towing MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owner's Manual

Do not exceed the maximum noseweight.
When driving with aloaded carriersystem,
always adjust your drivin gstyle to th eprevail-
ing road, traffic and weather conditions and
drive par ticularly carefully.
You can use carrier sys tems, e.g. bi cycle
racks or load-bea ringimplements on th eball
coupling. The maximum noseweight of 75 kg
applies when usin gcarrier system sontheball
coupling.
General information i
Chec kthe tyr epressure when towin ga
trailer. You will find the values in the tyre
pressure table in the fuel filler flap of the
vehicle (Y page 359).
You will find installation dimensions and loads
in the "Technical data" section
(Y page 378).
The maximum noseweight of the trailer draw-
bar on the ball coupling is 18
.H owever, the
actual noseweight must not exceed the value
given on the trailer tow hitc hortrailer identi-
ficatio nplates. The lowest weight applies.
! Use anoseweight as close as possible to
the maximum permissible noseweight .Do
not use anoseweight of less than 50 kg,
otherwise the trailer ma ycome loose.
Bear in min dthat the payload and the rear
axl eload ar ereduced by the actual nose-
weight.
Please note that when towing atrailer, PARK-
TRONIC (Y page 191) and Blind Spo tAssist
(Y page 208) ar eonly available with limita-
tions ,orn ot at all.
i On vehicles withou tlevel control, the
height of the ball couplin gwill alter accord-
ing to the load placed on the vehicle. If nec-
essary, use atrailer wit haheight-adjusta-
ble drawbar. Driving tips i
Observ ethe information on ESP ®
trailer
stabilisation (Y page 65)and on pull ing
away with atrailer. (Y page 141).
Vehicles wit hthe ON&OFFROAD package:
selec tthe trailer program (Y page 219) with
the off-road program selector wheel in the
cen treconsole.
Th em aximum permissible spee dfor vehicle/
trailer combination sdepends on the type of
trailer .Befor ebeginning the journey, check
the trailer's documents to see what the max-
imu mpermitted speed is. Observ ethe legally
prescribed maximum speed in the relevant
country.
For certai nMercedes-Ben zvehicles, the max-
imu mp ermissible rear axle load is inc reased
when towing atrailer. Refer to th e"Techni cal
data" section to fin dout whether this applies
to your vehicle. If you utilise any of the added
maximum rear axle load when towing atrailer,
th ev ehicle/trailer combination may not
exceed amaximum spee dof100 km/ hfor
reasons concer ning the operating permit.
Thi salso applies in countries in which the
permissible maximum speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations is above 100 km/h.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be differe ntin comparison
to when drivin gwithout atrailer and it will
consume more fuel.
On long and stee pdownhil lgradients ,you
must select shift range 1,2or 3in good time.
i This also applies if you have activated
cruise con trol, SPEEDTRONIC or DI S-
TRONIC PLUS.
This will use the brakin geffect of th eengine,
so les sbraking wil lberequired to maintain
the speed. This relieves the load on the brake
system and prevent sthe brakes from over-
heating and wearing too quickly .Ifyou need
additional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than con tinuously.
18 Data unavailable at time of going to print. Towing
atrailer
227Driving andparki ng Z

Driving tips
R
Maintain agreater distanc efrom th evehi-
cle in front than when driv ingw ithou ta
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly .Ifpossible, brake
gentl yatfirst to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the brakin gforc erapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from astandstill refer to sea
level. Whe ndriving in mountainou sareas,
note that th epower outpu tofthe engine,
and consequen tlyt he vehicle' sgradient-
climbing capability ,decrease with increas-
ing altitude.
If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not coun ter-steer.
X Brake if necessary. Folding ou
tthe bal lcoupling G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the pivoting range of the ball coupling. Other-
wise, they could be injured.
Before you can tow atrailer wit hyour vehicle,
you must fold out the ball coupling.
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary.
X Open the tailgate. G
WARNING
Make sur ethat the ball coupling is engaged,
either in its folded-ou torfolded-i nposition.
The indicator lam ponthe release knob is off.
Do not pull the ball coupling release switch
when atrailer is coupled or abicycle rack is
fitted.
X Pull the release knob :until the ball cou-
pling unlocks.
The ball coupling folds out from under the
rear bumper.
The indicator lamp on the release knob
flashes. The trailer socket folds away auto-
matically. X
Press the ball coupling in the direction of
the arrow until it engages in avertical posi-
tion.
The indicator lam ponthe release knob
goes off.
The multifunc tion display shows the
Chec ktrailer hitch lock message
until th eball coupling is engaged.
X Remove the protective cap from the ball
coupling and store it in asafe place. Coupling up
atrai ler
Impor tant safety notes G
WARNI
NG
Neve rlock, unlock, open or close avehicle
door or tailgat ewhen coupling up or decou- 228
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

