warning lights MERCEDES-BENZ M-CLASS SUV 2011 Owner's Guide

position "Automatic drivin
glights/daytime
drivin glights" is located on the light switch. You can only activat
eNight View Assist Plus
if:
R the key is in position 2in the ignition lock.
R it is dark.
R the light switc hisset to either c,
à orL.
R rev ers egear has not been engaged.
X Make sure COMAND Onlin eisswitched on.
X Press button :.
The Night View Assist Plus display appears
in the COMAN Ddisplay. :
Night View Assist Plus display
; Pedestrian recognised
= Framing
? Symbol for active pedestrian recognition
You can read abou thow to adjust the bright-
nes soft he COMAND displa yinthe COMAND
operating instructions.
i The infrared headlamps only switc hon
when the vehicle is being drive natspeeds of at least 10 km/h. This mean
sthat you
do not hav ethe full visual range while sta-
tionar yand cannot check whether Night
View Assist Plus is working.
Pedestrian recognition G
WARNING
Pedestrian recognition may be impaired or
inoperative if:
R pedestrians are partiall yorentirely
obscured by obje cts, e.g. by parked vehi-
cles.
R the silhouett eofthe pedestrian in the Night
View Assist Plus displa yisincomplete or
interrupted, e.g. by powerful ligh treflec-
tions.
R pedestrians do not contrast with the sur-
roundings.
R pedestrians are not in an upright position,
e.g. sitting, squattin gorlying.
i Animals are not recognised by pedestrian
recognition.
Night View Assist Plus is able to recognise
pedestrians by typical characteristics, e.g. a
silhouette in the shape of aperson.
Pedestrian recognition is then switched on
automatically if:
R Night View Assist Plus is activa ted.
R you are driving faster than about 10 km/ h.
R the surrounding sare dark ,e.g.w hen driv-
ing outside built-up areas without street
lighting.
If pedestrian recognition is active ,sym-
bol ?appears. If apedestrian is now recog-
nised, they are framed =and thereby high-
lighted. If the pedestrian recognition system
has brought apedestrian to your atten tion,
look through the windscreen to evaluate the
situation .The actual distanc etoobjectsand
pedestrians cannot be gauged accurately by
looking at ascreen.
It may be the case that objects are highlighted
as wel laspedestrians. 206
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Mon
itoring range of the sensors
Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up to
three metres behind you rvehicle and direc tly
next to you rvehicle, as shown in the diagram. G
WARNING
Blin dSpot Assist monitors cer tain areas in the
immediate vicinit yofyour vehicle. Vehicles
that approach and driv epast at high speeds
are not detected. There is no display and no
warning.
If the lanes are very wide, it may not be pos-
sible to monitor the complete width of the
neighbouring lane. For this reason, vehicles in
the next lane may not be detected, especially
if they are driving in astaggered formation in
different lanes .This ma ybethe case if vehi-
cles ar edriving at th eedge of their lane that
is furthest away from your vehicle.
Alway spay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise ,you may fai lto
recognis edangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of their lane. This may
be the case if the vehicles are driving on the
inner side of their lane. Due to the nature of the system:
R
warnings may be issue dine rror when driv-
ing close to cras hbarriers or similar solid
lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside long vehicles, such as lorries, for
ap rolonged time.
Th et wo sensors for Blind Spot Assist are
integrated into the sides of the rear bumper.
Make sure that the bumper is free of dirt, ice
or slush in the vicinit yofthe sensors. The
radar sensor smust not be covered, for exam-
ple by cycle racks or overhanging loads .Fol-
lowin gasevereimpact or in th eevent of dam-
ag etot he bumpers, hav ethe func tion of the
radar sensor schecked at aqualified special-
ist workshop, e.g. aMercedes-Ben zService
Cent re.B lind Spot Assist may otherwise not
work properly.
Indicator and warning display :
Yellow indicator lamp/red warnin glamp
If Blind Spot Assis tiss witched on, indicator
lamp :in the exterior mirror slights up yel-
low up to aspeed of 30 km/h. At speeds
above 30 km/h, the indicator lamp goes out
and Blin dSpot Assist is operational.
If av ehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blin dSpot Assist at speeds above
30 km/h, warning lamp :on the cor re-
spondi ngside light supinred. This warning is
always emit tedw hen avehicle enters the
blind spot monitorin grange from behind or
from the side. When you overtake avehicle, Driving systems
209Drivingand parking Z

