Interesting....I was thinking of that the other day.....but I did not think of that scenario....actually I thought of when the transmission shift solenoid/motor dies, how will you put it in park or drive or whatever?

You would need to a repair manual to tell you that. I'm sure it's not hard, you just need the procedure. I would search some of the other newer MB forums on this board for your answer.

Why not just jump it and put it in neutral?

 

anyone know where the release is tho?

 

Road and Track magazine had a shifter failure on a 06 ML500 and had it flatbedded into the shop, so I guess they couldn't figure it out too.

 

call 800.for.merc and arrange for dealer to come pick it up.

If you're still under warranty, it's all covered.

 

You cannot shift to neutral on a dead battery. You will need a boost to start the engine then shift the tranny. MB designed this electronic system without any back up or a manual alternative. Also be aware the tranny will not shift under a defective ISM Motor even if the battery is fully charged. Should you win the misfortune of a defective ISM Motor on the road only your Dealer can shift the tranny with a special software in the field. And usually they are well equipped for that.

 

Well that sounds very bad. Last year my old 2004 ML500 had a dead / leaking battery so the car was grounded in my underground garage.

The problem is that while a tow truck CAN fit in my garage, it CANNOT tow my ML out because the ceiling is too low, so the tow truck had to pull out my ML with a chain. Thankfully the W163 still had a normal shifter so I COULD put it into N.

Therefore, if this same scenario happened to my W164, that means there would be NO WAY to tow the car out of the garage, and NO WAY to pull it out with a chain either.

Nice going MB...I guess the dealer would have to come to my garage and perform service in there.

 

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe the shifter now has its own battery. i had a battery warning light on my 09 350, and took it in. dealer said that the accessory battery, which is soley for the shifter, was not taking a charge. they swapped it out

 

This is quite an improvement and probably the only solution for that infamous design problem. Now all they need is a "reliable" auxiliary battery.

 

Great info. dunno about you guys, but if I had a model that didn't have the aux battery and my main battery was dead, there is no way I'd buy a special tool that involves taking two wheels off!!!!! A battery charger or a new battery seems like the best way

I guess if the shifter unit is broken and you are parked underground though this may be your only option other than the mechanics coming with a SDS to your house!

May leave my car in N in my underground parking from now on when I go on holiday!!!

 

... there is no way I'd buy a special tool that involves taking two wheels off!!!!!

It involves taking all four wheels off. With 4Matic, you need all four wheels to be free-spinning.

 

C300 is disabled and stuck in park..how to put in neutral

if your MB C300 dies and wont shift into neutral in order to be towed, here is the mechanical fix.
simply pry the leather shifting boot up of its base. you can pinch the boot with both hands, one in front of shifter shaft, and one behind, pull it straight up, and the boot will pop off like a tupperware lid from the base. Find the yellow button down in the hole and press it down, hold it down with a finger and pull it from park to neutral with your other hand. BE Careful if the car is on an incline!!! Wait for the tow service person to show up.
PLEASE HAVE THE PARKING BRAKE ALL THE WAY DOWN AND YOUR FOOT HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. I did this on an incline and she started to roll despite having the parking brake on...theres a great video on YouTube too.

 

Hey this works for dead battery and no key.

Grab a pen, underneath the shifter take the little circle cover thing out. Put your foot on the break press up with the pen and shift to neutral.

Video below of me doing this on a 2014, good luck!

https://youtu.be/au21Kh6vqC8

 

You guys are replying to a post that is over 9 years old with information that is not relevant because the W164 is electronic and has no such manual release.

 

Maybe an old post but relevant non the less.
I had the exact same problem with a flat gear select control battery a few months back.
The car was parked in an underground parking space and due to absolute anger and frustration with continual faults on this car, I hitched it up to my trusty and rusty 25 year old range rover classic and dragged the piece of junk clean out of the park.
Ordered a new battery from the dealer at great expense, genuine mercedes part - made in Korea, which came as no big surprise after coming across chinese and japanese parts also fitted under the guise of "genuine parts" WTF.
These cars are mongrels, built to a price not to the high standard of quality they once were,, and as someone here previously pointed out, are good for about five years, regardless of how they are maintained.
Unfortunately, MB are not alone with this strategy and most of these high end marques are best left alone unless new, or with an absolute bulletproof no quibble warranty, which is hard to find. The alternative is to endure endless inconvenience and frustration along with considerable expense
I was very lucky to "unload" my ML last week and wouldn,t ever have another.
So long MB I,m gone !

 

Posting this in case someone searches for this... You can use fast food trays under your tires if you need to drag a car. They are almost as slick as ice. No need for some fancy tool, just jack up and place under tires.

 

Just wondering if anyone has found a solution yet? I have my engine and transmission removed off the car as a complete unit for some major repairs. Unfortunately forgot to engage in neutral before removing. Now am stuck with a crank that cannot turn as the transmission is in park. One solution would be to reconnect all the cables, switch on the key, and engage neutral but that is a major headache as it is basically reinstalling the entire unit. Is there a workaround?