2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class ECU

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.


78 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsPRE-SAFE
® Brake will only assist you by
automatically initiating braking if the driver
and front passenger have their seat belts
fastened.
Using the radar sensors, PRE-SAFE
® Brake
detects obstacles that are in your driving
path for a sufficient period of time for the
system to recognize it. If you approach a
vehicle and PRE-SAFE
® Brake has estab-
lished that 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, the sys-
tem will initially warn you visually and
acoustically.When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system* (
page 307).
Canadian law does not permit the use of
the radar sensor system* (
page 307) for
vehicles from outside of Canada. When you
switch off the radar sensor system*, the
following functions are deactivated:


BAS Plus* (
page 70)


DISTRONIC Plus* (
page 451)


Park Assist* (
page 476)


PRE-SAFE
® Brake
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while PRE-SAFE
® Brake is switched on.
Otherwise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.
i
USA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as a
“Vehicular Radar System”. The radar sensor is
intended for use in an automotive radar system
only. Removal, tampering, or altering of the de-
vice will void any warranties, and is not permitted
by the FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
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.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device will
void any warranties, and is not permitted. Do not
tamper with, alter, or use in any non-approved
way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.


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.

80 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsTo maintain the proper distance to the ve-
hicle in front of you and thus prevent a
rear-end collision, you must apply the
brakes yourself.
Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the distance warning lampl
goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again
established.PRE-SAFE
® Brake can react to stationary
obstacles such as standing or parked vehi-
cles at road speeds of up to approximately
40 mph (70 km/h).

Activating and deactivating: Activate
or deactivate PRE-SAFE
® Brake using
the instrument cluster control system
(
page 303).
After the function has been activated,
indicator : appears on the
left-hand side of the multifunction dis-
play.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the dis-
tance warning lampl in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if PRE-SAFE
® Brake
calculates that the distance to the vehicle
ahead and your vehicle’s current speed indi-
cate that PRE-SAFE
® Brake will not be capa-
ble of slowing the vehicle sufficiently to
maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake your vehicle to increase
the distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle driving in front of you. The warning
sound is intended as a final caution that you
have not interceded with your own braking
inputs to avoid a potentially dangerous situ-
ation. Do not wait for the operation of the
warning signal to intercede with your own
braking, as that will result in potentially dan-
gerous emergency braking which will not al-
ways result in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
If you do not receive visual or acoustic warn-
ing signals, PRE-SAFE
® Brake has either not
recognized the collision risk, has been deac-
tivated or is malfunctioning. Apply the
brakes yourself to avoid a collision.

81 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
PRE-SAFE
® Brake does not always clearly
interpret complex traffic situations. If a vi-
sual and/or acoustic warning is issued in
an uncritical driving situation, or if the ve-
hicle brakes lightly, you can interrupt the
PRE-SAFE® Brake maneuver by


pressing down all the way on the accel-
erator or using kickdown


releasing the brake pedalThe PRE-SAFE
® Brake maneuver is termi-
nated immediately when


you avoid the obstacle by evasive
steering


you drive less than 9 mph (15 km/h)


an obstacle can no longer be identified
ahead of you


the system no longer senses the risk of
a collisionAfter a hard collision or damage to the
front of the vehicle from an accident, have
the settings and operation of the radar
sensors checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
PRE-SAFE
® Brake will remain passive while
DISTRONIC Plus* is switched on (
page 451).

82 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsImmobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
with you, and lock the vehicle. The engine
can be started by anyone with a valid
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
that is left inside the vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey: Remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.

With the KEYLESS-GO*: Turn off the
engine (
page 372) and open the driv-
er’s door.
Deactivating

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).
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


the hood
The alarm will stay on even if the activating
element (a door, for example) is immedi-
ately closed.
The alarm system will also be triggered
when


the vehicle is opened with the
mechanical key


a door is opened from the inside
To cancel the alarm after it has been trig-
gered, see “Canceling the alarm”
(
page 83).
i
Starting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the ve-
hicle’s battery is charged), the system is not op-
erational. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the
USA), or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).

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.