2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A CLASS Table

Vehicles without adjustable head
restraints:
X
Top Tether belt with one belt strap: route
Top Tether belt = centrally over head
restraint .
or
X Top Tether belt with two belt straps:
route Top Tether belts = on the left and
right past the side of head restraint .
X Hook Top Tether hook ;
of Top Tether belt
= into Top Tether anchorage :.
Ensure that:
R Top Tether hook ; is hooked into Top
Tether anchorage : as shown.
R Top Tether belt = is not twisted.
R Top Tether belt = is routed between rear
seat backrest and luggage compartment
cover if luggage compartment cover is
fitted.
X Vehicles with adjustable head
restraints: move the head restraint back
down slightly again if necessary
(Y page 96). Make sure that you do not
interfere with the correct routing of Top
Tether belt =.
X Fit the ISOFIX child restraint system with
Top Tether. Comply with the manufactur-
er's

installation instructions when doing so.
Make sure that Top Tether belt = is tight. Children in the vehicle
55
Safety Z

Problems with automatic child seat recognition
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsThe 45 indica-
tor lamp on the centre
console is lit. A special Mercedes-Benz child restraint system with a trans-
ponder
for automatic child seat recognition has been fitted to the
front-passenger seat. The front-passenger front airbag has there-
fore been disabled as desired. G
WARNING
There is no child restraint system fitted to the front-passenger
seat. Automatic child seat recognition is malfunctioning.
It

is also possible that the 6 SRS warning lamp lights up and/
or the 45 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp does
not light up briefly when you switch the ignition on.
There is a risk of injury.
X Remove electronic equipment from the front-passenger seat,
e.g.:
R
Laptop
R Mobile phone
R Cards

with transponders, such as ski passes or access cards
If the 45 indicator lamp remains lit:
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. Suitable positioning of the child restraint systems
Key to the letters used in the table:
X Seat which is unsuitable for children in this weight category.
U Suitable for child restraint systems in the "Universal" category that are approved for use
in this weight category.
UF Suitable for forward-facing child restraint systems that belong to the "Universal" category and are approved for use in this weight category.
L Suitable for child restraint systems as recommended, see the following table of "Recom- mended child restraint systems" ( Y page 58).56
Children in the vehicle
Safety

Key to the letters used in the table:
X ISOFIX position that is not suitable for ISOFIX child restraint systems in this weight cat-
egory and/or size category.
IUF Suitable for forward-facing ISOFIX child restraint systems that belong to the "Universal" category which are approved for use in this weight category.
IL Suitable for ISOFIX child restraint systems as recommended; see the following table of "Recommended child restraint systems" (Y page 58).
Suitability of the rear seats for attaching ISOFIX child restraint systems Weight categories Size category Equipment Rear seat, left and
right
Carry-cot
F ISO/L1 X
G ISO/L2 X
0: up to 10 kg
up to approximately
6 months
E ISO/R1 IL
0+: up to 13 kg
up to approximately
15 months
E ISO/R1 IL
D ISO/R2 IL
C ISO/R3 IL
I: 9 to 18 kg
between approx-
imately 9 months and
4 years
D ISO/R2
IL
4, 5 C
ISO/R3 IL
B ISO/F2
IUF
4, 5 B1 ISO/F2X IUF
A ISO/F3 IUF
Recommended child restraint systems
When installing a child restraint system without a transponder for automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat:
X
Move the front-passenger seat to its rearmost position.
4 Vehicles with the Style or Urban package or with front seats with 4-point or 6-point anchorages: move the
front seat to the uppermost position.
5 Vehicles that have front seats with 2-point anchorages: move the front seat to the uppermost position.58
Children in the vehicle
Safety

Adaptive Brake Assist
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems
(Y page 61). G
WARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions. In these cases, Adaptive Brake Assist
may not intervene. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Always

pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist does not react:
R to people or animals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R to stationary obstacles
R when cornering
As a result, Adaptive Brake Assist may not
intervene in all critical conditions. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always

pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
Adaptive Brake Assist aids you in braking dur-
ing hazardous situations at speeds above
30 km/h and uses the radar sensor system
to evaluate the traffic situation.
With the help of a sensor system, adaptive
Brake Assist can detect obstacles that are in
the path of your vehicle for an extended
period of time.
Should you approach an obstacle and adap-
tive Brake Assist has detected a risk of colli-
sion, adaptive Brake Assist calculates the
braking force necessary to avoid a collision.
Should you apply the brakes forcefully, adap-
tive Brake Assist will automatically increase
the braking force to a level suitable for the
traffic conditions. X
Keep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if:
R you release the brake pedal
R there

is no longer any danger of a collision
R no obstacle is detected in front of your
vehicle
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
Vehicles with PRE-SAFE ®
: if adaptive Brake
Assist requires particularly high brake pres-
sure, preventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-SAFE ®
) are deployed simul-
taneously.
Up to vehicle speeds of around 250 km/h,
adaptive Brake Assist is capable of reacting
to moving objects that have already been rec-
ognised as such at least once over the period
of observation. Adaptive Brake Assist does
not react to stationary obstacles.
If adaptive Brake Assist is not available due
to a malfunction in the radar sensor system,
the brake system remains available with full
brake boosting effect and BAS.
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
motorcycle
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
the radar sensor checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applies to colli-
sions at slow speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle. 64
Driving safety systems
Safety

