MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Repair Manual

Suitability of the rea
rseats for atta ching ISOFIX child restraint systems Weight categories Size category Equip
ment Rea
rseat, left and
right Carry-cot
F ISO/L1 X
G ISO/L2 X
0: up to 10 kg
up to approximately 6
months E ISO/R1 IUF
0+: up to 13 kg
up to approximately
15 months
E ISO/R1 IL
D ISO/R2 IUF
C ISO/R3 IUF
I:
9to18kg
between ap prox-
imately 9month sand
4y ears D ISO/R2 IUF
C ISO/R3 IUF
B ISO/F2 IUF
B1 ISO/F2X IL
A ISO/F3 IUF
Recommended child restraint systems
If you fit
achild restraint system without atransponde rfor automatic child seat recognition
to the front-passenger seat, position the front-passenger seat in its rearmost position. Weight catego-
ries Manufac-
tu
rer Type Approval
number
(E1 ...) Order num-
ber
(A 000 ...) Automatic
child seat
recognition
Group 0: up to
10 kg
up to approx-
imately 6
months Britax
Römer BABY
SAFE
PLUS
3 03 301146
04 301146 970 10 00 Yes
Group 0+: up
to 13 kg
up to approx-
imately 15
months Britax
Römer BABY
SAFE
PLUS
3 03 301146
04 301146 970 10 00 Yes
Group I:
9to
18 kg Britax
Römer DUO
PLUS
3 03 30
1133
04 301133 970 11 00 Yes
3
Move the front-passenge rseat to the rearmost and highest position. 58
Children in th
evehicleSafety

Wei
ghtc atego-
ries Manufac-
turer Type Approval
number
(E1 ...) Orde
rnum-
ber
(A 00 0...) Automatic
chil dseat
recognition between
approxima
tely
9m onths and
4y ears 97
01600 No
Category II/III:
15 to 36 kg
between
approximately
4a nd 12 yea rs Britax
Römer KIDFIX 04 301198 97
01800 Yes
97
01900 No
Suggested ISOFI
Xchildr estrai ntsystems from the Universal category. Weight
catego-
ries Size cate-
gory Manufac-
turer Type Approval
number
(E1 ...) Order
number Auto-
matic
child seat
recogni-
tion
Carry-cot
F – – – – –
G – – – – –
Group 0:
up to
10 kg
E – – – – –
Group 0+:
up to
13 kg
E Britax
Römer BABY SAFE
ISOFIX
PLUS 04 301146 B6
686
8224 No
D – – – – –
C – – – – –
Group I:
9to18kg
D – – – – –
C – – – – –
B – – – – –
B1 Britax
Römer DU
OP LUS 03 301133
04 301133 A0
00970
11 00 Yes
A – – – – –Children in th
evehicle
59Safety Z

Child-proof locks
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Activate th echild-proo flocks for th erear
door sand the override switch for the rear
windows whe nchildren are travelling in the
vehicle. Otherwise, the chil dren could open
doors or side windows while the vehicle is in
motion and injure themselv esor others. G
WARNING
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secur edinac hild
restraint system .They coul dinjure them-
selve sonp arts of the vehicle. They could also
be seriousl yoreven fata llyi njured by pro-
longed exposure to extreme hea torcold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Part softhe chil drestraint sys-
tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/himself on them.
If ac hild opens adoor, the child or other per-
sons coul dbeinjured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Also observe the notes on HOLD. Relevant
information can be found in the index.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors You secure each door individually with the
child-proo flocks on the rea rdoors. Adoor
secured with achild-proof lock can notbe
opened from inside the vehicle. When the
vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened
from the outside. X
To activate: press the child-proof lock
leve rupint he direction of arrow :.
X Make sur ethat the child-proof lock sare
workin gproperly.
X To deactivate: press thechild-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow ;.
Overrid efeature for the rear side win-
dows X
To activate/deactivate: press button:.
If indicator lamp ;is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the driv-
er' sd oor. If indicator lamp ;is off ,oper-
ation is possible using the switches in the
rear compart ment. Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems overview
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems: 60
Drivin
gsafety systemsSafety

