tow MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV 2008 User Guide

Stowage compartments
31Function Page
1
Glove compartment 147
Luggage net in the front-
passenger footwell
139
2
Cup holder in the centre
console*
138
3
Stowage tray
4
Stowage compartment in
the centre console
147
5
Door stowage pocket
6
Cup holder in the centre
console*
138
7
Map pocket 147
8
Cup holder in the rear com-
partment*
138
9
Jack under the rear seat 190
a
Compartment for the vehi-
cle tool kit
190
b
Map pocket
147 Function Page
c
Stowage tray/stowage
compartment under the
armrest
147
d
Door stowage pocket At a glance
* optional
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Occupant safety
32 Occupant safety
Notes on occupant safety
Seat belts, together with belt tensioners, belt
force limiters and airbags, are coordinated
restraint systems. They reduce the risk of
injury in defined accident situations and
thereby increase occupant safety. However,
seat belts and airbags generally do not pro-
tect against objects penetrating the vehicle
from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection, you
should ensure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 60)
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 71)
R the airbags can inflate properly if they are
deployed (Y page 35)
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 66)
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied
i An airbag increases the protection of
vehicle occupants wearing a seat belt.
However, airbags are only an additional restraint system which complements, but
does not replace, the seat belt. All vehicle
occupants must wear their seat belt cor-
rectly at all times, even if the vehicle is
equipped with airbags. This is because - on
the one hand - airbags are not deployed in
all types of accident, as in some situations
airbag deployment would not increase the
protection afforded to vehicle occupants,
provided they are wearing their seat belt
correctly. On the other hand, airbag deploy-
ment only provides increased protection if
the seat belt is worn correctly because:
R
the seat belt helps to keep the vehicle
occupant in the best position in relation
to the airbag
R for example, in a head-on collision, the
seat belt can more adequately prevent
the occupant from being propelled
towards the force of the impact, and is
thus better suited to prevent injury
Therefore, in accident situations where an
airbag is deployed, it only provides protec-
tion in addition to the seat belt if the seat
belt is being worn correctly. G
Risk of accident and injury
Always have maintenance work carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowledge
and tools to carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you use
a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this
purpose.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on
safety-related systems must be carried out
at a qualified specialist workshop. If this
work is not carried out correctly, the oper-
ating safety of your vehicle may be affec-
ted. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
G
Risk of injury
The restraint system may not work as inten-
ded if the following components have been
modified or work on these components has
not been performed correctly:
R restraint system, consisting of the seat
belts and anchorages, belt tensioners,
belt force limiters, airbags
R wiring
R networked electronic systems
Airbags or belt tensioners could then fail,
e.g. in the event of an accident in which the
deceleration force would normally be high
enough to trigger the systems, or they
could be triggered unintentionally. Never Safety
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Occupant safety
34
must be deployed during – and not at the end
of – the collision.
i Airbags are not deployed in all types of
accidents. They are controlled by complex
sensor technology and evaluation logic.
This process is pre-emptive in nature as
airbag deployment must take place during
the impact and must be adapted to provide
calculated, additional protection for the
vehicle occupants. Not all airbags are
deployed in an accident.
The different airbag systems work inde-
pendently of each other. However, the
deployment of each individual system will
depend on the type of accident determined
by the control system in the first stages of
the collision (head-on collision, side impact
and overturn) and the extent of the acci-
dent (in particular, the vehicle's rate of
deceleration or acceleration).
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are basi-
cally determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle R
the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided, e.g. the other vehi-
cle
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of it.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e. g. on the bonnet or the wing, without an
airbag being deployed. This is the case if only
parts which are relatively easily deformed are
affected and the necessary deceleration does
not occur. Conversely, airbags may be
deployed even though the vehicle suffers only
minor deformations. This is the case if, for
example, very rigid vehicle parts such as lon-
gitudinal body members are affected and suf-
ficient deceleration occurs as a result.
Belt tensioners, belt force limiters The front seat belts and the outer seat belts
in the rear are equipped with belt tensioners
and belt force limiters.
!
Do not engage the seat belt tongue in the
buckle on the front-passenger seat if the
seat is not occupied. Otherwise the belt tensioner could be activated in an emer-
gency.
If the seat belt is also equipped with a belt
force limiter, the force exerted by the seat
belt on the seat occupant is reduced.
Belt tensioners tighten the seat belts in an
accident, pulling them close against the body.
i Belt tensioners do not correct incorrect
seat positions or incorrectly fastened seat
belts.
Belt tensioners do not pull occupants back
towards the backrest.
The front belt force limiters are synchronised
with the front airbags, which distribute the
forces exerted by the belt force limiters on
the occupant over a greater area.