pling
atrailer. Th evehicle level could change
and you could endanger yourself or others.
Never press the ADS button or operate the
leve lcontrol while you are coupling up or
decoupling atrailer.
Steel-spring vehicles X
Make sure that th etransmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Positio nthe trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Coupl eupthe trailer.
X Establish the electrical con nection
betwee nthe vehicle and the trailer.
X Chec kthat the trailer lighting system is
working.
Vehicles wit hthe AIRMATIC package X
Make sure that th etransmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Start th eengine.
X Set the vehicl etohighway level
(Y page 189).
X Set the Adaptive Dampin gSystem (ADS )to
AUTO orCOMF(Y page 188).
X Switch off the engine.
X Close the doors and tailgate.
X Position the trailer level behind the vehicle.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish the electrical connection
betwee nthe vehicle and the trailer.
X Chec kthat the trailer lighting system is
working.
i If you hav ecoupled atrailer, th evehicle
will remain at highway level.
The vehicle automatically lowers to high-
way level if you driv efaster than 30 km/h
with atrailer. Th evehicle is not lowered to
high-speed level even if you are travelling
at higher speeds. This also applies when using accessories
that are plugged into the socket of the
trailer tow hitch (e.g. abicycle rack). Decoupling
atrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do not disconnect atrailer with an engaged
overru nbrake .Otherwise, you rhand could
becom etrapped between th ebumpe rand
drawbar. G
WARNING
As soo nasyou raise the trailer drawbar, the
unladen vehicle rises slightly .The vehicle then
lower stod riving level.
Make sure that nobod yisinthe vicinit yofthe
wheel arch or the underbody. You coul doth-
erwise trap yoursel forothers. G
WARNING
Th ev ehicle is lowered as soo nasyou discon-
nec tthe trailer cable. Make sur ethat nobody
is in the vicinit yofthe wheel arch or the
underbody. You coul dotherwis etrap yourse lf
or othe rs.
As soon as you decoupl ethe trailer ,the unla-
den vehicle rise sslightly. Make sure that you
or others are not injured in the process.
! Do not disconnect atrailer wit han
engaged overrun brake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damage dbythe rebound-
ing of the overru nbrake.
Steel-spring vehic les X
Ma ke sure that the transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engag ethe electric parkin gbrake.
X Secure th etrailer agains trollin gaway.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Towing
atrailer
229Driving andparki ng Z

Vehicles with the AIRMATIC package
X
Make sure tha tthe transmission is in posi-
tion P.
X Engage the electric parkin gbrake.
X Start th eengine.
X Clos ethe doors and tailgate.
X Secur ethe trailer against rolling away.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer.
X Switc hoff th eengine. Folding in the ball coupling
i Fold the ball coupling back in if you are
not using the trailer tow hitch.
X Make sure that the vehicl eisstationary and
the trailer cables are disconnected.
X Place the protective cap on the ball cou-
pling.
X Ope nthe tailgate. X
Pull the release knob :until the ball cou-
plin gunlocks.
The ball coupling folds dow nfrom under the
rea rbumper. The indicator lamp on the
release knob flashes. X
Press the ball coupling in the direction of
the arrow until it engage saudibly behind
the bumper.
The indicator lamp on the release knob
goes out and the messag einthe multifunc-
tion display disappears. Trailer power supply
When it leaves the factory ,your vehicle's
trailer socket is equipped with apermanent
power supply and apower supply that is
switched on via the ignition lock.
The permanen tpower supply is supplied via
trailer socket pin 9.
The power supply that is switched on via the
ignition lock is supplied via trailer socket pin
10.
! You can con nect consumers with apower
ratin gofupto2 40Wtot he permanent
power supply and up to 18 0Wto the power
supply that is switched on via the ignition
lock.
You must not charge atrailer battery using
th ep ower supply.
The trailer's permanen tpower supply is
switched off in the even toflow vehicle supply
voltage and after six hour satthe latest.
You can obtai nfurther information about
installing the trailer electrics from aqualified
specialist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Benz
Ser vice Centre. 230
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

