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Applies to: vehicles with towing bracket
Special care is required when extending and retracting the towing bracket.
- Fig. 140 Detail of the luggage compartment: Switch (example positions)
- Fig. 141 Rear bumper: Engaging towing bracket and opening socket
Extending towing bracket
Apply the parking brake.
Open the boot lid.
Pull the switch -1- Fig. 140► ►. The towing bracket is released and swivels downwards. The LED will flash.
Swivel the towing bracket -2- by hand further in the direction indicated (arrow) until you hear and feel it engage Fig. 141►. The LED will light up permanently.
Before hitching up a trailer, pull off the dust cap -3- and stow it away in the vehicle.
Connect the cable for the trailer to the socket -4-.
When you hitch a trailer up to your vehicle, hook the safety cable into the eye -5- on the towing bracket.
When you switch on the ignition make sure that the instrument cluster display does not display the indicator lamp 
or the message Check towing bracket!*
or the message Check towing bracket!*
Retracting towing bracket
After unhitching a trailer, press the dust cap -3- back on.
Pull the switch -1-. The towing bracket is released and swivels downwards. The LED will flash.
Swivel the towing bracket under the bumper as far as possible by hand until you hear and feel it engage ►. The LED will light up permanently.
When you switch on the ignition make sure that the instrument cluster display does not display the indicator lamp or the message Check towing bracket!*
or the message Check towing bracket!*The switch is not active when the vehicle is in motion or if the boot lid is closed.
Meaning of LED in switch
- When the LED is flashing, the towing bracket is between the two end positions.
- When the LED is permanently lit, the towing bracket is in its final position (operating position or retracted position).
- Make sure that no people, animals or objects of any kind are in the path of the towing bracket.
- If the LED is flashing or the indicator lamp and the message Check towing bracket!* appears on the instrument cluster display, you must not operate the towing bracket - risk of accident! Extend or retract it again. Please contact a qualified workshop in the event of a technical fault.
- Never attempt to interfere with the movement of the towing bracket, for example with tools, while it is swivelling. This can cause damage to the towing bracket, in which case the trailer can no longer be towed safely.
- Do NOT operate the switch when there is a load on the towing bracket.
CAUTION
Do NOT hold a high-pressure cleaner directly at the seal of the towing bracket or the socket. This may cause damage to the seal, which can lead to moisture entering and causing rust and other damage to the system.
Note
- The eye -5- on the towing bracket is intended only for securing the safety cable of the trailer.
- The swivel mechanism of the towing bracket is filled with a lubricant. If you have not used the towing bracket for a relatively long time or have used it constantly without retracting or extending it, the swivelling movement may be stiff because the lubricant is no longer distributed evenly, or the towing bracket may no longer swivel downwards automatically when the handle is operated. In this case we recommend that you extend and retract the towing bracket several times or loosen it by jogging it up and down repeatedly.
- It is advisable to retract the towing bracket when you are not towing a trailer.