Speed warning MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 2006 W163 Owner's Manual

14 IntroductionOperator’s ManualWarning!
G
This Sport Utility Vehicle is designed for both on-road and off-road use. It can go places and perform tasks for which conventional 2-wheel drive
passenger cars are not intended. This vehicle will handle and maneuver differently from conventional passenger cars in driving conditions which
may occur on streets, highways and off-road use.
This vehicle has a higher ground clearance and a higher center of gravity than many passenger cars. As with other vehicles of this type, if you
make sharp turns at excessive speeds or abrupt maneuvers, the vehicle may roll over or may go out of control and crash. Utility vehicles have a
s ig ni fi ca n tl y hi gh er ro l lo ve r r at e t h an o th er ty pe s of veh i cl es . F a il ure to o pe ra te th is v eh ic l e s a fel y ma y res ul t in a n ac c i dent, rollover of the vehicle,
and severe or fatal injury.
Before you start to drive this vehicle, read the Operator’s Manual. Take time to become familiar with the driving characteristics of this vehicle. Be
sure you are familiar with all vehicle controls. Learn how your vehicle handles on different road surfaces. Do not attempt sharp turns at excessive
speeds or abrupt maneuvers or other unsafe driving actions that can cause loss of vehicle control. When driving off-road or working the vehicle
hard, do not overload it. And, always wear your seat belts at all times. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than
a person wearing a seat belt.

25 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
2
To dim instrument cluster
illumination
148
3
Reset button for:Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination
148
4
Multifunction display with:Trip odometer
150
Main odometer
150
5
To brighten instrument clus-
ter illumination
148
6
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
7
Tachometer with: 388
Item
Page
1Supplemental
Restraint System
(SRS) indicator lamp
390
?Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
USA only
385
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
Canada only
385
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator
54
8
Fuel gauge with:Fuel tank reserve warning
lamp
388
9
Multifunction display
with:Outside temperature display
150
Gear position indicator
185
Item
Page
a
Clock
b
Speedometer with:-Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS) indicator
lamp
382
;Brake warning lamp,
USA only
383
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only
383
vESP
® warning lamp
387
lDistance warning
lamp
Warning lamp without
function. It illuminates when
the ignition is on. It should
go out when the engine is
running.HCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale*
391

27 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Modular COMAND System,
see separate operating in-
structions
2
Climate control
3-zone automatic climate
control*
202
216
3
Seat heating*, front
passenger-side
133
4
Vehicle level control*
switch
252
5
Front passenger front air
bag off indicator lamp
85
6
Storage compartment (de-
pending on equipment con-
figuration for your model)
271
Item
Page
7
Electronic Stability Program
(ESP)
® switch
95
8
Adaptive damping system
(ADS)* switch
249
9
Seat heating*, driver’s side
133
a
Downhill Speed Regulation
(DSR) switch
245
b
Hazard warning flasher
144
c
Switch for Off-road driving
program
248

53 Getting started
Driving
After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.For more information, see “Driving instruc-
tions” (
page 299).
For information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (
page 306).
!If you hear a warning signal and the
message
Release parking brake
appears in the multifunction display
when driving off, you have forgotten to
release the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.!Shift automatic transmission to
positionPorR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high
engine speeds may shorten the service
life of the engine.
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.

68 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyWarning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 46).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:


Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.


Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
ten inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.


Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
side impact air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the air bag be triggered. Always sit near-
ly upright, properly use the seat belts
and use an appropriately sized infant or
toddler restraint or booster seat recom-
mended for the size and weight of the
child.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.Front air bags
1Driver air bag
2Passenger air bag
Driver and front passenger front air bags
are deployed:


in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the side impact air
bags


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.


In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air
bag deployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.


For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.


Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other more significant injuries resulting
from air bag deployment.
Warning!
G
Only use seat covers which have been
tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz for
your vehicle model. Using other seat covers
may interfere with or prevent the
deployment of the front side impact air bags
or the rear side impact air bags*. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center for availability.

