2020 MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER steering

No
tethef ollowing rega rding thet ongue weight:
R Mak efull use of them aximum tongu eweight,
wher epossible.
R Neverfall belo walegall yprescribed minimum
to ngu eweight ;the tongu eweight must
alw aysbep ositive.
R Do no texceed or fall belo wthe permissible
to ngu eweights –this mus tbeobservedd ur‐
ing loading and unloading of thet railer.
Do no texceed thef ollowing values:
R Perm itted braked or unbraked towing capa‐
city
The maximum permissible towing capacity for
unbraked trailer sis1,653 lbs (750 kg).
R Perm issible rear axle load of thet ow ing vehi‐
cle
R Perm issible gross mass of thet ow ing vehicle
R Perm issible gross mass of thet railer
R Perm issible gross combination mass
R Maximum permissible speed of thet railer
The releva nt pe rmitted values, whic hmustn otbe
ex ceeded, can be found in thef ollowing places:
R Inyour vehicle documents
R Onthei dentification plat eofthe trailer hitch
R Onthet railer's identification plate
R Onthev ehicle identification plate
If th er ea rediscrepancies between thev alues, the
lo west one shall apply.
Befor edriving off, ensur ethe following:
R The tir epressur eont herear axle of thet ow‐
ing vehicle has been se tfor them aximum
load.
R The headlamps ha vebeen se tcorrectly.
Va lues appr ovedbyt he manufacturer can be
fo und on thei dentification plates and in thes ec‐
tion fort he towing vehicle (/ page218).
Yo ur vehicle will beha vediffere ntl yw ithat railer
re lativ etow ithout atrailer:
R The vehicle/trailer combination will be heav‐
ier.
R The vehicle/trailer combination will be
re stricted in its acceleration and climbing
ability.
R The vehicle/trailer combination will ha vean
inc reased brakin gdista nce. R
The vehicle/trailer combination will be more
susceptible tocrosswind gu sts.
R The vehicle/trailer combination will requ ire
mor esensitiv esteering.
R The vehicle/trailer combination will ha ve a
lar gerturning circle.
This ma yimp airt he vehicle's driving characteris‐
tics.
When drivin gwithav ehicle/trailer combination,
alw aysa dap tyour speed tothec urrent road and
we ather conditions. Driv ecarefull y.Ke ep asuffi‐
cient saf edista nce.
Co mply withthe maximum speed of 49 mph
(80 km/h) or 62 mph(100k m/h), even in coun‐
tries in whic hhigher speeds ar epermitted for
ve hicle/trailer combinations.
Compl ywitht he legally prescribed maximum
speed forv ehicle/trailer combination sinforce in
th ec ount ry,s tat eorC anadian pr ovinc einq ues‐
tion. Befor esetting off, consult thet railer's vehi‐
cle documents tosee them aximum permissible
speed fory our trailer.
At tach onl yana pprove dtrailer hitc htoyourvehi‐
cle. Use only aball nec kthat has been appr oved
fo ry our vehicle. Further information about availa‐
bilit yand ins tallation of thet railer electrics is
av ailable from an yqualified specialis tworks hop.
The trailer hitc hisone of them ostimp ortant
ve hicle parts forr oad saf ety. Compl ywitht he
instructions on operating, maintaining and servic‐
ing in them anufacturer's operating instructions.
% Yo
ur vehicle's bumper sarenots uitable for
ins talling de tach able trailer towh itch es.
Do no tattac hanyrented traile rtow hitches or
an yo ther de tach able trailer towh itch es tothe
bumpers.
% When using
atrailer ,remember that
PA RKTRONI Cisavailable onl ytoalimited
ex tent, if at all.
% The height of
theb all head will change
depending on thev ehicle's load. In this case,
use atrailer wit haheight-adjus table dr aw‐
bar.
