lights MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV 2012 User Guide

If th
efront-passenger seat of yo urvehicle
does no thave automatic child seat recogni-
tion, this is indicated by aspecial sticker. The
sticker is affixed to the side of the dashboard
on the front-passenger side. The sticker is
visible when you open the front-passenger
door.
Vehicles without automatic child seat recog-
nition on the front-passenger seat: if you turn
the key to position 2inthe ignition lock ,the
PAS SENG ER AIRBAG OFF 4indicator
lamp lights up briefly. It has no function, how-
ever, and doe snot indicate that the front-
passenger seat is equipped with automatic
child seat recognition. The front-passenger seat sensor system for
child restraint system
sdetect swhether a
special Mercedes-Ben zchild seat with a
transpo nder for automatic child seat recog-
nition has been fitted. In this case, 4
PASSENGER AIRBA GOFF indicato rlamp :
lights up. The front-passenger front airbag is
disabled. i
If the front-passenger front airbag is dis-
abled by the automatic child seat recogni-
tion, the following remain enabled on the
front-passenger side:
R the sidebag
R the windowbag
R the belt tensioner
ISOFI Xchilds eat securing system for
the rear seats G
WARNING
Ac hild restraint system secured by the ISOFIX
chil dseat securing system does not provide
sufficien tprotection for children weighing
more than 22 kg. For this reason, do not
secure children weighing more than 22 kg in
ac hild restraint system secured by the ISOFIX
chil dseat securing system. If the child weighs
mor ethan 22 kg, secur ethe chil drestraint
system with the vehicle seat belt as well. In
addition ,when fittin gachild restraint system,
be sur etoobservethe manufacturer' sinstal-
latio ninstructions and the instructions for
correct use of the child restraint system. G
WARNING
The child restraint system cannot perform its
protective function if it is not correctly fitted
to as uitable vehicle seat. The child cannot be
restrained in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or sudde nchanges of direction. The
chil dcould be seriously or even fatally injured.
For this reason, when fittin gachild restraint
system ,besure to observe the manufactur-
er's installatio ninstructions and the instruc-
tions for correct use of the child restraint sys-
tem.
For safety reasons, whe ninstalling child
restraint systems on the outer rear seats, only
use child restraint systems with the ISOFIX
child sea tsecuring system, which are spe-
ciall ytested and approved for Mercedes-Benz
vehicles.
An incorrectly fitted child restraint system
could com eloose and seriously or even fatally Children in the vehicle
53Safety
Z

Problems wit
hautomatic chil dseat recognition Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The
4 PASSENGER
AIRB AGOFF indicator
lam ponthe cen trecon-
sole is lit. As
pecial Mercedes-Benz child seat with atransponde rfor auto-
matic child seat recognition has been fit tedtot he front-passenger
seat. The front-passenger fron tairbag has therefore been disabled
as desired. The
4 PASSENGER
AIRBA GOFF indi cator
lamp on the centr econ-
sole is lit.
or
The 6 warnin glamp
lights up and/or the
4 PASSENGER AIR-
BA GO FF indi cator
lamp doe snot light up
briefly when you switch
the ignition on. G
WARNING
There is no child seat fitted to the fr ont-passengerseat .Automatic
child seat recognition is malfunctioning.
There is arisk of injur y.
X Remove electronic equipment from the front-passenger seat,
e.g.:
R
laptop
R mobil ephone
R card switht ransponders, such as sk ipasses or accessc ards
If the 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is still lit:
X Vis itaq uali fieds pecialist workshop. Suitable positioning of the child
restraint syste
ms X
Ifyou fit achild restraint system to the
front-passenger seat, position the front-
passenger seat in its rearmos tposition.
X If you install achild rest raint system on the
rear seat on the second row, move the rear
seat backrest sinthe secon drow to an
upright position.
Key to the letters used in the following table:
XS eat which is unsuitable for children in
this weight category.
US uitable for child rest raint systems in the
"Universal" categor ythat ar eapproved
for use in this weigh tcategory.
LS uitable for child rest raint systems as rec-
ommended; see th efollowin gtable of
"Recommended child restraint systems"
(Y page 58). Front-passenger seat Weight cat-
egories Front-
passenger
front air-
bag is not
disabled. Front-
passenger
front air-
bag is disa-
bled.
Categor
y0:
up to 10 kg X U
Cate
gory
0+: up to
13 kg X U
Category I:
9to18kg
L U
Category II:
15 to 25 kg
L L
Category
III: 22 to
36 kg
L L56
Children in the vehicleSafety