the warning onl
yoccurs if the differenc ein
spee dislesst han 12 km/h.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gea rise ngaged. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automaticall yaccording to
the ambient light. G
WARNING
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
30 km/h, and the indicator lamps in the exte-
rior mirrors are yellow. Vehicles in the moni-
toring range are the nnot indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic condition sand
your surroundings .Otherwise, you may fail to
recognis edangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yoursel fand others.
Collisio nwarning
If av ehicle is detected in the mon itoring range
of Blind Spot Assis tand you switch on the turn
signal, adouble warnin gtone sounds. Red
warnin glamp :flashes .Ifthe tur nsignal
remains on, detected vehicles are indicated
by the flashing of red warnin glamp :.T here
ar enof urther warning tones.
Switching on Blind Spot Assist
X On vehicles without anavigation system,
make sure that the Becker ®
MAP PILOT is
connected; see the separate operating
instructions for Audio 20.
X Make sure that the radar senso rsystem
(Y page 249) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 245) are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :ligh tupr ed in the exte-
rior mirror sfor approximately 1. 5seconds
and then tur nyellow.
Trailer towing
If you attach atrailer, make sure that yo uhave
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking the trailer lighting
.Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. The indicator lamp in the exte-
rior mirrors lights up yellow, and the Blind Spot Assist currentl
yunavailable See Owner's Manual message appe
arsin
the multifunction display.
i You can deactivate the indicato rlamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, switch off Blind Spot Assis tif:
R thek ey is in position 2in the ignition
lock.
R the engine is not running.
R the electrical connection to the trailer
has been established.
Lane Keeping Assist Important safety notes
Lan
eKeeping Assist monitor sthe area in
front of your vehicle by means of acamera at
the top of the windscreen. Lane Keeping
Assis tdetect slane markings on the road and
warns you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. :
Lane Keeping Assis tcamera
If you have chose nthe Displa yunit Speed-/odometer (Y
page 246) functio nin
the on-board computer and select km as the
unit of measurement, Active Lane Keeping
Assist is active from speeds of 60 km/h. If
the miles displa
yunit is selected ,the assis-
tance range begin sat40mph. 210
Driving systemsDriving and parking

G
WARNING
Active Blind Spo tAssist monitor scertain
areas in the immediate vicinity of your vehicle.
Vehicles that approach and drive past at high
speeds are not detected. No visual nor audi-
ble warnings are emitted and the syste mdoes
not brake the vehicle to cor rect your course.
If the lane sare very wide, it may not be pos-
sibl etom onitor the complet ewidth of the
neighbourin glane. For this reason, vehicles in
the nex tlane may not be detected, especially
if they are driving in astaggered formation.
Thi sm ay be the case if vehicles are driving at
the edge of their lane that is furthest away
from your vehicle.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognise dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane nex ttoyour vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles ar enot
drivin ginthe middle of their lane. This may
be the case if ther eare vehicles at th eedge
of their lane nearest your vehicle. Due to the nature of the system:
R
warnings may be issued in error when driv-
ing close to crash barriers or simila rsolid
lane borders.
R warnings ma ybeinterrupted whe ndriving
alongsid elong vehicles, such as lorries, for
ap rolonged time.
Tw oA ctive Blind Spo tAssist radar sensors
ar ei ntegrated into the front and rear bumpers
respectively. An additional radar sensor is
locate dbehind the cover in the radiator grille.
Make sure that the bumper sare free of dirt,
ice or slus haround th esensors. The rear sen-
sors must not be covered, e.g. by bicycle
racks or overhanging loads. Followin ga
severe impac torinthe even tofdamage to
the bumpers, have the function of the radar
sensors checked at aqualified specialist
workshop. Blind Spot Assis tmay otherwise
not work properly.
Indicator and warning display :
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When Active Blind Spot Assis tisa ctivated,
indicator lamp :in the exte rior mirror slights
up in yellow at speeds of up to 30 km/h. At
speeds above 30 km/h, the indicator lamp
goes out and Active Blind Spot Assist is
operational.
If av ehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blin dSpot Assist at speeds above
30 km/h, warning lamp :on the corre-
sponding side lights up red. This warning is
always emit tedw hen avehicle enter sthe
blin dspot moni toring range from behind or Drivin
gsystems
213Drivingand park ing Z