Driving no tes
The maximum permissible speed forv ehicle/
trailer combination sdepends on thet ype of
trailer .Befor esetting off, consult thet railer's
ve hicle documents tosee them aximum permissi‐
ble speed fory our trailer. 16 4
Driving and pa rking

become trapped between
thev ehicle and the
traile rdrawbar. #
Do no tuncouple trailer swithan
engaged overrun brake. Do no
tuncouple atrailer wit hanoverrun brak ein
as tate ofove rrun. Otherwise, ther ebound of the
ove rrunb rake can damag eyour vehicle. #
Shif tthe selector le vertop osition 005D. #
Appl ythe vehicle's parking brake. #
Close all thed oors. #
Appl ythe trailer's parking brake. #
Secur ethe trailer agains trolling away wit ha
wheel choc kors imilar object. #
Remo vethet railer cables and saf etyc hains. #
Uncouple thet railer. Information about
towing atrailer Operatin
gatrailer is subject toman ystatutory
re gulations suc hasspeedrestrictions.
Man ystatesa lso requ ireana uxiliaryseparate
functional brakin gsystem when towing aweight
th at exc eeds acertain limit .For your saf ety, it is
re commended touse aseparat efunctional brak‐
ing sy stem on an ytowe dvehicle.
Mak esuret hat your trailer combinatio nmeets
local regulations. This no tonlya pplies to your
plac eofr esidence, but also to your destination.
In fo rm atio nont his can be obtained from the
police and local authorities.
Compl ywitht he following when driving wit ha
trailer:
R Practice cornering, stopping and backing up
in at raffic-free location. In this wa y,yo uw ill
ga in driving experience and become accus‐
to med tothen ew handling characteristics.
R Befor edriving, checkt he following:
- that thet railer towh itch and ball coupling
ar es ecure
- that thes afet ys wit ch forb rake dt railer sis
functioning cor rectly
- that thes afet yc hains ar esecur eand
undamaged
- that thee lectrical connection saresecure
- that thel ights ar efunctioning cor rectly
- thew heels ford ama geand cor rect tire
pressur e(/ page 215) R
Adjus tthe outside mir rors so that youh avea
clea rviewoft herear sectio nofthe trailer.
R Ifth et railer is equipped wit hanindividual
braking sy stem, checkb efor eeachj ourney
whe ther theb rake sa refunctioning cor rectl y.
R Ifth et railer has electronicall ycont rolled
brakes, pull away carefully wi th thevehicle/
trailer combination .Brake manually using the
brak econtroller and checkw hether the
brakes ar efunctioning cor rectl y.
R Secu rethel oad on thet railer in line wit hthe
re qu irements and rules forl oad-securing
me thods.
R When driving wit hatrailer ,chec katr egular
inter vals that thel oad is secur eand that the
light sand brakes ar efunctioning cor rectl y.
R Bea rinm indthat theh andling characteristics
ar em oreu nstable when towing atrailer than
when drivin gwithout atrailer .Avoid sudden
st eering mo vements.
R The vehicle/trailer combination is heavier,
accelerates mor eslowl y,has areduced
climbing ability and an increased braking dis‐
ta nce. It is mor esusceptible toside winds
and requ ires careful steering.
R If possible, do no tbrake suddenl y,but rath er
moderatel yatfirst so that thet railer can acti‐
va te its brakes. Then inc rease thep ressur eon
th eb rake pedal.
R Ifth ea utomatic transmission shifts between
ge arsonu phill or downhill gradients, restrict
th es hiftrange. Select shif trang e4,3,2or1.
Al owe rgear and reduced speed decrease the
ri sk of engine damage.
R When driving on adownhill gradient, shif ttoa
lo we rgear touse thee ngine' sbraking ef fect.
Av oid cons tant braking, as this could cause
th ev ehicle brakes and possibly also the
traile rbrake stoo verheat.
R Ifth ec oolant temp eratur eincreases signifi‐
cant lywhen thea ir-conditionin gsystemis
switched on, switc hthe air-conditioning sys‐
te mo ff.
Coolant heat can also be dissipated by
switching thea irflow and thet emperatur eof
th eh eater or air conditioning tothem aximum
le ve l. Open thew indo wsif necessar y.