The seat belts have an automatic comfort-fit
feature. This reduces the retraction force of
the seat belts, which results in increased seat
belt comfort.
When the ignition is switched on, the belt ten-
sioner is triggered:
R only when the restraint systems are opera-
tional (the 1warning lamp lights up
when the key is turned to position 1in the Safety
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Driving safety sys
tems 49R
do not deactivate ESP ®
under any cir-
cumstances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
The vehicle could otherwise go into a skid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident
if you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override
the laws of physics.
! If:
R the vehicle is being towed with the front
or rear axle raised,
R the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer,
the ignition must be switched off (key in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock). Other-
wise, application of the brakes by ESP ®
could destroy the brake system on the front
or rear axle.
! A function or performance test should
only be carried out on a twin-axle dyna-
mometer. If you wish to operate the vehicle
on such a dynamometer, please consult a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre in advance. You could otherwise damage the drive train
or the brake system.
i If differential locks are switched on, ABS,
BAS and ESP ®
switch themselves off auto-
matically.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
Activating/deactivating ESP ® ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is running.
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
Risk of accident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin. If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. Spinning of the
wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
R and are driving at above 60 km/h, ESP ®
still intervenes when one wheel reaches its
grip limit even though it is switched off.
i If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more
wheels start to spin, the vwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster flashes. In such
situations ESP ®
will not stabilise the vehi-
cle. Safety
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Anti-theft syste
ms 51G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp in the speedom-
eter flashes, proceed as follows:
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R accelerate less when driving.
R adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into a skid.
If you drive too fast, 4ETS cannot reduce
the risk of an accident. 4ETS cannot over-
ride the laws of physics.
! If:
R the vehicle is being towed with the front
or rear axle raised,
R the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer,
the ignition must be switched off (key in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock). Other-
wise, application of the brakes by 4ETS
could destroy the brake system on the front
or rear axle. Anti-theft systems
Immobiliser
The immobiliser prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct key.
X To activate: remove the key from the igni-
tion lock.
X To deactivate: turn the key to position 2
in the ignition lock. ATA* (anti-theft alarm system)
A visual and audible alarm is triggered when
the alarm system is primed and you open:
R a door
R a door using the emergency key element
R the rear door or tailgate (convertible)
R the bonnet
The alarm is also triggered if:
R the position of the vehicle is changed.
R a window is smashed.
The alarm is not switched off even if you close
a door again. 1
Indicator lamp
X To prime: lock the vehicle using the key.
Indicator lamp 1flashes. The alarm sys-
tem is primed after approximately 15 sec-
onds.
X To deactivate: unlock the vehicle using the
key.
i If you then do not open a side door or the
rear door, the alarm system switches itself
back on again after approximately 40 sec-
onds. Safety
* optional
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Anti-theft syste
ms52
Switching off the alarm X
Insert the key into the ignition lock.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the Œor‹ button on the key.
The alarm is switched off. Tow-away protection*
An audible and visual alarm is triggered if the
vehicle's angle of inclination is altered while
tow-away protection is primed. This occurs if
the vehicle is jacked up on one side, for exam-
ple.
Priming tow-away protection X
Switch off the ignition.
X Lock the vehicle using the key.
Tow-away protection is primed after
approximately 30 seconds. Deactivating tow-away protection Deactivate tow-away protection manually to
prevent a false alarm if your vehicle:
R
it is being transported
R is being loaded, e.g. onto a ferry or car
transporter
R is parked on a movable surface, e.g. split-
level garages 1
Deactivating tow-away protection
2 Indicator lamp X
Remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up briefly.
X Lock the vehicle using the key.
Tow-away protection remains deactivated
until the vehicle is unlocked and locked
again. Interior motion sensor*
If the interior motion sensor is primed, a vis-
ual and audible alarm is deployed if move-
ment is detected in the vehicle interior while
the vehicle is locked. This occurs, for exam-
ple, if someone breaks the side windows of
your vehicle or reaches into the vehicle's inte-
rior.
Priming the interior motion sensor X
Make sure that: Safety
* optional
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Seats
63
X
Upper back support: use button3to
adjust the upper back support to the
desired position.
X Backrest side bolsters: use button4to
adjust the backrest side bolsters to the
desired position. Folding the front seats forward (easy-
entry feature of short-wheelbase sta-
tion wagon and cabriolet)
The easy-entry feature makes it easier for
passengers to get in and out of the rear com-
partment. 1
Seat release lever
2 Backrest G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped when moving the seat. If there is a risk
of someone becoming trapped, press the
seat adjustment switch on the door.
! Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats when adjusting
the seats. You could otherwise damage the
seats and the objects.
