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Problems with the transmission
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The transmission has
problems shifting gear.The transmission is losing oil.
XHave 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 intosecondgear and reverse gear.
XStop the vehicle.
XShift the transmission to position P.
XSwitch off the engine.
XWait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine.
XShift the transmission to positionDor R.
If D is selected, the transmission shifts into secondgear; ifRis
selected, the transmission shifts into reverse gear.
XHave 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.
!To prevent ESP®from intervening, the
ignition must be switched off (SmartKey or
the Start/Stop button in position 0or 1) if:
Rthe electric parking brake is being tested
on a brake dynamometer.
Rthe vehicle is being towed with only one
axle raised (not permitted for vehicles
with 4MATIC).
The brake system could otherwise be dam-
aged.
!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
GWARNING
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.
GWARNING
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.
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If you or others come into contact with fuel,
observe the following:
RWash away fuel from skin immediately
using soap and water.
RIf fuel comes into contact with your eyes,
immediately rinse them thoroughly with
clean water. Seek medical assistance with-
out delay.
RIf fuel is swallowed, seek medical assis-
tance without delay. Do not induce vomit-
ing.
RImmediately change out of clothing which
has come into contact with fuel.
GWARNING
Electrostatic buildup can create sparks and
ignite fuel vapors. There is a risk of fire and
explosion.
Always touch the vehicle body before opening
the fuel filler flap or touching the fuel pump
nozzle. Any existing electrostatic buildup is
thereby discharged.
Do not get into the vehicle again during the
refueling process. Otherwise, electrostatic
charge could build up again.
!Do not use diesel to refuel vehicles with a
gasoline engine. Do not switch on the igni-
tion if you accidentally refuel with the
wrong fuel. Otherwise, the fuel will enter
the fuel system. Even small amounts of the wrong fuel could result in damage to the
fuel system and the engine. Notify a quali-
fied specialist workshop and have the fuel
tank and fuel lines drained completely.
!Overfilling the fuel tank could damage the
fuel system.
!Take care not to spill any fuel on painted
surfaces. You could otherwise damage the
paintwork.
!Use a filter when refueling from a fuel can.
Otherwise, the fuel lines and/or injection
system could be blocked by particles from
the fuel can. If you overfill the fuel tank, fuel could spray
out when the fuel pump nozzle is removed.
For further information on fuel and fuel quality
(
Ypage 401).
Refueling
General information
Pay attention to the important safety notes
(
Ypage 167).
If you unlock/lock the vehicle from the out-
side, the fuel filler flap also unlocks/locks.
The position of the fuel filler cap is displayed
8 in the instrument cluster. The arrow
next to the filling pump indicates the side of
the vehicle.
Opening the fuel filler flap
:To open the fuel filler flap
;To insert the fuel filler cap
=Tire pressure table
?Instruction label for fuel type to be refu-
eled
XSwitch off the engine.
XOpen the driver's door.
The on-board electronics now have status
0. This is the same as the SmartKey having
been removed.
or, if the SmartKey is inserted in the ignition
lock:
XRemove the SmartKey from the ignition
lock.
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XPress the fuel filler flap in the direction of
arrow:.
The fuel filler flap swings up.
XTurn the fuel filler cap counterclockwise
and remove it.
XInsert the fuel filler cap into the holder on
the inside of fuel filler flap ;.
XCompletely insert the filler neck of the fuel
pump nozzle into the tank, hook in place
and refuel.
XOnly fill the tank until the pump nozzle
switches off.
iDo not add any more fuel after the pump
stops filling for the first time. Otherwise,
fuel may leak out.
Closing the fuel filler flap
XReplace the cap on the filler neck and turn
clockwise until it engages audibly.
XClose the fuel filler flap.
If you drive at speeds above 2 km/ hwith the
fuel filler flap open, the Fuel
fillerflap
openmessage is shown in the multifunction
display.
iClose the fuel filler flap before locking the
vehicle.
iIf you are driving with the fuel filler cap
open, the 8reserve fuel warning lamp
flashes. A message appears in the multi-
function display (
Ypage 271).
In addition, the ;Check Engine warning
lamp may light up (
Ypage 293).
For further information on warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrument cluster, see
(
Ypage 293).
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Problems with fuel and the fuel tank
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Fuel is leaking from the
vehicle.GWARNING
The fuel line or the fuel tank is faulty.
Risk of explosion or fire.
XApply the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the engine.
XOpen the driver's door.
The on-board electronics now have status 0. This is the same as
the SmartKey having been removed.
or, if the SmartKey is inserted in the ignition lock:
XRemove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XDo not restart the engine under any circumstances.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
The fuel filler flap can-
not be opened.The fuel filler flap is not unlocked.
