MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 2004 W163 Owner's Manual

151 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at last set speed
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control will be canceled. The
last speed set will be stored for later
use.iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Moving gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

152 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting a higher speed
Lift the cruise control lever to
position1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control lever to
position2 and hold it down until the
desired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph (Canada:
1 km / h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2.Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position4.
Cruise control will resume the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Transmission in LOW RANGE mode
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate the cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not brake the vehi-
cle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could cause an accident and / or seri-
ous injury to you and others.iThe cruise control should not be used
during off-road driving.

153 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Parktronic system* (Parking assist)
The Parktronic system assists the driver
during parking maneuvers. It visually and
audibly indicates the distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
With the ignition on, the Parktronic system
engages automatically at speeds up to ap-
proximately 10 mph (15 km / h) and deac-
tivates during higher speeds.Parktronic system monitors your vehicle’s
environment by means of six sensors in
the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.
1Sensors located in front bumperWarning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to nor does it replace the need
for extreme care. The responsibility during
parking and other critical maneuvers rests
always with the driver.
Make sure that no persons or animals are lo-
cated in the area in which your are maneu-
vering. They could otherwise be injured.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or
street curbs). Such objects may not be de-
tected by the system and can damage the
vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
system can be affected by dirty sensors, es-
pecially at times of snow and ice. For notes
on cleaning the Parktronic system sensors
(page 237).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers or the air
brakes of trucks) can cause the system to
send erratic indications, and should be tak-
en into consideration.

154 Controls in detailDriving systemsMonitoring reach of sensors
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
snow or they will be unable to function
properly. Clean the sensors regularly with-
out scratching or damaging them.Front sensors
Rear sensorsMinimum distance
When an obstacle is located in this area, all
warning displays will light up and a warning
tone will sound. If the vehicle moves closer
than the minimum distance to an object,
the distance may no longer be displayed.
Center
approx. 39 in (100 cm)
Corners
approx. 24 in (60 cm)
Center
approx. 47 in (120 cm)
Corners
approx. 32 in (80 cm)
iDuring parking maneuvers, pay special
attention to objects located above or
below the height of the sensors (e.g.
planters or trailer hitches). The Parktro-
nic system will not detect such objects
at close range and damage to your ve-
hicle or the object may result.
Ultrasonic signals from outside sourc-
es (e.g. truck air brakes or jackham-
mers) may impair the operation of the
Parktronic system.
Center
approx. 8 in (20 cm)
Corners
approx. 6 in (15 cm)

155 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning indicators
The warning indicators show the distance
between the sensor and the obstacle. The
warning indicators for the front area are lo-
cated above the center air vents in the
dashboard. The warning indicator for the
rear area is located in the rear passenger
compartment lamp.
1Segments, left side of vehicle
2Segments, right side of vehicle
Each warning indicator has six yellow and
two red segments.The gear selector lever position deter-
mines which warning indicator is activat-
ed.
As soon as the sensors detect an obstacle,
one or more segments light up, depending
on the distance. An intermittent acoustic
warning will also sound as the seventh seg-
ment comes on and a constant acoustic
warning lasting a maximum of
three seconds will sound for the eighth
segment.
Selector lever
position
Warning indicator
D, R, N, P
Front area activated
R
Rear area activated
!If all red segments light up in the warn-
ing indicators, a dirty sensor or a ultra-
sonic signal could be the reason.

Clean the sensors (
page 237).
After cleaning the sensors, switch
the ignition on.

156 Controls in detailDriving systemsSwitching Parktronic system on / off
You can switch Parktronic system off
manually.
The switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1Parktronic off
2Indicator lamp
3Parktronic onSwitching Parktronic off

Press switch on the upper part1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
Switching Parktronic on

Press switch on the upper part3.
The indicator lamp2 goes out.!If the Parktronic system is malfunction-
ing, all red segments of the warning in-
dicators light up and an additional
warning sounds.
Contact your Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible.
iIf you switch the ignition on, the
Parktronic system will be automatically
switched on.
The rear Parktronic sensors will not au-
tomatically disengage when towing a
trailer. Therefore switch the Parktronic
system off.

157 Controls in detail
Loading
Loading
Loading instructions
The gross vehicle weight which is the
weight of the vehicle including fuel, tools,
spare wheel, installed accessories, pas-
sengers and luggage / cargo must never
exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR) for your vehicle. In addition, the
load must be distributed in such a way so
that the weight on each axle never exceeds
the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
the front and rear axle. The GVWR and
GAWR for your vehicle are indicated on the
certification label which can be found on
the left door pillar.The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
Please pay attention to and comply with
the following instructions when loading the
vehicle and transporting cargo:


Always place items being carried
against front or rear seat backrests,
and fasten them as securely as possi-
ble.


The heaviest portion of the cargo
should always be kept as low as possi-
ble against front or rear seat backrests.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible using cargo tie-down rings and
fastening materials appropriate for the
weight and size of the load.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, always use parti-
tion net when transporting cargo.
Never drive vehicle with the liftgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.

158 Controls in detailLoadingFor additional safety when transporting
cargo while the rear seats are unoccupied,
fasten the outer seat belts crosswise into
the opposite side buckles.Cargo tie-down rings
The cargo area is provided with four
tie-down rings. Additional two rings are lo-
cated at the rear of front seats.
Cargo tie-down ring
Carefully secure cargo by applying even
load on all rings with rope of sufficient
strength to hold down the cargo.
iThe cargo area is the preferred place to
carry objects. The enlarged cargo area
should only be used for items which do
not fit in the cargo area alone.
iWhile the partition net* (
page 159)
will help protect you from smaller ob-
jects, it cannot prevent the movement
of large, heavier objects into the pas-
senger area in an accident. Such items
must be properly secured using the
cargo tie-down rings in the cargo area
floor.

159 Controls in detail
Loading
Hooks
Four hooks located on the rear compart-
ment trim panels, two on each side.HooksUse the hooks to secure light weight items.
The maximum permissible weight per hook
is 9 lbs (4 kg).
Partition net*Use of the partition net is a particularly im-
portant safety factor when the vehicle is
loaded higher than the top of the seat
backrests with smaller objects.
The partition net can be installed behind
the backrests of the front or rear seats.
Engaging partition net
1Holder
2Mounting hookWarning!
G
Always lock backrest in its upright position
when rear seat bench is occupied by pas-
sengers, or cargo is being carried behind the
seat bench.
To help avoid personal injury from smaller
objects flying in the occupant area during a
collision or sudden maneuver, always use
partition net when transporting cargo.
The partition net cannot prevent the move-
ment of large, heavier objects into the pas-
senger area in an accident. Such items must
be properly secured using the cargo
tie-down rings in the cargo area floor
(page 158).
Passenger use of seats behind installed par-
tition net is restricted because of the foot-
well being taken up by the net.

160 Controls in detailLoading
One after the other, press the two
mounting hooks2 inward against the
spring pressure and turn them.
The mounting hooks are locked in this
position and you can move the net into
position more easily.

Turn one of the mounting hooks2 in
the opposite direction.
The spring pressure will push it out.

Engage mounting hook2 in
holder1.

Turn the other mounting hook and en-
gage it in the opposite holder.

Push both mounting hooks2 forward
into holder1.Tightening partition net
Installation behind the front seats1Tie-down hook
2Ring
Installation behind the rear seats1Tie-down hook
2Ring
3Tensioner
Insert tie-down hook1 in rings2.

Pull on loose ends of tie-down straps
until net is tight.

After driving a short distance, check
the tension on the net and retighten if
necessary.
iBefore tightening the partition net,
remove the cargo floor plates
(page 162).