MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2012 W166 Owner's Guide

Tow
ingat rail er
Activ ePark ing Assist ..................... 189
Cl eani ngthe trail ertow hitch .........322
Cou pling up atrail er...................... 215
Decoup lingatrail er....................... 217
Driving tips.................................... 210
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 210
Install ingthe ballcoup ling............. 214
Ligh tsdis pla ym essage .................. 250
Mou nting dimensions .................... 391
Pow ersup ply................................. 219
Pul ling away with atrail er.............. 141
Rem oving theballcoup ling............ 218
Shift range ..................................... 147
Storing theballcoup ling................ 218
Trai lerloads................................... 391
Towi ngaway
With both axleson the grou nd....... 344
Tow-s tarting
Emergency enginestarting ............ 345
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 343
Trailer couplin g
see Towingatrail er
Trailer loadsanddrawbar
nos eweig hts ...................................... 218
Trailer towing
Active BlindSpotAssist ................. 205
Active LaneKeepingAssist ............ 208
Blind SpotAssist ............................ 200
ESP ®
................................................ 64
PARKT RONIC................................. 185
Permi ssibletrail erloa dsand
dra wba rnoseweights ..................... 218
Transmiss ion
see Automa tictransmis sion
Transporting thevehi cle .................. 345
Traveli nguphill
Brow ofhill....... ..............................166
Driving downhill ............................. 167
Maxi mum gradient-clim bing
capa bility ....................................... 166
Trim pieces(clean inginstruction s).3 24
Trip computer (on-bo ard
co mputer) .......................................... 227
Trip meter
see Trip odom eter Trip
odome ter
Ca lling up ....... ..................... ...........227
Res etting (on-boa rdcompu ter)...... 228
Trunk
see Tailga te
Turn signals
Displ aymessa ge............................ 251
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 111
TWR (TongueWeight Rating)
(defi nition) ......................................... 374
Type identification plate
see Vehi cleidentificati onplate U
Unl
ocking
Emergency unlocking ....................... 80
From insidethe vehi cle(central
unlo cking button) ............................. 79 V
Vanity
mirror(insun visor).............. 295
Vehic le
Corr ectuse ...................................... 25
Data acquisition ............................... 26
Displ aymessa ge............................ 265
Equi pment ....................................... 21
Indivi dualsett ings .......................... 233
Limi tedWarr anty ............................. 26
Load ing.......................................... 362
Locking (inanemerg ency)............... 80
Locking (SmartKe y)....... ................... 73
Lowe ring........................................ 337
Mai ntenance .................................... 22
Parki ngfor along period....... .........157
Pul ling away ................................... 141
Ra ising ........................................... 334
Rep orting problems ......................... 25
Tow ingaway .................................. 343
Transp orting.................................. 345
Unlocking (inanemerg ency)........... 80
Unlocking (SmartKey)...................... 73
Vehi cledata ................................... 390
Vehic lebattery
see Battery (vehicle)
Vehic ledata ....................................... 390
see Techni caldata In
dex
19

Vehi
cle dime nsions........................... 390
Vehic leemerge ncylocking ................ 80
Vehic leiden tification number
see VIN
Vehic leiden tification plate.............. 381
Vehic lelev el(dis play messag e)....... 258
Vehic letool kit.................................. 328
Video (DVD) ..................... ................... 230
VIN ...................................................... 381W
Warning
andindicator lamps
ABS ............................ .................. .. 272
Brakes ........................................... 271
Che ckEngine ................................. 276
Coo lant .......................................... 277
Distance warning ........................... 279
DISTRONI CPLUS ........................... 279
ESP ®
.............................................. 273
ESP ®
OFF .......................................274
Fuel tank ............................... 276,277
Overvi ew.......................................... 30
