2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class ESP

73 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
page 634) and (
page 642).Electronic traction system
The electronic traction system is a compo-
nent of ESP
®.
The electronic traction system improves
the vehicle’s ability to utilize available trac-
tion, especially under slippery road condi-
tions by applying the brakes to a spinning
wheel.
When you switch off the ESP
®, the elec-
tronic traction system is still enabled.
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.
i
DISTRONIC Plus* and cruise control are
switched off when the ESP
® engages.
i
The ESP
® will only function properly if you
use wheels of the recommended tire size
(
page 754).
!
Vehicles without 4MATIC:
Because the ESP
® operates automatically, the
engine and ignition must be shut off (SmartKey
in starter switch position0 or1 or KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button* in position0 or1) when


the electronic 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.
For information on vehicles with 4MATIC, see
“Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC)
with the ESP
®” (page 76).
Warning!
G
If you are driving too fast, the electronic
traction system cannot reduce the risk of an
accident.
The electronic traction system cannot pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting
on the vehicle.

74 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsSwitching off the ESP
®
(except S 63 AMG)
To improve the vehicle’s traction, turn off
the ESP
® in driving situations where it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:


when driving with snow chains


in deep snow


in sand or gravelWhen you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip


the electronic traction system will still
apply the brakes to a spinning wheel


the ESP
® continues to operate when
you are braking


you cannot activate the cruise control
or the DISTRONIC Plus* 1ESP
® off/on

Press ESP
® switch1 until the ESP
®
warning lampv in the instrument
cluster comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.
Warning!
G
Switch on the ESP
® immediately if the afore-
mentioned circumstances do not apply any-
more. Otherwise the ESP
® will not stabilize
the vehicle when it is starting to skid or a
wheel is spinning.
i
When the ESP
® is switched off and one or
more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP
® warn-
ing lampv in the instrument cluster flashes.
However, the ESP
® will then not stabilize the
vehicle.

75 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Switching off the ESP
® (S 63 AMG only)When you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip


the traction control will still apply the
brakes to a spinning wheel


the ESP
® operates while you are
braking


you cannot activate the cruise control
or the Distronic*


the cruise control or Distronic* switch
off if currently activated
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lampv is illumi-
nated continuously, the ESP
® is switched
off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving. Disabling of the system will
result in the following:


no restriction to engine torque


loss of system supported traction
control
“ESP® OFF” is designed for driving on closed
tracks when the natural oversteer and un-
dersteer characteristics are desired and re-
quires a highly skilled and experienced
driver able to handle these critical driving
situations.
You could lose control of your vehicle and
cause an accident.
Please be aware of these limits when you
switch off the ESP
®.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a spare
wheel is mounted.

76 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems1ESP
® off/on

With the engine running, press ESP
®
switch1 until the ESP
® warning
lampv in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.Switching on the ESP
®

Press ESP
® switch1.
The ESP
® warning lampv in the in-
strument cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode with the ESP
® switched on.
Four wheel electronic traction system
(4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves the vehicle’s ability
to use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under snowy
conditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.
i
When the ESP
® is switched off and one or
more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP
® warn-
ing lamp v in the instrument cluster flashes.
However, the ESP
® will then not stabilize the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lamp v is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off or is not operational due to a
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard
driving maneuvers reduces.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

77 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only)
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* can assist you in mini-
mizing the risk of a rear-end collision with
a vehicle in front of you and in reducing the
severity of an accident. At speeds over ap-
prox 20 mph (30 km/h), it will


warn you of a possible collision


automatically begin to brake the vehi-
cle lightly in a speed range of up to
112 mph (180 km/h)


activate preventative occupant safety
measures (PRE-SAFE
®) (page 57)
Warning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv
flashing in the speedometer, proceed as fol-
lows:


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.
!
Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
!
Performance testing must only be conduct-
ed on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically,
the engine and the ignition must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0 or1 or
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position0
or1) when the parking brake is being tested on a
brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through ESP
® may other-
wise seriously damage the front or rear axle
brake system.
Operational tests with the engine running can
only be conducted on a two-axle dynamometer.
Warning!
G
PRE-SAFE
® Brake is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The responsibility for the vehicle
speed and the distance to the vehicle ahead,
including most importantly brake operation
to assure safe stopping distance, always re-
mains with the driver.


