63 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking
Exit the vehicle and close the doors and
the trunk.Locking with the SmartKey
Press the lock button‹on the
SmartKey (
page 38).
With the trunk and all doors closed, all
turn signal lamps flash three times. The
locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 102).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure that there
is no possibility of someone getting caught
in a door during closing.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* 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. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to turn off the headlamps.
In addition the message
Turn off lights
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
i
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: A warning sig-
nal and the message
Don’t forget your key
remind you not to leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the vehicle.
i
Opening a door causes the windows on that
side of the car to open slightly. They will return to
the closed position when the door is closed.
64 Getting startedParking and lockingLocking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button
Press lock button1 on a door handle
or the lock button on the trunk lid
(page 110).
With the trunk and all doors closed, the
turn signal lamps flash three times. The
locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 102).
76 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyThe 5/indicator lamp is located in
the upper part of the center console, be-
tween the center air vents.
1Front passenger front air bag off indica-
tor lamp
The 5/indicator lamp1 will be
illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed or in starter switch position0.Self-test Occupant Classification
System
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice, the 5/ indicator lamp
located in the upper part of the center con-
sole, between the center air vents illumi-
nates. If an adult occupant is properly
sitting on the passenger seat and the sys-
tem senses the occupant as being an
adult, the5/ indicator lamp will
illuminate and go out after
approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the passenger seat as being empty,
the 5/ indicator lamp will
illuminate and not go out.
Warning!
G
If the 1indicator lamp and the
5/indicator lamp are lit at the same
time, there is a malfunction in the Occupant
Classification System. The passenger front
air bag will be deactivated in this case.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:
Have the system checked as soon as
possible by qualified technicians.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.
Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.
Only have the seat repaired or replaced
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
86 Safety and SecurityPanic alarmAn audible alarm and flashing exterior
lamps will operate briefly.
1Â button
Activating
Press and hold button1 for at least
1 second.
Deactivating
Press button1 again.
or
Insert SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in starter switch.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button on the gear selector lever.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must
be in the vehicle.
i
USA only: This device complies with Part 15
of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
90 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems
For more information, see the
“Practical hints” section (
page 332) and
(
page 355).
Warning!
G
Never switch off the ESP
® when you see the
ABS/ESP
® warning lamp v flashing in
the instrument cluster. In this case proceed
as follows:
While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.
While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.
Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase the traction afforded. The ESP
®
cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The ca-
pabilities of an ESP
® equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er’s safety or the safety of others.
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically,
the engine must be shut off (SmartKey in starter
switch position 0 or 1or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position 0 or 1) when
the parking brake is being tested on a brake
test dynamometer
the vehicle is being towed with the
front/rear axle raised
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
The ESP
® will only function properly if you use
wheels of the recommended tire size
(
page 435).
i
The cruise control and the Distronic* sys-
tem deactivate automatically when the ESP
® is
in operation (
page 220).
93 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake system is auto-
matically activated when you
unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or the SmartKey with 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 se-
lector 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 335)
comes on and warning messages
(
page 366) appear in the multifunction
display while driving. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased!
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, see “Towing the vehicle”
(page 421).
94 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake system switch-
es 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 position 0, same as
SmartKey removed from starter
switch)
approximately 20 seconds after you
locked the vehicle from outside
i
If the electro-hydraulic brake system is acti-
vated as the brake pedal is first depressed, 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 driving and the
red brake warning lamp (
page 335) illumi-
nates and/or warning messages appear in the
multifunction display (
page 366), the brake
system is malfunctioning. Follow the instructions
of the warning message(s) and have the brake
system checked immediately.
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 remote control, when
the driver or passenger door is opened,
when the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button is pressed once, when the
brake pedal is depressed or when the park-
ing brake is released. Failure to deactivate
the system prior to maintenance will cause
brake pistons to extend and brake fluid to
leak, which may result in injuries (contu-
sions and acid burns). Extended brake pis-
tons may also cause injury.
96 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsImmobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Press the start/stop button on the gear
selector lever once.
The engine is turned off.
Open the driver’s door.Deactivating
With the SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 (
page 40).
With KEYLESS-GO*
Switch on the ignition (
page 41).
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens
a door
the trunk lid
the hood
a storage compartment in the rear
the glove box
the storage compartment under the
armrest
The alarm will stay on, even if the activat-
ing element (a door, for example) is imme-
diately closed.
i
Starting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the
vehicle’s battery is charged), the system is not
operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA), or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).