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
indi cator lamp .................................. 44
Res erve fuel....... ....... ............. 276,277
Seat belt........................................ 269
SRS ............................ .................... 275
Tire press uremonitor .................... 280
Warranty ............................................ 381
Washer fluid
Displ aymessa ge............................ 267
see Winds hieldwa sher system
Whee lbol ttight ening torque ........... 337
Whee lcho ck...................................... 334
Whee ls
Cha nging awheel .......................... 333
Che cking ........................................ 351
Cl eani ng....... ....... ..................... ...... 320
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 350
Interchangi ng/changing................ 374
Mou nting awheel .......................... 336
Rem oving awheel .......................... 336
Storing ........................................... 375
Tig htening torque....... .................... 337
Whee lsize/ tires ize ....................... 375Windo
wcurtain airbag
Displ aymessa ge............................ 246
Opera tion............ ...... .......................4 4
Windo ws
Cl eani ng...... ...... ............................. 321
see Side windows
Windshi eld
Defrosting ...................................... 131
Infrared reflective .......................... 309
Winds hieldwasher system.............. 315
Notes ............................................. 390
Winds hieldwiper s
Problem (malfunction) ................... 120
Rea rwindow wiper........................ 118
Rep lacing thewiper blades ............ 119
Switchi ngon/off ........................... 118
Winte rdriving
Imp orta ntsafety note s.................. 352
Slip pery road surfaces................... 162
Snow chains.................................. 353
Winte roperatio n
Ra dia tor cover ............................... 313
Winte rtires
M+S tires....................................... 352
Wiper blades
Cl eani ng....... ..................... ............. 321
Importa ntsafe tynotes .................. 119
Rep lacing (rearwindow) ................ 119
Rep lacing (windshi eld)................... 119
Woo dentrim (clean ing
ins truction s)...................................... 32420
In
dex

Product
informat ion Mercedes-B
enzrecommen dsthat youuse
genuine Mercedes-B enzparts, conversion
parts andaccessories thathave been
approved forthe type ofvehicle.
Mercedes-B enztests genuine partsaswell as
conv ersion partsandaccessories whichhave
been specifically approvedforyour vehicle for
their reliabi lity,safety andsuitabili ty.Despite
ongoing marketresearch, Mercedes-B enzis
unable toassess otherparts. Therefore,
Mercedes-B enzaccepts noresponsibility for
the use ofsuch parts inMercedes-B enz
vehicles, evenifthey have been
independent lyor officially approved. Theuse
of non- approved partscould affect your
vehicle's operating safety.Mercedes-B enz
therefore recommen dsthat youusegenuine
Mercedes-B enzparts, conversion partsand
accessories thathave been approved forthe
type ofvehicle. Genuine Mercedes-B enz
parts, approved conversion partsand
accessories areavaila blefrom anyauthorized
Mercedes-B enzCenter. Here,youwillreceive
advice aboutpermissible technical
modifications, andtheparts willbe
professionally installed. Operat
or'sManual Notes
onthe Operat or'sManual
This Operator's Manualcontains agreat deal
of helpful information .Weurge youtoread it
carefully andfamiliarize yourselfwiththe
vehicle beforedriving.
For your ownsafety andlonger servicelife of
the vehicle, weurge youtofollow the
inst ruct ions andwarnings contained inthis
Operator 'sManual. Ignoringthem could
result indamage tothe vehicle orperson al
inj ury toyou orother s.Vehicle damage
caused byfailure tofollow instruct ions isnot
cover edbythe Mercedes- BenzLimited
Warran ty. Veh
icle equipm ent
This Operat or'sManual describes allmodels
and allstandard andoptional equipmen tof
your vehicleavail able atthet ime of
publicat ionofthe Operat or'sManual.
Count ry-specif icdiff eren cesarepossible .
Please notethat your vehic lemay notbe
equipped withallfeat ures described. This
also applies tosafet y-related systems and
func tions.The equipmen tiny our vehicle may
therefor ediffer fromthatshown inthe
description sand illustrations. Allthe systems
found inyour vehicle arelisted inthe original
purchase agreement ofyour vehicle. Should
you have anyquestions concerning
equipment andoperation, pleaseconsult an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter.
