2020 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER warning

&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion due toelec‐
tros tatic charge
Electros tatic charge can cause spa rks which
may ignite the highly flammable gas mixture
in the batter y. #
Todischar geany electrostatic charge
th at may ha vebuilt up, touch the me tal
ve hicle body before handling the bat‐
te ry. The highly
flammable gas mixture is created while
th e battery is charging and when jump-s tarting. &
WARNING Danger of chemical burns
from the battery acid
Battery acid is caustic. #
Avoid contact with the skin, eyes or
clo thing. #
Do not lean overth e batter y. #
Do not inhale battery gases. #
Keep children away from the batter y. #
Immedia tely rinse battery acid off thor‐
oughly with plenty of clean water and
seek medical attention immediately. +
ENVIRONMENTAL
NOTEEnvironmental
damage caused byimproper disposal of
batteries Bat
teries contain pollutants. It is
illegal todispose of them with the household
ru bbish. #
Dispose of batteries in an
environmen tally responsible manner.
Ta ke dischar ged batteries toaqu alified
specialist workshop or toa collection
point for used batteries. If
th e12 V battery has tobe connected, con tact a
qu alified specialist workshop.
Obser vethe saf ety no tes and pr otective meas‐
ures when handling batteries. Risk of
explosion Fire, open
flames and smoking are
prohibited when handling the batter y.
Av oid creating spar ks. Electrolyte
or battery acid is cor ro‐
sive. Avoid contact with the skin, eyes
and clo thing. Wear suitable pr otective
clo thing, in particular glove s, an apron
and a saf ety mas k.Immedia tely rinse
electrolyte acid splashes off wi th
clean water.If necessar y,seek medi‐
cal advice. We
areye pr otection. Ke
ep children at a safe dis tance. Obser
vethese Operating Instructions.
If yo u do not use theve hicle for a long period or
drive short dis tances regular ly:
R Connect the battery toach arge rre commen‐
ded for Mercedes-Benz.
R Consult a qualified specialist workshop todis‐
connect the battery St
arting assistance and charging thest ar ter
battery #
Always use the jump-s tart connection in the
engine compartment forst arting assis tance
and when charging the batter y.
* NO
TEDamaging the battery thro ugh
ove rvoltage When
charging using a battery charge r with‐
out a maximum charging voltage, the battery
or theve hicle electronics may be damaged. #
Only use battery charge rs with a maxi‐
mum charging voltage of 14.8 V. Breakdown assis
tance 295

&
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from hydro‐
ge nga s igniting
A battery generates hydrogen gas during the
ch arging process. If there is a short circuit or
spar ksstart toform ,th ere is a danger of the
hy drogen gas igniting. #
Make sure that the positive term inal of
th e connected battery does not come
into contact with vehicle parts. #
Never place me tal objects or tools on a
batter y. #
When connecting and disconnecting the
batter y,yo u must obse rveth e described
order forth e battery clamps. #
When giving starting assistance, alw ays
make sure that you on lyconnect battery
te rm inals with identical polarity. #
During starting assis tance, you must
obse rveth e described order for con‐
necting and disconnecting the jumper
cables. #
Do not connect or disconnect the bat‐
te ry cla mp s while the engine is running. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion during
ch arging process and starting assis tance
During thech arging process and starting
assis tance, the battery may release an explo‐
sive gas mixture. #
Avoid fire , open flames, creating spar ks
and smoking. #
Make sure that there is suf ficient venti‐
lation du ring thech arging process and
during starting assis tance. #
Do not lean over a batter y. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion from a fro‐
zen battery
A dischar ged battery may freeze at temp era‐
tures slightly abo veor below freezing point.
During starting assis tance or battery charg‐
ing, battery gas can be released. #
Always allow a battery tothaw before
ch arging it or per form ing starting assis‐
ta nce. If
th ewa rning/indicator lamps do not light up in
th e instrument display around or below freezing point, it is
very likely that the discharged battery
has frozen.
