steering MERCEDES-BENZ GL SUV 2012 User Guide

R
do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover of
the driver's/front-passenger fron tairbag,
particularly when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the airbag to be fully deployed.
You could be injured if the airbag is
deployed and you are holding the inside of
the steering wheel.
R do not lean on the doors from inside the
vehicle.
R make sure that ther eare no people ,ani-
mals or obje ctsb etween the vehicle occu-
pants and the area where the airbags are
deployed.
R do not place any objects between the seat
back rest and the door.
R do not hang any har dobjects, e.g. coat
hangers ,onthe gra bhandles or coat hooks.
R do not attac haccessories ,e.g. cup holders,
to the doors.
It is not possible to rule out arisk of injury
being caused by an airbag, due to the high
speed at which the airbag must be deployed. G
WARNING
Airbag functionality can only be assured if the
following parts are not covered and no badges
or stickers are attached to them:
R padded steering wheel boss
R kneebag cover below the steering column
R front-passenger airbag cover
R outer side of seat bolsters G
WARNING
When an airbag deploys, asmall amount of
powder is released. Th epowder may cause
short-term breathin gdifficulties to persons
sufferin gfrom asthma or other pulmonary
conditions.
In order to prevent potentia lbreathing diffi-
culties, you should leave th evehicle as soon
as it is safe to do so. You can also open the
window to allow fresh air to enter the vehicle interior
.The powder does not constitute a
healt hhazard and does not indicat ethat there
is af ire in the vehicle. G
WARNING
The airbag parts are hot after the airbag has
been deployed. Do not touch them as you
could burn yourself.
Have the airbags replaced at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. Otherwise, occupants are
not protected by the airbags in the event of
another accident.
Airbag deployment slow sdown and restric ts
the movement of the vehicle occupant.
If the airbags are deployed ,you will hear a
bang and asmall amount of powder may also
be released. Only in rare cases will th ebang
affect your hearing. The powde rthat is
released generally does not constitute a
healt hhazard. The 6SRS warning lamp
lights up.
The airbag installation location sare identified
by th eAIRBAG symbol.
Front airbags !
Do no tplace heavy objects on the front-
passenger seat. The system may then
detec tthat the seat is occupied and if there
is an accident ,the restraint system sonthe
front-passenger side could be deployed.
Hav erestraint system sthat hav ebeen trig-
gered replaced. Driver's airbag
:deploys in front of the
steerin gwheel; front-passenger front air- Occupant safety
43Safety Z

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

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

G
WARNING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R when cornering
As aresult, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may neither
give warnings nor intervene in all critical sit-
uations. There is arisk of an accident.
Always pay caref ulattention to the traffic sit-
uation and be read ytobrake.
In order to maintai nthe appropriate distance
to the vehicle in front and thus preven tacol-
lision, you must apply the brake syourself.
X To activate/deactiva te:activate or deac-
tivate PRE-SAFE ®
Brake in the on-board
computer (Y page 278).
When PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is activated, the
Ä symbol appears in multifunction dis-
play ,asl ong as the HOL Dfunction is deac-
tivated (Y page 211). On vehicles with the
Active Parking Assis tdriving system, the
Ä symbo lisdisplayed when position P
is engaged or you are drivin gfaster than
35 km/h.
For PRE-SAFE ®
Brake to assis tyou when driv-
ing, the radar sensor system must be
switched on (Y page 283) and be opera-
tional.
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 operating instructions. The radar senso
rsystem must be switched off
using the on-board computer in the vicinity of
radio telescope facilities 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
For information on switching off the radar
sensor syste musing the on-boar dcomputer,
see (Y page 283).
Following damage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensor schecked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applies to colli-
sions at slow speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle. STEER CONTROL
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
STEE RCONTROL helps you by transmittin ga
noticeable steering force to the steering
wheel in the direction require dfor vehicle
stabilisation.
This steering suppor tisprovide dinparticular
if:
R both right wheel sorboth left wheels ar eon
aw et or slippery road surface when you
brake.
R the vehicle starts to skid.
If there is an ESP ®
malfunction ,you will not
receive any steering suppor tfrom STEER
CONTROL. Powe rsteering will ,however, con-
tinue to func tion. 70
Driving safety systemsSafety