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or
become distracted, th edriving sa fetysys-
tems ca nneith er reduce th erisk of accident
no ro verri dethe law sofphysics. Driving
safety system sare mere ly aids desig nedto
assis tdrivi ng.You ar eresponsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in fr ont, forvehicle speed
and for braking in good time. Alway sadapt
your drivin gstyle to suit the prevailing road
and weather condition sand maintain asafe
distance from the vehicle in front .Drive care-
fully.
i Thed riving safet ysystems described only
work as effectively as possibl ewhen there
is adequate con tact betwee nthe tyres and
the roa dsurface. Pleas epay special atten-
tion to the notes on tyres, recommended
minimum tyre tread depths ,etc.
(Y page 396).
In wintry driving 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 effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking .The steerability and brakin gcharac-
teristics ma ybeseverely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safet ysystems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diatel yata qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the infor mation on the ABS warning lamp (Y
page 326) and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (Y page 291).
ABS regulate sbrake 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.
The yellow !ABS warnin glamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition
is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Brakes X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To mak eafull brake application:
depress th ebrake peda lwith full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
ap ulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions, and func-
tions as areminder to take extr acare while
driving.
Off-road ABS An ABS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated on:
R
Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age (Y page 252)
R Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253)
At speeds below 30 km/h, the front wheels
lock cyclically during braking. The digging-in
effect achieved in the process reduces the
stopping distance when driving off-road. This
limits steering capability. Driving safety systems
61Safety Z

When the distan
cewarning function is acti-
vated, the multifunction display shows the
Ä symbol as long as the HOLD function is
not activated (Y page 211). On vehicles with
Active Parking Assist, the Äsymbol is dis-
played when position Pis engaged or you are
driving faster than 35 km/h.
The distanc ewarning function can help you
to minimise the risk of acollision with the
vehicle in fron torreduce the effects of such
ac ollision .Ifthe distanc ewarning function
detect sthat ther eisar isk of acollision ,you
will be warned visually and acoustically .The
distanc ewarning function cannot preven ta
collision without your inte rvention.
The distan cewarning function will issue a
warning at speed sofaround 30 km/h or
more if:
R thed istanc etothe vehicle in fron tist oo
short for the speed you ar edriving at for
severa lseconds. The ·distan cewarn-
ing lamp then lights up in the instrument
cluster.
R you are rapidly approaching the vehicle in
front. An intermittent warning ton ewill
then sound and the ·distanc ewarning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster.
X Brak eimmediatel yinordertoi ncreas ethe
distanc efrom th evehicle in front.
or
X Take evasiv eactio nprovide ditiss afe to do
so.
For the distanc ewarning function to assist
you when driving, the function must be acti-
vated in the on-board computer and be opera-
tional (Y page 278).
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause the
system to display an unnecessary warning.
With the help of the radar senso rsystem, the
distanc ewarning function can detect obsta-
cles that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h, the
distance warning fun ction may also detect stationary obstacles, for example, stopped or
parked vehicles.
If you approach an obstacle and the distance
warnin gfunction detects arisk of acollision,
the system will initially aler tyou both visually
and acoustically.
In particular ,the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if ther eis:
R dir tont he sensors or anythin gelse cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interferenc ebyother radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks
R an arro wvehicle travelling in front, e.g. a
motorcycle
R av ehicle travelling in fron tonadifferent
line
Following damage to the fron tend of the vehi-
cle ,havet he configuration and operation of
the radar sensor checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applie stoc olli-
sions at slow speeds where ther eisnovisible
damage to the fron tofthe vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist i
Observ ethe "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). G
WARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions. In these cases, Adaptive Brake Assist
may not intervene. There is arisk of an acci-
dent.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
Adaptive Brak eAssist does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncomi ng vehicles
R to crossing traffic 64
Driving safety systemsSafety

ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes i
Observ ethe "Important safety notes "sec-
tio n(Ypage 61). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is mal functioning, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilis ethe vehicle. In addition, othe rdriving
safety systems are switche doff. This increa-
se st he risk of skiddi ngand an accident.
Driv eonc arefully. Have ESP ®
checked at a
qualified specialis tworkshop.
! Only operat ethe vehicle for amaximum
of ten seconds on abrake dynamometer.
Switch off th eignition.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
ma yoth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! Afunction or performanc etest should
only be carried out on atwin-axle dyna-
mometer .Before you operate th evehicle
on such adynamometer, pleas econsult a
qualified workshop. You coul dotherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ousl ywhen the engin eisrunning.
If the ÷ warning lamp and the åwarn-
ing lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not
available due to amalfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 329 )and display message swhich
ma ybes hown in the inst rument cluster
(Y page 291).
If ESP ®
detects that th evehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or mor ewheels ar ebrake dtos tabilise the
vehicle .The engin eoutput is also modified to
keep the vehicle on the desired course within
physical limits. ESP ®
assists the driver when
pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehicle during braking.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. If ESP
®
intervenes:
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
X When pulling away ,only depress the accel-
erator pedal as far as is necessary.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather condi tions.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyr es izes. Only then will ESP ®
func tion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) Traction con
trol is par tofESP®
.
Tractio ncontrol brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they 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 ®
.
In appropriate drivin gsituations, activate the
off-road program:
X Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age (Y page 252)
X Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253)
Off- road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem) A4
ETS syste mspecifically suited to off -road
ter rain is activated automatically onc ethe off-
roa dprogram is acti vated on:
R Vehicle swithout the ON&OFFROA Dpack-
age (Y page 252)
R Vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253) 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

