2012 MERCEDES-BENZ A CLASS ESP

Problems with PARKTRONIC
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsOnly the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning
displays are lit.
You also hear a warning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately five seconds,
and the indicator lamp
in the PARKTRONIC
button lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X
If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning

displays are lit.
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately five seconds. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X
Clean the PARKTRONIC sensors ( Y page 294).
X Switch the ignition back on. The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X
See if PARKTRONIC functions in a different location. Active Parking Assist
Important safety notes Active Parking Assist is only an aid. It is not a
substitute

for your attention to the immediate
surroundings. The responsibility for safe
manoeuvring and parking remains with you.
Make sure that there are no persons, animals
or objects in range while manoeuvring and
parking. G
WARNING
The vehicle will veer out when parking and can
take
you onto sections of the oncoming lane.
As a result, you may collide with other road
users. There is a risk of an accident.
When parking, pay attention to other road
users. Stop the vehicle if necessary or cancel
the Active Parking Assist parking procedure.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as kerbs slowly and not at a sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tyres.
Active

Parking Assist may also display spaces
not suitable for parking, e.g.:
R parking or stopping prohibitions
R in front of driveways or entrances and exits
R unsuitable surfaces
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, drive as closely as possi-
ble past the parking space.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incorrectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
R pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 184) warning messages during the
parking procedure. 186
Driving systems
Driving and parking

10 km/h when exiting a parking space.
Otherwise, Active Parking Assist will be
cancelled.
X Stop when PARKTRONIC sounds the con-
tinuous warning tone, if not before.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to first or reverse gear as required
while the vehicle is stationary.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift
to position D or R as required while the
vehicle is stationary.
Active Parking Assist immediately steers in
the other direction. The Park Assist
active Accelerate and brake
Observe surroundings message appears
in the multifunction display.
i You will achieve the best results by wait-
ing

for the steering procedure to complete
before pulling away.
If you reverse after activation, the steering
wheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion.
X Drive forwards or reverse the vehicle, being
ready to brake at all times.
X Stop as soon as PARKTRONIC sounds the
continuous warning tone, if not before.
X Drive forwards and reverse as prompted by
the

PARKTRONIC warning displays, several
times if necessary.
Once you have exited the parking space com-
pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and
the Park Assist switched off message
appears

in the multifunction display. You will
then have to steer and merge into traffic on
your own. PARKTRONIC is still available. Cancelling Active Parking Assist You can cancel Active Parking Assist at any
time.
X
Stop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Active Parking Assist will be cancelled at
once. The Park Assist cancelled mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
or
X Press the PARKTRONIC button on the
centre console

(Y page 185).
PARKTRONIC is switched off and Active
Parking Assist is immediately cancelled.
The Park Assist cancelled message
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Parking Assist is cancelled automati-
cally if:
R you engage the electric parking brake.
R parking using Active Parking Assist is no
longer possible.
R you are driving faster than 10 km/h.
R a

wheel spins and ESP ®
intervenes or fails.
The ÷ warning lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster.
A warning tone sounds. The parking space
symbol disappears and the multifunction dis-
play shows the Park Assist cancelled
message.
When Active Parking Assist is cancelled, you
must steer again yourself.
If a system malfunction occurs, the vehicle is
braked to a standstill. To drive on, depress the
accelerator again.
Towing a trailer For vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the min-
imum required length for parking spaces is
slightly increased.
If you have attached a trailer to your vehicle,
you should not use Active Parking Assist.
Once

the electrical connection is established
between your vehicle and the trailer, Active
Parking Assist is no longer available. PARK-
TRONIC is deactivated for the rear area. 190
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Reversing camera
Important safety notes The reversing camera is only an aid. It is not
a substitute for your attention to the imme-
diate
surroundings. The responsibility for safe
manoeuvring and parking remains with you.
Make sure that there are no persons, animals
or objects in range while manoeuvring and
parking.
Under the following circumstances, the
reversing camera will not function, or will
function in a limited manner:
R if the tailgate is open
R in heavy rain, snow or fog
R at night or in very dark places
R if the camera is exposed to very bright light
R if the area is lit by fluorescent light or LED
lighting (the display may flicker)
R if there is a sudden change in temperature,
e.g. when driving into a heated garage in
winter
R if the camera lens is dirty or obstructed
R if the rear of your vehicle is damaged. In
this event, have the camera position and
setting checked at a qualified specialist
workshop.
General notes Reversing camera
:
is in the boot lid handle.
The reversing camera extends, when it is acti-
vated.
The reversing camera is an optical parking
and manoeuvring aid. It uses guide lines to show the area behind your vehicle in the
Audio/COMAND display.
The area behind the vehicle is displayed as a
mirror image, as in the rear-view mirror.
i
The text of messages shown in the
COMAND