The Operating Instruction sand the
Maintenan ceBooklet areimportant
document sand should bekept inthe vehicle. Service
andvehicle operation Service
andliterat ure
Your vehicle iscovered undertheterms ofthe
warranties printedinthe Servic eand
Warranty Information booklet. Your
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter will
exchan georrepair anydefectiv eparts
originally installedinthe vehicle in
accordanc ewith theterms ofthe following
warranties:
R New Vehicle Limited Warranty
R Emission SystemsWarranty
R Emission Performan ceWarranty
R Cali fornia, Connect icut,Maine,
Massachusetts, NewYork, Pennsylvania,
Rhode IslandandVermont Emission
Control System Warranty 1
R Stat eWarranty Enforcem entLaws (Lemon
Laws)
1 Valid onlyforvehicles withagasoline engine. Introdu
ction
21

Infor
mation for cust omersin
Cali fornia
Un der Califo rnia law you may beentitled toa
rep lace men tofyour vehicle orarefund ofthe
purchase priceorlease price, ifafter a
reasonable numberofrepair attempt s
Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC and/or its
authorized repairorservice facilities failtofix
one ormore substant ialdefects or
malfunct ionsinthe vehicle thatarecovered
by its express warranty. Duringtheperiod of
18 mont hsfrom original delivery ofthe
vehicle orthe accumulation of18 000 miles
(approximately 29000 km)onthe odometer
of the vehicle, whichever occursfirst,a
reasonable numberofrepair attempt sis
presumed foraretail buyer orlessee ifone or
more ofthe following occurs:
(1) thesame substant ialdefect or
malfunct ionresults inacondit ionthat is
likely tocause deathorserious bodily
injury ifthe vehicle isdriven, thatdefect
or malfunct ionhas been subject torepair
two ormore times, andyouhave directly
not ified Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC in
writing ofthe need foritsrepair.
(2) thesame substant ialdefect or
malfunct ionofaless serious naturethan
category (1)has been subject torepair
four ormore times andyouhave directly
not ified Mercedes-B enzinwriting ofthe
need foritsrepair.
(3) thevehicle isout ofservice byreason of
repair ofthe same ordifferent substantial
defects ormalfunct ionsforacumulative
tot alof more than30calendar days.
Please sendyourwritten notice to:
Mercedes-B enzUSA ,LLC
Customer AssistanceCenter
One Mercedes Drive
Mont vale, NJ0764 5-0350 Maintenance
The Servic eand Warranty Bookletdescribes
all the necessary maintenancework which
should bedone atregular intervals.
Always havetheServic eand Warranty
Booklet withyouwhen youbring thevehicle
to an authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter. The
service advisor willrecord everyservice for
you inthe Servic eand Warranty Booklet. Roadsid
eAssistance
The Mercedes-B enzRoadside Assistance
Program offerstechnicalhelp inthe event of
a breakdown. Callsto the toll-fr eeRoadside
Assist anceHotline areanswered byour
agents 24hours aday, 365days ayear.
1-800-FOR-MER Cedes(1-800-367-6372)
(USA)
1-800-387-0100 (Canada)
For additional information,refer tothe
Mercedes-B enzRoadside Assistance
Program brochure (USA)orthe "Road side
Assist ance" section inthe Servic eand
Warranty booklet(Canada) .You will find both
in your vehicle literature portfolio.
In accordanc ewith standard program
guideli nes,Roadside Assistanceprovides
vehicle service uptoareasonable distance
from thenext paved road.Wewill make every
effort toassist inabreakdown situation.
However, theaccessibility ofyour vehicle will
be determin edbyour authorized Mercedes-
Benz Servic etechn icianorthe tow service
provider onacase-by-case basis.
Additional chargesmaybeapplicabl efor a
breakdown locationdetermin ednot tobe a
reasonably accessibleroadsidelocationas
determin edbyour authorized technicianand
tow service provider. 22
Introdu
ction

Cha
nge ofaddress orcha nge of
owner ship
In theeve ntofach ang eof addre ss,please
sen dus the"Chan geofAd dres sNot ice"
foun din theSer viceand Warr anty
In for mat ionBoo klet,or sim plycall the
Mer cedes-Ben zCust ome rAssistance Center
(in the USA) atthe hotline number
1-80 0-FOR-ME RCedes(1-800- 367-6372) or
Customer ServiceCenter(inCanada )at
1-80 0-387-0100.This willassist usin
cont acting youinatimely manner shouldthe
need arise.