Deactivating/activating ESP
®G
WARNING
If you deactivat eESP®
,E SP ®
no longer sta-
bilises the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eESP®
in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing. X
To switch off: press button:.
The å ESP®
OF Fw arnin glamp in the
instrumen tcluster lights up.
X To switch on: press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warnin glamp in the
instrumen tcluster goes out.
ESP ®
is activated automatically when the
engin eisstarted.
The ECO start/stop fun ction switches the
engin eoff automaticall yifthe vehi cles tops
moving. When pulling away again, the engine
start sautomatically. ESP ®
remain sinits pre-
viousl yselected status. Example: if ESP ®
was
deactiva tedb efor ethe engine was switched
off ,ESP ®
remains deactivated when the
engine is switched on again.
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
th ei nstrumen tcluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilise th evehicle. It may be best to deact
ivateESP®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using sno wchains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longe rimproves driving stab ility.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
R engine torque is not limited and the drive
wheels are abl etospin. The spinnin gofthe
wheels resu ltsinac utting action for better
traction.
Off-roa dESP® An ESP
®
syste mspecif icall ys uited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road progra misactivate don:
R Vehicles without the ON&OFFROAD pack-
age (Y page252)
R Vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package
(Y page 253)
Off-road ESP ®
intervenes with adelay if there
is oversteerin gorundersteering ,thus improv-
ing traction.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation G
WARNING
If roa dand weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilis ation will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with ahigh centre of gravit ycan
tip over before ESP ®
can detect this. There is
ar isk of an accident.
Always adap tyour driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
lurch, you can only stabilise the vehicle/
trailer combination by depressin gthe brake
firmly. Driving safety systems
67Safety Z

In this situation, ESP
®
assist syou and can
detec tifthe vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by brakin gand limiting the engine outp ut until
the vehicle/trailer combinatio nhas stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 60 km/h.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of amal-
function.
Crosswin dAssist Strong crosswinds can cause your vehicle to
deviate from astraight course. The crosswind
driving assistance function integrated into
ESP ®
significantly reduces thes eeffects.
ESP ®
intervene sautomatically according to
the direction and intensity of the crosswinds
affecting your vehicle.
When driving on straight roads or gentle
bends ,your vehicle is kept safel yonc ourse
by astabilising brake intervention.
Crosswind driving assistance is active above
av ehicle speed of 80 km /h.
Crosswind driving assistance does not work
if ESP ®
is deactivated or disabled because of
am alfunction. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Importan tsafety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61). G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the rear wheels can
still lock, e.g. under full braking. This increa-
ses the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefor eadapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brak esystem checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (Y
page 327) as well as dis-
play messages (Y page 293).
EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking. ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
also has the HOLD function (Y page 211) and
hill start assist (Y page 162). PRE-SAFE
®
Brake
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is only available in vehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can help you to minimise
the risk of acollision with avehicle in front or
reduc ethe effect sofsuchacollision .IfPRE-
SAFE ®
Brake has detected arisk of collision,
you will be warned visually and acoustically
as well as by automatic braking. PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot prevent acollision withou tyour
interven tion.
This func tion will issue awarning if:
R at speeds of around 30 km/ horm ore over
several seconds, the distance maintained
to the vehicle travellin ginfront is insuffi-
cient.
The · distance warning lamp then lights
up in th einstrument cluster.
R at as peed of approximately 7km/h or
high er,y ou ver yquickly approach avehicle
in front.
An intermittent warning tone will then
sound and the ·distance warning lamp
will light up in the instrumen tcluster. 68
Driving safety systemsSafety