79 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
When the distance to the forward vehicle is
too small, the distance warning lampl
lights up in the instrument cluster. If you
approach the forward vehicle very quickly,
you will hear a warning tone.
If you do not apply the brakes yourself or
maneuver around a sensed obstacle, the
vehicle will automatically initiate light
braking. PRE-SAFE
® (page 57) is activat-
ed when the distance to the vehicle ahead
at your current speed is so close that
PRE-SAFE
® Brake will not be capable of
slowing the vehicle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
PRE-SAFE
® Brake will only respond with
brake assistance if it has clearly detected an
object. Detection can be impeded by


dirty or covered sensors


snowfall or heavy rain


disturbance from other radar sources


strong radar reflection such as in park-
ing garages
PRE-SAFE
® Brake uses radar signals that
are not reflected well by narrow objects and
absorptive materials. For this reason BAS
Plus will not react to


persons and animals


approaching traffic or cross-traffic
PRE-SAFE
® Brake may not detect narrow ve-
hicles driving in front of you, such as motor-
cycles and vehicles driving offset from your
vehicle center.
Warning!
G
PRE-SAFE
® Brake brakes your vehicle with a
maximum of 13 ft/s
2 (4 m/s
2). This corre-
sponds to about 40% of the maximum decel-
eration ability of your vehicle. This
automatic braking is intended only to ini-
tiate the braking if the driver has not already
done so. The driver must apply the brakes in
order to prevent a collision.
PRE-SAFE
® Brake applies the brake pedal
automatically which results in the brake
pedal moving. Therefore keep driver’s foot
area clear at all times, including the area un-
der the brake pedal. Objects stored in this
area may impair pedal movement which
could interfere with the braking ability of the
PRE-SAFE® Brake.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.

83 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
1Indicator lamp
Arming: Lock your vehicle with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the vehicle is locked.
The indicator lamp1 flashes to indi-
cate that the alarm system is armed.

Disarming: Unlock your vehicle with
the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once to in-
dicate that the alarm system is dis-
armed.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm, do one of the follow-
ing:
Insert the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch.

Press the Œ or ‹ button on the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton (
page 372).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
i
If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is ini-
tiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 542) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary mobile phone, power supply and GPS
coverage are available.
i
If the turn signal lamps does not flash three
times one of the following elements may not be
properly closed:


a door


the trunk
Close the respective element and lock the vehi-
cle again.
i
The alarm system will rearm automatically
again after approximately 40 seconds if no door
was opened.

86 Control systemsCOMAND operating safetyWarning!
G
Any alteration of electronic components or
software can cause malfunctions.
Radio, satellite radio, amplifier, CD/DVD
changer, navigation module, telephone and
Voice Control Systems* are interconnected.
Therefore, if one of the components is not
operational, or has not been removed/ re-
placed properly, the function of other com-
ponents could be impaired.
Such conditions might seriously impair the
operating safety of your vehicle.
We recommend to have any service work on
electronic components carried out by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
In order to avoid distraction which could
lead to an accident, the driver should enter
system settings while the vehicle is at a
standstill, and operate the system only
when permitted by road, weather and traffic
conditions.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/ h), your car covers a
distance of 44 feet (approximately 14 m) ev-
ery second.
COMAND supplies you with information to
help you select your route more easily and
guide you conveniently and safely to your
destination. For safety reasons, we encour-
age the driver to stop the vehicle in a safe
place before answering or placing a call, or
consulting the COMAND screen to read nav-
igational maps, instructions, or downloaded
information.
Warning!
G
While the navigation system provides direc-
tional assistance, the driver must remain fo-
cused on safe driving behavior, especially
attention to traffic and street signs, and
should utilize the system’s audio cues while
driving.
The navigation system does not supply any
information on stop signs, yield signs, traffic
regulations or traffic safety rules. Their ob-
servance always remains in the driver’s per-
sonal responsibility. DVD maps do not cover
all areas nor all routes within an area.