seat memory MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 2008 W164 Owner's Manual
Page 5 of 561
Contents
Safety and Security...........................  71
Occupant safety...................................  72
Air bags ..........................................  74
Occupant Classification System .....  79
Seat belts .......................................  84
Active head restraint ......................  88
Rear head restraints .......................  89
Children in the vehicle ....................  89
Blocking of rear door
window operation ...........................  96
Panic alarm ..........................................  97
Activating .......................................  97
Deactivating ...................................  97
Driving safety systems .........................  98
ABS ................................................  98
BAS ..............................................  100
ESP
®.............................................  100
EBP...............................................  104
4-ETS ............................................  104
Anti-theft systems..............................  106
Immobilizer...................................  106
Anti-theft alarm system ................  106
Controls in detail .............................  109
Locking and unlocking .......................  110
SmartKey .....................................  110
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ......  113
Checking the batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with 
KEYLESS-GO* ..............................  118
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ......  118
Opening the doors
from the inside .............................  118
Tailgate/Power tailgate*..............  119
Automatic central locking ............  125
Locking and unlocking
from the inside .............................  126
Seats .................................................  127
Front seat active head restraints .  127
Rear seat head restraints .............  127
Lumbar support............................  129
Multicontour seat* .......................  129
Seat heating* ...............................  130
Seat ventilation* ..........................  131Memory function* .............................  133
Storing positions into memory .....  134
Recalling positions from memory.  134
Lighting .............................................  135
Exterior lamp switch ....................  135
Combination switch .....................  139
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps*...........................  140
Hazard warning flasher ................  141
Interior lighting ............................  142
Door entry lamps .........................  144
Cargo compartment lamp ............  144
Instrument cluster .............................  145
Adjusting instrument
cluster illumination ......................  145
Resetting trip odometer ...............  146
Tachometer..................................  146
Outside temperature indicator .....  146 
Page 45 of 561
44 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switch is located on 
the entry side of each front seat base.
1 Head restraint height (vehicles with 
memory function)*
2Seat cushion tilt
3Seat height
4Backrest tilt
5Seat fore and aft adjustment
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children 
are safer when properly restrained in the 
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend 
that children be placed in the rear seats 
whenever possible. Regardless of seating 
position, children 12 years old and under 
must be seated and properly secured in an 
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler 
restraint, or booster seat recommended for 
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 89).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is 
significantly increased if the child restraints 
are not properly secured in the vehicle 
and/or the child is not properly secured in 
the child restraint.
!When moving the seats, make sure there are 
no items in the footwell or behind the seats; 
otherwise you could damage the seats.
!When the rear seats are folded forward, e.g. 
for cargo compartment expansion (
page 269), 
the front seats may not be moved to the rear-
most position. Otherwise you could damage the 
front and rear seats.
!When adjusting the seat backrest tilt and 
head restraint height, make sure the sun visor is 
folded up (
page 201). If the head restraint is in 
the uppermost position, it could hit and damage 
the sun visor.
iVehicles without memory function*:
The seats can be adjusted within 5 minutes after 
either front door has been opened. The counter 
resets each time
you open or close a front door
you insert the SmartKey into the starter 
switch
you remove the SmartKey from the starter 
switch
you switch the ignition on or off 
Page 46 of 561
45 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the switch forward or backward 
in direction of arrow5.
Seat height
Press the switch up or down in 
direction of arrow3.
Seat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in 
direction of arrow2 until your upper 
legs are lightly supported.
Seat backrest tilt
Press the switch forward or backward 
in direction of arrow4.Head restraint height
Vehicles with memory function*:
Press switch1 (page 44) up or 
down in direction of arrow.
Vehicles without memory function*:
1Head restraint
2Release button
iThe memory function* (page 133) lets 
you store the settings for the seat positions 
together with the settings for the steering wheel 
and the exterior rear view mirrors.
Warning!G
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat 
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an 
accident.
With a rear seat occupied, make sure to 
move the respective head restraint up from 
the lowest non-use position and have the 
occupant adjust the head restraint properly.
