2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E WAGON light

87 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


SBC (S
ensotronic B
rake C
ontrol)


4MATIC (Four Wheel Electronic
Traction System)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of
approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) indepen-
dent of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on when you switch on the
ignition. It goes out when the engine is run-
ning.
iIn winter operation, the maximum
effectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, the
ESP, SBC and 4MATIC is only achieved
with winter tires (M + S tires), or snow
chains as required.Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP, SBC and 4MATIC cannot
reduce this risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

101 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Dual-zone automatic climate control
4-zone automatic climate control*
Power windows
Power tilt / sliding sunroof*
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features

118 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking1Strap in vehicles with folding bench
seat
Pull the tailgate down from the inside of
the vehicle using strap1.
Closing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate
closing switch.1Tailgate closing switch

Press tailgate closing switch 1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens
slightly.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the cargo
compartment opening when closing the tail-
gate. Be especially careful when small chil-
dren are around.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as visibility
blockage, exhaust fumes may enter the ve-
hicle interior.iTo prevent an inadvertent lockout, do
not place the SmartKey in the cargo
compartment.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
To prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is rec-
ognized inside the vehicle or in the car-
go compartment.
iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.

120 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingIf the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens
slightly.
iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is rec-
ognized in the rear shelf or inside the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

press the tailgate closing switch1


press the Š button on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO


pull the remote tailgate switch (on the
driver’s door)
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate clos-
ing switch can be operated. Therefore, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle,
or with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as visibility
blockage, exhaust fumes may enter the
vehicle interior.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it.
To confirm locking all turn signal lamps
flash three times.

121 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate and locking the
vehicle from the outside (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* and KEYLESS-GO, you can close
the tailgate and lock the vehicle simulta-
neously from the outside using the
KEYLESS-GO locking/closing switch.
1KEYLESS-GO* locking/closing switch
Make sure you have SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.

Press switch 1 briefly.

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.


The locking knobs in the doors
move down.


The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens
slightly.
iYou can also close the tailgate by hand.iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is rec-
ognized in the rear shelf or inside the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

press the tailgate closing switch1


press the Š button on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO


pull the remote tailgate switch (on the
driver’s door)
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
removed from the vehicle, the KEYLESS-GO
locking/closing switch can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

136 Controls in detailSeatsRemoving and installing seat cushions
Removing
1Seat guides
2Seat cushion
Fold seat cushion 2 upward and re-
move it from seat guides 1.Installing

Insert seat cushion 2 into seat guides
1 from behind 3 at a slight angle.

Fold seat cushion 2 back into original
position 4 until it engages.Folding back folding bench seat
1Tab
2Backrest

Pull seat cushion upward using tab 1
and fold it back into original position
until it engages.
iYou must remove the seat cushion
when you want to raise the loading
floor, e.g. in the event of a flat tire.

141 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
the “Getting started” section (
page 51).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 170)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 170)CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
Canada only:
When engine is running, the low
beam is also switched on
BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the combi-
nation switch is pushed forward)
and parking lamps
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
¥Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
¨Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

142 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps

Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in the starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps will switch on and off
automatically.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the licence plate lamps and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the engine turned off
with KEYLESS-GO* and the driver’s
door open, a warning sounds if the
parking lamps or low beam headlamps
are switched on.
The message
Switch off lamps
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch toB when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toB with the
vehicle at a standstill. Switching fromU
toB will briefly switch off the head-
lamps. Doing so while driving in low ambient
lighting conditions may result in an acci-
dent.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle's lights at all
times.