MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 2006 W163 Owner's Manual

100 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsImmobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*

Press the start/stop button on the
starter switch once.
The engine is turned off.

Open the driver’s door.Deactivating
With the SmartKey

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 (
page 34).
With KEYLESS-GO*

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens

a door


the tailgate


the hood
The alarm will stay on, even if the activat-
ing element (a door, for example) is imme-
diately closed.
The alarm system will also be triggered
when someone attempts to raise the vehi-
cle, see “Tow-away alarm” (
page 102).
iStarting the engine will also deactivate
the immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started
(yet the vehicle’s battery is charged),
the system is not operational. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA), or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response
Center is initiated automatically by the
Tele Aid* system (
page 280) provid-
ed Tele Aid service was subscribed to
and properly activated, and that neces-
sary cellular service and GPS coverage
are available.

101 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the alarm system
The alarm system is armed after you have
locked the vehicle with the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.
The alarm system indicator lamp is located
to the lower left of the hazard warning
flasher.
1Alarm system indicator lamp

Make sure all doors and the tailgate are
closed.

Lock the vehicle (
page 60).
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the alarm system is
activated.
Indicator lamp1 flashes permanently
to indicate that the alarm system is
armed.Disarming the alarm system

Unlock the vehicle (
page 32).
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed. Indicator lamp1 goes out.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash
three times, one of the following ele-
ments may not be properly closed:

a door


the tailgate
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally again after approximately
40 seconds if one of the doors or the
tailgate is not opened.

102 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsCanceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or

Press theŒ or ‹button on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*

Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) away from the
respective door.
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
Tow-away alarm
Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle.Arming the tow-away alarm

Make sure all doors and the tailgate are
closed.

Lock your vehicle.
The tow-away alarm is automatically
armed after about ten seconds.
Disarming the tow-away alarm

Unlock your vehicle.
iThe tow-away protection alarm is trig-
gered, for example, if the vehicle is
lifted on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response
Center is initiated automatically by the
Tele Aid* system (
page 280), provid-
ed that the Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and
that necessary cellular service and GPS
coverage are available.
iWhen you unlock your vehicle, the
tow-away protection disarms automati-
cally.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed
until you lock your vehicle again.

103 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Switching off the tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm
feature, switch off the tow-away alarm be-
fore towing the vehicle, or when parking on
a surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
If the tow-away alarm is set to default en-
abled (On) in the control system and you
wish to retain the default setting, you can
switch off the tow-away alarm temporarily
on a one-time basis as follows:

Switch off the ignition (
page 34).
With the tow-away alarm set to default
enabled (On) in the control system, the
following message appears in the
multifunction display.

If you now wish to deactivate the
tow-away alarm on a one-time basis,
pressæ orç button on the
multifunction steering wheel.
The tow-away alarm is switched off.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display.

Exit vehicle and lock the vehicle
(page 60).
The alarm system is armed indepen-
dently of whether the tow-away alarm
is switched on or off.
iThe tow-away alarm feature can be set
to default enabled (On) or disabled (Off)
using the control system (
page 176).
iThe tow-away alarm is switched off on
a one-time basis only. It will be armed
automatically the next time you lock
the vehicle.
If you have disabled the tow-away
alarm feature in the control system
(page 176), you can also switch on
the tow-away alarm on a one-time basis
as described above.

104 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsCanceling tow-away alarm
To cancel the alarm after it has been
triggered:
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or

Press theŒ or ‹button on the
SmartKey.With KEYLESS-GO*

Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.

105 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

106 Controls in detailIn the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed in your vehicle.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions of your vehicle, this section will
be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are
given at the beginning of each segment.Locking and unlocking
For more information on locking and un-
locking, see “Getting started” (
page 31)
and (
page 62).
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The locking tabs for the mechanical key
portion of the two SmartKeys are a differ-
ent color to help distinguish each
SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors


the tailgate


the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button* for tailgate
3Locking tab for mechanical key
4ŒUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6ÂPanic button (
page 91)

107 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. It is possible
for children to open a locked door from the
inside, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the SmartKey to high levels of
electromagnetic radiation.
iUSA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.
iCanada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of
Industry Canada. Operation is subject
to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.iYou can also open and close the power
windows (
page 230) and tilt/sliding
sunroof* (page 235) using the
SmartKey.

108 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingFactory setting
Global unlocking
Press buttonŒ.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and reactivate the anti-theft alarm system
within approximately 40 seconds of un-
locking if:


neither door nor tailgate is opened


the SmartKey is not inserted in the
starter switch


the central locking switch is not acti-
vatedGlobal locking

Press button‹.
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the SmartKey so that
pressingŒ only unlocks the driver’s
door and the fuel filler flap.

Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about five seconds
until battery check lamp5 flashes
twice.
The SmartKey will then function as fol-
lows:Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap

Press buttonΠonce.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knob in the driver’s door moves
up. The anti-theft alarm system is
disarmed.
Global unlocking

Press buttonΠtwice.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is
disarmed.
Global locking

Press button‹.
All turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.

109 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Restoring to factory setting
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about six seconds
until battery check lamp5 flashes
twice.Checking the batteries

Press button‹orŒ.
Battery check lamp5 comes on
briefly to indicate that the SmartKey
batteries are in order.Unlocking and opening the tailgate
(Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*)
You can unlock and open the tailgate sep-
arately.
A minimum height clearance of 7 ft
(2.15 m) is required to open the tailgate.

Press and hold buttonŠ on the
SmartKey until the tailgate unlocks and
begins to open.
!If you cannot lock or unlock the vehicle
with the SmartKey, then either the bat-
teries in the SmartKey are discharged,
the SmartKey is malfunctioning or the
vehicle battery is drained.

Check the batteries in the
SmartKey and replace them if
necessary (
page 440).


Use the mechanical key to unlock
the driver’s door (
page 436).


Use the mechanical key to lock the
driver’s door (
page 436).


Have the vehicle battery and the
battery connections checked.
If the SmartKey is malfunctioning, con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
iIf battery check lamp5 does not
come on briefly during check, then the
SmartKey batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 440).
You can obtain the required batteries
at any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
iIf the batteries are checked within
signal range of the vehicle, pressing the
button‹orŒ will lock or un-
lock the vehicle accordingly.
!The tailgate swings open upwards auto-
matically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tail-
gate stops moving.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally when closed. The turn signals will
flash three times to confirm locking.