R
the Off-roa dprogra misa ctivate d(vehicles
without th eON&OFFROAD package).
R Off-road progra m1or2isactivated(vehi-
cle sw ith the ON&OFFROAD package).
R the LOW RANGE off-road gear is activated
(vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package).
R al oss of tyr epressure or adefectiv etyre is
detected.
Activating Active Blind Spot Assist
X On vehicles without anavigation system,
make sure that the Becker ®
MAP PILOT is
connected; see the separate operating
instructions for Audio 20.
X Make sure that the radar senso rsystem
(Y page 249) and Active Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 245) are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps :ligh tupr ed in the exte-
rior mirror sfor approximately 1. 5seconds
and then tur nyellow.
Trailer towing
If you attach atrailer, make sure that yo uhave
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting .Active Blind Spo tAssist is
then deactivated. The indicator lam plights up
yellow in the exterior mirrors and the ActiveBlind Spot Assist currently unavail‐
able Se
eOwner's Manual message
appe arsint he multifunction display.
Active Lan eKeeping Assist Import
ants afety notes
Active Lane Keeping Assis tmonitors the area
in front of your vehicle by means of acamera
at the top of the windscreen. Active Lane
Keeping Assis tdetect slane markings on the
road and warns you before you leave your
lane unintentionally .Ifyou do not react to the
warning, alane-correcting application of the
brakes can bring the vehicle back into the
original lane. :
Active Lane Keeping Assis tcamera
If you have selected the Displayunit Speed-/odometer (Y
page 246) function in
th eo n-board compute rand select km as the
unit of measurement, Active Lane Keeping
Assist is active from speeds of 60 km/h. If
the miles display unit is selected
,the assis-
tan ce ra nge begins at 40 mph. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist doe snot keep
your vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid and
may detec tthe lan emarkings on the road
incorrectly or not at all.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R several or no lane markings for asingle lane
are present.
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray.
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun, or reflec tion from other vehicles.
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up or cov-
ered, for insta ncebyasticker, in the vicinity
of the camera.
R the lane markings are worn away ,dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow.
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected.
R the lane markings on the road are unclear,
e.g. near roadworks. Driving systems
215Drivingand park ing
Z

G
WARNING
If you depress the accelerato rpeda lwith DSR
activated, then the set spee dcan be excee-
ded. Drive downhill with special care and
alway skeep in min dthat DSR brakes the vehi-
cle as soon as you remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. The vehicle may brake sud-
denly due to DSR intervening, depending on
the downhill gradient and the difference
between the current speed and the set speed.
You could lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident.
For information about driving off-road, see
(Y page 166).
Activating/deactivating DSR Activating
You can only activate DSR when driving at
speeds below 40 km/h. Example: vehicles with the ON&OFFROAD package
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
The following messages appear in the multi-
func tion display and in the status indicator,
for example: If the curren
tvehicle speed is too high, the
DSR symbol appear sint he multifunc tion dis-
play with the Max. speed 40 km/h message.
i You can notactivate DSR if the SPORT on-
road program is activated. Th eDSR symbol
and the Not in drive progra mSPORT message then appear in th
emultifunction
display.
Deactivating
X Press button :.
Indicator lamp ;goes out.
The DSR symbol appears in the multifunc-
tion display with the off message.
DSR switches off automatically if you drive
faster than 45 km/h. The DSR symbol
appears in the multifunction display with the
off message. Status indicator
=goes out.
You also hear awarning tone. On vehicles
with the ON&OFFROAD package, if you select
ad ifferent on-road/off- road program, DSR is
also deactivated. Status indicator =goes
out.
Changing the set speed When DSR is activated, you can change the
set spee dtoavalue between 2km/h and
18 km/h. X
To in crease or reduce the set speed in
1k m/h increments: briefly press the
cruise control lever to the pressure point, Off-road drivin
gsystems
221Drivingand park ing Z