In this case, obser vethefo llowing points:
R Do not give theve hicle starting assis tance or
ch arge the battery
R The service life of a battery that has been
th awe d may be reduced drastically
R The start-up behavior may de teriorate, partic‐
ularly at low temp eratures
R It is recommended that you ha veath awed
battery checked at a qualified specialist work‐
shop
* NO
TEDama gecaused bynume rous or
ex tended attempts tostart the engine Nume
rous or extended attempts tostart the
engine may damage the catalytic con verter
due tonon-combu sted fuel. #
Avoid numerous and extended attem pts
to start the engine. When jump-s
tarting and charging the batteries,
obser vethefo llowing points:
R Only use undamaged jumper cables/ charging
cables with a suf ficient cross-section and
insula tedte rm inal clamps
R Non-insulated parts of thete rm inal clamps
must not come into con tact wi thother me tal
parts while the jumper cables/charging
cables are connected tothe battery/jump-
st art connection point
R The jumper cables/charging cables must not
come into con tact wi thany parts which may
mo vewhen the engine is running
R Always make sure that nei ther you nor the
battery is electros tatically charged
R Alwayske ep away from fire and open flames
R Do not lean over a battery
R When charging: only use a battery charger
th at has been tested and appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz and read the operating
instructions foryo ur charge r before charging
th e batteries 296
Breakdown assis tance

Obser
vethe additional following points during
st arting assistance:
R Starting assis tance may only be pr ovided
using batteries with a nominal voltage of 12 V
R The vehicles must not touch each other
R Vehicles with a gasoline engine: only per‐
fo rm starting assis tance when the engine and
ex haust sy stem are cold #
Vehicles with a battery main switch: check
whe ther the battery main switch is inser ted
( / page 120) #
Secure theve hicle using the parking brake. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission toposition 005D. #
Switch off the ignition and all electrical con‐
sumers. #
Open the hood (/ page278). Example: jump-s
tart connection
% Right-hand drive
vehicle: the jump-s tart
connection may be on the opposite side. #
Remo vethe co ver from the positive term inal
on the donor batter y. #
First, connect the positive term inal clamp of
th e jumper cables/charging cables tothe
positive term inal of theot her vehicle's bat‐
te ry. #
With positive term inal clamp 2ofthe
jumper cable/charging cable, slide thered
pr otective cap on jump-s tarting connection
1 back with a clockwise turn. #
Connect theot her positive term inal clamp to
th e positive term inal of jump-s tart connection
1. #
During starting assistance: start the engine
of the donor vehicle and let it run at idle
speed. #
First, connect the negative term inal clamp of
th e jumper cable/charging cable tothe nega‐
tive pole of the donor batter y. #
Connect theot her negative term inal clamp of
th e jumper cable/charging cable toaground
po int on your ow nve hicle (a bare me tal part
in the engine compartment). #
During starting assistance: start the engine
on your ow nve hicle. #
When charging: start thech arging process. #
During starting assistance: letthe engine
ru nfo r a few minutes. #
During starting assistance: before discon‐
necting the jumper cable, switch on an elec‐
trical consumer on your ow nve hicle, e.g. the
re ar wind owheater or lighting.
When thest arting assis tance/charging process is
comple te: #
Remo vethe jumper cables/charging cables
in reve rse order: firs tth e negative clamp from
th e ground point in the engine compartment,
th en the negative clamp from the donor bat‐
te ry. Then the positive clamp from the posi‐
tive term inal of jump-s tart connection 1,
th en the positive clamp of the donor batter y.
The red pr otective cap springs back toits ini‐
tial position when positive term inal clamp 2
is disconnected from jump-s tarting connec‐
tion 1.
Yo u can obtain fur ther information at a qualified
specialist workshop. Installing/removing
thefloor co vering (vehi‐
cles with rear wheel drive) &
WARNING Risk of accident due to
objects in the driver's foot we ll
Objects in the driver's foot we ll may impede
pedal tr avel or block a depressed pedal.
This jeopardizes the operating and road
saf ety of theve hicle. #
Stow all objects in theve hicle securely
so that they cannot getinto the driver's
fo ot we ll. Breakdown assis
tance 297

Pe
rm issible towing me thods Bo
th axles on the
gr ound Fr
ont axle raised Re
ar axle raised
Ve hicles with auto‐
matic transmission and
re ar-wheel drive Ye
s, no fur ther than
31 miles (50 km) at
31 mp h (50 km/h) Ye
s, no fur ther than
31 miles (50 km) at
31 mp h (50 km/h) Ye
s, if thesteering
wheel is fixe d in the
center position wi th a
st eering wheel lock
Ve hicles with all-wheel
drive Ye
s, no fur ther than
31 miles (50 km) at
31 mp h (50 km/h) No
NoTo
tow with a raised axle: towing should be per‐
fo rm ed byato wing compan y. To
wing away theve hicle with bo thaxles on
th egr ound #
Obser vethe no tes on permissible towing
me thods (/ page 300). #
Make sure that the battery is connected and
ch arge d.