Right-hand side trim panel
X
To open: turn release knob : 90° in the
direction
of the arrow and remove side trim
panel ;.
X To close:
insert side trim panel ; and turn
release knob : 90° in the opposite direc-
tion to the arrow.
Tail lamps X
Switch off the lights.
X Open the luggage compartment.
X Open the side trim panel ( Y page 115).X
Release and remove connector ;.
X Unscrew wing nut :
and remove the lamp
cluster. Lamp cluster
X
Remove plastic nut ? using a suitable
item, e.g. a coin.
X Release attachments =.
X Remove the bulb holder from the lamp clus-
ter. Bulb holder
A
Tail lamp/brake lamp
B Reversing lamp
C Rear foglamp
D Tail lamp
E Turn signals
X Tail lamp/brake lamp/rear foglamp/
reversing lamp: remove the correspond-
ing bulb from the bulb holder.
X Insert the new bulb into the bulb holder.
X Turn signal lamp: lightly press the bulb
into the bulb holder, turn it anti-clockwise
and remove it from the bulb holder. 116
Replacing bulbs
Lights and windscreen wipers

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els,
series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variations are pos-
sible. Note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the functions descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 24). Running-in notes
Important safety notes
New brake pads/linings and discs that have
been

replaced only achieve optimum braking
effect after several hundred kilometres of
driving. Compensate for the reduced braking
effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal. The first 1500 km
If you treat the engine with sufficient care
from

the very start, you will be rewarded with
excellent performance for the remainder of
the engine's life.
R Drive at varying vehicle speeds and engine
speeds for the first 1500 km.
R Avoid overstraining the vehicle during this
period, e.g. driving at full throttle.
R Change gear in good time, before the rev
counter needle is Ô of the way to the red
area of the rev counter.
R Do not shift down a gear manually in order
to brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
R Try to avoid depressing the accelerator
pedal beyond the point of resistance (kick-
down).
After 1,500 km, you may gradually bring the
vehicle up to full road and engine speeds. Additional running-in notes for AMG vehicles:
R
Do

not drive at speeds above 140 km/h for
the first 1,500 km.
R Only allow the engine to reach a maximum
engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
i You should also observe these notes on
running-in if the engine or parts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell may restrict
the clearance around the pedals or block a
depressed pedal. This jeopardises the oper-
ating and road safety of the vehicle. There is
a risk of an accident.
Stow

all objects securely in the vehicle so that
they do not get into the driver's footwell.
Always fit the floormats securely and as pre-
scribed in order to ensure that there is always
sufficient room for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats and do not place several floor-
mats on top of one another. G
WARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage
of the pedals, e.g.:
R shoes with thick soles
R shoes with high heels
R slippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals. G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with

limitations, or not at all. This could affect,
for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably 142
Driving
Driving and parking

more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
G
WARNING
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
R overheat and cause a fire
R lose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only set the automatic transmission to the
respective drive positions when the vehicle
is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. Otherwise, you could damage the
drive train.
! AMG vehicles: avoid full-load operation
and engine speeds greater than 5000 rpm
when the engine is cold. This helps to pro-
tect the engine and avoids uncomfortable
driving. Key positions
g
To remove the key
1 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windscreen wipers 2
Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3 To start the engine
Vehicles with manual transmission: the
steering is locked when the key is taken out
of the ignition lock.
i If the key does not belong to the vehicle,
it can still be turned in the ignition lock.
However, the ignition will not be switched
on. The engine cannot be started. Starting the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these

exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation. G
WARNING
Flammable materials introduced through
environmental influence or by animals can
ignite

if in contact with the exhaust system or
parts of the engine that heat up. There is a risk
of fire.
Carry out regular checks to make sure that
there are no flammable foreign materials in
the engine compartment or in the exhaust
system.
! Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
i Vehicles with a petrol engine: the
engine runs at a higher engine speed during
the cold start procedure so that the cata-
lytic converter can reach operating tem-
perature more quickly. The sound of the
engine may change as a result. Driving
143
Driving and parking Z

Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine is switched off automatically and
you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted
automatically.
The vehicle may begin moving.
There is a risk of accident and injury.
If you wish to exit the vehicle, always turn off
the ignition and secure the vehicle against
rolling away.
General notes :
ECO start/stop display
If the ¤ symbol is shown in green in the
multifunction display, the ECO start/stop
function switches the engine off automati-
cally if the vehicle stops moving.
The

stop/start function is automatically acti-
vated each time you start the engine with the
ignition key.
If the ECO start/stop function has been man-
ually deactivated ( Y page 147) or a malfunc-
tion has caused the system to be deactivated,
the ¤ symbol is not displayed.
AMG vehicles: the ECO start/stop function
is only available in drive program C.
Automatic engine switch-off General notes
The ECO start/stop function is operational
and the
¤ symbol is displayed in green in
the multifunction display, if:
R the indicator lamp in the ECO button is lit
green
R the

outside temperature is within the range
that is suitable for the system R
the engine is at normal operating temper-
ature
R the

set temperature for the vehicle interior
has been reached
R the battery is sufficiently charged
R the system detects that the windscreen is
not misted up when the air-conditioning
system is switched on
R the bonnet is closed
R the driver's door is closed and the driver's
seat belt is fastened
If not all conditions for automatic engine
switch-off are fulfilled, the ¤ symbol is
shown in yellow.
i All of the vehicle's systems remain active
when the engine is switched off automati-
cally.
i The engine can be switched off automat-
ically a maximum of four times (initial stop,
then three subsequent stops) in succes-
sion. The ¤ symbol is shown in yellow
in the multifunction display after the engine
has been started automatically for the
fourth time. When the ¤ symbol is
shown in green in the multifunction display,
automatic engine switch-off is again possi-
ble.
Vehicles with manual transmission
The ECO start/stop function switches off the
engine automatically at low speeds. X
Brake the vehicle.
X Engage neutral N(Y page 151) (follow
gearshift instruction : to engage neutral
N, if necessary).
X Release the clutch pedal.
The engine is switched off automatically.146
Driving
Driving and parking