XUnlock the vehicle (Ypage 83).
The SmartKey battery is discharged or nearly discharged.
XUnlock the vehicle using the mechanical key (Ypage 85).
The fuel filler flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is jam-
med.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
Parking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with
hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is a risk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rials come into contact with parts of the vehi-
cle which are hot. Take particular care not to
park on dry grassland or harvested grain
fields.
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. There is a risk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
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!Always secure the vehicle correctly
against rolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle
or its drivetrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally:
Rthe electric parking brake must be applied.
Rthe transmission must be in position Pand
the SmartKey must be removed from the
ignition lock.
Rthe front wheels must be turned towards
the curb on steep uphill or downhill gradi-
ents.
Rthe empty vehicle must be secured at the
front axle with a wheel chock or similar, for example, on uphill or downhill gradients.
Ra laden vehicle must also be secured at the
rear axle with a wheel chock or similar, for
example, on uphill or downhill gradients.
Switching off the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Further information if the engine cannot be
switched off as described here (
Ypage 359).
Using the SmartKey
XApply the electric parking brake.
XShift the transmission to position P.
XTurn the SmartKey to position0in the igni-
tion lock and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated. If you switch the engine off with the trans-
mission in position
Ror D, the automatic
transmission shifts to Nautomatically.
If you then open the driver's door or the
front-passenger door or remove the Smart-
Key from the ignition, the automatic trans-
mission shifts to Pautomatically.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral N, e.g. when having the
vehicle cleaned in an automatic car wash with
a towing system:
XSwitch on the ignition.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
XShift to neutral N.
XRelease the brake pedal.
XRelease the electric parking brake.
XSwitch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
Using the Start/Stop button
XApply the electric parking brake.
XShift the transmission to position P.
XPress the Start/Stop button (Ypage 151)
The engine stops and all the indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.
When the driver's door is closed, this cor-
responds to key position 1. When the driv-
er's door is open, this corresponds to key
position 0: "Key removed".
If you switch the engine off with the trans-
mission in position Ror D, the automatic
transmission shifts to Nautomatically.
If you then open the driver's or front-
passenger door, the automatic transmission
shifts to Pautomatically.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral N, e.g. when having the
vehicle cleaned in an automatic car wash with
a towing system:
XSwitch on the ignition.
XDepress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
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XRemove theStart/Sto pbutto nfrom th e
ignition lock.
XInser tth eSmartKey into th eignition lock.
XShift to neutral N.
XReleas eth ebrak epedal .
XReleas eth eelectric parkin gbrake.
XSwitc hoff th eignition and leav eth eSmart -
Key in th eignition lock.
The engin ecan be switched off in an emer-
gency while th evehicl eis in motion by press-
in g and holdin gth eStart/Sto pbutto nfor
three seconds. This function operate sinde-
pendentl yof th eECO start/sto pautomatic
engin eswitch-off function .
Electricparking brak e
Genera lnotes
GWARNIN G
If you leav echildren unsupervised in th evehi-
cle ,they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease th eparkin gbrake.
Rshift th eautomati ctransmission out of th e
parkin gposition P.
Rstart theengine.
In addition ,they may operate vehicl eequip -
men tand become trapped .There is aris kof
an acciden tand injury.
Whe nleavin gth evehicle, always tak eth e
SmartKey wit hyou and loc kth evehicle. Never
leav echildren unsupervised in th evehicle.
The function of th eelectric parkin gbrak eis
dependen ton th eon-boar dvoltage. If th eon -
boar dvoltag eis low or there is amalfunction
in th esystem, it may no tbe possibl eto apply
th erelease dparkin gbrake.
XIf this is th ecase, only park th evehicl eon
level ground and secure it to preven tit roll-
in g away.
XShift th eautomatic transmission to posi-
tion P. It may no
tbe possibl eto release an applie d
parkin gbrak eif th eon-boar dvoltag eis low or
there is amalfunction in th esystem. Contac t
a qualified specialist workshop .
The electric parkin gbrak eperforms afunc-
tion test at regular intervals while th eengin e
is switched off .The sounds that can be hear d
while th is i
s occurrin gare normal.
Applyin gor releasing manually
XTo engage: push handle :.
Whe nth eelectric parkin gbrak eis applied,
th ered F (USAonly) or !(Canada
only) indicato rlamp lights up in th einstru-
men tcluster.
The electric parkin gbrak ecan also be
applie dwhen th eSmartKey is removed.
XTo release: pull handle:.
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada
only) indicato rlamp in th einstrumen tclus -
te rgoe sout .