X
To switc hthe conn ected powe rsupply
on or off: turn thekey in the ignition lock
to position 2or 0respectivel y. Bulb failure indi
cator for LE Dlamps
i If LED lamps are fitte dinthe trailer, an
error message ma yappear in the multi-
function display even if there is no fault. The
reason for the error message may be that
the current has fallen below the minimum
of 50 milliamper es(mA).
To ensure reliabl eoperation of the bul bfailure
indicator, each LED chai ninthe trailer lighting
must be guaranteed aminimum current of
50 mA. Trailer with 7-pin connector
Genera linforma tion If your trailer has
a7-pin connector, you can
connect it to the 13-pin socket on the ball
coupling using an adapter or, if necessary, an
adapter cable .Both of these can be obtained
at aq ualified specialist workshop, e.g. at a
Mercedes-Ben zService Centre.
Fitting the adapter X
Open the socket cover.
X Insert the connector with lug :into
groove ;on the socket and tur nthe con-
nec torc lockwise to the stop. X
Let the cover engage.
X If you are using an adapter cable, secure
the cable to the trailer with cable ties.
! Make sure that there is sufficient cable
play so that the cable cannot become
detached when cornering. Towing
atrailer
231Driving andparki ng Z

Problems wit
htrailer towing Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The released ball cou-
pling cannot be
engaged. X
Visit aqualified specialist workshop. The ball coupling does
not unlock, even
though:
R the vehicle is station-
ary.
R no trailer cable is
connected.
R the release knob to
unlock the ball cou-
pling has been pulled
for more than asec-
ond. The on-boar
dvoltage is insufficient.
X Start the engine.
If the ball coupling still does not unlock:
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. 232
Towin
gatrailerDriving and parking

Driving systems
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
À
At
tention Assist: Drowsines
sdetec‐ ted Base
donspecific criteria, ATTENTION ASSIST has determined that
th ed river is tired or paying less attention. Awarning ton ealso
sounds.
X If necessary, tak eabreak.
During long journeys, tak eregular break singood tim esoyou get
enough rest. À
At
tention Assist inoperative ATTENTION ASSIST ha
sfailed.
X Visit aquali fieds pecialist workshop. Á
Please
reduce speed You can
notc hang ethe vehicle level. Possible causes:
R you ar edriving to ofast for the selected vehicle level.
R you are towing atrailer.
R thet railer-coupling socket is being used ,e.g. for abicycle rack.
X Driv emore slowly and then select the desire dvehicle level
again.
R Vehicles with the ON&OFFROA Dpackage (Y page 183)
R Vehicles with the AIRMATI Cpackage (Y page 189)
X Observ ethe notes ontowing atrailer (Y page 226). Á
Co
mpressor is cool‐
ing Yo
uh ave selected ahigher vehicle level. The compressor first
needs to cool down because of frequen tlevel changes.
X Driv einam anner appropriate for the curren tvehicle level.
X Make sure that ther eissufficien tground cle arance.
X Allow the compresso rtocool down.
When the compressor has cooled down, the display message
disappears. The vehicle then con tinues rising to the selected
level. Á
Malfunction AIRMATIC is faulty.
X
Drive as appropriate for the current vehicl elevel, but do not
exceed 80 km /h.
X Make sur ethat ther eissufficient ground clearance.
X Have the vehicle checked at aqualified specialist workshop. The Active Curve System is faulty. The vehicle's handling charac-
teristics may be affected.
X Do not exceed amaximum spee dof80k m/h.
X Have th evehicle checked at aqualified specialist workshop. Display messages
269On-boardcomputer anddispl ays Z