R
the doors are closed.
R the tailgate is closed.
Onl ythen is the tow-away protection
primed.
X Lock the vehicle with the key or KEYLESS-
GO.
Tow-awa yprotectio nisprimedafter
approximately 60 seconds.
Switchin goff X
To switc hoff wit hkey: unlock the vehicle
with the key.
or
X Insert the key into the ignition lock.
Tow-awa yprotectio nisswitched off auto-
matically.
X To switch off with KEYLESS-GO: unlock
the vehicle with KEYLESS-GO.
or
X Press the Start/Stop button on the dash-
board. The key must be inside the vehicle.
Tow-awa yprotectio nisswitched off auto-
matically.
Deactivating X
Remove the key from the ignition lock.
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up briefly.
X Lock the vehicle with the key or KEYLESS-
GO.
Tow-awa yprotectio nisdeactivated. Tow-away protec
tion remains deactivated
until:
R the vehicle is unlocked again and
R ad ooriso peneda nd closed agai nand
R the vehicl eislocked again.
To prevent afalse alarm, deactivate the tow-
away protection if yo uloc ky ourv ehicle and
it:
R is being transported
R is being loaded onto aferry or car trans-
porter, for example
R is parked on amovable surface, e.g. in a
split-level garage. Interio
rmotion sensor
Function When the interior motion sensor is primed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered if move-
ment is detected in the vehicle interior
.This
can occur if someon ereaches into the vehicle
interior, for example.
Activating X
Make sure that:
R
the side windows are closed.
R the hinged side windows are closed.
R the sliding sunroof/panorama sliding
sunroof is closed.
R there are no objects, e.g. mascots, hang-
ing on the rear-view mirror or on the grab
handles on the roof trim.
This will prevent false alarms.
X Make sure that: 72
Anti-theft systemsSafety

X
Push release cat ch: in the direction of
the arrow and at the same time, remove
emergenc ykey element ;from the key. Ba
ttery of the key
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Batteries are toxic and contain caustic sub-
stances. For this reason, keep batteries out of
the reach of children.
If ab attery has been swallowed, visit adoctor
immediately. H
Environment
alnote Bat
teri es contain pollutants.
It is illegal to dispose of them
with the household rubbish.
They must be collec teds ep-
arately and disposed of in an
environmen tally responsible
recycling system. Dispose of batteries in an
environmentally responsible
manner
.Take discharged
batteries to aqualified spe-
cialist workshop or to acol-
lection point for used batter-
ies.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have
the batteries replaced at aqualified specialist
workshop. Checking the battery X
Press the &or% button.
The battery is working properly if battery
check lamp :lights up briefly.
The battery is discharge difbattery check
lamp :does not light up briefly.
X Change the battery (Y page 79).
i If the key battery is checked within the
signal reception range of the vehicle, press-
ing the &or% button:
R locks or
R unlocks the vehicle
i You can get abattery at any qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Replacing the battery You require
aCR20253Vc ell battery.
X Take the emergenc ykey elemen tout of the
key (Y page 78). :
Battery compartment cover
; Emergency key element Key
79Openin gand closing Z

i
Further related subjects:
R EASY-ENT RY/EXIT feature
(Y page 111)
R storing setting s(Ypag e115) Ste
ering wheel heating
Switchin gon/off X
Make sure that the key is in position 2in
the ignition lock.
X To switch on/off: turn the lever in the
direction of arrow :or;.
Indicator lamp =lights up or goe sout.
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: when you
remove the key from the ignition lock, the
steering wheel heating is switched off.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: when you switch
off the ignition and open the driver' sdoor, the
steerin gwheel heating is switched off.
Problems wit hthe steering whee lheat-
ing The steerin
gwheel heating has switched
itsel foff prematurely or cannot be switched
on. Th evehicle' selectrical system voltage is
too low because too many electrical consum-
ers are switched on.
X Switc hoff elect rical consumers that you do
not need, such as the rear window heating
or inte rior lighting. EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Make sur ethat nobody can becom etrapped
when you activate th eEASY-ENTRY/EXI Tfea-
ture.
If there is arisk of someon ebecomin gtrap-
ped, stop th eadjustment procedure. To halt
the procedure:
R press the steerin gcolum nadjustment but-
ton.
R briefly press one of the memory fun ction
position buttons.
The steerin gcolum nstops moving immedi-
ately.
Do not keep the memory function position
button pressed down, otherwise the memory
function will start and the steerin gwheel and
seat will begin to move.
Never leav echildren unsupervised in the vehi-
cle. They coul dopen the driver' sdoor and
thereby unin tentionally activate the EASY-
ENTRY feature and become trapped.
The EASY-ENTRY/EX ITfeature make sgetting
in and out of your vehicle easier.
You can activa teand deactivat ethe EASY-
ENTRY/ EXIT feature in th eon-board com-
puter (Y page285).
Positio nofthe steering whee lwhen the
EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature is active Th
es teering whee ltilts upwards if you:
R remov ethe key from the ignition lock
R open the driver's door and KEYL ESS-GO is
in position 1
R ope nthe driver's door and the key is in
position 0or 1in the ignition lock
i The steerin gwheel only moves upwards if
it has not already reached the upper end
stop. Steering wheel
111Seats, steering whee land mirrors Z