R
ABS ( Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R BAS PLU S(Brake Assist Sys tem Plus*)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
(Elec tronic Stability Program)
R EBD ( electronic brake force distribution)
R ADAP TIVE BRA KE
R PRE- SAFE ®
Brake
R STEER CONTROL Important safety notes
If yo ufail to adap tyou rd riving style, the driv-
ing safety systems ca nneither reduc ethe risk
of accident nor override the laws of physics.
Drivi ngsafety systems ar emerely aids
designed to assist driving. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front ,for
vehicle speed and for brakin gingood time.
Always adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the
prevailing road and weather conditions, as
well as the traffic conditions and maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front .Drive
carefully.
i Please note that th edriving safetys ys-
tems described only work as effectively as
possibl ewhen ther eisadequate contact
between the tyres and the road surface.
Pay particula rattention to the information
regarding tyres, recommended minimum
tyre tread depth setc. in the "Wheels and
tyres" sectio n(Ypage 356).
In wintr ydriving conditions ,always use
winter tyres (M+S tyres) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effec tivel yasp ossible. ABS (Anti-loc
kBrak ing System)
Impor tant safety notes i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). ABS regulates brake pressure in such
away
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from aspeed of about 8km/h
upwards, regardless of road-surfac econdi-
tions. AB Sworksons lippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently. G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the vehi-
cle when brakin gand the braking distance
may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to amalfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated. There
is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You shoul dalways adapt your drivin gstyle to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
Braking If ABS intervenes whe
nbraking, yo uwill feel
ap ulsing in the brake pedal.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depressthe
brake pedal with force until the brakin gsit-
uation is over.
X To mak eafull brake application:
depress th ebrake peda lwith full force.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and func-
tions as areminder to take extr acare while
driving. G
WARNING
Do not depress the brake pedal several times
in quick succession (pumping). Pumping the
brake pedal reduces the braking effect .You
might otherwise not be able to stop the vehi-
cle in tim eand could cause an accident.
Depres sthe brake pedal firmly and smoothly. Driving safety systems
61Safety Z

Off-road ABS
An AB
Ssystem specifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically once th eoff-
road program (Y page 222) is activated.
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
loc kc yclically durin gbraking .The digging-in
eff ect ac hieved in the process red ucesthe
stopping distanc eonoff-road terrain. This
limits steering capability. BAS (Brak
eAssist)
i Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usua lonce you
releas ethe brake pedal. BA Sisd eactivated. G
WARNING
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with ful lbrake boosting
effect. However, braking force is not auto-
matically increased in emergency braking sit-
uations and th estopping distance may
increase. BAS PLU
S(Brak eAssist System Plus)
BA SP LUS is only availabl eonvehicles with
DI ST RONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
BAS PLUS assists you in braking during haz-
ardous situations at speeds above 30 km/h
and uses the radar sensor syste mtoevaluate
the traffic situation.
With the hel pofthe radar sensor system ,BAS
PLUS can detect obstacles that are in the path of your vehicl
efor an exte nded period of
time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h ,BAS
PLUS may also detect stationary obstacles,
for example ,stopped or parked vehicles.
Shoul dyou approach an obstacle and BAS
PLU Shas detected arisk of collision, BAS
PLU Scalculates the braking force necessary
to avoid arear-end collision .Should you apply
the brakes forcefully ,BAS PLUS can auto-
matically increase the braking force to alevel
suitabl efor the traffic conditions.
If BA SPLUS demand sparticularly high brak-
ing force, preventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)a re activate dsimul-
taneously.
X Keep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergenc ybraking situatio nisover.
ABS prevent sthe wheels from locking.
The brakes will wor knormally again if:
R you release the brake pedal.
R ther eisnol onger any danger of arear-end
collision.
R no obstacl eisdetected in front of your
vehicle.
BAS PLU Sisthen deactivated .Ifyou have
activated DSR (Y page 220), BASPLUS is
likewise deactivated.
Th er adar senso rsystem is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities in the following vehicles:
R vehicles with COMAND Online and naviga-
tion
R vehicles with Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP
PILOT
Becker ®
MAP PILOT must be connected;
see the separate Audio 20 operating
instructions. 62
Driving safety systemsSafety

The radar sensor system must be switched off
using the on-boar
dcomputer in the vicinit yof
radio telescop efacilities in the following vehi-
cles:
R vehicles without COMAND Online and nav-
igation
R vehicles without Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP PILOT
R vehicles for Australia
Information about switching off the rad ar sen-
so rs ystem using the on-board computer can
be found in the "On-board computer and dis-
plays “section (Y page 249).
For BAS PLUS to assist you when driving, the
rada rsensor system must be switched on and
operational; see "Radar sensor system "inthe
index. G
WARNING
BA SP LUS cannot alway sclearly identify
objects and complex traf fics ituations. BAS
PLU Scannot interven einthese cases.
There is arisk of an accident. Always pay
careful attention to the traf fics ituation and be
ready to brake.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if ther eis:
R dir tont he sensor soranything els ecover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heav yrain
R interference by other radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travellin ginfront, e.g .a
motorbike
R av ehicle travellin ginfront on adifferent
line G
WAR
NING
BAS PLUS doe snot react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomin gvehicles
R to crossin gtraffic
R when cornering As
aresult, BAS PLU Smay not interven ein
critical situatio ns.T here is arisk of an acci-
dent .Always pay careful attention to the traf-
fic situation and be ready to brake.
Followin gdamage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensors checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applie stocolli-
sion sats low speeds where ther eisnovisible
damage to the fron tofthe vehi cle.
If BA SPLUS is no tavailable du etoam alfunc-
tion in the rada rsensor system ,the brake
system remain savailable wit hfull brake
boostin geffect and BAS. Adaptiv
ebrak elamps
i Adapti vebrak elamps are only available in
certain countries.
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 50 km/ horifb raking is assisted by BAS
or BAS PLUS, th ebrake lamp sflas hrapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from aspee dofm ore
than 70 km/h to astandsti ll,t he hazard warn-
ing lam psare activated automatically .Ifthe
brakes ar eapplied again, the brak elamps
light up continuously .The hazard warning
lamps switc hoff automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h .You can also switc hoff
th eh azard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (Y page 109). ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes i
See the "Importan tsafety notes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver ,one
or more wheels are braked to stabilis ethe
vehicle. If necessary, the engin eoutput is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired Driving safety systems
63Safety Z

