Tailgate MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 2008 W164 Owner's Manual

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 71
Occupant safety................................... 72
Air bags .......................................... 74
Occupant Classification System ..... 79
Seat belts ....................................... 84
Active head restraint ...................... 88
Rear head restraints ....................... 89
Children in the vehicle .................... 89
Blocking of rear door
window operation ........................... 96
Panic alarm .......................................... 97
Activating ....................................... 97
Deactivating ................................... 97
Driving safety systems ......................... 98
ABS ................................................ 98
BAS .............................................. 100
ESP
®............................................. 100
EBP............................................... 104
4-ETS ............................................ 104
Anti-theft systems.............................. 106
Immobilizer................................... 106
Anti-theft alarm system ................ 106
Controls in detail ............................. 109
Locking and unlocking ....................... 110
SmartKey ..................................... 110
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 113
Checking the batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 118
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 118
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 118
Tailgate/Power tailgate*.............. 119
Automatic central locking ............ 125
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 126
Seats ................................................. 127
Front seat active head restraints . 127
Rear seat head restraints ............. 127
Lumbar support............................ 129
Multicontour seat* ....................... 129
Seat heating* ............................... 130
Seat ventilation* .......................... 131Memory function* ............................. 133
Storing positions into memory ..... 134
Recalling positions from memory. 134
Lighting ............................................. 135
Exterior lamp switch .................... 135
Combination switch ..................... 139
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps*........................... 140
Hazard warning flasher ................ 141
Interior lighting ............................ 142
Door entry lamps ......................... 144
Cargo compartment lamp ............ 144
Instrument cluster ............................. 145
Adjusting instrument
cluster illumination ...................... 145
Resetting trip odometer ............... 146
Tachometer.................................. 146
Outside temperature indicator ..... 146

Contents
Oxidation catalyst
(diesel engine).............................. 335
Emission control .......................... 335
Coolant temperature .................... 336
At the gas station .............................. 337
Refueling ...................................... 337
Check regularly and
before a long trip.......................... 339
Engine compartment ......................... 341
Hood ............................................ 341
Engine oil ..................................... 343
Transmission fluid level ................ 345
Coolant level ................................ 345
Windshield/rear window
washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ........ 346
Tires and wheels ................................ 348
Important guidelines .................... 348
Tire care and maintenance........... 349
Direction of rotation ..................... 351
Loading the vehicle ...................... 351
Recommended tire
inflation pressure ......................... 357
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 359
Tire labeling.................................. 370
Load identification ....................... 374DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) .............................................. 374
Maximum tire load ........................ 376
Maximum tire inflation pressure ... 376
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) .............. 377
Tire ply material ............................ 379
Tire and loading terminology......... 379
Rotating tires ................................ 382
Winter driving ..................................... 384
Winter tires ................................... 384
Block heater (Canada only) ........... 385
Snow chains.................................. 385
Maintenance....................................... 386
Maintenance service indicator
message ....................................... 386
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display ............... 388
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator ........................... 388
Vehicle care........................................ 389
Cleaning and care of the vehicle ... 389
Practical hints.................................. 399
What to do if … ................................... 400
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 400
Lamp in center console ................ 411
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display .................... 413
Where will I find ...? ............................ 448
First aid kit.................................... 448
Vehicle tool kit.............................. 448
Minispare wheel
(except ML 63 AMG) ..................... 452
Collapsible tire
(ML 63 AMG only) ......................... 453
Unlocking/locking in an emergency .. 455
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 455
Locking the vehicle ....................... 456
Unlocking and opening
the tailgate ................................... 456
Fuel filler flap ................................ 457
Resetting activated head restraints.... 458
Vehicles without Rear seat
entertainment system*................. 458
Vehicles with Rear seat
entertainment system*................. 459
Replacing SmartKey batteries ............ 461

23 At a glance
Exterior view
ItemPage
1Tailgate119
Power tailgate*119
Cargo compartment

Loading instructions266

Cargo tie-down rings268

Hooks269

Expanding269

Cover blind271

Cargo net*272
Vehicle tool kit448
Spare wheel452
2Rear window defroster206
3Rear lamps464
4Fuel filler flap337
Refueling337
Fuel338,
526
ItemPage
5Exterior rear view mirrors
Adjusting49
Auto-dimming rear view
mirrors*199
Power folding*200
6Towing eye bolt499
Installing towing eye bolt501
7Tires and wheels348,
515
Checking tire inflation
pressure359
General information348
Flat tire478
Spare wheel452
8Hood341
Opening341
Engine oil343
Coolant345
ItemPage
9Windshield wipers60
Wiper blades, replacing475
Wiper blades, cleaning395
aWindshield
Cleaning with wiper fluid62
Cleaning395
bRoof rails266
Carriers*266
cPower tilt/sliding sunroof240
dDoors
Locking and unlocking110
Opening118
Unlocking/locking in an
emergency455
eFront lamps464
fHeadlamp cleaning system*199