R When overtak ing, pa yparticular attention to
th ei ncreased overtakin gdista nce of your
ve hicle/trailer combination. 16 6
Driving and pa rking

Overvie
wofthe buttons on thes teering
wheel 1
0038 Backbutton, lef t(on-boar dcomputer)
2 Touc hC ontrol, lef t(on-boar dcomputer)
3 Main men ubutton (on-boar dcomputer)
4 Buttong roup forc ruisec ontrol or ActiveD is‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC Ope
ratin gthe on-boar dcom puter &
WARNING Risk of distraction from infor‐
mation sy stems and communications
equipment
If yo uo perat einformation and communica‐
tio ne quipment integ ratedint hevehicle when
driving, youw ill be distracted from thet raffic
situation. This could also cause youtol ose
control of thev ehicle. #
Onlyoperat ethis equipment when the
traf fics ituation permits. #
Ifyo uc anno tbes ureoft his,stop the
ve hicle whils tpaying attention toroad
and traf ficc onditions and ope rate the
equipment wit hthe vehicle stationar y. Yo
um usto bse rvet he legal requirements fort he
countr yinwhich youa recur rentl yd riving when
ope rating theo n-boar dcomputer.
Operating theo n-boa rdcompu ter( ve hicles
with steering wheel but tons)
% The displa
ysoftheo n-boar dcomputer
appear on them ultifunction display
(/ page171).
When thef unction is switched on, dif fere nt signal
to nes will pr ovide feedbac kwhile theo n-board
computer is being operated. These include asig‐
nal tone when thee nd of alistisr eached or
when alistisb eingscrolled thro ugh. The on-boar
dcomputer is operated via left-hand
To uc hC ontrol 2and bac kbutton on thel eft 1. The on-boar
dcomputer is operated using thef ol‐
lowing buttons:
R Backbutton on thel eft 1
R Left-hand Touc hC ontrol 2
R Main men ubutton on thel eft 3
The following menus ar eavailable depending on
th ee quipment:
R Service
R Assistance
R Trip
R Settings #
Tocall up them ainm enu: press bac kbut‐
to nont he left 1repeatedly ,orpress and
hold it. 17 0
Instrument Displa yand on-boar dcomputer

light
weight loads. La yanti-slip mats underneath
th el oad tosecur ethe load additionally. Installing and
removing tie-down eyes #
Toinstall: slidethet ie-down eyet hrough a
re cess in thel oading rail close tothel oad
until locking mechanism engages in the
re cess.
% Whe
nyou pull locking mechanism up and out
of ther ecess, thet ie-down eyeisa bleto
mo vewithin thel oading rail. Mak esuret hat
locking mechanism is alw ayse ngaged in a
re cess. #
Che ckthet ie-down eyef or firm seating. #
Toremo ve: pull lo cking mechanism up and
pull thet ie-down eyet ow ards thel ocking
mechanism and out of thel oading rail
th ro ugh arecess. Car
rier sy stems Information abou
tthe roof rack &
WARNING Risk of inju rydue tothem axi‐
mum roof load being exceeded
When youp laceal oad on ther oof as well as
all outer and inner attachments, thev ehicle's
center of gr avity will rise and thef amiliar driv‐
ing characteristic saswell asthes teering and
braking characteristic swillch ange. When
drivin garound bends, thev ehicle will tilt
mor eheavily and ma yreact mor esluggishly
to steering mo vements.
If yo ue xceed them aximum roof load, the
driving characteristics, as well as thes teering
and braking, will be greatl yimp aired. #
Nevere xceed them aximum roof load
and adjus tyour driving style. 1
Mountin grails
Informatio nabout them aximum roof load can be
fo und in the" Tech nical data" section
(/ page260).
Obser vethef ollowing points fora ssembling roof
ra ck s:
R Tighten ther oof rack 's scr ewstoat orque of
6.0 lb-f t(8N m)–7.4 lb-f t(10 Nm) in thed es‐
ignated groo vedp lates.
R The tightened scr ewsshould no ttouc hthe
ra ils.
R Ensur ethat theg roove dplates ar enotloca‐
te dint he areas around thep lastic caps.
R The groo vedp lates mus thave ther ight cross-
sectio n.
R The insides of them ounting rails mus tbefree
of dirt.