course withi
nphysical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can als ostabilise the vehi-
cle durin gbraking.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashe sinthe instrumen tcluster. G
WAR
NING
If the ÷ warnin glamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivat eESP®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessar ywhen pulling away.
R adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into askid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
! Only operate the vehicl efor am aximum
of ten seconds on abrake dynamometer.
Switch off th eignition.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
ma yoth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Function or performanc etest sm ay only
be performed on a2-axle dynamometer. If
you wis htooperatethe vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aMercedes-
Benz Servic eCentr ebeforehand. You could
otherwise damage the driv etrain or the
brake system.
i Only us ewheels with the recommended
tyr es izes. Only then will ESP ®
func tion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
Traction control is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
viduall yifthey spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slipper ysurfaces, for example if the road surface is slippery on one
side .Ina ddition, mor edrive torqu eistrans-
ferre dtot he wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction con trol remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP ®
.
X In appropriate drivin gsituations, activate
the off- road program (Y page 222). G
WARNING
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. Traction control
cannot override the laws of physics.
Off-road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem)
A4 ETS syste mspecifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically onc ethe off-
roa ddrive progra m(Ypage 22 2)is activated.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
ESP ®
is activate dautomaticall ywhen the
engin eisstarted.
i Vehicle swith ECO start/stop func tion:
the ECO start/stop func tion switches the
engin eoff automatically when th evehicle
comes to astop. The engine starts auto-
matically when the driver wants to pull
away again. ESP ®
remains in its previously
selected status .Example: if ESP ®
was
deactivated before the engine was
switched off, ESP ®
remains deactivated
whe nthe engin eisswitched on again.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
WARNING
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply .ESP ®
will
oth erwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle 64
Drivin
gsafety systemsSafety

if the vehicle starts to skid or
awheel starts
to spin.
When you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves drivin gstabili ty.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in acuttin gaction, which
provides bet terg rip.
R tractio ncontrol is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides suppor twhen you
bra ke.
If ESP ®
is deactivate dand one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilis ethe vehicle. X
To deactivate: press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warnin glamp in the
instrument cluster lights up. G
WARNING
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running.
If the ÷ warning lamp and åwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not availa-
ble due to amalfunction.
There is an increased risk of your vehicle skid-
ding in certain situations.
You shoul dalway sadapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. X
To activate: press button :.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrumen tcluster goes out.
Off- road ESP® An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program (Y page 222)isa ctivated. It
intervene swithadelay if there is oversteering
or understeering, thus improvin gtraction.
ESP ®
traile rstabilisation If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilis ethe vehicle/ trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and can
detect if the vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by brakin gand limiting the engine output until
the vehicle/traile rcombination has stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active abov espeeds of
about 60 km/h. G
WARNING
If road and weather condi tions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent
the trailer from swerving and will thus be
unable to reduce the risk of an accident .Trail-
ers wit hahigh centr eofgravity can tip over
before ESP ®
can detec tthis.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disable dbecause of amal-
function. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61).
EBD monitors and control sthe brake pres-
sur eonthe rea rwheels to improv edriving
stab ility while braking. Driving safety systems
65Safety Z