If you sellyour Mercedes, pleaseleavethe
entire literature inthe vehicle sothat itis
avail able tothe next owner.
If you bought thisvehicle used,besure to
send inthe "Notice ofPurchase ofUsed
Truck" foundinthe Service andWarranty
Information Booklet,orcall theMercedes-
Benz Customer Assistance Center(inthe
USA) at
1-80 0-FOR-ME RCedes(1-800- 367-6372) or
Customer Service(inCanada )at
1-80 0-387-0100. Vehicle
operation outsidetheUSA
and Canada
If you plan tooperate yourvehicle inforeign
countries, pleasebeawa rethat:
R service facilities orreplacement partsmay
not bereadil yavail able.
R unleade dfuel forvehicles withacatalytic
convert ermay notbeavail able. Leaded fuel
may cause damage tothe catalytic
convert er.
R the fuel may have aconsiderably lower
octane rating.Unsuitable fuelcancause
engine damage .
Some Mercedes-Benz modelsareavail able
for delivery inEurope through ourEuropean
Delivery Program. Fordetails, consult an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Centerorwrite to
one ofthe followi ngaddresses. In
the USA Mercedes-Benz
USA,LLC
European DeliveryDepartment
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ07645 -0350
In Canada Mercedes-Benz
Canada,Inc.
European DeliveryDepartment
98 Vanderhoof Avenue
Toronto, OntarioM4G4C9 Sport
Utility Vehicle G
WARNING This
Sport Utility Vehicle isdesigned forboth
on-road andoff-road use.Itcan goplaces and
perform tasksforwhich conven tional2-wheel
drive passenger carsarenot intended. This
vehicle willhandle andmaneuver differently
from conven tionalpassenger carsindriving
conditions whichmayoccur onstreets,
highwa ysand off-road use.
This vehicle hasahigher ground clearance
and ahigher centerofgravity thanmany
passenger cars.Aswith other vehicles ofthis
type, ifyou make sharp turnsatexcessive
speeds orabrupt maneuvers, thevehicle may
roll over ormay goout ofcont roland crash.
Utility vehicles haveasignificantly higher
rollover ratethan other types ofvehicles.
Failure tooperate thisvehicle safelymay
result inan accident, rolloverofthe vehicle,
and severe orfatal injury.
Before youstart todrive thisvehicle, readthe
Operator's Manual.Take timeto bec ome
fam iliar with thedriv ingcharac terist ics ofthis
veh icle.Besure youarefamiliar withall
vehicle controls. Learn howyour vehicle
handles ondifferen troad surfaces. Donot
attempt sharpturnsatexcessive speedsor
abrupt maneuvers orother unsafe driving
actions thatcancause lossofvehicle control.
When driving off-road orworking thevehicle Introdu
ction
23 Z

hard,
donot overload it.And, alwayswear
your seatbelts atall times. Inarollover crash,
an unbelted personissignificantly morelikely
to die than aperson wearing aseat belt. Operat
ingsafety Safety
notes G
WARNING Work
improperly carriedoutonelectronic
componen tsand associated softwarecould
cause themtocease functioning. Because the
vehicle's electronic componentsare
interc onnec ted,anymodifications mademay
produce anundesired effectonother
systems. Electronicmalfunctions could
seriously impairtheoperating safetyofyour
vehicle.
Contact anauthorized Mercedes-Ben zCent er
for repairs ormodificat ionstoelectr onic
compon ents.
Other improper workormodificat ionsonthe
vehicle couldalsohave anegativ eimpact on
the operatin gsafety ofthe vehicle.
Some safety systems onlyfunction when the
engine isrunn ing.You should thereforenever
turn offthe engine whiledriving. G
WARN
ING Heavy
blowsagainst thevehicle underbody or
tires/ wheels maycause serious damage and
impair theoperatin gsafety ofyour vehicle.
Such blows canbecaused, forexample, by
runn ingover anobstacle, roaddebris ora
pothole.