For information abou
tdriving off-road, see
(Y page 166). Yo uwillf ind information about
driving safety systems in conjunction with
LOW RANGE in the "Saf ety" section
(Y pag e60).
Shift ranges HIGH RANGE
Roa
dposition for all nor-
ma ldriving situations LO
WR ANGE Off-road position for driv-
ing off-road and fording
The transmission ratio
between the engine and
wheels is only approx-
imatel yone third of that in
the HIGH RANGE road
pos ition. The drive torque
is correspondingly higher
as aresult.
Do not use LOW RANGE:
R on slippery road surfa-
ces, e.g. in the case of
slush
R on snow or ice-covered
roads
R if you have snow chains
on your vehicle G
WARNING
Always wait for the gear change process from
HIGH RANGE to LOW RANGE –and from LOW
RANGE to HIGH RANGE –tocomple te.Don ot
tur no ff the engine while changi nggear and
do not switc hthe automatic transmission to
anot hergear.
If you do not wait for the gear change process
to complete, it may not be cor rectly imple-
mented. Th etransfer cas emay then be in
neutral and the connection between the
engine and the drive axles may be disen-
gaged .The vehicle coul dthen mov efreely,
eve nifa gear is engaged, and coul dinadver-
tently start moving, particularly if it is on a
slope. Observe the following description in "Mes-
sages in the multifunction display". From HIGH RANG
EtoLOW RAN GE
! Only carr yout the gear change process if:
R the engine is running
R the transmission is in position N
R you are not driving above 40 km/h
X Press LOW RANGE button :.
Indicator lamp ;flashes.
If the gear change process has taken place,
indicator lamp ;lights up. The LOW
RANGE display appears in multifunction
display ?and in status indicator =.
While indicator lamp ;is flashing, you can
cancel the gear change by pressing LOW
RANGE button :again.
i You cannot switch LOW RANGE on if the
SPORT on-road program is activated; the
LO WR ANGE Not in drive program SPORT message then appears in th
emulti-
function display. 224
Off-road driving systemsDrivin
gand parking

The following system
sare switche doff when
th er adar senso rsystem is deactivated:
R DISTRONIC PLUS (Y page 174)
R BAS PLUS (Y page 62)
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 66)
R Blind Spot Assist (Y page 208)
R Active Blind Spot Assist (Y page 212)
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing whee ltoselect the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the 9or: button to select
Rada rsensor (See Owner's Man.): .
Yo uw ill see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Heating menu Auxiliary heating depa
rtur et ime
This function is only availa bleo nvehicles with
auxiliar yheatin g(Ypage 130).
In the Heating submenu, you can select a
stored departure tim eorchange adeparture
time.
The auxiliar yheatin gtimer func tion calcu-
lates the switch-on tim eaccording to the out-
sid etemperature so that the vehicle is pre-
heated by the departure time. When the
departure tim eisreached, the auxiliar yheat-
ing continues to heat for afurther five
minutes and then switches off. The auxiliary
heating adopts the THERMATI Cor
THERMOTRONI Ctemperature setting.
You can switc hoff th eauxiliary heating by
using the remote control or the auxiliary heat-
ing button on the centre console. G
WARNING
Exhaust fumes are produced when the auxili-
ary heating is in operation. Inhaling these
exhaust fumes can be poisonous. You should
therefore switch off the auxiliary heating in confined spaces without an extraction sys-
tem, e.g.
agarage. G
WARNING
When operating the auxiliary heating parts of
the vehicle can get very hot. Make sure that
the exhaust system does not under any cir-
cumstances come into contact with easily
ignitable material such as dry grass or fuels.
The material could otherwise ignite and set
the vehicle alight. Choos eyour parkin gspot
accordingly.
Operating the auxiliary heating is thus pro-
hibited at fillin gstations or when your vehicle
is being refuelled .You must therefore switch
off the auxiliar yheatin gatf illing stations.
! Operating the auxiliary heating/ventila-
tion draws on the vehicle battery. After you
have heated or ventilated the vehicle a
maximum of two times, drive for alonger
distan ce.
i Switch the auxiliary heating on regularly
once amonthfor about 10 minutes.
Selecting th edepartur etime or deactivat-
ing aselected depa rtur et ime
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Heating submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select
one of the three departur etimes or Timer off (no timer active).
X Press the abutton to confirm.
When adeparture tim eisselected, the yel-
low indicator lam plights up on the auxiliary
heating button. 250
Menus and submenusOn-board computer and displays