25 At a glance
Cockpit
ItemPage
1Cruise control lever245
2Instrument cluster26
3Multifunction steering
wheel30
4Horn
5Steering wheel gearshift
buttons193
6Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission54
7Front Parktronic* warning
indicators262
8Overhead control panel33
9Glove box release
Glove box lock279
280
ItemPage
aGlove box279
CD changer*279
AUX-socket1279
bPower outlet288
cCenter console31
dStarter switch40
eSteering wheel adjustment,
manual47
fHood lock release341
gParking brake release57
hParking brake pedal65
jPower tailgate switch*121
1Depending on vehicle configuration.
ItemPage
kDoor control panel36
lExterior lamp switch59,
135
mSteering wheel adjustment,
electrical*
Heated steering wheel*48
290
nCombination switch

High beam

Turn signals

Windshield wipers

Rear window wiper
139
59
60
60
62

36 At a glance
Door control panel
ItemPage
1Inside door handle118
2Central unlocking switch
Central locking switch126
126
3Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment49
4Selection buttons for exteri-
or rear view mirror adjust-
ment
Power-folding exterior rear
view mirrors*49
200
5Switches for opening/clos-
ing front and rear door
windows235
6Rear door window override
switch96
7Remote tailgate release
switch, power tailgate*121,
119

38 Getting started
The “Getting started” section provides an
overview of the vehicle’s most basic func-
tions. First-time Mercedes-Benz owners
should pay special attention to the infor-
mation given here.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions described here, the “Controls in
detail” section will provide you with further
information. The corresponding page
references are located at the end of each
segment.
Unlocking
Unlocking with the SmartKey
SmartKey
1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button* for tailgate
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button (
page 97)
Press unlock buttonΠon the
SmartKey.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
vehicle unlocks. The locking knobs in
the doors move up. The anti-theft alarm
system is disarmed. The locator light-
ing comes on if the feature is enabled
in the control system (
page 171).
Enter the vehicle and insert the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 110).
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

68 Getting started
Parking and locking
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 52).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
Locking
Exit the vehicle and close all doors and
the tailgate.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim
panel. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
iThe exterior lamps switch off automatically
when you remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch or open the driver’s door.
When the parking lamps or the rear fog lamp are
switched on and you remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch and open the driver’s door, an
acoustic signal sounds.
In addition the message
Switch Off Lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the parking lamps or the rear fog
lamp.
!Failure to switch off the parking lamps or the
rear fog lamp when leaving the vehicle may
result in a discharged battery.

69 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking with the SmartKey
Press lock button‹ on the
SmartKey (
page 38).
With the tailgate and all doors closed,
the turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 110).Locking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button on the outside door handle
Press lock button1 on an outside
door handle.
With the tailgate and all doors closed,
the turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 110).

106 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 41) on the starter
switch once.
The engine is turned off.
Open the driver’s door.
Deactivating
With the SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 (
page 39).With KEYLESS-GO*
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens

a door

the tailgate

the hood
The alarm will stay on, even if the activat-
ing element (a door, for example) is imme-
diately closed.The alarm system will also be triggered
when

the vehicle is opened with the mechan-
ical key, see “Unlocking the vehicle”
(
page 455)

a door is opened from the inside, see
“Opening the doors from the inside”
(
page 118)
iStarting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the
vehicle’s battery is charged), the system is not
operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA), or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is
initiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 294) provided that the Tele Aid service
was subscribed to and properly activated, and
that necessary cellular service and GPS cover-
age are available.

107 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the alarm system
The alarm system indicator lamp is located
to the lower left of the hazard warning
flasher.
1Alarm system indicator lamp
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
with KEYLESS-GO* (
page 68).
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the vehicle is locked.
The alarm system is armed within ap-
proximately 10 seconds. Alarm system
indicator lamp1 flashes.Disarming the alarm system
Unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or with KEYLESS-GO* (
page 38).
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed. Indicator lamp1 goes out.Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or
Press theŒ or ‹button on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 41).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash three
times, one of the following elements may not be
properly closed:

a door

the tailgate
Close the respective element and lock the
vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automatically
again after approximately 40 seconds if neither a
door nor the tailgate is opened.