The electric parkin gbrak ecan only be
released:
Rwhen th eSmartKey is in position 1or 2in
th eignition loc k (
Ypage 151) or
Rif theignition was switched on usin gth e
Start/Sto pbutto n
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Applying automatically
The electric parking brakeis automatically
applie dwhen th etransmission is in position P
and :
Rtheengin eis switched off or
Rth edriver is no twearing aseat belt and th e
driver' sdoor is opened
To preven tth eelectric parking brak efrom
bein gautomatically applied, pull handle :.
The electric parking brak eis also engage d
automatically if:
RDISTRONI CPLU Sbrings th evehicl eto a
standstill or
Rth eHOLD function is keepin gth evehicl e
stationary
RActive Parking Assis tis keepin gth evehicl e
stationary
In addition ,at least on eof th efollowin gcon-
dition smus tbe fulfilled :
Rthere isasystem malfunction .
Rthepower suppl yis insufficient.
Rth evehicl eis stationary for alengthy
period.
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in th einstrumen tcluste r
lights up.
The electric parking brak eis no tautomati-
call yengage dif th eengin eis switched off by
th eECO start/sto pfunction .
Releasing automatically
The electric parking brak eis release dauto -
matically when all of th efollowin gcondition s
are fulfilled :
Rtheengin eis running.
Rth etransmission is in position Dor R.
Rth eseat belt has been fastened.
Ryou depress th eaccelerato rpedal .
If th eautomatic transmission is in position R,
th etrunk lid mus tbe closed. If your seat belt is no
tfastened, th efollowin g
condition smus tbe fulfilled to automatically
release th eelectric parking brake:
Rth edriver' sdoor is closed.
Ryou hav eshifte dout of transmission posi-
tion Por you hav epreviously driven faste r
than 2mph (3 km/h).
En sure that you do no tdepress th eacceler -
ato rpedal unintentionally. Otherwise the
parking brak ewill be release dand th evehicl e
will start to move.
Eme rgency braking
The vehicl ecan also be braked during an
emergenc yby usin gth eelectric parking
brake.
XWhil edriving ,push handle :of th eelectric
parking brak e (
Ypage 172).
The vehicl eis braked as lon gas you keep
handle :of th eelectric parking brak e
pre ssed. The longer electric parking brak e
handle :is depressed, th egreate rth e
braking force .
During braking :
Rawarning tone sounds
Rth ePlease Releas eParkin gBrake
message appear s
Rthered F (USAonly) or !(Canada
only) indicator lamp in th einstrumen tclus -
te rflashes
When th evehicl ehas been braked to a stand-
still, th eelectric parking brak eis engaged.
Park ing the vehicle for a long period
If you leav eth evehicl eparked for longer than
four weeks, th ebattery may be damaged by
exhaustive discharging.
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If you leave the vehicle parked for longer than
six weeks, the vehicle may suffer damage as a
result of lack of use.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop and
seek advice.
iYou can obtain information about trickle
chargers from a qualified specialist work-
shop.
Driving tips
General driving tips
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
GWARNING
If you operate mobile communication equip-
ment while driving, you will be distracted from traffic conditions. You could also lose control
of the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Only operate this equipment when the vehicle
is stationary.
Observe the legal requirements for the coun-
try in which you are driving. Some jurisdic-
tions prohibit the driver from using a mobile
phone while driving a vehicle.
If you make a call while driving, always use
hands-free mode. Only operate the telephone
when the traffic situation permits. If you are
unsure, pull over to a safe location and stop
before operating the telephone.
Bear in mind that at a speed of only 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), the vehicle covers
a distance of 44 ft (approximately 14 m) per
second.
Drive sensibly – save fuel
Observe the following tips to save fuel:
XThe tires should always be inflated to the
recommended tire pressure.
XRemove unnecessary loads.
XRemove roof racks when they are not nee-
ded.
XWarm up the engine at low engine speeds.
XAvoid frequent acceleration or braking.
XHave all maintenance work carried out as
indicated by the service intervals in the
Maintenance Booklet or by the service
interval display.
Fuel consumption also increases when driv-
ing in cold weather, in stop-start traffic and in
hilly terrain.
Drinking and driving
GWARNING
Drinking and driving and/or taking drugs and driving are very dangerous combinations.
Even a small amount of alcohol or drugs can
affect your reflexes, perceptions and judg-
ment.
The possibility of a serious or even fatal acci-
dent is greatly increased when you drink or
take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or tak-
ing drugs.
Emission control
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation.
Certain engine systems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous components in exhaust
fumes within legal limits.
174Driving tips
Driving and parking