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variation sare pos-
sible. Note that your vehicl emay not be
equippe dwith all of the function sdescri-
bed. This is also the case for system sand
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page25). Key
Impo
rtantsafety notes G
WARNING
Only for the Unite dKingdom: if the vehicle
has been locked with the key or with KEY-
LESS-GO, the double lock function is activa-
ted as standard. It is then not possible to open
the doors from inside the vehicle.
Therefore, do not leave any people behind in
the vehicle, particularly children ,elderly peo-
ple or people requirin gspecial assistance. As
ar esult, they may not be able to free them-
selves in the even tofanemergency. They
could be seriously or eve nfatally injured by
prolonged exposure to extremely high or low
temperatures, for example. In this case, res-
cuing peopl efrom outsid ethe vehicle is diffi-
cult.
Deac tivate th einterior motion sensor before
you lock the vehicle. The doors can then be
opened from the inside after the vehicl ehas
been locked from the outside. G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could: R
open adoor from inside the vehicle at any
time, even if it has been locked
R star tthe vehicle usin gakey which has been
left in the vehicle
R release the electric parking brake
They could thereby endanger themselves and
others. Never leave children unsupervised in
the vehicle. Alway stake the key with you
when leaving the vehicle, even if you are only
leaving it for ashort time. G
WARNING
If ak ey rin gistoo heavy or too large, the
weight actin gonthe key coul dcause it to turn
in the ignition lock or catc honthe steering
wheel. This coul dcause the engine to be
switched off suddenly. You may lose control
of the vehicle and cause an accident. Do not
attac hany heavy or large key rings to the key
that is inserted in the ignition.
R Do not keep the key:
-electronic devices, e.g. amobile phone
or anothe rkey
- metallic objects, e.g. coins or metal film
- metallic objects, e.g. ametal case.
This can affect the key' sfunctionality.
Do not keep the KEYLESS-GO key in the tem-
perature-controlled cup holder. Otherwise,
the KEYLESS-GO key will not be detected.
Keep the key away from strong magnetic
fields. Otherwise, the remot econtrol function
coul dbea ffected. 76
KeyOpenin
gand closing

Usefu
linfor mation ............................ 100
Correct driver's seat position ..........100
Seats .................................................. 101
Steering wheel .................................. 110
Mir rors ............................................... 112
Memor yfunction .............................. 115 99Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variation sare pos-
sible. Note that your vehicl emay not be
equippe dwith all of the function sdescri-
bed. This is also the case for system sand
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page25). Correc
tdriver' sseat position X
Observ ethe safet yguideline sonseat
adjustmen t(Y page 10 1).
X Make sur ethat seat =is adjusted prop-
erly.
Electrical seat adjustmen t(Y page 10 2)
When adjusting the seat, mak esure that:
R you are as far away from the driver' sairbag
as possible.
R you are sitting in anorma lupright position.
R you can faste nthe seat belt properly.
R you hav emoved the backrest to an almost
vertical position. R
you have set the seat angle so that your
thighs ar egently supported.
R you can depress the pedals properly.
X Check whether the head restraint is adjus-
ted properly.
When doing so, mak esure that you have
adjusted the head restraint so that the back
of your head is supported at eye level by
the centre of the head restraint.
X Observe the safety guidelines on steering
wheel adjustment (Y page 110).
X Make sure that steering wheel :is adjus-
ted properly.
Adjusting the steering wheel manually
(Y page 110)
Adjusting the steering wheel electrically
(Y page 110)
When adjusting the steering wheel ,make
sure that:
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent.
R you can move your legs freely.
R you can see all the displ aysint he instru-
men tcluster clearly.
X Observe the safety guidelines for seat belts
(Y page 46).
X Check whether you have fastened seat
belt ;properly (Y page 47).
The seat belt should:
R fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your shoul-
der
R be routed in your pelvic area across the hip
joints
X Befor estartin goff, adjus tthe rear-view mir-
ror and the exterior mirrors in such away
that you have agood view of roa dand traf-
fic conditions (Y page112).
X Vehicle switham emory function: save
the seat, steering wheel and exterior mirror
settings with the memor yfunction
(Y page 115). 100
Correct driver's seat positionSeats, steerin
gwhee land mirrors

