MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2006 R230 Owner's Manual

340 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
<
The red seat belt telltale comes
on and a warning chime sounds
for approximately 6 seconds
after starting the engine with all
doors closed.
The seat belt telltale reminds you and your
passengers to fasten your seat belts before
driving off.

Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out.
<
The red seat belt telltale remains
illuminated after driving off. The
vehicle’s speed does not exceed
15 mph (25 km/h).
You and/or your front passenger have
forgotten to fasten your seat belts.

Fasten your seat belts.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.

Remove the items from the front
passenger seat and put them in a safe
place.
<
The red seat belt telltale flashes
and you additionally hear an in-
termittent warning chime with in-
creasing intensity for a maximum
of 60 seconds from the time the
vehicle’s speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h).
You and/or your front passenger have
forgotten to fasten your seat belts.

Fasten your seat belts.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.

Remove the items from the front
passenger seat and put them in a safe
place.
iAfter 60 seconds with an unfastened
seat belt on one of the front seats, the
warning chime stops sounding and the
seat belt telltale illuminates continu-
ously. The seat belt telltale will only go
out if both the driver and front passen-
ger’s seat belt are fastened, or the ve-
hicle is standing still and a front door is
opened.

341 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
1
The red SRS indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
There is a malfunction in the restraint sys-
tems. The airbags or Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) could deploy unexpectedly or
fail to activate in an accident.

Drive with added caution to the near-
est authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
In the event that a malfunction of the SRS is
indicated as outlined above, the SRS may
not be operational. For your safety, we
strongly recommend that you visit an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center immedi-
ately to have the system checked; otherwise
the SRS may not be activated when needed
in an accident, which could result in serious
or fatal injury, or it might deploy
unexpectedly and unnecessarily which
could also result in an accident and/or
injury to you or to others.

342 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
H
Combination low tire pres-
sure/TPMS malfunction telltale
for the TPMS illuminates contin-
uously.
The TPMS detects a loss of pressure in at
least one tire.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt,
avoiding abrupt steering and braking
maneuvers. Observe the traffic situation
around you.

Read and observe messages in the mul-
tifunction display.
If the tire inflation pressure in the respec-
tive tire(s) has (have) been corrected, the
combination low tire pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale goes out after few minutes
driving.
H
Combination low tire pres-
sure/TPMS malfunction telltale
for the TPMS flashes for
60 seconds and then stays illu-
minated.
There is a malfunction in the TPMS.

Read and observe messages in the mul-
tifunction display.

Have the TPMS checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
After the malfunction has been remedied
the combination low tire pressure/TPMS
malfunction telltale goes out after few
minutes driving.

343 Practical hints
What to do if …
Warning!
G
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or the tire inflation pressure
label. If your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or the tire inflation pressure label,
you should determine the proper tire infla-
tion pressure for those tires.
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has
been equipped with a tire pressure monitor-
ing system (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illu-
minates, you should stop and check your
tires as soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure. Driving on a significant-
ly underinflated tire causes the tire to over-
heat and can lead to tire failure.
Underinflation also reduces fuel efficiency
and tire tread life, and may affect the vehi-
cle’s handling and stopping ability. Please
note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv-
er’s responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if underinflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumination of
the TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction, the
telltale will flash for approximately
one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the mal-
function indicator is illuminated, the system
may not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended.
TPMS malfunctions may occur for a variety
of reasons, including the installation of in-
compatible replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always check the
TPMS malfunction telltale after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle
to ensure that the replacement or alternate
tires and wheels allow the TPMS to continue
to function properly.

344 Practical hintsWhat to do if …AIRBAG OFF indicator lampProblem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
7
The AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
comes on and remains illuminat-
ed.
A BabySmart
TM child seat is installed on the
front passenger seat. Therefore the passen-
ger front airbag is switched off.
The system is malfunctioning if the
7indicator lamp comes on with no
BabySmart
TM child seat installed on the front
passenger seat.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
7
The AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
does not come on with a
BabySmart
TM child seat properly
installed on the front passenger
seat or does not remain illumi-
nated.
The system is malfunctioning.

Make sure there is nothing between
seat cushion and child seat.

Check installation of the child seat.
If the indicator lamp remains out:

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Do not use the BabySmart
TM restraint to
transport children on the front passenger
seat until the system has been repaired.

345 Practical hints
What to do if …
Vehicle status messages in the multi-function display
Warning and malfunction messages ap-
pear in the in the multifunction display lo-
cated in the instrument cluster.
Certain warning and malfunction messag-
es are accompanied by an audible signal.
Address these messages accordingly and
follow the additional instructions given in
this Operator’s Manual.
Selecting the vehicle status message
memory menu in the control system
(page 144) displays both cleared and
uncleared messages.
High-priority messages appear in the mul-
tifunction display in red color.Certain messages of high priority cannot
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (
page 24) or but-
ton j, k, ÿ, or è on the
multifunction steering wheel.
Other messages of high priority and mes-
sages of less immediate priority can be
cleared from the multifunction display us-
ing the reset button or button j, k,
ÿ, or è on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel. They are then stored in the vehi-
cle status message memory (
page 144).
Remember that clearing a message will not
correct the condition that caused the mes-
sage to appear.
Warning!
G
All categories of messages contain impor-
tant information which should be taken note
of and, where a malfunction is indicated, ad-
dressed as soon as possible at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Failure to repair condition noted may cause
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty, or result in property dam-
age or personal injury.Warning!
G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative. Contact your nearest au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

346 Practical hintsWhat to do if …On the pages that follow, you will find a
compilation of the most important warning
and malfunction messages that may ap-
pear in the multifunction display.
For your convenience the messages are di-
vided into two sections:

Text messages (
page 347)


Symbol messages (
page 359)
iSwitching on the ignition causes all in-
strument cluster lamps (except high
beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps unless acti-
vated) as well as the multifunction dis-
play to come on. Make sure the lamps
and the multifunction display are in
working order before starting your jour-
ney.

347 Practical hints
What to do if …
Text messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ABC
Drive carefully
The capability of the ABC system is re-
stricted. This can impair handling.

Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.
The vehicle is losing oil.

Stop your vehicle in a safe location or as
soon as it is safe to do so.
ABC
Display malfunction
Visit
workshop
The ABC display or the ABC system it-
self is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.
Visit
workshop
The capability of the ABC system is re-
stricted.

Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.

348 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ABC
Stop,
car too low
The car is parked on an extremely
uneven surface and/or is heavily
laden.

Press the vehicle level control button to
select level 2 (
page 222).
You can continue to drive after the vehicle
has raised and the message disappears.

Set the desired vehicle level using vehicle
level control button (
page 222).
ABC is malfunctioning.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location and
press the vehicle level control button to
select a higher vehicle level (
page 222).
If the vehicle does not raise, observe the
following when you continue to drive:

Do not turn steering wheel too far to
avoid damaging the front fenders.

Listen for scraping noises.

Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.

349 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ABS
Malfunction!
Visit
workshop!
The ABS has detected a malfunction
and has switched off.
The ESP
® and the BAS are also deacti-
vated.
The electro-hydraulic brake system is
still functioning normally but without
the ABS available.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of an accident.
Display malfunction
Visit
workshop!
The ABS or the ABS display is malfunc-
tioning.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of an accident.
Cruise control
Visit
workshop
Cruise control or Distronic* is mal-
functioning.

Have the cruise control or Distronic*
checked at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.