G
WARNING
If EBD ha smalfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect. However, the rear wheels can still lock,
e.g. under full braking. This coul dcaus eyou
to lose control of your vehicle and cause an
accident. You shoul dtherefore adapt your
drivin gstyle to the different handling charac-
teristics.
X Observe the notes on warning and indica tor
lamps (Y page 286) as well as display mes-
sages (Y page 256). ADAPTIV
EBRAKE
ADAPTI VEBRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIV EBRAKE
als oh as the HOLD function (Y page187) and
hi ll st art assist (Y page141). For further
information, se eDriving tip s(Ypage 162). PRE-SAFE
®
Brake
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is only available in vehic les
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61).
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can help you to minimise
the ris kofaf rontal collision wit havehicle
ahead or reduce the effects of such acolli-
sion. If PRE-SAFE ®
Brake has detected arisk
of collision, you wil lbewarned visuall yand
acoustically as wel lasbyautomatic braking.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot prevent acollision
withou tyou rintervention.
Thi sfun ctio nwill issue awarnin gats peeds of
arou nd 30 km/h or moreif:
R for aperiod of several seconds ,the dis-
tance to the vehi cleinf ront is to oshor tfor
the speed at which you ar etravelling .The ·
distanc ewarning lamp then lights up
in the instrument cluster.
R you are rapidly approaching the vehicle in
front .Ani ntermittent warning tone will
then sound and the ·distance warning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster.
X Brake immediately in order to increas ethe
distanc efrom th evehicle in front.
or
X Take evasiv eactio nprovide ditiss afe to do
so.
If the driver and passengers have fastened
their seat belts, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can also
can also perform the following at speeds of
above approximately 30 km/h:
R brake the vehicle automatically from a
spee dofuptoa pproximately 20 0km/h
R trigge rpreventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-S AFE®
)( Ypage 45)
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause
unnecessar ywarnings or the unnecessary
intervention of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake. To end this,
you can either depress the accelerator pedal
further, activate kickdown or release the
brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is
ended automatically if:
R you drive slowe rthan approximately
15 km /h.
R you manoeuvre to avoid the obstacle.
R there is no longe rany danger of arear-end
collision.
R there is no longer an obstacl edetected in
front of your vehicle.
If you have activated DSR (Y page 220), PRE-
SAFE ®
brak eisd eactivated.
With the help of the rada rsensor system,
PRE- SAFE ®
Brake can detect obstacles that
are in front of your vehicle for an exte nded
period of time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km /h,
PRE- SAFE ®
Brake may als odetect stationary 66
Driving safet
ysystemsSafety

obstacles, for example stopped or parked
vehicles.
If you approach an obstacle and PRE-
SAFE®
Brake detects arisk of acollision ,the system
will initiall yalert you both visually and acous-
tically. If you do not brake or take evasive
action, the system will warn you by automat-
ically brakin gthe vehicle gently. If ther eisan
increased risk of collision, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)
are activated (Y page 45). If the risk of colli-
sion remains and you do not brake, take eva-
sive action or accelerate significan tly, the
vehicle may perform automatic emergency
braking. Automatic emergency braking is not
performed until immediately prior to an acci-
dent that can no longe rbea voided. G
WARNING
Even if PRE-SAFE ®
Brake slow sthe vehicle
befor eani mminent rear-en dcollision ,the
system can nota vert acollision withou tthe
intervention of the driver .There is arisk of an
accident .Brake according to th esituation or
take evasive action. Delayed intervention by
the driver can lead to an accident. G
WARNING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brak ecannot alway sclearly iden-
tify object sand comple xtraffic conditions.
In thes ecases, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
R not give awarning or intervene
There is arisk of an accident .Always pay par-
ticular attention to the traffic situation and be
ready to brake, especially if PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
warns you. Terminat ethe interv entionina
non-critical drivin gsituation.
In particular, the detec tion of obstacles can
be impaired if there is:
R dir tont he sensors or any thing else cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources R
the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example in multi-storey car parks
R an arrow vehicle travellin ginfront,e.g. a
motorbike
R av ehicle travellin ginfront on adifferent
line G
WAR
NING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brak edoes not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomin gvehicles
R to cr ossin gtraffic
R when cornering
As aresult ,PRE-SAFE ®
Brak emay not give
warnings or intervene in critical situations.
There is arisk of an accident .Always pay
careful attention to the traffic situation and be
ready to brake.
In order to maintain the appropriate distan ce
to the vehicle in front and thus prevent acol-
lision ,you must apply the bra kesy ourself.
X To activate/deac tivate: activate or deac-
tivate PRE -SAFE®
Brak eint he on-board
compute r(Ypage 24 5).
The Ä symbol appear sinthe multifunc-
tion displa yaslong as the HOL Dfunction
is not activated (Y page 187).
On vehicles with Active Parking Assist ,the
Ä symbolisd isplayed when Pis
engaged or you are driving faste rthan
35 km/h.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinit yofradio telescope
facilities in the following vehicles:
R vehicles with COMAND Online and naviga-
tion
R vehicles with Audio 20 and Becker ®
MAP
PILOT
Becker ®
MAP PILOT must be connected;
see the separate Audio 20 operating
instructions. Driving safety systems
67Safety Z