display depends on the language
setting. The following are examples of
reversing camera messages in the
COMAND display.
Activating/deactivating the reversing
camera X
To activate: make sure that the key is in
position 2 in the ignition lock.
X Make sure that the "Activation by R gear"
setting is active in the audio system/
COMAND Online; see the separate audio
system/COMAND Online operating
instructions.
X Engage reverse gear.
Guide lines are used to show the area
behind the vehicle in the Audio/COMAND
display. Function mode display for vehicles with COMAND
Online and a trailer tow hitch
X
To change the function mode in vehi-
cles with COMAND Online and trailer
tow hitch: using the COMAND controller,
select

symbol : for the "Reverse parking" Driving systems
191
Driving and parking Z

The distance specifications only apply to
objects that are at ground level.
Additional displays on vehicles with PARKTRONIC
and COMAND Online
:
Front warning display
; Additional PARKTRONIC operational read-
iness indicator
= Rear warning display
Vehicles with PARKTRONIC and COMAND
Online: when PARKTRONIC is operational
(Y page 182), additional operational readi-
ness indicator ; appears in the COMAND
display.If the PARKTRONIC warning displays
are
active or light up, warning displays : and
= are also active or light up correspondingly
in the COMAND display.
Reverse parking function X
Make sure that the reversing camera is
activated and the "Reverse parking" func-
tion

is selected; see the separate operating
instructions for the audio system/
COMAND Online.
The lane and the guide lines are shown. Reversing straight into a parking space
without turning the steering wheel :
White lane indicating the route the vehicle
will take with the steering wheel straight
; Yellow guide line at a distance of approx-
imately

1.0 m from the rear of the vehicle
= Red guide line at a distance of approx-
imately

0.25 m from the rear of the vehicle
X With the help of white lane :, check
whether
the vehicle will fit into the parking
space.
X Using the white lane as a guide, carefully
reverse until you reach the end position.
Red guide line = is then at the end of the
parking

space. The vehicle is almost paral-
lel in the parking space.
Reverse perpendicular parking with the
steering wheel at an angle
X Drive past the parking space and bring the
vehicle to a standstill. Driving systems
193
Driving and parking Z

Blind Spot Assist is only an aid. It may fail to
detect
some vehicles and is no substitute for
attentive driving.
General notes
Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor system
to monitor the areas on both sides of your
vehicle. It supports you from speeds of
30 km/h. A warning display in the exterior
mirrors draws your attention to vehicles
detected in the monitored area. If you then
switch on the corresponding turn signal to
change lane, you will also receive an optical
and audible collision warning. For this pur-
pose, Blind Spot Assist uses sensors in the
rear bumper.
The radar sensor system is switched off auto-
matically in the vicinity of radio telescope
facilities ( Y page 350).
For Blind Spot Assist to assist you when driv-
ing, the radar sensor system must be:
R activated(Y page 223)
R operational
i In some countries you must deactivate
the radar sensor system ( Y page 223).
For further information about the radar sen-
sor system; see ( Y page 350).
Monitoring range of the sensors
In particular, the detection of obstacles can
be impaired in the case of:
R dirt on the sensors or anything else cover-
ing the sensors
R poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
R a narrow vehicle travelling in front, e.g. a
motorcycle or a bicycle
R very wide lanes
R narrow lanes
R vehicles not driving in the middle of their
lane
R barriers or other road boundaries
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
indicated. Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up to
3.0

m behind your vehicle and directly next to
your vehicle, as shown in the diagram. For this
purpose, Blind Spot Assist uses radar sensors
in the rear bumper.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of their lane. This may
be the case if the vehicles are driving on the
inner side of their lane.
Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when driv-
ing close to crash barriers or similar solid
lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside particularly long vehicles, for
example lorries, for a prolonged time.
The two sensors for Blind Spot Assist are
integrated into the sides of the rear bumper.
Make sure that the bumper is free of dirt, ice
or slush in the vicinity of the sensors. The
radar sensors must not be covered, for exam-
ple by cycle racks or overhanging loads. Fol-
lowing a severe impact or in the event of dam-
age to the bumpers, have the function of the
radar sensors checked at a qualified special-
ist workshop. Blind Spot Assist may other-
wise not work properly. 198
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Indicator and warning display
Blind
Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 30 km/h. Vehicles in the mon-
itoring range are then not indicated. :
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
If Blind Spot Assist is switched on, indicator
lamp : in the exterior mirrors lights up yel-
low up to a speed of