When the battery is dischar ged, thefo llowing sit‐
uations occur:
R The engine cannot be star ted.
R It is not possible torelease or apply the elec‐
tric parking brake.
R Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
automatic transmission cannot be shif tedto
position 005Cor005D.
* NO
TEDama gedue to to wing away at
exc essively high speeds or over long dis‐
ta nces The driv
etra in could be damaged when towing
at exc essively high speeds or over long dis‐
ta nces. #
Atowing speed of 30 mph (50 km/h)
must not be exceeded. #
Atowing distance of 30 miles (50 km)
must not be exceeded. %
Ve
hicles with automatic transmission
and rear wheel drive: ifth ere is a malfunc‐
tion, the automatic transmission may be
loc ked in position 005D. If
th e automatic transmission cann otbe shif‐
te dto position 005C, transport theve hicle
(/ page 303). A towing vehicle with lifting
equipment is requ ired forve hicle transport. &
WARNING Risk of accident when towing
a ve hicle which is too heavy
If th eve hicle being tow- star ted or towed
aw ay is heavier than the permissible gross
mass of your vehicle, thefo llowing situations
can occur:
R The towing eye may become de tach ed.
R The vehicle/trailer combination may
swer veoreve nove rturn. #
If ano ther vehicle is tow- star ted or
to we daw ay, its weight must not exceed
th e permissible gross mass of your own
ve hicle. If a
vehicle needs tobe towe d or tow star ted, its
we ight should not be greaterth at the permissible
gross mass of theto wing vehicle. #
Information on theve hicle's permissible gross
mass can be found on theve hicle identifica‐
tion plate (/ page 338). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission: do
not open the driver's or co-driver door, as the
automatic transmission will automatically
shift toposition 005D. #
Installth eto wing eye (/ page 304). #
Secure theto wing device. Breakdown assis
tance 301

*
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion of theto w bar #
Only connect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes. %
Yo
u can also secure theto wing device tothe
trailer hitch.
* NO
TEDama geand risk of accident when
to wing with a tow rope There is a
risk of an accident if you do not
obse rve saf ety and pr otective measures when
to wing using a tow rope.
Obser vethefo llowing points when towing
with a tow rope: #
Secure theto w rope on the same side
on bo thvehicles, if possible. #
Make sure theto w rope does not
exc eed the legally prescribed length. #
Mark theto w rope in the middle, e.g.
with a white clo th(30 x 30 cm). This
makes other road users aware that a
ve hicle is being towe d. #
Obser vethe brake lamps of theto wing
ve hicle while driving. Alw ays maintain a
dis tance that ensures theto w rope does
not sag. #
Do not use steel cables or chains to tow
yo ur vehicle. Otherwise, you could dam‐
age theve hicle. #
Deactivate automatic locking (/ page 50).#
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate theto w- aw ay alarm (/ page 62). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assi st (/ page 150). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission toposition
005C. #
Release the parking brake. &
WARNING Risk of accident due tolimi‐
te d saf ety-re lated functions during the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon‐
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
R the ignition is switched off.
R the brake sy stem or po werst eering sys‐
te m is malfunctioning.
R the energy supply or the on-board electri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe daw ay, signifi‐
cantly more ef fort may be requ ired tosteer
and brake than is normally required. #
Use a tow bar. #
Make sure that thesteering wheel can
mo vefreely, before towing theve hicle
aw ay. *
NO
TEDama gedue toexc essive tractive
po wer If
yo u pull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged. #
Pull away slowly and smoo thly. To
wing a vehicle with the front or rear axle
ra ised *
NO
TEDama gewhen the ignition is
switched on If
yo u lea vethe ignition switched on when
to wing theve hicle with the front or rear axle
ra ised, ESP ®
actuation can damage the brake
sy stem. #
The ignition must be switched off. *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect remo val
or ins tallation of the propeller shafts When ins
talling the propeller shafts, they can
be damaged if you do not use new sc rews.
Alw ays use new scr ews when ins talling the
propeller shafts.