R Re-tigh tent he scr ewsu niformly af tera round
300 mile s(500 km).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that youu se on ly
ro of rack st hat ha vebeen tested and appr oved
fo rM ercedes-Benz. These help topreve ntvehicle
damage.
If yo uw ant toretrofit them ounting rails, ha ve
th em ins talled at aqualified specialis tworks hop.
Otherwise, youc oul dd amag ethe vehicle.
If yo ur vehicle is ins talled wit hmountin grails on
th er oof, youc an install aroof rack on ther oof.
Special fastener s(sliding bloc ks)a re available as
accesso ries fort his purpose.
These fastener sareavailable from an yauthorized
Mercedes-Ben zCenter. Tr
ansporting 181

Flat tire
Note
sonf lat tires &
WARNING Risk of an accident whe ndriv‐
ing wi thaflat tire
Af lat tir egreatl yimp airsd rivin gc haracteris‐
tics, as well as steering and braking. #
Do no tdrive wit haf lat tire. #
Remo vethef lat tir eand ins tallthe
spar ewheel or consult aqualified spe‐
cialis tworks hop. Depending on
your vehicle's equipment, in the
eve nt of aflat tir eyou ha vethef ollowing possibil‐
ities:
R Youc an call breakdown assis tance via the
breakdown assis tance cal lbuttonint heove r‐
head control panel (/ page176).
R Chang ethe wheel (/ page234). Batte
ry Note
sont he12Vb attery &
WARNING Risk of an accident du eto
wo rkcar ried out incor rectly on theb at‐
te ry
Wo rkcar ried out incor rectl yont he battery
can, fore xamp le, lead toas hor tcircuit .This
can lead tofunction restrictions in saf ety-re l‐
ev ant sy stems, fore xamp lethel ighting sys‐
te m, ABS (anti-loc kbraking sy stem) or ESP ®
(Elect ronic Stabilit yProgram). The operating
saf etyofy ourvehicle ma yberestricted.
Yo uc oul dlose control of thev ehicle in the
fo llowing situations:
R when braking
R inthee vent of ab rupt steering maneuvers
and/or when thev ehicle's speed is not
adap tedtot heroad conditions #
Inthee vent of ashortcircui tora simi‐
la ri ncident, contact aqualified special‐
is tw orks hop immediately. #
Do no tcontinue driving. #
Alwaysh ave workon theb atter ycarried
out at aqualified specialis tworks hop. R
Further information on ABS (/ page146)
R Further information on ESP ®
(/ page147) Mercedes-Benz
recommends that youh avet he
12 Vb atter yreplaced at aqualified specialist
wo rkshop, e.g. at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Should youw ant toreplace theb atter yyourself,
obser vethef ollowing information:
R Alwaysr eplace afaulty batter ywithab attery
whic hfulfills thev ehicle's specific require‐
ments.
R Carryove rdetachable parts suc hasthevent
hose, elbo wfittin gort erminal co verfromt he
batter ytober eplaced.
R Mak esuret hat thev ent hose is alw aysc on‐
nected toits original openin gonthe battery
side.
Ins tallthe existin gorn ewlysupplied stop
plugs.
Otherwise, gases or batter yacid could
escape.
R Mak esuret hat thed etachable parts ar econ‐
nec tedint he same wayasb efore.
Fo rs afet yr easons, Mercedes-Benz recommends
th at youo nly use bat teries that ha vebeen tested
and appr ovedfor your vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
These batteries pr ovide inc reased impact pr otec‐
tion topreve ntvehicle occupants from suf fering
aci db urns should theb atter ybed amaged in an
accident. &
WARNING Risk ofexplosion due toelec‐
tros tatic charge
Electros tatic charge can cause spa rksw hich
ma yignit ethe highl yflammable gasm ixture
in theb atter y. #
Todischar geanye lectrostatic charge
th at ma yhave built up, touc ht he me tal
ve hicle body befor ehandling theb at‐
te ry. The highly
flammable gasm ixtur eisc reated while
th eb atter yisc harging and when jump-s tarting. &
WARNING Danger of chemical burns
from theb atter yacid
Batter yacid is caustic. #
Avoid contact wit hthe skin, eyes or
clo thing. #
Do no tlean overthe batter y. #
Do no tinhal ebattery gases. Breakdown assis
tance 201

*
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect connec‐
tion of thet ow bar #
Onlyconnec tthe towr ope or towb arto
th et ow ing eyes. %
Yo
uc an also secur ethe towing devic etothe
trailer hitch.