30 km/h. At speeds
above 30 km/h, the indicator lamp goes out
and Blind Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
30 km/h, warning lamp : on the corre-
sponding side lights up in red. This warning
always occurs when a vehicle enters the blind
spot monitoring range from behind or from
the side. When you overtake a vehicle, the
warning only occurs if the difference in speed
is less than 12 km/h.
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range
of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the
corresponding turn signal, a double warning
tone sounds. Red warning lamp : flashes. If
the turn signal remains on, detected vehicles
are indicated by the flashing of red warning
lamp :. There are no further warning tones. Activating Blind Spot Assist
X
Make sure that the radar sensor system
(Y page 223) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page

219) are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the key to position 2 in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps : in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately
1.5 seconds

and then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer
If
you attach a trailer, make sure that you have
correctly established the electrical connec-
tion. This can be accomplished by checking
the trailer lighting. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. The indicator lamp lights up yel-
low in the exterior mirrors and the Blind
Spot Assist currently unavailable
See Owner's Manual message appears in
the multifunction display.
i You can deactivate the indicator lamps in
the exterior mirrors.
To do so, switch off Blind Spot Assist if:
R the key is in position 2 in the ignition
lock.
R the engine is not running.
R the electrical connection to the trailer
has been established.
Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front

of your vehicle by means of a camera at
the top of the windscreen. Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
warns you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. Driving systems
199
Driving and parking Z

:
Lane Keeping Assist camera
If you select km on the on-board computer in
the Display unit Speed-/odometer func-
tion (Y page 220), Lane Keeping Assist is
active starting at a speed of 60 km/h
. If the
miles display unit is selected, the assistance
range begins at 40 mph.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Lane Keeping Assist cannot always clearly
identify lane markings.
In these cases, Lane Keeping Assist may:
R give an unnecessary warning
R not give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep in lane, especially if Lane
Keeping Assist alerts you. G
WARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning does not
return the vehicle to the original lane. There
is a risk of an accident.
Always steer, apply the brakes or accelerate
the vehicle yourself, especially if Lane Keep-
ing Assist alerts you.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lane
Keeping

Assist can neither reduce the risk of
an accident nor override the laws of physics.
Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are respon-
sible for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good time,
and for staying in the lane.
Lane

Keeping Assist does not keep your vehi-
cle in its lane.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun or reflection from other vehicles
(e.g. if the road surface is wet)
R the windscreen is dirty, misted up, dam-
aged or covered, for instance by a sticker
in the vicinity of the camera
R no, or several, unclear lane markings are
present for one lane, e.g. in a construction
area
R the lane markings are worn away, dark or
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
R the distance to the vehicle in front is too
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected
R the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge
R the road is narrow and winding
R there are highly variable shade conditions
on the road
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you
by means of intermittent vibration in the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
Activating Lane Keeping Assist
X Activate Lane Keeping Assist using the on-
board computer; to do so, select Stand‐
ard or Adaptive(Y page 219).
If you drive at speeds above

60 km/h and
lane markings are detected, the lane mark-
ings in the assistance graphics display
(Y page 217) are shown in green. 200
Driving systems
Driving and parking

When
Standard is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this event, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
When Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if:
R you have switched on the turn signals. In
this case, the warnings are suppressed for
a certain period of time.
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lane quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
In order that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane
marking, the system recognises certain con-
ditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a motor-
way.
R the system recognises solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend. Towing a trailer
Notes on towing a trailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave
your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This

increases the braking distance and could even cause the braking system to fail. There
is a risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
pedal

and the accelerator pedal while driving. G
WARNING
You could lose control of the vehicle/trailer
combination if it begins to swerve. The vehi-
cle/trailer combination could even overturn.
There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten out the vehicle/trailer combina-
tion by increasing speed. Decrease your
speed and do not countersteer. Brake if nec-
essary. G
WARNING
If the maximum the permissible load for a car-
rier system is exceeded, the carrier could
come loose from the vehicle and endanger
other

road users. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Never exceed the permissible noseweight
when using a carrier.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
Trailer towing is not permissible on the fol-
lowing models:
R A 45 AMG 4MATIC
R Vehicles with the AMG Sports package
If you exceed the maximum permissible nose-
weight of the trailer drawbar on the ball cou-
pling, the following may become damaged:
R your vehicle
R the trailer
R the ball coupling
R the trailer tow hitch
The vehicle/trailer combination could
become unstable.
If the noseweight used is lower than the min-
imum permissible noseweight, the vehicle/ Towing a trailer
201
Driving and parking Z