Page 582 of 705
581 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Please release
parking brake
The red indicator lamp for the electric park-
ing brake flashes and you also hear a warn-
ing tone.
You are driving with the electric parking
brake activated, or you are carrying out an
emergency brake application with the elec-
tric parking brake (
page 364).
Release electric parking brake.
or
Carefully drive off (
page 364).
or
Release the handle for electric parking brake.
(USA only)(Canada only)
Please release
parking brake
The red indicator lamp for the electric park-
ing brake flashes and the yellow warning
lamp for the electric parking brake comes
on. You also hear a warning tone.
The electric parking brake is malfunction-
ing; braking action is restricted.
While driving:
Release the handle for electric parking brake.
While at a standstill:
Switch off ignition and press handle for elec-
tric parking brake until the warning message
disappears from the multifunction display.
Page 583 of 705
582 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Turn on the ignition
to release the
parking brake
The yellow indicator lamp for the electric
parking brake comes on.
You have tried to release the electric park-
ing brake, but the ignition was not switched
on.
Switch on the ignition (
page 315).
(USA only)(Canada only)
Inoperative
See Oper. Manual
ESP
® as well as PRE-SAFE
® are switched off
due to a malfunction. In addition, the v
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ABS is still operational.
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.
Page 584 of 705
583 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Inoperative
See Oper. Manual
S 600 only:
ESP
® a s w e l l a s P R E - S A F E
® are switched off
due to a malfunction. In addition, the v
and ; (USA only) or 3(Canada only)
warning lamps come on in the instrument
cluster.
Brake force assistance is impaired and is
sustained through an electric substitute
function as long as the engine is running.
The brake system continues to function
normally. You will feel a pulsating effect at
the brake pedal while braking.
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.
Page 585 of 705
584 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual
ESP
® and PRE-SAFE
® are temporarily un-
available. It is possible that the self-diag-
nostics have not yet completed.
In addition, the yellow ESP
® warning
lampv comes on.
The brake system functions normally.
Synchronize the ESP
®:
Drive a short distance with gentle turns at a
speed above 12 mph (20 km/h).
The message disappears when ESP
® is again
available.
Currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual
ESP
® and PRE-SAFE
® are switched off due
to undervoltage. It is possible that the bat-
tery is not charged.
The brake system functions normally.
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.
Currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual
If the yellow ESP
® warning lampv flash-
es while driving and this message appears,
the ETS has switched off to prevent over-
heating of the drive wheel brakes.
As soon as the brakes have cooled off, the ETS
switches on again.
The message in the multifunction display disap-
pears and the ESP
® warning lampv goes
out.
Page 586 of 705
585 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
STOP,
car too low
You have started driving although the vehi-
cle level was too low.
The vehicle will be raised. The Airmatic*
warning lamp goes out after several sec-
onds.
Stop your vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so.
Wait until the message disappears from the
multifunction display.
You may then drive off.
STOP,
car too low
The Airmatic* is malfunctioning.
The Airmatic* warning lamp lights up con-
tinuously.
Stop and press the vehicle level control but-
ton to select a higher vehicle level
(page 401).
Do not turn steering wheel too far to avoid
damaging the front fenders.
Listen for scraping noises.
Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
There is otherwise danger of an accident.
Malfunction
The capability of the Airmatic* system is re-
stricted. This can impair the handling.
Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Page 588 of 705
587 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Coolant,
please refill
See Oper. Manual
The coolant level is too low.
Add coolant (
page 497).
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 Lim-
ited Warranty.
Do not drive without a sufficient amount of cool-
ant in the cooling system. The engine will over-
heat, causing major engine damage.
Page 589 of 705
588 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?
During severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Coolant level
Stop vehicle!
Switch engine off
The coolant is too hot.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is saf e to do so and imm ediat ely turn of f
the engine.
Only start the engine again after the message
disappears. You could otherwise damage the
engine.
Observe the coolant temperature gauge in
the instrument cluster (
page 28).
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns which can occur
just by opening the engine hood. Stay
away from the engine if you see or hear
steam coming from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.
!
The engine should not be operated with the
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C). Do-
ing so may cause serious engine damage which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Page 605 of 705
604 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?When the message “Check engine oil level
at next refueling” (S 550) or “Add 1.0 qts.
(Canada:1.0 l) engine oil at next refueling”
(S 600) 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
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Engine oil level
cannot be
measured
S 600 only:
The measuring system is malfunctioning.
Have the measuring system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level
S 600 only:
You have added too much engine oil.
There is a risk of damaging:
the engine
the catalytic converter
Have excess oil siphoned or drained off. Con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!
The engine oil level warnings should not be
ignored. Extended driving with the symbol dis-
played could result in serious engine damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limit-
ed Warranty.
