2011 MERCEDES-BENZ B-CLASS HATCHBACK instrument cluster

SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
Introduction SRS consists of:
R
the 6 SRS warning lamp
R airbags
R airbag control unit (with crash sensors)
R belt tensioners for the front seat belts and
the outer seat belts in the rear
R seat belt force limiters for the front seat
belts and the outer seat belts in the rear
SRS reduces the risk of occupants coming
into contact with the vehicle's interior in the
event of an accident. It can also reduce the
forces to which occupants are subjected dur-
ing an accident.
SRS warning lamp G
WARNING
If SRS is malfunctioning, individual systems
may be triggered unintentionally or might not
be triggered in the event of an accident with
a high rate of vehicle deceleration.
A malfunction has occurred if:
R the 6 SRS warning lamp does not light
up when the ignition is switched on.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp does not go out after a few
seconds.
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp lights up again.
In this case, have SRS checked immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop.
SRS functions are checked regularly when
you switch on the ignition and when the
engine is running. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The 6 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out no later than a few seconds
after the engine is started. Triggering of belt tensioners, belt force
limiters and airbags During the first stage of a collision, the airbag
control unit evaluates important physical
data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as:
R
duration
R direction
R magnitude
Based on the evaluation of this data, the air-
bag control unit pre-emptively triggers the
belt tensioners in the first stage.
i The front belt tensioners can only be trig-
gered if the seat belt tongues on the front
seats are correctly engaged in the seat belt
buckles.
If there is an even higher rate of vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration in a longitudinal direc-
tion, the front airbags are also deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air-
bags. The airbag control unit evaluates vehi-
cle deceleration or acceleration in the event
of a collision. In the first deployment stage,
the front airbag is filled with a portion of the
available propellant gas in order to reduce the
risk of injuries. If, within a few milliseconds,
the airbag control unit detects that the vehi-
cle is accelerating or decelerating at a greater
rate than originally anticipated, the front air-
bag is then filled with the maximum amount
of propellant gas.
The belt tensioner and airbag triggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the
detected rate of deceleration or acceleration
of the vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in
nature. The triggering process must take
place in good time at the start of the collision.
i Not all airbags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The different airbag systems work
independently of each other. Occupant safety
39Safety Z

X
To raise: slide the belt sash guide upwards.
The belt sash guide engages in various posi-
tions.
X To lower: press and hold belt sash guide
release :.
X Slide the belt sash guide downwards.
X Release belt sash guide release :and
make sure tha tthe belt sash guide has
engaged.
Releasing seat belts !
Make sure that the seat belt is fully rolled
up. Otherwise, the seat belt or belt tongue
will be trapped in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This could damage the door,
the door trim panel and the seat belt. Dam-
aged seat belts can no longer fulfil their
protective function and must be replaced.
Visit a qualified specialist workshop.
X Press release button ?(Ypage 45) and
guide belt tongue ;back towards belt
sash guide :.
Belt warning for driver and front
passenger The
7 seat belt warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster is a reminder for all occupants
to fasten their seat belts. It may light up con-
tinuously or flash. In addition, there may be a
warning tone.
The 7 seat belt warning lamp goes out and
the warning tone ceases when the driver and the front passenger have fastened their seat
belt.
For certain countries only: regardless of
whether the driver and the front passenger
have fastened their seat belts, the
7seat
belt warning lamp lights up for six seconds
after the engine is started. It then goes out if
the driver and the front passenger have fas-
tened their seat belts.
i For more information on the 7seat
belt warning lamp, see "Warning and indi-
cator lamps in the instrumentc luster, seat
belt" (Y page 231).
Rear seat belt status indicator The rear-compartmen
tseat belt status indi-
cator tells you if the rear passengers have
their seat belts fastened.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator indicates the rear seat on which the belt
is fastened. The üsymbol in the display
indicates a fastened seat belt. If a seat belt is
not fastened or if a seat is not occupied, the
ý symbol is displayed.
The rear-compartment seat belt status indi-
cator appears in the multifunction display for
around 30 seconds if:
R you drive off and reach a speed of approx-
imately 10 km/h.
R the rear passengers fasten or unfasten
their seat belts while the vehicle is in
motion.
R someone gets in or out of the vehicle and
the vehicle drives off again. Example: the occupant on the left rear seat is
secured46
Occupant safetySafety

ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If AB Sis faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. This limits the steerability of the vehi-
cle when braking and the braking distance
may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to a malfunction,
then BAS and ESP are also deactivated. There
is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in
certain situations.
You should always adapty our driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake.
This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 8 km/h
upwards, regardless of road-surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even
when you only brake gently.
The yellow !ABS warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up when the ignition
is switched on. It goes out when the engine is
running.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 62).
Brakes G
WARNING
Do not depress the brake pedal several times
in quick succession (pumping). Pumping the
brake pedal reduces the braking effect .You
might otherwise not be able to stop the vehi-
cle in time and could cause an accident.
Depress the brake pedal firmly and smoothly.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force. If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel
a pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and func-
tions as a reminder to take extra care while
driving.
BAS (Brake Assist)
G
WARNING
If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect. However, braking force is not auto-
matically increased in emergency braking sit-
uations and the stopping distance may
increase.
X Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 62). COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
General notes COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consists of
the BAS PLUS system and the distance warn-
ing signal, which are described in the follow-
ing.
Distance warning
G
WARNING
The distance warning signal cannot always
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations. Driving safety systems
63Safety
Z

In such cases, the distance warning signal
may:
R
give an unnecessary warning
R not give a warning
There is a risk of an accident. Always pay par-
ticula rattention to the traffi csituation and be
ready to brake, especially if the distance
warning signal alerts you. G
WARNING
The distance warning signal does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R when cornering
Thus, the distance warning signal cannot pro-
vide a warning in all critical situations .There
is a risk of an accident. Always pay careful
attention to the traffic situation and be ready
to brake.
X To activate/deactivate: activate or deac-
tivate the distance warning signal in the on-
board computer (Y page 199).
When the distance warning signal is activa-
ted, the multifunction display shows the
Ä symbol as long as the HOLD function is
not activated (Y page 162). On vehicles with
Active Parking Assist, the Äsymbol is dis-
played when position Pis engaged or you are
driving faster than 35 km/h.
The distance warning signal can help you to
minimise the risk of a front-end collision with
a vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of such
a collision. If the distance warning signal
detects that there is a risk of a collision, you
will be warned visually and acoustically .The
distance warning signal cannot prevent a col-
lision without your intervention.
The distance warning signal will issue a warn-
ing at speeds of around 30 km/h or more if:
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
short for the speed you are driving at for
several seconds. The ·distance warn- ing lamp then lights up in the instrument
cluster.
R you are rapidly approaching the vehicle in
front. An intermittent warning tone will
then sound and the ·distance warning
lamp will light up in the instrumentc luster.
X Brake immediately in order to increase the
distance from the vehicle in front.
or
X Take evasive action provided it is safe to do
so.
For the distance warnin gsignal to assist you
when driving, the function must be activated
in the on-board computer (Y page 199) and
be operational.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause the
system to display an unnecessary warning.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning signal can detect obstacles
that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h, the
distance warning signal may also detect sta-
tionary obstacles, for example, stopped or
parked vehicles.
If you approach an obstacle and the distance
warning signal detects a risk of a collision, the
system will initially alert you both visually and
acoustically.
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired if there is:
R dirt on the sensors or anything else cover-
ing the sensors
R snow or heavy rain
R interference by other radar sources
R the possibility of strong radar reflections,
for example, in multi-storey car parks
R a narrow vehicle travelling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
R a vehicle travelling in front on a different
line
Following damage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of 64
Driving safety systemsSafety

Adaptive brake lamps
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS
or BA SPLUS, the brake lamps flash rapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 70 km/h to a standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically. If the
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
lightu p continuously. The hazard warning
lamps switch off automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/ h.You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (Y page 99).
i Adaptive brake lamps are only available in
certain countries. ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the ÷ warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weathe rconditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into a skid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
! Switch the ignition off when:
R the electric parking brake is being tested
using a brake dynamometer.
R the vehicle is being towed with the front/
rear axle raised.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system. If ESP
®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. If necessary, the engine output is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 62).
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
Traction control Traction control is part of ESP
®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP ®
.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 62).
Deactivating/activating ESP ® G
WARNING
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running.
If the ÷ warning lamp and åwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not availa-
ble due to a malfunction.
There is an increased risk of your vehicle skid-
ding in certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