Folding the seat forward X
Pull seat release lever 1in the direction of
the arrow.
The easy-entry feature is activated:
R the seat cushion and head restraint move
down.
R the seat moves forwards or back,
depending on the starting position.
R backrest 2tilts forwards.
R On the driver's side, the steering wheel
moves upwards and towards the dash-
board.
X Fold backrest 2forwards in the direction
of the arrow.
! Make sure that you only fold backrest
2 forwards when the easy-entry proce- dure is complete. Otherwise, you may dam-
age the multi-contour seat* switch and the
centre console.
Folding the seat back X
Push backrest 2back until the seat and
backrest engage.
The seat cushion, head restraint, backrest
and steering wheel (driver's side) move
back to their original positions.
For reasons of safety, the seat only moves
to its original position when the position
was in front of the easy-entry position.
i Store the seat position using
(Y page 70).
i If your seat position was behind the easy-
entry position, you can return to this posi-
tion by pressing one of the memory but-
tons. Controls
* optional
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Steering wheel
67Steering wheel heating*
The steering-wheel heating heats the leather
areas of the steering wheel. 1
To switch on the steering-wheel heating
2 Indicator lamp
3 To switch off the steering-wheel heating
X To switch on/off: make sure that the key
is in position 1or 2in the ignition lock.
X Turn the lever in direction of arrow 1or
3.
Indicator lamp 2lights up or goes out.
i The steering-wheel heating does not
switch off automatically. Easy-entry/exit feature
The easy-entry/exit feature makes getting in
and out of your vehicle easier.
The steering wheel moves upwards and
towards the dashboard if:
R an easy-entry/exit steering wheel position
has been stored on the key and
R you remove the key from the ignition lock
or
R you open the driver's door with the key in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock.
The steering wheel is moved automatically to
the position previously set when the key is
inserted into the ignition lock with the driver's
door closed.
i The steering wheel only moves upwards
and towards the dashboard if it has not
already reached the upper end stop. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped when you activate the easy-entry/exit
feature.
If there is a risk of becoming trapped, stop
the adjustment procedure. To halt the pro-
cedure: R
press the steering-column adjustment
switch
R press one of the memory function posi-
tion buttons
The steering column stops moving immedi-
ately.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could open the driver's door
and thereby unintentionally activate the
easy-entry feature and become trapped.
You can activate and deactivate the easy-
entry/exit feature via the on-board computer
(Y page 109). Controls
* optional
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Seat belts
73
Front three-point seat belt
1
Belt tongue
2 Release button
3 Buckle
4 Belt sash guide
X To fasten the seat belt: adjust the seat
and move the backrest to an almost vertical
position (Y page 60).
X Pull the seat belt smoothly through belt
sash guide 4. X
Route the seat belt over the centre of the
shoulder without twisting it.
X Engage belt tongue 1in buckle 3.
X If necessary, adjust the seat belt to the
appropriate height (Y page 74).
X If necessary, pull upwards on the shoulder
section of the seat belt to tighten the belt
across your body.
X To release the seat belt: press release
button 2and guide belt tongue 1back
towards belt sash guide 4.Three-point belt in rear 1
Retainer for belt tongues
2 Belt buckle for fixed belt tongue
3 Screwdriver 6
4 Fixed belt tongue
5 Belt buckle for removable belt tongue
6 Release button for removable belt tongue
7 Removable belt tongue
6 Not contained in vehicle tool kit. Controls
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Driving and pa
rking 88
R
the vehicle is secured with the parking
brake
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning Parking
G
Risk of accident
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary as you can-
not steer the vehicle with the key removed.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could release the parking
brake. This could lead to a serious or fatal
accident. G
Risk of fire
Make sure that the exhaust system does
not under any circumstances come into
contact with easily ignitable material such
as dry grass or petrol. The material could
otherwise ignite and set the vehicle on fire. Parking brake 1
Parking brake
2 Release button
X To release: depress the brake pedal and
keep it depressed.
The selector lever lock is released.
X Pull the parking brake 1up firmly.
X Press release button 2on parking brake
1 and move the parking brake down to the
stop.
The 3 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out. X
To apply: pull parking brake 1up firmly.
If the key is in position 1or 2in the ignition
lock, then the indicator lamp 3in the
instrument cluster is on.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the kerb. Switching off the engine
G
Risk of accident
If the engine is not running, there is no
power assistance for the steering and
brakes. Steering and braking then takes
much more effort.
As a result, you might lose control of the
vehicle, cause an accident and injure your-
self and others.
Do not switch off the engine while driving.
Vehicles with automatic transmission X
Move the selector lever to P.
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 59) in
the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated. Controls
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