If you feel asudden significantvibration or
ride disturbanc e,or you suspect thatdamage
to your vehicle hasoccurr ed:
R turn onyour hazard warning flashers.
R slow down carefully.
R drive withcaution toan area which isasafe
distanc efrom theroad.
Inspec tthe vehicle underbody andtires/
wheels forpossible damage. Ifthe vehicle appea
rsunsafe, haveittowed tothe nearest
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCent eror other
qualified maintenanc eor repair facility for
furth erinspect ionorrepairs. On-boar
ddiagnost icinter face G
WARN
ING If
you connectequipmen tto the on-board
diagnos ticsint erfac e,itcan affec tthe
operat ionofthe vehic lesyste ms.This can
impair theoperat ingsafet yofyour vehicle
while driving. Thereisarisk ofaccident .
Do not conn ectany equipment tothe on-
board diagnostics interface. G
WARNING Loose
equipment orequipment cableswhich
are conn ected tothe on-board diagnostics
interf acecan obstruct thearea around the
pedals. Theequipment orthe cables couldget
between thepedals inthe event ofsudden
braking oracceleration. Youmay then no
longer beable tobrake, operate theclutch or
accelerate asinten ded.There isarisk of
accident .
Do not attach anyequipment orcables inthe
driver footwell.
Connect ingequipment tothe on-board
diagnostics interfacecan lead toemissions
monit oringinformat ionbeing reset. Thismay
lead tothe vehicle failingtomeet the
requirements atthe next special emissions
test ormain inspect ion.
If the engine isswitched offand equipment
on the on-board diagnostic interfaceisused,
the start erbattery maydischarge.
The on-board diagnostics interfaceisonly
inten dedforthe conn ection ofdiagnostic
equipment ataquali fiedspecialist workshop. 24
Introdu
ction

Qualified
specialist workshop
An authorized Mercedes-BenzCenter isa
qualified specialist workshop. Ithas the
neces saryspecialist knowledge, toolsand
qualifications tocorr ectlycarry outthework
required onyour vehicle. Thisisespecially the
case forwork relevant tosafety.
Observe thenotesinthe service booklet.
Always havethefollowing workcarried outat
an authorized Mercedes-BenzCenter :
R work relevant tosafety
R service andmainten ancework
R repair work
R alteration s,inst allation workand
modificat ions
R work onelectr oniccompon ents Proper
use G
WARNIN
G There
arevarious warning stickersaffixed to
your vehicle. Theirpurpose isto alert youand
others tovarious dangers. Therefore, donot
remove anywarning stickersunless the
stick erclearly statesthatyoumay doso.
If you remove anywarning stickers,youor
others couldfailtorecogn izecert aindangers
and beinjured. G
WARNIN
G HYBRID
vehicles: Itis imperative thatyouread
the HYBRID Supplement alOperatin g
Inst ruction sincluded inyour vehicle literature
portf olio. Youmay otherwise notreceive all
neces sarysafety informationandwarning for
the operation ofyour vehicle.
The proper useofthe vehicle requires that
you familiarize yourselfwiththefollowing
inform ationandrules:
R safety notesinthis Operator' sManual
R tec hnical datainthis Operator' sManual R
traff icrules andregulations
R laws andsafety standards pertainingto
motor vehicles Problems
withyour vehicle
If you should experien ceap roble mwithyour
vehic le,part icularly onethat youbelieve may
affec tits safe opera tion,we urge youto
conta ctan autho rized Merce des-Be nzCenter
im med iatel yto have the problem diag nos ed
and rectified. Ifthe problem isnot resolved to
yo ur satis factio n,plea se discu ssthe problem
ag ainw ithaMerc edes- BenzCent eror
con tact usatone ofthe following addresses.
In the USA Customer
AssistanceCenter
Mercedes- BenzUSA ,LLC
One Mercedes Drive
Mont vale, NJ076 45-035 0
In Canada Customer
RelationsDepartment
Mercedes- BenzCanad a,Inc.