For your protection, drive only with properly 
positioned and engaged head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as 
close to the head as possible and the center 
of the head restraint supports the back of 
the head at eye level. This will reduce the po-
tential for injury to the head and neck in the 
event of an accident or similar situation.
!Do not attempt to remove front seat head 
restraints. They can only be removed by qualified 
technicians. We recommend that you have this 
work carried out by an authorized 
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center. 
Page 50 of 561
49 Getting started
Adjusting
Make sure that
you can reach the steering wheel with 
your arms slightly bent at the elbows
you can move your legs freely
all displays (including malfunction and 
indicator lamps) on the instrument 
cluster are clearly visible
The steering wheel adjustment stalk is 
located on the lower left of the steering 
column.1Adjusting steering wheel, in or out
2Adjusting steering wheel, up or down
Adjusting steering column in or out
Move stalk forward or back in direction 
of arrow1.
Adjusting steering column up or down
Move stalk up or down in direction of 
arrow2.
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view 
mirrors before driving so that you have a 
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view 
mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 199).
Exterior rear view mirrors
iThe memory function* (page 133) lets 
you store the settings for the steering wheel 
together with the settings for seat positions and 
the exterior rear view mirrors.
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the 
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror. 
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly 
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear. 
Check your interior rear view mirror or 
glance over your shoulder before changing 
lanes. 
Page 51 of 561
50 Getting started
Adjusting
The buttons are located on the driver’s 
door.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror 
button
2Adjustment button
3Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror button
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Press button1 for the driver’s side ex-
terior rear view mirror or button3 for 
the passenger-side exterior rear view 
mirror.
The indicator lamp on the respective 
button comes on for 
approximately 15 seconds.
Push adjustment button2 up, down, 
left, or right according to the desired 
setting.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 199).
iIf you do not make adjustments to the 
selected exterior rear view mirror within 
15 seconds, the indicator lamp goes out. You will 
then have to select the desired exterior rear view 
mirror again before any adjustments can be 
made. Adjustments can only be made with the 
indicator lamp for the respective exterior rear 
view mirror button illuminated.
!If an exterior rear view mirror was forcibly 
pushed forward (hit from the rear) or forcibly 
pushed rearward (hit from the front), reposition 
it by applying firm pressure until it snaps into 
place. The mirror housing is then properly posi-
tioned and you can adjust the mirror in the usual 
manner.
!Vehicle with power folding exterior rear view 
mirrors*:
If an exterior rear view mirror housing is forcibly 
pushed forward (hit from the rear) or forcibly 
pushed rearward (hit from the front), press fold 
button1 (
page 201) to fold mirrors in, then 
press fold button1 (
page 201) again to fold 
mirrors out. Do not force mirrors by hand as this 
may damage the adjustment mechanism.
The mirror housing is then properly positioned 
and you can adjust the mirror in the usual man-
ner.
iThe memory function* (page 133) lets 
you store the settings for the exterior rear view 
mirrors together with the setting for the steering 
wheel and the seat positions.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the exterior 
rear view mirrors will be heated automatically. 
Page 110 of 561
109 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Transfer case
Good visibility
Climate control
3-zone automatic climate control*
Power windows
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features 
Page 134 of 561
133 Controls in detail
Memory function*
Memory function*
Prior to operating the vehicle, the driver 
should check and adjust the seat height, 
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate 
control, reach and comfort. The head 
restraint should also be adjusted for 
proper height. See also the section on 
air bags (
page 74) for proper seat posi-
tioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to 
ensure adequate control, reach, operation 
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior 
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for 
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small chil-
dren should be seated in a properly se-
cured restraint system that complies with 
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards 213 and 225 and Canadian Motor 
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 210.2.With the memory function you can store up 
to three different configurations.
Each stored position on the driver’s side 
includes the following settings:
Seat position
Multicontour seat*: previously saved 
setting
Steering wheel position
Exterior rear view mirrors’ position
Each stored position on the passenger side 
includes the following settings:
Seat position
Multicontour seat*: previously saved 
settingThe memory button and stored position 
buttons are located on the entry side of 
each front seat base.