Seats
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The seat scan still be adjusted when there is
no key in the ignition lock. For this reason,
children shoul dnever be left unsupervised in
the vehicle. They could adjust the seats and
becom etrapped. G
WARNING
Only adjus tthe driver's seat when the vehicle
is stationary .You will otherwise be distracted
from the road and traffic condition sand you
could los econtrol of the vehicle as aresult of
the seat moving. This could cause an acci-
dent. G
WARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you or
others could be trapped and thereby injured.
Children in particula rcould unintentionally
press the buttons to electrically adjust the
seats and becom etrapped.
Take care that:
R while moving th eseats, your hands do not
get under the lever assembly of the seat
adjustmen tsystem.
R children in the vehicle do not slid etheir
hands unde rthe levers. G
WARNING
Make sur ethat nobody can becom etrapped
when adjustin gthe seats.
Observ ethe note sonairbags.
Secur echildren as recommended; see the
"Childre ninthe vehicle" section. G
WARNING
Make sur ethat the bac kofyour head is sup-
ported at eye level by the cen tralarea of the
head restraint. If your head is not supported
correctly by th ehead restraint ,you coul dsuf-
fer asever eneck injury in the event of an accident
.Never driv eifthe head rest raints are
not engaged and set correctly. G
WARNING
As eat belt can only offer its intended degree
of protection when the back rest is almost ver-
tical and the occupan tiss itting upright. Avoid
seat positions that do not allow the seat belt
to be routed correctly. Adjust the backrest so
that it is as upright as possible .Never travel
with the back rest reclined too fa rbackwards.
You could otherwise be seriousl yoreven
fatally injured in th eevent of an accident or
sudden braking.
! To avoid damag etothe seats and the seat
heating, observe the followin ginformation:
R do not spill any liquids on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
R if the sea tcover sare damp or wet, do not
switc hont he seat heating. The seat
heating should also not be used to dry
the seats.
R clea nthe seat cover sasrecommended;
see "In terior care".
R do not transport heav yloads on the
seats. Do not plac eshar pobjects on the
seat cushions ,e.g. knives, nails or tools.
Th es eats should only be occupied by
passengers, if possible.
R when the seat heatin gisinoperation ,do
not cover the seats with insulating mate-
rials, e.g. blanke ts,c oats, bags, seat cov-
ers, child seats or booster seats.
! Make sure that ther eare no objects in the
footwell or behind th eseats when moving
the seat back .There is arisk that the seats
and/or the objects could be damaged.
i The head restraint scannot be removed
from the fron tseats. The rear-compart-
men thead restraints, however ,can be
removed (Y page 104).
For more information ,contac taqualified
specialist workshop. Seats
101Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

i
Further related subjects:
R Luggage compartment enlargement
(folding do wnthe rear bench seat)
(Y page 341) Adjustin
gthe seats electrically :
Hea drestraint height
; Seat cushion angle
= Seat height
? Seat fore-and-aft adjustment
A Backrest angle
i Vehicles with memory function: if PRE-
SAFE ®
has been triggered, the front-
passenger seat will be moved to abetter
position if it was previously in an unfavour-
able position.
i You can store the seat settings using the
memory function (Y page 115).
i Vehicles with memory function: when the
seat is moved forwards or backwards, the
headrest is moved up or down automati-
cally. Adjusting the hea
drestraints
Adjusting the head restraints manually Adjusting the head restraint height
X
To raise: pull the head restrain tuptot he
desired position.
X To lower: press release catch :in the
direction of the arrow and push the head
restraint down to the desired position.
Adjusting th ehead restraint fore-and-aft
position This func
tion allows you to adjust the dis-
tance between the head restraint and the
back of the head.
X To move forwards: pull the head restraint
forwards in the direction of the arrow until
it engages. 102
SeatsSeats, steering wheel and mirrors

There are
anumber of detents.
X To move backwards: press and hold
release button :and push the head
restraint backwards.
X When the head restraint is in the desired
position, release the button and make sure
that the head restraint is engage dinposi-
tion.
Adjusting th ehead restraints electri-
cally X
To adjust the head restraint height: slide
the switch for head restraint adjustment
(Y page 102 )upordown in the direction of
the arrow.
Adjusting th eluxury head restraints Th
e1 st row of seat shas luxury head
restraints.
X To adjust the side bolsters of the head
restraint: push or pull right and/or left-
hand side bolster :into the desired posi-
tion.
X To adjust the fore-and-af tposition of
the head restraint: push or pull the head
restraint in the direction of arrow ;.Rear seat head restraints Adjusting the rear seat head restraint
height
X
Onc ethe head rest raint is fully lowered,
press release catch :.
X To raise: pull the head restraint up to the
desired position.
X To lower: press release catch :and push
the head restraint down until it is in the
desired position.
Adjusting the rear seat hea drestraint
angle Adjust the head restraints so that they are as
close as possible to your head.
You can only adjust the two outer head
restraints.
X
Using both hands, reach back and grasp
the sides of the head restraint.
X Pull the lower edge of the head restraint
forwards or back until it is in the desired
position. Seats
103Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z