Changing th
edeparture time
X Pres sthe = or; button on th esteer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Heating submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select
Change A ,
B or
C .
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You can now change the departur etime.
X Press the =or; button to select the
displa ytobec hanged: hours, minutes.
X Press the :or9 button to set the
selected display.
X Press the abutton to stor ethe ent ry.
The yellow indicator lam ponthe auxiliary
heating button lights up.
Convenience Activating/deactivating th
eEASY-
ENTRY/EXIT featu re
You can use the Easy Entry/Exit: func
tion
to activate or deactivate the EAS YENTRY/
EXIT feature (Y page 99). G
WARNING
Th es teering whee lmoves when the EASY-
ENTRY/EXI Tfeatur eisa ctive. There is arisk
of occupant sbecoming trapped. Before acti-
vating the EASY-ENTRY/EXI Tfeature, make
sure that nobody can becom etrapped.
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, eve nifthey ar esecured in achild
restraint system .The children coul dopen the
driver' sdoor and thereby unintentionally acti-
vat ethe EASY-ENTRY/EXI Tfeatur eand
become trapped.
X Pres sthe = or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Convenience submenu.X
Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Easy Entry/Exit: function.
You will see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Switching th ebelt adjustment on/off
For further information on belt adjustment,
see (Y page 48).
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Convenience submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Belt adjustment function.
You will see the selected setting: on or
off .
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Switching th efold in mirrors when lock-
ing function on/off
If you switch on the Fold mirrors in when
locking func
tion, the exterior mirror sfold in
when you lock the vehicle. When you unlock
the vehicle and then open the driver's or
front-passenger door, the exterior mirrors
fold out again.
If you have switched the func tion on and you
fold the exterior mirror sinusing the button
on the door (Y page 101), they will not fold
out automatically. The exterior mirrors can
then only be folded out usin gthe button on
the door.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to selec tthe Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to selec tthe
Convenience submenu.
X Press the abutton to confir m. Menus and submenus
251On-boardcomputer and display s Z

Safety systems
Display messages Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
!÷
currentl
yunavail‐ able See Owner's
Manual G
Ris
kofa ccident
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro-
gram), BAS (Brake Assist), PRE-SAFE ®
,t he HOL Dfunction, hill
start assis tand ESP ®
trailer stabilisation are temporarily not avail-
able.
The adaptive brake lights ,BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may
also have failed.
In addition, the ÷,åand! warning lamps ligh tupin
the instrument cluster.
The self-diagnosis function might not be complete ,for example.
ATTENTION ASSIS Tisdeactivated.
The brak esystem continues to function normally, but without the
functions liste dabove. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brak ehard, for example.
X Carefully drive on asuitable stretch of road, making slight steer-
ing movements, at aspeed above 20 km/h.
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned
above are available again.
If the display message continues to be displayed:
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. G
Risk of accident
ABS ,ESP ®
,B AS ,PRE-SAFE ®
,t he HOL Dfunction, hill start assist
and ESP ®
trailer stabilisation are temporarily not available.
The adaptive brake lights ,BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may
also have failed.
In addition, the ÷,åand! warning lamps ligh tupin
the instrument cluster.
For example, the on-board voltage may be insufficient.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions liste dabove. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brak ehard, for example.
X Drive on carefully.
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned
above are available again. 254
Display messagesOn-board computer and displays