MMemory button
1, 2, 3Stored position buttons
Warning!G
Do not activate the memory function while 
driving. Activating the memory function 
while driving could cause the driver to lose 
control of the vehicle. 
Page 135 of 561
134 Controls in detail
Memory function*
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats (page 43).
On the driver’s side, additionally adjust 
the steering wheel (
page 48) and ex-
terior rear view mirrors (
page 49) to 
the desired positions.
Press memory buttonM.
Release memory buttonM and press 
stored position button1,2 or3 within 
3 seconds.
All settings are stored to the selected 
position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold stored position 
button1,2 or3 until the seat, steering 
wheel and exterior rear view mirrors 
have fully moved to the stored posi-
tions.
!Do not operate the power seats using 
memory buttonM if the seat backrest is in an 
excessively reclined position. Doing so could 
cause damage to front or rear seats.
Move seat backrest to an upright position first.
iReleasing the stored position button stops 
movement to the stored positions immediately. 
Page 544 of 561
543 Index
M
Main dimensions 520
Maintenance 12, 386
Calling up service indicator 
display 388
Clearing service indicator 
message 387
Maintenance System 386
Resetting service indicator 388
Service indicator message 386
Service term exceeded 387
Maintenance System 386
Manual headlamp mode see Headlamps
Manual shift progam
(ML 63 AMG only) 195
Manual shift program (ML 63 AMG)
Activating 195
Deactivating 196
Maximum cooling, MAXCOOL* see
Automatic climate control 
(3-zone)* 226Maximum load rating, Tires 381
Maximum loaded vehicle weight, 
Tires 381
MB Tex upholstery, Cleaning and care 
of 398
Mechanical key 455
Memory function* see Seats
Menus see Control system menus
Messages in display see
Multifunction display messages
Microphone, Hands-free 33
Minispare wheel see Spare wheel
Mirrors
Adjusting 49
Auto-dimming rear view 
mirrors* 199
Exterior rear view mirror 49
Interior rear view mirror 49, 199
MON 338, 526
Multicontour seat* 129Multifunction display 147
Changing settings see Control system 
menus and Control system
submenus
Selecting display 168
Selecting language 167
Multifunction display messages 413
ABS 415
Air suspension program* 447
Brake fluid 430
Brake lamps 438
Brake pads 428
Coolant 433
Corner-illuminating front fog 
lamps* 439
Cruise control 416
Doors 435
Downhill Speed Regulation 428
EBP 429
Engine coolant 431, 433
ESP
®405 
Page 546 of 561
545 Index
Ornamental moldings, Cleaning 393
Outside temperature see Displays
Overdue maintenance service term 387
Overhead control panel 33
Oxidation catalyst (diesel engine) 335
P
Paintwork code 510
Paintwork, Cleaning 390
Panic alarm 97
Parcel net
Front passenger footwell 283
Front seat backrests 283
Parking 65, 315
On hills 65
Over things that burn, Potential 
consequences 65, 335
Parking brake 57, 65
Lamps, Indicator and warning 401
Messages in the multifunction 
display 429
Releasing 57
Parking lamps
Messages in the multifunction 
display 441
Replacing bulbs 468Parking position*
Exterior rear view mirrors 177, 200
Parktronic* 31, 259
Cleaning system sensors 394
Minimum distance 261
Range 261
Switching on/off 263
System malfunction 263
System sensors 260
System sensors, Cleaning 394
Warning indicators 25, 262
Parts service 508
PASS AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp see 
Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp
Passenger compartment 334
Fuse box 506
Interior lighting 142
Interior rear view mirror 33
Parcel net in front passenger 
footwell 283Passenger safety see Occupant safety
Pedals 311
Phone see Telephone*
Plastic and rubber parts, cleaning 396
Poly-V-belt drive
Layout (ML 320 CDI) 512
Layout (ML 350, ML 550) 512
Layout (ML 63 AMG) 512
Positions (Memory function*) see Seats
Pounds per square inch see PSI
Power assistance 312
Power outlets 287
Power seat see Seats, Power
Power tilt/sliding sunroof 240
Convenience closing feature 238
Opening/closing 240
Stopping 238
Summer opening feature 237
Synchronizing 242
Power washer 390