2017 MERCEDES-BENZ GLE SUV Low ratio

driving characteristics and the trailer can
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
You should only ever install a ball coupling
that has the permissible dimensions and thatis designed to meet your trailer-towing
requirements. Do not modify the ball coupling
or the trailer tow hitch.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the vehicle identification plates and
those for the towing vehicle under "Technical
data" (
Ypage 384).
GWARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed correctly or not secured with the bolt provided and the
corresponding spring cotter, the trailer may
come loose. There is a risk of an accident.
Always install and secure the ball coupling as
described. Before every journey, ensure that
the ball coupling is secured with the bolt and
the corresponding spring cotter.
GWARNING
When the vehicle/trailer combination begins
to lurch, you could lose control of it. The vehi- cle/trailer combination could even rollover.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten up the vehicle/trailer combination
by increasing the speed. Reduce vehicle
speed and do not countersteer. Apply the
brake as necessary.
Please observe the manufacturer's operating
instructions for the trailer coupling if a detach-
able trailer coupling is used.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If you
do not couple the trailer to the towing vehicle
correctly, the trailer could become detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
Rthe permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
Rthe permissible trailer load
Rthe permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
Rthe maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer The applicable permissible values, which must
not be exceeded, can be found:
Rin the vehicle documents
Ron the identification plates for the trailer tow
hitch and the trailer
Ron the vehicle identification plate
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different in comparison
with when driving without a trailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
Ris heavier
Ris restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
Rhas an increased braking distance
Ris affected more by strong crosswinds
Rdemands more sensitive steering
Rhas a larger turning circle
This could impair the handling characteristics.
When towing a trailer, always adjust your speed
to the current road and weather conditions. Do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed for
your vehicle/trailer combination.
Notes on towing a trailer
General notes
!If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
changes to the cooling system and drive train
may be necessary, depending on the vehicle
type.
If you have a trailer tow hitch retrofitted,
observe the anchorage points on the chassis
frame.
The GLE 550 e 4MATIC cannot be used to tow a
trailer.
RDo not exceed the legally prescribed maxi-
mum speed for vehicle/trailer combinations
in the relevant country.
This lowers the risk of an accident.
ROnly install an approved trailer coupling on
your vehicle.
Further information on availability and on
installation is available from any authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
RThe bumpers of your vehicle are not suitable
for installing detachable trailer couplings.
216Towing a trailer
Driving and parking

Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you operate information systems and com-
munication equipmen tintegrate din th evehi-
cle while driving ,you will be distracte dfrom
traffic conditions. You could also lose control
of th evehicle. Ther eis aris kof an accident.
Only operate th eequipmen twhen th etraffic
situation permits. If you are no tsur ethat this
is possible ,park th evehicl epayin gattention
to traffic condition sand operate th eequip-
men twhen th evehicl eis stationary.
You must observ eth elegal requirements for th e
country in whic hyou are currentl ydriving when
operating th eon-board computer.
GWARNIN G
If th einstrumen tcluste rhas faile dor mal-
functioned, you may no trecognize function
restriction sin systems relevan tto safety. The
operating safet yof your vehicl emay be
impaired .Ther eis aris kof an accident.
Pull ove ras soo nas it is saf eto do so and
consult aqualified specialist workshop.
The on-board computer only shows message sor
warning sfrom certain systems in th emultifunc-
tion display. You should therefor emak esur e
your vehicl eis operating safely at all times .
Fo ran overview, see th einstrumen tpanel illus-
tration (
Ypage 34).
PLUG ‑IN HYBRID vehicles: pleasebe sur eto
read th eseparat eoperating instructions. Oth-
erwise, you may no trecognize dangers.
Displays and operation
Instrument cluster lighting
The lighting in th einstrumen tcluster, in th edis-
plays and th econtrol sin th evehicl einterior can
be adjusted usin gth ebrightness control knob.
The brightness control knob is locate don th e
botto mleftof th einstrumen tcluste r
(
Ypage 34).
XTurn th ebrightness control knob clockwise or
counter-clockwise.
If you tur nth eligh tswitch to Ã,Tor
L, thebrightness is dependen tupon th e
brightness of th eambien tlight.
iThe ligh tsensor in th einstrumen tcluste r
automatically control sth ebrightness of th e
multifunction display.
