egentle off-
road terrain first.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-road driving:
R 4ETS (Y page 54)
R Off-road ABS
R transfer case (Y page 124)
R differential lock s(Ypage 125) Driving tips
119Driving and parking Z

X
Clean th ewheels, wheel arches and th evehi-
cle underside wit hawaterjet;c he ck for any
foreign object sand damage.
X Chec kwhether twigs or other part sofplants
have become trapped. Thes eincreas ethe risk
of fir eand can damag efuel pipes ,brake
hoses or th erubbe rbellows of th eaxle joints
and propeller shafts.
X Afte rthe trip, examin ewithout fail th eentire
undercarriage, wheels, tyres, bodywork struc- ture, brakes, steering ,cha ssis and exhaust
system for damage.
X Afte rdriving in sand, mud, gravel, wate ror
similar dirt yconditions ,have th efollowing
checked and cleaned:
R brak ediscs
R wheels
R brak epads
R axle joints
X If you notic estron gv ibrations after off-road
driving ,che ck for foreign object sinthe
wheel sand driv etrain and ,ifnecessary,
remove them. Foreign object scan disturb the
balance and caus evibrations.
Driving on sand Observ
ethe following rules when driving on
sand:
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124).
R avoid high engine speeds.
R Shift the automatic transmission to alow
gear.
R drive quickly to overcome the rolling resist-
ance. Otherwise, the vehicle could dig itself
into the sand.
R drive in the tracks of other vehicles if possible.
When doing so, make sure that:
- the tyre ruts are not too deep
- the sand is firm enough
- your vehicle has sufficient ground clear-
ance
Tyre rutsa nd unpaved roads !
Check that the ruts are not too deep and
that your vehicle has sufficient clearance.
Otherwise, your vehicle could be damaged or bottom out and get stuck. Observe the following rules when driving along
ruts in off-road terrain or on roads with loose
gravel:
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124)
R avoid high engine speeds
R observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and the
general notes (Y page 119) on off-road driving
R shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
R drive slowly
R where ruts are too deep, drive with the wheels
on one side on the middle section of turf if
possible
Driving over obstacles !
Obstacles could damage the floor of the
vehicle or componentsoft he chassis. Ask
passengers for guidance when driving over
large obstacles. Any damage to the vehicle
always increases the risk of an accident.
! Drive with particular care when driving over
an obstacle while driving up or down asteep
slope.
The vehicle could otherwise tilt and slide side- waysort ip over.
Observe the following rules when driving over
tree stumps, large stones and other obstacles:
R observe the safety notes (Y page 119) and the
general notes (Y page 119) on off-road driving
R shift the transfer case to the LOW RANGEoff-
road driving position (Y page 124)
R avoid high engine speeds
R shift the automatic transmission to alow gear
R make sure that you have enough ground
clearance before driving across an obstacle
R drive very slowly
R try to drive straight over the centreofo bsta-
cles: front wheel first, then rear wheel Travelling uphill
Approach/departure angle G
WARNING
If you drive on asteep incline at an angle or
turn on asteep incline, the vehicl ecoulds lip
sideways, tip and overturn. There is arisk of
an accident. Drivingt
ips
121Driving an dparking
Z

Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When leavin gthe vehicle, it can still roll away
despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is amalfunction in the system or in
the voltag esupply
R the HOLD function is deactivated by the
accelerator peda lbeing depressed, e.g. by
av ehicl eoccupant
R the electrica lsystem in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R the battery is disconnected
There is arisk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, alwaysd eactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
from rolling away.
Deactivating the HOLD function (Y page123).
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD fun
ction if:
R the vehicle is stationary
R the engin eisrunning or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function
R the driver's door is close dorifyour seat belt
is fastened
R the parking brak eisreleased
R the transmission is in position D,Ror N
Activating th eHOLD function X
Make sure that the activation condition sare
met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further until
ë appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
If depressing the brake pedal the first time does not activate the HOLD function, wait briefly and
then try again. Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if:
R you depress the accelerator and the trans-
mission is in position Dor R.
R the transmission is in position j.
R you depress the brake pedal again with acer-
tain amount of pressure until ëdisap-
pears from the multifunction display.
On steep uphill or downhill inclines or if there is
am alfunction, the transmission may also be
automatically shifted into position P. Permanent all-wheel drive
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle raised.
This may damage the transfer case. Damage
of this sort is not covered by the Mercedes-
Benz implied warranty. All wheels must
remain either on the ground or be fully raised.
Observe the instructions for towing the vehi-
cle with all wheels in full contact with the
ground.
! When testin
gthe parking brake, operate the
vehicle only briefly (for amaximum of ten sec-
onds) on abrake test dynamometer. When
doing this, turn the key to position 0or 1in
the ignition. Failure to do this can cause dam- age to the drive train or the brake system.
! Af
unction or performanc etest should only
be carried out on atwin-axle dynamometer.
Before you operate the vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aqualified
workshop. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
The all-wheel drive system ensures that all four
wheels are permanently driven. The all-wheel
drive system improves vehicle traction together with ESP ®
and 4ETS if adrive wheel spins due to
insufficient grip.
Only when you use winter tyres (M+S tyres) in
wintry driving condition sand, if necessary, snow
chains (Y page 237). Only in this way can the
maximum effect of all-wheel drive be achieved.
Information about driving off-road (Y page 119). Driving systems
123Driving and parking Z

Off-road driving systems
Transfer case
General notes The vehicle has permanent all-wheel drive. The
front and rear axles are constantly driven.
Further information on driving off-road
(Y page 119).
Shift ranges HIGH
RANGE
Position for all normal on-
road driving conditions.
LOW RANGE
Low-range position for driving
off-road.
Also for use on steep uphill or downhill gradients, especially
when towin gatrailer.
The vehicle travels around
half the speed of on-road driv-
ing range HIGH RANGE.T he
tractive powerisc orrespond-
ingly higher. Shiftin
gthe transfer case General notes
:
Curren tshif trange :
Indicator lamp
; LOW RANGE button Important safety notes G
WARNING
If yo udon ot waitf or the transfer case gear
change process to complete, the transfer
case coul dremai ninthe neutral position. The
power transmission to the drive nwheels is
then interrupted. There is adange rofthe
vehicl erolling awayu nintentionally.T here is a
risk of an accident.
Waitu ntil the transfer case shift process is
completed.
Do not switch off the engine while changing gear and do not shift the automatic transmission to
another gear.
Always waitf or the gearchange process from
HIGH RANGE toLOW RANGE and fromLOW
RANGE toHIGH RANGE to complete. Do not
switch off the engine while changing geara nd do
not shift the automatic transmission to another gear.
Activating the off-road gear ratio ! Proceed with the shifting process only
when:
R the engine is running
R the vehicl eisrolling
R the automatic transmission is in selector
leve rposition i
R you are not driving faster than 40 km/h
You coul dotherwise damage the transfer
case.
X Make sure the ECO start/stop function is
switched off (Y page98).
X Press LOW RANGE button ;.
Once the shifting procedure has been com-
pleted, the LOW RANGE LOW RANGE transfer case position
is show ninthe multifunction display.
Indicator lamp :lights up.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
D.
Deactivatin gthe off-road gear ratio
! Proceed with the shifting process only
when:
R the engine is running
R the vehicl eisrolling 124
Off-roa
ddriving systemsDriving and parking