98 Van derh oofAvenue
Tor onto,On tarioM4G 4C9 Rep
orting malfunct ions releva ntto
saf ety
For theUS Aon ly:
The followin gte xt isrepr oduc edasrequi red
of all man ufacturers according toTitle49 ,
Code ofU.S. Fed eral Regulat ions,Part 575
purs uant totheNat ionalTraf ficand Motor
Veh icle SafetyAc tof 19 66.
Rep orting safety defects If
you believ eth at your vehicle has adef ect
whic hco uld caus eacr ash orcould caus e
inj ury ordeat h,you should imm ediat ely
inf orm theNat ionalHig hway TrafficSaf ety Int
rod uction
25 Z

Admi
nistration(NH TSA) inad ditio nto
noti fying Merced es-BenzUSA, LLC.
If NHT SArece ivessimil arcomp laints ,it ma y
op en aninve stigatio n,and ifit find stha ta
safety defect existsinagroup ofvehicles, it
may order arecall andremedy campaign.
However, NHTSAcannotbecome involved in
individua lproblems betweenyou,your
deale r,or Mercedes-Benz USA,LLC.
To cont actNHTSA ,you may calltheVehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at
1-88 8-327-4236(TTY: 1-800-42 4-9153);go
to: http://www .safercar.gov;orwrite to:
Administrator ,NHTSA Headqua rters,
1200 NewJersey Avenue, SE,West Building,
Washington, DC20590 .
You canalso obtain additional information
abou tvehicle safety from:
htt p://ww w.safer car.gov. Limited
Warrant y
! Follow theinstruct ions inthis manual
about theproper operation ofyour vehicle
as well asabout possible vehicledamage.
Damage toyour vehicle thatarises from
culpable contraven tionsagainst these
inst ruct ions arenot cover edeither by
Mercedes- BenzLimited Warrantyor by the
New orUsed-Veh icleWarrant yof
Daimler AG. Data
storedinthe vehicle Inform
ationabout electronic data
acquisit ioninthe vehicle
(Inc luding notice pursuant toCalifornia Code
§ 995 1)
Your vehicle recordselectr onicdata. Ifyour
vehicle isequipped withmbrace 2
, data is
tran smitt edinthe event ofan acciden t. This
information helps,forexample, totest
vehicle systems afteranacciden tand to
con tinually improve vehiclesafety.
Daimler AGcan access thisdata andsubmit
it:
R for safety research orvehicle diagnosis
purposes
R with theconsent ofthe vehicle owner
R on the instruct ionofprosecut ing
authorit ies
R for use inarbitrat ionofdisputes that
involve Daimler AG,itsaffiliates orits sales
and servic eorganiz ations
R as other wiserequired orpermit tedbylaw.
Please observe thembrace 2
purchase
agreement forfurth erdetails onthe recor ding
and transfer ofdata bythis system.
2 The system iscalled TELEAIDinCanada. 26
Introd
uction

Cockp
it...................................... ........... 28
Inst rumen tclust er.............................. 29
Mult ifunction steeringwheel............. 31
Center console .................................... 32
Overhea dcontr olpa nel ...................... 34
Door control panel.............................. 35 27At a glance

Cockp
it Funct
ion Pag
e :
St
eer ing wheel paddle
shif ters 14
7 ;
Comb
inationswit ch 11
1 =
In
st rum entclus ter 29
?
Hor
n A
DI
RECT SELECT leve r 14
4 B
PA
RKTRO NICwarn ing
displ ay 18
3 C
Ove
rheadcontrol pane l 34
D
Climat
eco ntrol syst ems 12
2 E
Ign
ition lock 13
9 St
art /S topbut ton 13
9 Funct
ion Pag
e F
Ad
jus tsthest eer ing wheel
man ually 10
0 G
Ad
jus tsthest eer ing wheel
elec tricall y 10
0 St
eer ing wheel heating 10
1 H
Cruise
control leve r 16
8 I
Open
sth ehood 31
2 J
On
-bo ard diagn ostic
int erf ace 24
K
Ele
ctric park ingbrak e 15
6 L
Ligh
tswitc h 10
8 M
Night
ViewAssist Plus 19
5 28
CockpitAt a glance