In daylight, th edisplays in th einstrumen t
cluste rare no tilluminated.
Speedometer with segments
The segments in th espeedometer indicat e
whic hspee drange is available.
RCruis econtrol activated (Ypage 166):
The segments ligh tup from th estore dspee d
to th emaximum speed.
RDistanc ePilot DISTRONI Cis activated
(Ypage 168):
On eor two segments in th eset spee drange
ligh tup.
RDistanc ePilot DISTRONI Cdetects avehicl ein
fron tmoving mor eslowly than th estore d
speed:
The segments between th espee dof th evehi-
cle in fron tand th estore dspee dligh tup.
Tachometer
!
Do no tdriv ein th eoverrevving range, as this
could damag eth eengine.
The red ban din th etachometer indicates th e
engine's overrevving range.
The fuel suppl yis interrupted to protect th e
engin ewhen th ered ban dis reached.
Outside temperature display
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tion swhen temperatures are aroun dfreezing
point.
Bea rin min dthat th eoutside temperature dis-
play indicates th etemperature measured and
does no trecord th eroad temperature.
The outside temperature display is in th emulti-
function display (
Ypage 225).
Displays and operation223
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
T!
÷
Inoperative SeeOperator'sManual
EB D(electronic brak eforce distribution), AB Sand ES P®are malfunc -
tioning .
Other drivin gsystems and drivin gsafet ysystems may also malfunc -
tion .
In addition ,th e÷, åand! warning lamp sligh tup in th e
instrumen tcluste rand awarning tone sounds.
GWARNIN G
The brak esystem continues to function normally, but without th e
function slisted above. The wheels could therefor eloc kif you brak e
hard, for example.
The steerabilit yand braking characteristics may be severely affected.
The braking distanc ein an emergenc ybraking situation can increase.
If ES P
®is no toperational, ES P®is unable to stabiliz eth evehicle.
There is an increased ris kof skiddin gand an accident.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
F(USA
only)
!( Canada
only)
Tur nOn the Igni‐
tio ntoReleas etheParkingBrake
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada only) indicator lamp lights
up.
You attempte dto release th eelectric parking brak ewhile th eignition
was switched off .
XSmartKey:tur nth eSmartKey to position 1in th eignition lock.
XKEYLESS-GO: switch on theignition .
F(USA
only)
!( Canada
only)
Please
Releas ePark‐ing Brake
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada only) indicator lamp flashes
and awarning tone sounds. Acondition for automatic release of th e
electric parking brak eis no tfulfilled (
Ypage 154).
You are drivin gwit hth eelectric parking brak eapplied.
XReleas eth eelectric parking brak emanually.
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada only) indicator lamp flashes
and awarning tone sounds.
You are usin gth eelectric parking brak efor emergenc ybraking
(
Ypage 154).
F(USA
only)
!( Canada
only)
Parkin gBrake See
Operator' sManual
The yellow !warning lamp lights up.
The electric parking brak eis malfunctioning .
To apply :
XSwitchth eignition off .
XPress theelectric parking brak ehandle for at least te nseconds.
XShift th etransmission to position P.
XConsultaqualified specialist workshop .
Display messages241
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
b
Switch On Headlamps
You are drivingwit hlow-beam headlamp sswitched off .
XTurn theligh tswitch to th eL orà position .
Adaptive HighbeamAssist CurrentlyUnavailable SeeOperator' sManual
Adaptive Highbea mAssis tis deactivated and temporarily inoperative.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rth ewindshield in th ecamera' sfield of vision is dirty
Rvisibilit yis impaire ddue to heav yrain ,snow or fog
XClean th ewindshield.
If th esystem detects that th ecamera is full yoperational again ,th e
Adaptive
HighbeamAssistNowAvailablemessage is displayed.
Adaptive Highbea mAssis tis operational again .
Adaptive HighbeamAssist InoperativeAdaptive HighbeamAssis tis faulty.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
Engine
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
+
CheckCoolantLevelSee Operator' sMan ‐ual
The coolan tlevel is to olow.