Displa
ymessages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
Bl
indS potA ssist currently unavail‐
abl
eS ee Owner's Manual or
Ac tive Blind Spo
tAssist currently unavail‐
abl
eS ee Owner's Manual Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assis
tist emporaril yinop-
erative .Possible causes:
R you have established the electrical con nectio nbetween the
trailer and your vehicle.
R the sensors are dirty.
R function is impaired due to heavy rai norsnow.
R the radar sensor system is outside the operating temperature
range.
R the radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio sta-
tions or other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
The yellow 9indicator lamps also light up in the exterior mir-
rors.
X Whe ntowing atrailer, con firm th edisplay message with a.
If you are drivin gwithout atrailer and th edisplay message does
not disappear:
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible ,paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Apply the electric parking brake.
X Clean the sensors (Y page 327).
X Restart the engine.
If the system detect sthat the sensor sare full yoperational, the
display message disappears.
Blin dSpot Assist or Active Blin dSpot Assist is operational again. Blin
dSpot Assist inopera‐
tive or
Active Blind Spot Assist inoper‐
ative Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assist is faulty.
Th ey ellow 9indicator lamps also light up in the exterior mir-
rors.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. Park Assist
cancelled The driver'
sdoor is open and the driver' sseat belt has not been
fastened.
X Repeat the parking process with the seat belt fastened and the
driver' sdoor closed. You have inadvertently touched the multifunc
tion steerin gwheel
while steerin gintervention was active.
X While steerin gintervention is active, make sure that the multi-
function steerin gwheel is not touched. 274
Displa
ymessagesOn-board compu tera nd displays

Usefu
linfor mation ............................ 296
Loading guidelines ............................296
Stowage areas .................................. 296
Features ............................................. 306 295Stowing
andfeatures

Usefu
linfor mati on
i This Owner's Manual describes all models
and all standard and optional equipment
available to your vehicle at the time of pub-
lication of the Owner's Manual. Country-
specific deviation sare possible .Please
not ethat your vehicle ma ynot be equipped
with all featur es described. This also
applies to safety-releva ntsystems and
functions.
i Please read the information on qualified
specialist workshops (Y page 24).Loading guidelines
G
WARNING
Secur eand position the load as described in
the loading guidelines.
Otherwise, vehicl eoccupan tscould
be injured by the loa dbeingthrown around in
th ee vent of sharp braking ,asudden change
in directio noranaccident.
You wil lfind further information in the "Secur-
ing aload" section.
Even if you follow all the loadin gguidelines,
the load will increase the risk of injury in the
event of an accident. G
WARNING
Keep the tailgate closed when the engine is
running. Otherwise, you could be poisoned by
exhaust fumes enterin gthe vehicle.
The handling characteristics of aladen vehi-
cle are dependent on the distribution of the
load within the vehicle. For this reason, you
should observe the following notes when
transporting aload:
R when transpor ting aload, never exceed the
maximum permissible gross vehicle weight or the permissible axle loads for the vehicle
(includin goccupants).
R position heavy loads as far forward saspos-
sible and as low down in the load compart-
men tasp ossible.
R the load must not protrude abov ethe upper
edge of the seat backrests.
R always plac ethe load against the rea ror
front seat backrests .Make sure that the
seat backrests are securely locked into
place.
R hook in the safety net when loading.
R always place the load behind unoccupied
seats if possible.
R secure the load with sufficiently stron gand
wear-resistant lashing material. Pad sharp
edges for protection.
i Load restraints are available at any quali-
fied specialis tworkshop, e.g. aMercedes-
Benz Servic eCentre. Stowage areas
Stowage compartments
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The stowage compartments must be closed
when item sare store dinthem. Luggage nets
ar en ot designed to secur eheavy item sof
luggage.
You or other vehicle occupant scould be
injure dbyo bjectsbeing thrown around if you:
R brak esharply
R change direction suddenly
R arei nvolved in an accident
Sharp-edge dand fragile object smust not be
placed in the luggag enet. 296
Stowage areasStowing and features