2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 warning

384 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Parking Electronic parking brake
Warning!G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and the
steering systems. In this case, it is impor-
tant to keep in mind that a considerably
higher degree of effort is necessary to brake
and steer the vehicle.
Warning!G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay, or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.

Engage electronic parking brake.

Shift the automatic transmission to P.

Slowly release brake pedal.

When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.

Turn the SmartKey to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(
page 337).

Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you and lock vehicle
when leaving.
Warning!G
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. Children could release the
electronic parking brake and/or shift the
automatic transmission out of position P, ei-
ther of which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

385 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
1Handle for electronic parking brake
Manually releasing electronic parking
brake
Pull handle1.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
You cannot release the electronic parking
brake until the ignition is switched on.Automatically releasing electronic
parking brake
Your vehicle’s electronic parking brake is
automatically released when:

The engine is running.

Transmission is in position D or R.

The hood is closed.

You have fastened your seat belt.

You step on the accelerator pedal.
If gear R is engaged, the trunk must be
closed.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle with the automat-
ic transmission not fully engaged in
positionPis dangerous. Also, when parked
on an incline, position P alone may not pre-
vent your vehicle from moving, possibly hit-
ting people or objects.
Always engage the electronic parking brake
in addition to shifting to position P
(
page 378).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
iIf you have not fastened your seat belt, the
following conditions must be met in order for the
electronic parking brake to be automatically re-
leased:

The driver’s door is closed.

You must move the gear selector out of P po-
sition or drive faster than 2 mph (3 km/h).

386 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Manually engaging electronic parking
brake
Press handle1.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster comes on.Automatically engaging electronic park-
ing brake*
Your vehicle’s electronic parking brake is
automatically engaged when DISTRONIC
Plus* (
page 411) brings your vehicle to a
standstill and at least one of the following
conditions is met:

The engine is switched off.

The driver’s door is opened and the
seat belt is not inserted in the belt
buckle.

The hood is released.

The trunk lid is open while gear R is en-
gaged.

The vehicle is parked for an extended
period.
The red indicator lamp 0in the instru-
ment cluster comes on.Emergency braking with electronic
parking brake
In an emergency situation, you can also
brake your vehicle while driving by using
the electronic parking brake.
While driving, press handle for elec-
tronic parking brake (
page 384).
During the braking procedure, the red indi-
cator lamp 0 (USA only) or !
(Canada only) flashes in the instrument
cluster, the message “Please release park-
ing brake” appears on the multifunction
display and you will hear a warning tone.
Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop
the electronic parking brake will engage.iYou can also engage the electronic parking
brake when the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch.
iIn addition to the electronic parking brake,
park position P can be automatically engaged.
iYour vehicle will be braked for as long as you
press and hold the switch for the electronic park-
ing brake. The longer you keep the electronic
parking brake pressed, the more strongly your
vehicle will be braked. This method occurs on all
4 wheels, not just the rear wheels.

387 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Turning off the engine
Shift the automatic transmission toP
(
page 393).Turning off with SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 (
page 336) and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.iIf the engine cannot be turned off as de-
scribed, see “Emergency engine shut-down”
(
page 670).
Warning!G
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the en-
gine not running, there is no power assis-
tance for the brake and steering systems. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to brake and steer the vehicle.
!Observe instructions

when taking the vehicle through an
automatic conveyor type car wash
(
page 557)

when towing the vehicle (page 663)
!If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a door
the transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine with the
SmartKey alone only will automatically shift the
transmission to neutral positionN.

389 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For more information on driving with an
automatic transmission, see “Driving and
parking” (
page 378).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
right of the steering column.
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmission
PPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic
converter to heat up more quickly to operating
temperature.
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.

390 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from P to N
Moving the gear selector lever up or down
shifts the automatic transmission out of
park positionP:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up or down to
resistance point to select neutral
positionN.Shifting from N to R or from N to D
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Move gear selector lever up past the
resistance point to select reverse
gearR.
or
Move gear selector down past the
resistance point to select drive
positionD.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator pedal
to drive off when it is safe to do so.
iThe current transmission positionP, R, N
orD appears in the instrument cluster
(
page 393).
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the automatic trans-
mission out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iThe gear selector lever returns to its original
position.
iWhen driving off, the electronic parking
brake is released automatically (
page 384).

394 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
If you want the gear position to remain in
neutral positionN, e.g. when taking the
vehicle through an automatic conveyor
type car wash or when towing the vehicle,
observe the following instructions.
!DISTRONIC Plus*:
The transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically, only when DISTRONIC Plus brings
your vehicle to a standstill, and when it meets at
least one of the following conditions at the same
time:

the engine is turned off

the driver’s or passenger door opens and the
seat belt is not engaged in the buckle
In addition to shifting to park positionP, the
electronic parking brake will be engaged auto-
matically.
iMake it a practice to always shift into park
positionP before turning off the engine and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or

open a door
or when using KEYLESS-GO*, before turning off
the engine with the start/stop button and open-
ing the driver’s or passenger door.
Effect
íReverse gear
Shift into reverse gearR only
when the vehicle is stopped.
ëNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never shift into neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Shift into neutral positionN only
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button, the transmission will shift to neutral
positionN automatically.
Warning!G
When leaving the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle.
It is possible for children to switch on the
ignition which could result in unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment. Unsupervised use
of vehicle equipment could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

395 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Vehicles with SmartKey:
With the vehicle at a standstill and the
ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to neutral
positionN.
If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 385).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
With the ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to park
positionP.
Release the brake pedal.
Remove the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button from the starter switch
(
page 337).
Insert the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
into the starter switch.
Switch on the ignition.
Depress the brake pedal.
Shift the automatic transmission to
neutral positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 385).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO in the
starter switch.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason in neutral positionN can result in trans-
mission damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Effect
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle without shifting
into park positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always engage the electronic parking brake
(
page 384) in addition to shifting to park
positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.