!Avoid making lon gjourneys wit hto olittl ecoolan tin th eengin e
coolin gsystem. The engin ewill otherwise be damaged.
XAd dcoolant, observing th ewarning note sbefore doin gso
(Ypage 317).
If you have to ad dcoolant frequently:
XContac t aqualified specialist workshop and hav eth eengin ecoolin g
system checked.
?The fan motor is malfunctioning .
XAt coolanttemperatures belo w24 8‡( 120 †), drive to the nearest
qualified specialist workshop.
XAvoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in moun-
tainous terrain and stop-and-go traffic.
Display messages251
On-board computer and displays
Z

Drivingsystems
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences an dMSolutions
À
Attention Assist :Take a Break!
Based on certain criteria, ATTENTION ASSIST has detecte dfatigue or
a lac kof concentration on th epar tof th edriver . Awarnin gtone also
sounds.
XIf necessary, take abreak .
Durin glon gjourneys, take regular break sin goo dtime so you get
enough rest.
À
Attention AssistInoperative
ATTENTION ASSIST is inoperative .
XVisitaqualified specialis tworkshop .
Á
Drive Mor eSlowly
You canno tchang eth evehicle level.
Possible causes are :
Ryou are drivingto ofas tfo rth eselecte dvehicle level
Ryou are drivin gto ofas twit h a trailer or th etrailer-couplin gsocke tis
bein gused ,e.g. fo r abicycl erac k
XDrive more slowly and then selec tth edesire dvehicle level again .
RVehicles withth eOff-Road Engineerin gpackage (Ypage 176)
RVehicles wit hth eAIRMATIC package (Ypage 182)
XObserveth enote son towin g atrailer (Ypage 216).
Á
Compresso rIs Cool‐ing
You hav eselecte d ahigher vehicle level. The compressor first needs
to cool down because of frequent level changes.
XDrive in amanne rappropriat efo rth ecurren tvehicle level.
XMak esur ethat there is sufficien tgroun dclearance.
XAllow th ecompressor to cool down .
Whe nth ecompressor has cooled down ,th edisplay messag edis -
appears .The vehicle then continues risin gto th eselecte dlevel.
Á
Malfunction
AIRMATIC is malfunctioning.
XDrive as appropriat efo rth ecurren tvehicle level, but do no texceed
50 mph (80 km/h).
XMak esur ethat there is sufficien tgroun dclearance.
XVisit aqualified specialis tworkshop .
Display messages255
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Á
Max.speed 12 mph
You are exceedin gth espeed permissibl efor th eselected off-road
level.
In addition ,th evehicl elevel display appear sabov eth edisplay mes -
sage ,and awarning tone sounds.
GWARNIN G
The vehicl ecould ti pand rollover.
There is aris kof an accident.
XAdjus tyour drivin gstyle to th ealtere dhandlin gcharacteristics .
XOnly makeslight steering movement sand avoid fas tsteering move-
ments .
XDo notexceed 12 mph (20 km/h) until th evehicl ehas reached off -
roa dlevel 2.
Á
Raisin gMax.speed12 mph
The vehicl eis bein gadjusted to off-road level 3.
In addition ,th evehicl elevel display appear sabov eth edisplay mes -
sage .
The display message refers to th emaximum speed permissibl e
(dependin gon th emodel type) for off-road level 3.
XDo no tdrive at speeds abov e12 mph (20 km/h).
g
LoweringMax .speed12 mph
The vehicl eis bein glowered from off-road level 3to off-road level 2.
In addition ,th evehicl elevel display appear sabov eth edisplay mes -
sage .
The display message refers to th emaximum speed permissibl e
(dependin gon th emodel type) for off-road level 3.
XDo no texceed 12 mph (20 km/h)until the vehicle has reached off-
road level 2.
ACTIVECURVESYSTEMMalfunctionThe ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM ismalfunctioning. The vehicle's handlin g
characteristics may beaffected.
XDo not drive at speeds above 50 mph (80 km/h).
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop.
ACTIVECURVESYSTEMMalfunction SeeOperator's Manual
The ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM ismalfunctioning. The vehicle's handlin g
characteristics are severely impaired. A warning tone also sounds.
GWAR NING
There isa risk of an acc ident.