75 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< illuminates for a maximum of
six seconds and a warning chime sounds
to remind you and your passengers to
fasten your seat belts.
If after these six seconds, the driver’s or
the front passenger’s seat belt (with the
front passenger seat occupied) are not fas-
tened with all doors closed,

and the vehicle speed does not exceed
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< remains illuminated for as
long as either the driver’s or front
passenger’s seat belt is not fastened.


and the vehicle speed exceeds
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt
telltale< starts flashing and a
warning chime sounds with increasing
intensity until both the driver’s and
front passenger’s seat belt are fas-
tened, or for a maximum of 60 seconds
from the time the vehicle speed
certain rollovers (window curtain air
bags and ETD).


Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would in-
crease the chance of head and neck in-
juries. The belt would also apply too
much force to the ribs or abdomen,
which could severely injure internal or-
gans such as your liver or spleen.


Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, SmartKeys, etc., as
these might cause injuries.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
m e n . I f t h e b e l t i s p o s i t i o n e d a c r o s s y o u r
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries
in a crash.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects.


Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to distribute impact forces.
The twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.


Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.


When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer's instructions.

77 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Preventive occupant safety* (PRE-SAFE)
®
Your vehicle automatically takes preven-
tive measures to better protect the occu-
pants in the following hazardous
situations:

You execute an emergency braking
maneuver and the Brake Assist System
(page 95) is activated.


The PRE-SAFE
® system detects a criti-
cal driving dynamics situation.In such cases, the following systems are
automatically activated:


The front seat belts are pre-tensioned
electrically.
Vehicles with front passenger seat
memory function*:


If the OCS senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied and the seat is
in an unfavorable position, it will be
adjusted to a better position.
Vehicles with power tilt/sliding sunroof*:


The tilt/sliding sunroof closes if the
vehicle is in a severe skid or is
spinning.If the seat belts do not release:

Adjust the backrest or seat slightly to
the rear until the seat belt tension is di-
minished.
The locking mechanism releases.
Warning!
G
The PRE-SAFE
® system is intended to re-
duce the effects of an accident on properly
seat-belted vehicle occupants. Despite
having the PRE-SAFE
® system in your vehi-
cle, the possibility of injuries occurring as a
result of an accident cannot be eliminated.
Therefore, you should always drive carefully
and adjust your driving to the prevailing
road, weather, and traffic conditions.
iIf the closing procedure of the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof is blocked, the tilt/sliding
sunroof will stop and open slightly.
iThe PRE-SAFE
® system is activated in
the previously described circumstanc-
es only at speeds exceeding 22 mph
(35 km/h).
When the critical driving dynamic situa-
tion has passed without an accident oc-
curring, the pre-tensioning on the seat
belts is deactivated.
You can then adjust the seat and the
tilt/sliding sunroof to their previous
position.

93 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
®


EBP (E
lectronic B
rake P
roportioning)


4-ETS (E
lectronic T
raction S
ystem)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The -indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 25) comes on when you
switch on the ignition. It goes out when the
engine is running.
iIn winter operation, the maximum ef-
fectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, the
ESP
®, the EBP, and the 4-ETS is only
achieved with winter tires (
page 369)
or snow chains as required.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of
accidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP
® and 4-ETS cannot re-
duce this risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

94 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsBraking
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is in
the regulating mode.
Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal while experiencing the pul-
sation.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and ability to steer
the vehicle.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an
indication of hazardous road conditions
and functions as a reminder to take extra
care while driving.Emergency brake maneuver

Keep continuous full pressure on the
brake pedal.
Off-road – ABS
With the off-road driving program switched
on (page 248), the ABS designed for
off-road use is automatically activated.
When applying the brakes at speeds below
approximately 18 mph (30 km/h), the
front wheels are locked cyclically to short-
en the braking distance (dig-in effect). This
affects steering the vehicle.For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 381).
iWith the ABS malfunctioning, the BAS,
the ESP
®, and the 4-ETS are also
switched off.
The basic driving and braking functions
are still available.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency be-
yond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction
afforded. The ABS cannot prevent acci-
dents, including those resulting from exces-
sive speed in turns, following another
vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning. Only a
safe, attentive, and skillful driver can pre-
vent accidents. The capabilities of an ABS
equipped vehicle must never be exploited in
a reckless or dangerous manner which
could jeopardize the user’s safety or the
safety of others.