2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS500 warning

89 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Switching on the ESP
®

Press ESP
® button1.
The ABS/ESP® warning lampv in
the instrument cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode with ESP® switched on.
Electro-hydraulic brake system
The electro-hydraulic brake system com-
bines a hydraulic brake circuit with elec-
tronically controlled brake servo
assistance. You have increased braking
safety and improved braking comfort.
Warning!
G
When the ABS/ESP
® warning lampv is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP
®
switched off. This may cause serious
damage to the drivetrain which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Warning!
G
Never ignore a brake malfunction indicated
in the speedometer display, for example by
the ;(USA only) or 3(Canada only)
warning lamp. Refer to the “Practical hints”
section (
page 354). Also read and ob-
serve the messages in the multifunction dis-
play (
page 363).

90 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake system is auto-
matically activated when you

unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or the KEYLESS-GO*


open the driver’s or passenger door


turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1


in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*, press
the start/stop button on the gear
selector lever once


depress the brake pedal


release the parking brake
Warning!
G
The electro-hydraulic brake system requires
electrical power to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. In such a case, the
red brake warning lamp (
page 354) and
warning messages in the instrument cluster
(
page 363) come on while driving. To
brake, the driver must then apply signifi-
cantly greater brake pedal pressure and
depress the pedal much further to obtain
the expected braking effect. If necessary,
apply full pressure to the brake pedal.
Brakes may only be applied to the front
wheels. Stopping distance is increased!
If there is a malfunction in the
electro-hydraulic brake system, we recom-
mend that the vehicle be transported with
all wheels off the ground using flatbed or ap-
propriate wheel lift/dolly equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances do
not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a speed not to
exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). For more infor-
mation, refer to “Towing the vehicle”
(page 437).

91 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake servo assis-
tance switches off automatically

approximately 2 minutes after you
turned the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 or removed the
SmartKey


approximately 2 minutes after you
pressed the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button to turn off the engine or power
supply and opened the driver’s door
(with driver’s door open, the starter
switch is set to position0, same as
SmartKey removed from starter
switch)


approximately 20 seconds after you
locked the vehicle from outside
iIf the electro-hydraulic brake system is
activated as the brake pedal is first de-
pressed, you may feel a reduced pedal
resistance and longer pedal travel than
normal. When releasing the pedal, you
may also feel the brake pedal pulsate
and you may hear a sound which is
caused by the activation of the
electro-hydraulic brake system pump.
This is normal and not an indication of
a malfunction. Pedal travel returns to
normal when you release the brake
pedal and the sound soon ceases.
If you experience the above while driv-
ing and the red brake warning lamp
(page 354) illuminates and/or warn-
ing messages appear in the instrument
cluster (
page 363), the brake system
is malfunctioning. Follow the instruc-
tions of the warning message(s) and
have the brake system checked imme-
diately.
Warning!
G
Have brake pad replacement and other work
on the electro-hydraulic brake system car-
ried out by qualified technicians only. Con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for further information. The electro-hydrau-
lic brake system must be deactivated prior
to working on the system. High pressure is
intermittently built up in the system as part
of its automatic self-test. In addition, the
system is automatically activated when the
vehicle is unlocked by SmartKey, when the
driver or passenger door is opened, when
the starter switch is turned to position1,
when the brake pedal is depressed or when
the parking brake is released. Failure to de-
activate the system prior to maintenance
will cause brake pistons to extend and brake
fluid to leak, which may result in injuries
(contusions and acid burns). Extended
brake pistons may also cause injury.

92 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsNote on driving with the
electro-hydraulic brake system

Following extended periods of only
minor loads to your brake system, you
should occasionally apply the brakes
when traveling at high speeds. This
improves the grip of the brake pads.


After driving on wet or snow-covered
roads, you should apply your brakes
firmly before parking your vehicle. This
produces heat which serves to dry the
brake disks and help prevent corro-
sion.


On long and steep grades, shift to a
lower gear (gear range1, 2, or 3) to
prevent the brakes from overheating
and to reduce brake wear.


After hard braking, it is advisable to
drive on for some time so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes fast-
er.


Only Mercedes-Benz approved compo-
nents (e.g. brake pads) should be
installed on your vehicle. Brake pads
not approved by Mercedes-Benz may
impair the safety of your vehicle.
Warning!
G
Be very careful not to endanger other road
users when you apply the brakes.

99 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. It is possible
for children to open a looked door from the
inside, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.iWhen you open a door, the side window
on that side lowers slightly. Once you
close the door, the window moves up
again.
!If the battery is discharged or the side
windows are covered with ice, the side
windows will not move up or down. In
this case, you will not be able to close
the door. Do not try to close the door
with force. The door or the window
could otherwise be damaged.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the SmartKey to high levels of
electromagnetic radiation.
iUSA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.

104 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingSmartKey with KEYLESS-GO 1‹ Lock button
2Š Unlock button for the trunk
3Mechanical key locking tab
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 83)
iWhen any outside door handle other
than the driver’s outside door handle is
pulled, the vehicle is centrally un-
locked.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. It is possible for children
to open a looked door from the inside, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iWhen you open a door, the side window
on that side lowers slightly. Once you
close the door, the window moves up
again.!If the battery is discharged or the side
windows are covered with ice, the side
windows will not move up or down. In
this case, you will not be able to close
the door. Do not try to close the door
with force. The door or the window
could otherwise be damaged.!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO to high levels of electro-
magnetic radiation.

114 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the trunk
Closing the trunk from the inside
automatically*
In vehicles with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem* you can close the trunk from the in-
side using the remote trunk lid switch.
Press remote trunk lid switch
(page 113) until the indicator lamp in
the switch goes out and the trunk is
closed.
To interrupt the closing procedure:

Release the remote trunk lid switch.If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.iYou can also close the trunk by hand.
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
the door mounted switch. Monitor the clos-
ing procedure carefully to make sure that no
one is in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk lid switch.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the remote trunk
lid 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 trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.

115 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the trunk from the outside
manually
1Handle
2Handles 
Lower trunk lid by pulling firmly on
handle1 or handles2.

Close trunk with hands placed flat on
trunk lid.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
opening when closing the trunk. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.
iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
To prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the trunk will open automatically if
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is recog-
nized inside the vehicle or in the trunk.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk will lock automatical-
ly after closing it (
page 114).
To confirm locking, all turn signal lamps
flash three times.