XDrive on carefully.
XAdjust your driving style to the altered handling characteristics.
XAvoid sudden acceleration around tight corners and fast steering
movements.
XDo not drive at speeds above 50 mph (80 km/h).
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
256Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Blind SpotAssistCurrently Unavaila‐ble See Operator' sManualorActiveBlind Spo tAssistCurrently Unavaila‐ble See Operator' sManual
Blind Spot Assistor Active Blind Spot Assis tis temporarily inoperative.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rth eradar sensor system is outside th eoperating temperature range
Rth eradar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to elec -
tromagneti cradiation emitted by nearby TV or radi ostation sor
other source sof electromagneti cradiation
The yellow 9indicator lamp salso ligh tup in th eexterio rmirrors.
Whe nth ecauses state dabov eno longer apply, th edisplay message
disappears.
Blind Spot Assis tor Active Blind Spot Assis tis operational again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 153).
XRestart th eengine.
Blind Spo tAssistNot Available Whe nTowingaTraile rSee Operator' sMan ‐ualorAct. BlindSpo tAsst. NotAvailable Whe nTow ‐ing aTraile rSeeOperator' sManual
Blind Spot Assis tor Active Blind Spot Assis tis deactivated while tow-
ing atrailer .
You hav eestablished th eelectrical connection between th etrailer and
your vehicle.
XPress aon thesteering whee lto confirm th edisplay message .
Blind SpotAssistinoperativeorActiveBlind Spo tAssistinoperative
Blind Spot Assis tor Active Blind Spot Assis tis malfunctioning .
The yellow 9indicator lamp salso ligh tup in th eexterio rmirrors.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
ParkingPilot Can ‐celedThe driver's door is open .
XRepeat theparking gap measuremen tand parking process wit hth e
driver's door closed .
You haveinadvertentl ytouched th emultifunction steering whee lwhile
steering intervention was active .
XWhilesteering intervention is active ,mak esur ethat th emultifunc-
tion steering whee lis no ttouched unintentionally.
The vehicl ehas started to skid and ES P®has intervened.
XUse Parking Pilotagain later (Ypage 187).
ParkingPilot Inop‐erativ ePARKTRONI CParking Assis tis malfunctioning or faulty.
XFollow th einstruction sand helpful hints in th e"Problem swit h
PARKTRONI CParking Assist" section (Ypage 187).
If th emultifunction display still shows th edisplay message :
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
Display messages259
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Parking Pilotis unavailable or malfunctioning .
XSwitchoff th eignition and restar tth eengine.
If th eParking Pilo tcontinues to be unavailable (the jsymbol does
no tappear in th emultifunction display):
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
ParkingPilot Fin ‐ishedThe vehicleis parked. Awarning tone also sounds.
The display message disappear sautomatically.
Distance Pilot offDistanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cis deactivated.
If awarning tone also sounds, Distanc ePilo thas deactivated auto -
matically (
Ypage 168).
Distance Pilotavailable againDistancePilo tDISTRONI Cis operational again after having been tem-
porarily unavailable .You can no wreactivat eDistanc ePilo t
DISTRONI C (
Ypage 168).
Distance Pilot Cur ‐rently UnavailableSee Operator'sMan ‐ual
Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cis temporarily inoperative.
Steering Pilo tis also temporarily inoperative.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rth eradar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to elec -
tromagneti cradiation emitted by nearby TV or radi ostation sor
other source sof electromagneti cradiation
Rth esystem is outside th eoperating temperature range
Rth eon-boar dvoltag eis to olow
A warning tone also sounds.
Whe nth ecauses state dabov eno longer apply, th edisplay message
disappears.
Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cis operational again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 153).
XRestart th eengine.
DistancePilotinop‐erativ eDistanc ePilo tDISTRONI Cis malfunctioning .
The followin gmay hav ealso failed:
RActive Brake Assis t
RActive Brake Assistwit hcross-traffic function
A warning tone also sounds.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
Distance Pilot Sus‐pendedYou havedepressed th eaccelerato rpedal .Distanc ePilo tDISTRONI C
is no longer controllin gth espeed of th evehicle.
XRemove your foo tfrom th eaccelerato rpedal .
260Display messages
On-board computer and displays