Only ha vethe propeller shafts ins talled or
re mo vedby qualified, skilled personnel. 302
Breakd own assi stance

Installing/removing
theto wing eye Ins
talling and removing the front towing eye #
Toinstall the front towing eye: press the
to p of the co ver and remo vethe co ver. #
Screw intowing eye1clockwise tothestop
and tighten. #
Toremo vethe front towing eye: unsc rew
to wing eye1 counter-clockwise. #
Insert the co ver with theta bs at theto p and
push in at the bottom until the co ver engages. Re
ar towing eye (vehicles with passenger vehicle
appr oval)
% Re
ar towing eye2 is permanently attached
to theve hicle.
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle due to
incor rect use of theto wing eye When a
towing eye is used toreco ver a vehi‐
cle, theve hicle may be damaged in the proc‐
ess. #
Only use theto wing eyeto to waw ay or
to w start theve hicle. To
w starting vehicle (eme rgency engine start) Ve
hicles with automatic transmission
* NO
TEDama getothe automatic trans‐
mission due to towstarting The automatic transmission may be damaged
in
the process of tow starting vehicles with
automatic transmission. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow star ted. #
Do not tow start vehicles with automatic
transmission. Electrical fuses
Note
s on electrical fuses &
WARNING Risk of accident and injury
due toove rloaded lines
If yo u manipulate or bridge a faulty fuse or if
yo ure place it with a fuse with a higher
amperage, the electric line could be overloa‐
ded.
This could result in a fire. #
Alwaysre place faulty fuses with speci‐
fi ed new fuses containing the cor rect
amperage. *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect fuses Electrical components or sy
stems could be
damaged byincor rect fuses. #
Only use fuses whi chhave been
appr ovedby Mercedes-Benz and which
ha ve the cor rect fuse rating. The electrical fuses in
your vehicle switch off
defective circuits. If a fuse blo ws, all the compo‐
nents on the circuit and their functions will cease
to operate.
Blown fuses must be replaced with fuses of an
equivalent specification, which you can de ter‐
mine bythe color and fuse rating. The fuse allo‐
cation chart and fur ther information on the elec‐
tric fuses and relays can be found in the "Fuse
allocation chart" supplement. 304
Breakd own assi stance

Information on noise or unusual driving
ch aracteristics
While driving, pay attention tovibrations, noises
and unusual driving characteristics, e.g. pulling to
one side. This may indicate damage tothe wheels
or tires. If you suspect that a tire is defective,
re duce your speed. Stop theve hicle as soon as
possible tocheck if wheels and tires ha vebeen
damaged or are no longer functioning properly.
Hidden tire damage could also be causing the
unusual driving characteristics. If no signs of
damage can be de tected, ha vethe tires and
wheels checked at a qualified specialist work‐
shop. Note
s onregular lyinspecting wheels and
tires &
WARNING Risk of accident from dam‐
aged tires
Dama ged tires can cause tire pressure loss.
As a result, you could lose control of your
ve hicle. #
Check the tires regularly for signs of
dama geand replace any damaged tires
immediatel y. Check
the wheels and tires of your vehicle for
damage regular ly, i.e. at least every two weeks,
as well as af ter driving off-road or on rough
ro ads. Damaged wheels can lead toa loss of tire
pressure.
Look out forth efo llowing types of damage, for
ex ample:
R Cuts in the tires
R Punctures in the tires
R Tears in the tires
R Bulges on tires
R Deformation or se vere cor rosion on wheels &
WARNING Risk ofhydroplaning because
tire tread is too low
Insuf ficient tire tread will result in reduced
tire traction. The tire tread will no longer be
able todissipate water.
This increases therisk of hydroplaning on wet
ro ad sur faces, pa rticularly when tra veling at
an inappropriate speed. If
th e tire pressure is too high or too lo w,tires
may exhibit dif fere nt le vels of wear at dif fer‐
ent locations on the tire tread. #
Regular lych eck the tire tread dep thand
th e condition of the tire tread across
th e entire width of all tires.
Minimum tread dep thfor use:
R In summer: 00CEin (3 mm)
R In winter: 00CFin (4 mm) #
For saf etyre asons, ha vethe tires
re placed before the legally prescribed
limit forth e minimum tire tread dep this
re ached. Conduct
thefo llowing checks regular lyon all
wheels, at least once a month or as requ ired, e.g.
before a long journey or when driving off- road:
R Check the tire pressure (/ page310)
R Che cktheva lve caps
Va lves must be pr otected from moisture and
dirt with valve caps specifically appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz foryo ur vehicle.