* NO
TEDama geand risk of accident when
to wing wit hatow ro pe Ther
eisar isk of an accident if youdon ot
obse rves afet ya nd pr otectiv emeasures when
to wing using atow ro pe.
Obser vethef ollowing points when towing
wit hat ow ro pe: #
Secur ethe towr ope on thes ame side
on bo thvehicles, if possible. #
Mak esuret he towr ope does not
exc eed thel egally prescribed length. #
Mar kthe towr ope in them iddle, e.g.
wit haw hitec loth (30 x30c m). This
makes other road user sawarethat a
ve hicle is being towe d. #
Obser vetheb rake lamps of thet ow ing
ve hicle while driving. Alw aysm aintain a
dis tance that ensures thet ow ro pe does
no ts ag. #
Do no tuse steel cables or chains to tow
yo ur vehicle. Otherwise, youc oul dd am‐
ag et he vehicle. #
Deactivat eautomatic locking (/ page50). #
Do no tactivat ethe HOLD function. #
Deactivat ethe tow- aw ay alar m(/pag e62). #
Deactivat eActiv eBrake Assi st (/ pag e150). #
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shif tthe automatic transmission toposition
005C. #
Release thep arking brake. &
WARNING Risk of accident du etolimi‐
te ds afet y-re lated function sduring the
to wing process
Saf ety-re lated function sarelimited or no lon‐
ge ra vailable in thef ollowing situations:
R thei gnition is switched off.
R theb rake system or po wersteering sys‐
te mism alfunctioning.
R thee nergy suppl yorthe on-boar delectri‐
cal sy stem is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is then towe da way,signifi‐
cantly mor eeffor tm aybe requ ired tosteer
and brak ethan is normally required. #
Use atow bar. #
Mak esuret hat thes teering wheel can
mo vefreely ,befor etow ing thev ehicle
aw ay. *
NO
TEDama gedue toexc essiv etractive
po wer If
yo up ullaway sharpl y,thet ractiv epower
ma ybet oo high and thev ehicles could be
damaged. #
Pull away slowl yand smoo thly. To
wing avehicle wit hthe front or rear axle
ra ised *
NO
TEDama gewhen thei gnition is
switched on If
yo ul eave thei gnition switched on when
to wing thev ehicle wit hthe front or rear axle
ra ised, ESP ®
actuation can damag ethe brake
sy stem. #
The ignition mus tbeswitched off. *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect remo val
or ins tallation of thep ropeller shafts When ins
talling thep ropeller shafts, they can
be damaged if youdon otuse ne wscrew s.
Alw aysu se ne wscrew sw hen ins talling the
propeller shafts.
Onl yhave thep ropeller shafts ins talled or
re mo vedbyq ualified, skilled personnel. Breakd
owna ssis tance 209

4)
Only NAFTAt rail er cross member ,tow ing capa‐
cit y5 ,000 or 7,500 lbs.
6) In trailer operation, no individual maximu mper‐
missible gross weight of those specified in the
ta ble ma ybeexceeded.
8) The vehicle lengt hfor vehicles wit hthe model
series 90 7.65 7( Ca rgoV an) is 29 0in(7,36 7m m).
9) It is no tpossible to towat railer on vehicles
whic hhaven otbeen equipped wi thatrailer cou‐
plin gass tandard. In this case, them aximum per‐
missible gross vehicle weight cor responds tothe
maximu mpermissible gross weight of thev ehicle
combination.
