Page 400 of 521
399 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
Battery/Alternator
Stop vehicle
The battery is malfunctioning.
The electrohydraulic brake system re-
quires electrical energy and therefore has
only limited operation. Considerably
greater brake pedal force is required and
the stopping distance is increased.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as
soon as it is safe to do so. Adjust driv-
ing to be consistent with reduced
braking responsiveness.
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Low voltage
Start engine
The battery has insufficient voltage.
Start the engine (
page 50).
Malfunction
Electrical consumers
switched off
The consumer battery has insufficient
voltage and can no longer supply the con-
venience functions such as seat ventila-
tion*.
The electrical consumers will come back
online as soon as on-board voltage is suf-
ficient.
(
Backrest, right rear
not locked
The rear seat backrest is not engaged.
Adjust the rear seat backrest until it is
fully engaged in position.
Backrest, left rear
not locked
The rear seat backrest is not engaged.
Adjust the rear seat backrest until it is
fully engaged in position.
Page 401 of 521
400 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
2
Brake wear
Visit workshop
The brake pads have reached their wear
limit.
Brake pad thickness must be visually
inspected at the intervals specified in
the Maintenance Booklet.
Have the brake pads replaced as soon
as possible.
T
Reduced braking power
Depress brake
pedal fully
The electrohydraulic brake system is in
emergency operation mode. Consider-
ably greater brake pedal force is required
and the stopping distance is increased.
The maximum speed is limited to 55 mph
(90 km / h).
Do not drive any further.
Stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe
to do so and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking the wheels with wheel
chocks or other sizable objects.
Call for Roadside Assistance.
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Reduced braking power
Start engine
The battery has insufficient voltage and
cannot supply sufficient power to the
electrohydraulic brake system.
Start the engine (
page 50).
The message disappears when suffi-
cient voltage is available.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
inspected by a qualified technician at
the intervals specified in the
Maintenance Booklet.
Page 402 of 521
401 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Reduced braking power
Visit workshop
The electrohydraulic brake system is in
emergency operation mode. Consider-
able brake pedal force is required and the
stopping distance is increased.
Continue driving with added caution.
Adjust driving to be consistent with
reduced braking responsiveness.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Service brake
Visit workshop
There are malfunctions, but the electro-
hydraulic brake system is operating nor-
mally.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Brake overheated
Drive on, but with
even greater care
The brake system is overheated due to an
excessive load on the brakes.
Relieve the load on the brake system.
Drive more smoothly and think ahead
to avoid unnecessary braking.
When driving down slopes, shift into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking
power (
page 190).
Cautiously continue driving so that
the air stream will cool down the
brakes.
Release parking
brake
You are driving with the parking brake
set.
Release the parking brake
(page 53).
Page 403 of 521
402 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
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Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Brake fluid
Visit workshop
There is insufficient brake fluid in the
reservoir.
Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle in a
safe location as soon as it is safe to do
so and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Brake fluid
Visit workshop
displayed can result in an
accident. Have your brake system checked
immediately.
If there is a malfunction in the electrohy-
draulic brake system, we recommend that
the vehicle be transported with all wheels
off the ground using flatbed or appropriate
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
u p t o 3 0 m i l e s ( 5 0 k m ) a n d a t a s p e e d n o t t o
exceed 30 mph (50 km / h). For more infor-
mation, refer to “Towing the vehicle”
(page 457).
If the electrohydraulic brake system enters
its emergency operation mode, the driver
must apply significantly greater brake pedal
pressure and depress the pedal much fur-
ther than normal to obtain braking effect. If
necessary, apply full pressure to the brake
pedal. Brakes may only be applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased!
Do not add brake fluid before checking the
brake system. Overfilling the brake fluid res-
ervoir can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You can be seriously burned.!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.
Page 404 of 521
403 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ú
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
Engine
Service
There may be a malfunction in the:
fuel injection system
ignition system (Gasoline engine)
exhaust system
fuel system
Have the measuring system checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.
Add coolant (
page 325).
If you have to add coolant frequently,
have the cooling system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
the message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount
of coolant in the cooling system. The
engine will overheat causing major en-
gine damage.
Page 408 of 521
407 Practical hints
What to do if …
When the message
Add 1 Qt.
(Canada:
1 Liter
) engine oil at next
refueling
(E320CDI, E500, E55AMG)
or
Check oil level at next refueling
(E 350) appears while the engine is run-
ning and at operating temperature, the en-
gine oil level has dropped to approximately
the minimum level.When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.
Visually check for oil leaks. If no obvious oil
leaks are noted, drive to the nearest ser-
vice station where the engine oil should be
topped to the required level with an ap-
proved oil specified in the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet.
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
:
USA only:Add 1 Qt. engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 Liter engine oil
at next refueling
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
The engine oil level is too low.
Check the engine oil level
(page 321) and add engine oil as re-
quired (
page 323).
If you must add engine oil frequently,
have the engine checked for possible
leaks.
Check oil level
at next refueling
E 350 only:
The engine oil has dropped to a critical
level.
Check the engine oil level
(page 322) and add oil as required
(page 323).
If you must add engine oil frequently,
have the engine checked for possible
leaks.!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in
serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Page 409 of 521
408 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
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Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
:
Engine oil level
Stop, engine off
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
There is no oil in the engine. There is a
danger of engine damage.
Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as
soon as possible.
Turn off the engine.
Add engine oil (
page 323) and
check the engine oil level
(
page 321).
Engine oil level
Visit workshop
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
The engine oil has dropped to a critical
level.
Check the engine oil level
(page 322) and add oil as required
(page 323).
If you must add engine oil frequently,
have the engine checked for possible
leaks.
Change engine oil
Visit workshop
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
It may be that there is water in the engine
oil.
Have the engine oil and the cooling
system checked.
Page 411 of 521
410 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Y
Hood open
You are driving with the hood open.
Close the hood (
page 319).
F
Key
Check battery
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* batter-
ies are discharged.
Change the batteries (
page 431).
Key
not recognized
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is not
recognized while the engine is running
because
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
not in the vehicle
there is strong radio-frequency inter-
ference
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as
soon as it is safe to do so.
Search for the SmartKey.
Otherwise the vehicle cannot be cen-
trally locked nor can the engine be
started again after the engine is
stopped.
Key
not recognized
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is mo-
mentarily not recognized.
Change the position of the SmartKey
in the vehicle.
Operate the vehicle with the
SmartKey in the starter switch if nec-
essary.
Key
still in vehicle
A SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* left in the
vehicle was recognized while locking the
vehicle from the outside.
Take the SmartKey out of the vehicle.
Keyless Go
Check system
The KEYLESS-GO* system is malfunction-
ing.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
