Important safety notes

WARNING If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid 
If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid towing bar if:
• the engine is not running.
• there is a brake system malfunction.
• there is a malfunction in the power supply or the vehicle's electrical system.
The power assistance for the steering and the brake force booster do not work when the engine is not running. You will need more force to steer and brake, you may have to depress the brake pedal with maximum force.
Before towing away, make sure that the steering can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its weight must not exceed the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight of your vehicle.

It is better to have the vehicle transported than to have it towed.

distance of 30 miles (50 km). A towing You may only tow the vehicle a maximum distance of 30 miles (50 km). A towing speed of 30 mph (50 km/h) must not be exceeded.

For towing distances over 30 miles (50 km), the vehicle must loaded onto a transporter.

towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicle could Only secure the tow rope or tow bar at the towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicle could be damaged.

as this could damage the vehicle. If in Do not use the towing eye for recovery, as this could damage the vehicle. If in doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.

smoothly. If the tractive power is too high, When towing, pull away slowly and smoothly. If the tractive power is too high, the vehicles could be damaged.

Do not tow with sling-type equipment.

This could damage the vehicle.

use the key instead of the Start/Stop When towing vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the key instead of the Start/Stop button. Otherwise, the automatic transmission may shift to position P when the driver's or front-passenger door are opened, which could lead to damage to the transmission.

sure that the differential locks are in Vehicles with differential locks: make sure that the differential locks are in automatic mode. When towing, the differential locks must not be switched on by hand. This could otherwise damage the transmission.

with either the front or the rear axle raised, Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed with either the front or the rear axle raised, as doing so will damage the transmission.

If the vehicle has suffered transmission damage, have it transported on a transporter or trailer.

The automatic transmission must be in position N when the vehicle is being towed.

The battery must be connected and charged.

Otherwise, you:

• cannot turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the ignition lock
• cannot shift the automatic transmission to position N

automatic locking feature. Before the vehicle is towed, switch off the automatic locking feature.

You could otherwise be locked out when pushing or towing the vehicle.

    See also:

    Parking brake
    WARNING   Engaging the parking brake while the vehicle is in motion can cause the rear wheels to lock up. You could lose control of the vehicle and cause an accident. In addition, the ve ...

    Installing the towing eye
    Vehicles with a trailer tow hitch: if possible, secure the towing device on the trailer tow hitch. – Remove the towing eye required for frontal or rear coupling from the vehicle tool kit. The ...

    Calibrating the compass
    Make sure that there is sufficient space for you to drive in a circle without impeding the remaining traffic. In order to calibrate the compass correctly, observe the following points: • ca ...