R Visually inspect the tread dep thand the tire
tread across the whole tire width
Fo r use in summer, the minimum tread dep th
is 00CE in (3 mm) and for use in winter 00CFin
(4 mm). Markings
1show in which places the bar indica‐
to rs (ar row ) are integ rated into the tire tread.
They are visible as soon as the tread dep this
appr oximately 00CDin (1.6 mm). Information on driving with summer tires
At temp eratures below 50 °F (10 °C) Summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking po wer.Chan gethe tires on your vehicle
to M+S tires. Using summer tires at very cold
te mp eratures could cause tears toform ,th ereby
damaging the tires permanentl y.Mercedes-Benz 308
Wheels and tires

cannot acce
ptresponsibility forth is type of dam‐
age.
Alw ays obser vethe maximum permissible speed
specified forth e summer tires you ha veinstalled
(/ page 321).
Once you ha veinstalled the summer tires:
R Check the tire pressure (/ page310)
R Restart the tire pressure monitor
(/ page 316) Infor
mation on M+S tires
At temp eratures below 50 °F (10 °C) use winter
tires or all-season tires – bo thare mar ked with
M+S.
Only winter tires bearing the004D snowflake
symbol in addition tothe M+S marking pr ovide
th e best possible grip in wintry road conditions.
On lythese tires will allow driving saf ety sy stems
such as ABS and ESP ®
to also function optimally
in winter. These tires ha vebeen de veloped specif‐
ically for driving in sno w.
Use M+S tires of the same make and tread on all
wheels tomaintain safe handling characteristics.
Alw ays obser vethe maximum permissible speed
specified forth e M+S tires you ha veinstalled
(/ page 321).
If yo u ins tall M+S tires that ha vea lo wer maxi‐
mum permissible speed than the maximum
design speed of theve hicle, af fix an appropria te
wa rning sign in the driver's field of vision. Yo u
can obtain this at a qualified specialist workshop.
Once you ha veinstalled the winter tires, take the
fo llowing measures:
R Check the tire pressure (/ page310)
R Restart the tire pressure monitor
(/ page 316) Note
s on snow chains &
WARNING Risk of accident due toincor‐
re ct ins tallation of snow chains
Ve hicles with rear-wheel drive: ifyo u ha ve
ins talled snow chains tothe front wheels,
th ey may drag against theve hicle body or
ch assis components.
This could cause damage totheve hicle or the
tires. #
Never ins tall snow chains on the front
wheels. #
Only ins tall snow chains on there ar
wheels in pairs. #
Vehicles with twin tires: installthe
snow chains tothe outer wheels. &
WARNING Risk of accident due to
unsuitable sn ow chains
Ve hicles with all-wheel drive do not ha vesuf‐
fi cient clea rance on the front axle for com‐
mercial lyavailable sn ow chains.
When you ins tall commercially available sn ow
ch ains, the snow chains may come loose and
damage chassis components or brake hoses. #
Only ins tall snow chains appr ovedby
Mercedes-Benz forth ese tires. Fo
r saf etyre asons, Mercedes-Benz recommends
th at you only use sn owchains that ha vebeen
ch ecked and appr oved.You can obtain informa‐
tion about sn ow chains from any qualified spe‐
cialist workshop.
* NO
TEDama getothe wheel trim from
mounted snow chains If sn
ow ch ains are moun tedto steel wheels,
th e wheel trims can be damaged. #
Remo vethe wheel trims of steel wheels
before mounting snow chains. Obse
rveth efo llowing no tes when using snow
ch ains:
R Snow ch ains are only permissible for cer tain
wheel/tire combinations. You can obtain
information on them at a qualified specialist
wo rkshop.
R For saf etyre asons, only use sn owchains that
ha ve been specifically appr ovedfo ryo ur vehi‐
cle byMercedes-Benz, or snow chains with
th e same quality standard.
R The sn owchains must be retightened af ter
driving appr oximately 0.6 miles (1 km). This is
th e only wayto ensure the snow chains are
optimally seated with clearance toadjacent
components.
R Vehicles with all-wheel drive: install snow
ch ains tothe wheels on there ar axle. On
ve hicles with twin tires, ins tallth e snow
ch ains tothe outer wheels. Obser vethe man‐
ufacturer's ins tallation instructions. Wheels and tires
309