% If
th et railer coupling is retrofitted ,the identi‐
fi cation pla tess hould be adap teda ccording ly
wit hthe altered, maximum permissible
we ights. Please consult an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center if youh ave anyf ur‐
th er questions. The body builder label is
found on thef ront-end
module abo vether adiator and con tains them axi‐
mum permissible curb weight fort he vehicles. Lashing points and car
rier sy stems Information abou
tthe cargo tie-down points *
NO
TERisk of accident if them aximum
loading capacity of thec argo tie-down
point is exceeded If
yo uc ombin evarious cargo tie-down points
to secur eaload, alw ayst aket he maximum
loading capacity of thew eakes tcargo tie-
down poin tint oa ccount.
During maximum full- stop braking, forc es may
act whic hcan multipl ythe weight of thel oad. #
Alwaysu se se veralc argo tie-down
point stod istribut eand spread thel oad.
Distribut ethe load on thec argo tie-
down points evenly. The nominal
tensil estrengt histhe maximum per‐
missible tensil eforce.
Fu rther information on thec argo tie-down points
and tie-down eyes can be obtained in the" Trans‐
po rting" section (/ page 179).
Ti e-d owne yes
No minal tensile stre ngt hoft he tie-down eyes Ti
e-d owne yesN ominaltensile
st re ngth
Pa ssenger Van3 50 daN
Cargo Van8 00 daN Loading
rails
No minal tensile stre ngth of thec argo tie-
down point sinthe cargo compartment Cargo tie-down
point
No
minal tensile
st re ngth
Loading rails on cargo
compartment floor 500 daN
Lo we rloading rail on
side wall 200 daN
Up per loading rail on
side wall 12
5d aN The
values specified appl yonlytol oads resting
on thec argo compartmen tfloor if youo bse rve
th ef ollowing:
R The load is secured totwoc argo tie-down
points on ther ail
R The dis tance tothen eares tload-securing
point on thes ame rail is appr oximately 1m Information about
roof racks &
WARNING Risk of inju ryif maximum roof
load is exceeded
If yo up laceal oad on ther oof as well as any
ex tern al and internal attachments ,the vehi‐
cle's center of gr avity will be raised and the
usual drivin gcharacteristics, as well as the
st eering and braking characteristics, will
ch ange. During cornering ,the vehicle will tilt
mor eseve rely an dmayreact mor esluggishly
to steering mo vements.
If yo ue xceed them aximum roof load, the
driving characteristics, as well as thes teering 260
Tech nica ldata

and brakin
gcharacteristics, will be greatly
impaired. #
Alwaysc ompl ywitht he maximum roof
load and adjus tyour driving style. &
WARNING Danger of accident du eto
une venl oading
If yo ul oad thev ehicle une venly, theh andling
ch aracteristic saswell asthes teering‑ and
braking characteristic scan be heavily
impaired. #
Load thev ehicle evenly. #
Secu rethel oad agains tsliding. The driving, braking and
steering characteristics
of thev ehicle will chang ewitht he type of load,
th ew eight and thec enter of gr avity of thel oad.
* NO
TERisk of accident if them aximum
permitted roof load is exceeded. If
th ew eight of ther oof luggage, including the
ro of rack ,e xceeds them aximum permitted
ro of load, ther eisar isk of an accident. #
Ensur ethat thew eight of ther oof lug‐
ga ge and roof rack toget her does not
exc eed them aximum permitted roof
load. #
The roof rack 's supporting feet mus tbe
ar ranged at aunifo rm distan ce from
ea ch other. #
Mercedes-Benzr ecommendsyoui nstall
as tabilizer bar on thev ehicle's front
axle. Fu
rther information about saf etym easures can
be found in the" Transport" section
(/ page179).
Max. roof load/pair sofsupporting roof rack
fe et Ve
hicles
with Maximum
ro
of load Minimum
number of
pair
sofs up‐
porting feet
Normal roof 66 1lbs
(300 kg) 6
High roof 33 1lbs
(150 kg) 3 This information applies if
thel oad is distributed
eve nly across thee ntir eroof area.
If th er oof rack is shor ter,re duce thel oad propor‐
tionatel y.The maximum load per pair of support‐
ing roof rack feet is110l bs (50 kg).
The loading guidelines and other information
about load distribution and load securing can be
fo und in the" Transport" sectio n(/pag e179). Te
ch nica ldata 261