ESP
®
is activated automaticall ywhen the
engine is started.
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrumentc luster flashes.Insuch situa-
tions, ESP ®
will no tstabilise the vehicle.
X To deactivate:( Ypage 198).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluste rlights up.
X To activate:(Y page 198).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrumen tcluster goes out.
It may be best to deactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
WARNING
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle
if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts
to spin.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited, and
the drive wheels can spin .The spinning of
the wheels results in a cutting action, which
provides better grip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
i Vehicles with ECO start/stop function:
the ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle
comes to a stop. When pulling away again,
the engine starts automatically .ESP ®
remains in its previously selected status.
Example: if ESP ®
was deactivated before
the engine was switched off, ESP ®
remains deactivated when the engine is switched on
again.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 62).
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
traile rstabilisation will not be able to prevent
the trailer fro mswerving and will thus be
unable to reduce the risk of an accident. Trail-
ers with a high centre of gravity can tip over
before ESP ®
can detect this.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
lurch, you can only stabilise the vehicle/
trailer combination by depressing the brake
firmly.
In this situation, ESP ®
assists you and can
detect if the vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by braking and limiting the engine output until
the vehicle/trailer combination has stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 65 km/h.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of a mal-
function. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
G
WARNING
If EB Dhas malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect .However, the rear wheels can still lock,
e.g. under full braking. This could cause you
to lose control of your vehicle and cause an
accident .You should therefore adapt your
driving style to the different handling charac-
teristics. Driving safety systems
67Safety Z

The exterior lighting (except the side lamps/
parking lamps) switches off automatically if
you:
R remove the key from the ignition lock
R open the driver's door with the key in posi-
tion 0
If you hear a warning tone when you leave the
vehicle, the lights may still be switched on.
X Turn the light switch to Ã.
Dipped-beam headlamps X
To switch on the dipped-beam head-
lamps: turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to L.
The L indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
Daytime driving lights You can activate or deactivate the daytime
driving lights function using the on-board
computer (Y page 201).
X Daytime driving lights: activate the day-
time driving lights function using the on-
board computer.
X Turn the light switch to Ã.
When the engine is on: depending on the
ambient light conditions, the daytime driv-
ing lights or the parking and dipped-beam
headlamps are switched on.
When the dipped-beam headlamps are
switched on, the Lindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
Automatic headlamp mode G
WARNING
If the light switch is set to Ã, the dipped-
beam headlamps will not come on automati-
cally if it is foggy. This could endanger you and
others. Therefore, turn the light switch to
L in fog. The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid. The driver is responsible for the vehicle's
lighting at all times.
X To switch on automatic headlamp
mode: turn the light switch to Ã.
Key in position 1in the ignition lock: the
side lamps are switched on or off automat-
ically depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.
With the engine running: depending on the
brightness of the ambient light, the daytime
driving lights 5
or the dipped-beam head-
lamps are switched on or off automatically.
When the dipped-beam headlamps are
switched on, the Lindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
Front foglamps and rear foglamp Foglamps
Only vehicles with frontf
oglamps have the
"Foglamps" function. G
WARNING
If you suspect that driving conditions will be
foggy, turn the light switch to Lbefore you
start your journey. Your vehicle may other-
wise not be visible and you could endanger
yourself and others.
X To switch on the foglamps: turn the key
in the ignition lock to position 2or start the
engine.
X Turn the light switch to T,Lor
Ã.
X Press the Nbutton.
The green Nindicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
X To switch off the front foglamps: press
the N button.
The green Nindicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
5 Only if daytime driving lights have been activated via the on-board computer. Exterior lighting
97Lights and windscreen wipers Z

Rear foglamp
X To switch on the rear foglamp: turn the
key in the ignition lock to position 2or start
the engine.
X Turn the light switch to LorÃ.
X Press the Rbutton.
The yellow Rindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To switch off the rear foglamp: press the
R button.
The yellow Rindicator lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Vehicles with front foglamps: when the light
switch is in the Tposition, the rea rfog-
lamp can only be switched on if the foglamps
(without dipped-beam headlamps) are
switched on.
Adjusting the headlam prange (halogen
headlamps) The headlamp range control allows you to
adjust the cone of light from the headlamps
to sui tthe vehicle load. Headlamp range control
g
Driver's seat and front-passenger seat
occupied
1 Driver's seat, front-passenger seat and
rear seats occupied
2 Driver's seat, front-passenger seat and
rear seats occupied, luggage compart-
ment laden
3 Driver's and front-passenger seats occu-
pied and maximum permissible rear axle
load utilised, e.g. when towing a trailer X
Start the engine.
X Turn the headlamp range control to the
position which corresponds to the load in
your vehicle.
Headlampc leaning system The headlamps are cleaned automatically if
the "Wipe with washer fluid" function is oper-
ated five times while the lights are on and the
engine is running (Y
page 108). When you
switch off the ignition, the automatic head-
lamp cleaning syste mis reset and counting is
resumed from 0. Combination switch
Turn signals :
Main-beam headlamps
; Turn signal, right
= Headlamp flasher
? Turn signal, left
X To indicate briefly: press the combination
switch briefly to the pressure point in the
direction of arrow ;or?.
The corresponding turn signal flashes three
times.
X To indicate: press the combination switch
beyond the pressure point in the direction
of arrow ;or?. 98
Exterior lightingLights and windscreen wipers