2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 ESP inoperative

358 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Text messagesDisplay message
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ABS
ABS, ESP
inoperative
See Operator’s Man.
ABS, ESP
® as well as PRE-SAFE
® have
switched off due to a malfunction.
BAS is also switched off.
The brake system is still functioning nor-
mally but without the ABS, BAS, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE
® available.

Continue driving with added caution. Wheels
will lock during hard braking, reducing steering
capability.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the
risk of an accident.
ABS
ABS, ESP
unavailable
See Operator’s Man.
ABS, ESP
® as well as PRE-SAFE
® are not
available due to a malfunction. BAS is also
switched off. The system’s self-diagnosis
may not be completed yet.
The brake system is still functioning nor-
mally but without ABS, BAS, ESP® and
PRE-SAFE
® available.

Drive a short distance with gentle turns above
a speed of 12 mph (20 km/h).
The message disappears when ABS, BAS, ESP
®
and PRE-SAFE
® are again available.
If the message does not disappear:

Continue driving with added caution. Wheels
will lock during hard braking, reducing steering
capability.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the
risk of an accident.

359 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display message
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ABS
ABS, ESP
unavailable
See Operator’s Man.
The ABS, ESP
® as well as PRE-SAFE
® were
deactivated because of insufficient power
supply. The charging voltage has fallen be-
low 10 volts.
The brake system still functions normally
but without the ABS, ESP
® and PRE-SAFE
®
available.When the voltage is above this value again, the
ABS, ESP
® and PRE-SAFE
® are operational again
and the message in the multifunction display
should disappear.
If the message in the multifunction display does
not disappear:

Have the generator (alternator) and the battery
checked.
Cruise
control
--- mph(USA only)--- km/h(Canada only)
You have tried to switch on cruise control
below a speed of 20 mph (30 km/h).

Drive faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) and save
the speed.
Distronic
--- mph(USA only)--- km/h(Canada only)
You have tried to switch on Distronic be-
low a speed of 20 mph (30 km/h).

Drive faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) and save
the speed.
inoperative
The Distronic* is malfunctioning or the
display is malfunctioning.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.

361 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display message
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Distronic
currently unavailable
See Operator’s Manual
Distronic* is deactivated because the
functionality is impaired by external in-
terferences, e.g. high-frequency sources
such as too stations, speed measuring
systems etc.

Leave the area of the external interference.

Activate Distronic* again (
page 223) when
the message
DISTRONIC available
again ap-
pears.
Distronic* is deactivated because the
Distronic* sensor has not sensed any
other vehicles or objects, e.g. road sign
or such, for a long time.

Activate Distronic* again (
page 223) when
the message
DISTRONIC available
again ap-
pears.
ESP
inoperative
See Operator’s Man.
The ESP
® as well as BAS and PRE-SAFE
®
have detected a malfunction and
switched off.
The ABS may not be operational.
The brake system is still functioning nor-
mally but without the ABS, BAS, ESP
®
and PRE-SAFE
® available.

Continue driving with added caution.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the
risk of an accident.
!
When synchronizing the ESP
®, make sure
you can turn the steering wheel in both direc-
tions as far as it will go without the wheels hitting
any objects, e.g. a road curb.

369 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display message
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Tire pres. monitor
inoperative
No wheel sensors
There are wheels without appropri-
ate wheel sensors mounted (e.g.
winter tires).

Have the TPMS or Advanced TPMS* checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Have the wheel sensors installed by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Tire pres. monitor
Wheel sensor missing


One or more sensors malfunc-
tion (e.g. battery is empty).


One or more wheels without ap-
propriate wheel sensors mount-
ed (e.g. spare tire).
The tire inflation pressure for the re-
spective tire is not shown in the mul-
tifunction display.

Have the TPMS or Advanced TPMS* checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Have the wheel sensors installed by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Vehicles with Advanced TPMS*:
The tire pressure for the respective tire is
shown in the multifunction display.

370 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Symbol messagesDisplay symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
V

You are driving with one or more doors
open.

Close the doors.
Y
You are driving with the hood open.

Close the hood (
page 286).
Ê
This message will appear whenever the
trunk is open.

Close the trunk.
#
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes:

alternator malfunctioning


broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake system
requires electrical energy and may be
operating with restricted capability.
Considerably greater brake pedal force is
required and the stopping distance is
increased.

Stop immediately in a safe location or
as soon as it is safe to do so and
check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise
the engine will overheat due to an
inoperative water pump which may re-
sult in damage to the engine. Notify
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is intact:

Drive immediately to the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Adjust driving to be consistent with
reduced braking responsiveness.

372 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)!
Release parking
brake
You are driving with the parking brake
set.

Release the parking brake
(page 53).
(USA only);(Canada only)3
EBV, ABS, ESP
inoperative
See Operator’s Man.
ABS, ESP
®, EBP as well as PRE-SAFE
®
have switched off due to a malfunction.
BAS is also switched off.
The brake system is still functioning nor-
mally but without the ABS, BAS, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE
® available.

Continue driving with added caution.

Adjust driving to be consistent with
reduced braking responsiveness.

Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Check
brake fluid level
There is insufficient brake fluid in the
reservoir.

Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle in a
safe location and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the messages
Check brake
fluid level
displayed can result in an ac-
cident. Have your brake system checked im-
mediately.
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.