2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class ABS

R
you swit chon thetur nsignals .Int his event,
the warnings aresuppressed foracertain
period oftime.
R adriving safetysystem interven es,such as
ABS ,BAS orESP ®
.
Adapt ive
If Adaptive is
selected, nowarning vibration
occurs if:
R you switch onthe turn signals. Inthis event,
the warnings aresuppressed foracertain
period oftime.
R adriving safetysystem interven es,e.g.
ABS ,BAS orESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard,e.g.kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g.swerve toavoid an
obstacle orchange lanequickly.
R you cutthe corner onasharp bend.
In order thatyouarewarned onlywhen
necessary andingood timeifyou cross the
lane marking, thesystem recogniz escertain
condition sand warns youaccordingly.
The warning vibration occursearlierif:
R you approach theouter lanemarking ona
bend.
R the road hasvery wide lanes, e.g.a
freeway.
R the system recogniz essolid lanemarkings.
The warning vibration occurslaterif:
R the road hasnarrow lanes.
R you cutthe corner onabend. Active
Driving Assistance package
General notes The
Active Driving Assistanc epackage
consist sof DIS TRONIC PLUS(Ypage 169),
Act ive Blind SpotAssist (Ypage 202)and
Act ive Lane Keeping Assist(Ypage 205). Active
BlindSpotAssist Import
antsafety notes
Act ive Blind SpotAssist usesaradar sensor
system tomonitor theside areas ofyour
vehicle whichareinback ofthe driver. A
warning displayin the exterior mirrorsdraws
your attent iontovehicles detectedinthe
monitored area.Ifyou then switch onthe
corresponding turnsignal tochange lane,you
will also receive anoptical andaudible
collision warning. Ifarisk oflateral collision
is detect ed,correct ivebraking mayhelp you
avoid acollision. Tosupport thecourse-
correct ingbrake application, Active Blind
Spot Assist alsouses theforward-facing radar
sensor system. Active Blind SpotAssist
supports youfrom speeds ofapproximately
20 mph (30km/h). G
WARNING Act
ive Blind SpotAssist isonly anaid, and
may detect vehicles/obstacles incorrectlyor
not atall.
The system maybeimpaired ormay not
funct ionif:
R there ispoor visibili ty,e.g. due tosnow,
rain, fogorspray.
R the rear and/or frontsensors aredirty.
Act ive Blind SpotAssist maynotdetect
narrow vehicles, suchasmotorc yclesor
bicycles, ormay onlydetect themtoolate. It
cannot detectvehicles thatareovertaken at
a small distance andthen enter theblind spot
area.
Act ive Blind SpotAssist cannot detectroad
and traffic condition s.Itis not asubstitute for
attent ivedriving. Youareresponsible forthe
vehicle's speed,braking ingood time, and
steering correctly.Always adaptyourdriving
style tosuit theprevailing roadandweather
condition s.Always payattent iontotraffic
condition sand your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may failtorecogniz edangers intime,
cause anaccident andinjure yourself and
others. 202
Driving
systemsDriving and parking

G
WARNING Active
LaneKeepi ngAssist doesnotkeep
you rvehicle inits lane. Itis only anaid
designed toassist driving. Itis not asubstit ute
for atten tivedriving. Insome cases, thelane-
corr ecting brake application isnot sufficien t
to bring yourvehicle backtothe original lane.
In such cases, youmust steer thevehicle
yourself toensure thatitdoes notleave the
lane.
Act ive Lane Keeping Assistdoesnotdetect
road andtraff iccon ditions .Always makesure
that thereissuffic ientdistanceto the side for
oth ertraffic orobst acles. Inrare cases ,
unc lear mark ingsorpart icular struct ures on
the roadway canberec ogn ized assolid lane
mark ings.Aninap propriate brakeapplica tion,
e.g .after intentional lydrivi ngover asoli dlane
marking, maybeinterrup tedatany time by
steering slightly inthe oppo sitedirection.
Active LaneKeepingAssist cannot take
wea ther conditio nsinto accou nt.
You arerespo nsiblefor the drivi ngat
app ropri atespee ds,braki ngingood time, and
steering correctly .Always adapt yourdrivin g
style tosuit theprev ailing roadandweathe r
con dition s.Always payattent ion totraffic
con dition sand your surro undin gs.Oth erwise,
you may failtorec ogn izedanger sin tim e,
cause anacc ident andinjure yourself and
oth ers.
No lane- correctingbrak eapplication occurs
if:
R you clearly andactiv elysteer ,brake or
acceler ate.
R you cutthe corn eron asharp bend.
R you switc hon the turn signals.
R adrivin gsafety system interven es,e.g.
ES P®
,PRE-S AFE®
Brak eor Active Blind
Spot Assist .
R you have adopted asport ydrivin gstyle with
high cornering speeds orhigh rates of
acceler ation. R
on vehicles withatrailer towhitch,the
elect ricalconnection tothe trailer hasbeen
corr ectlyestablished.
R ES P®
is switc hedoff.
R the tran smission isnot inposition D.
R the off-road program isswitc hedon.
R aloss oftire pressure oradefect ivetire has
been detec tedand displayed.
Ac tive Lane Keeping Assistdoesnotdetec t
traf ficsituation sor road users. An
inappropriat ebrake application maybe
int errupt edatany time ifyou:
R steer slightly inthe opposite direction.
R use aturn signal.
R clearly brakeoracceler ate.
Al ane -corr ect ing brak eapplic ationis
int errupt edautom atically if:
R adrivin gsafet ysyst eminterve nes,e.g.
ES P®
,PRE- SAFE®
Br ake orActiveBlin d
Spot Assist.
R lane mark ingscannolong erbe rec ogn ized.
Switch ingonActive LaneKeeping Assist X
Swit chon ActiveLane Keepin gAss istusing
the on-board computer ;to do so, selec t Stan
dard or Adap
tive (Y
page 233).
Symbo l: appears inthe mult ifunc tion
display.
If Stan
dard is
selec ted,nowarnin g
vibrat ionoccurs if:
R you switc hon the turns ignals .Int his
event, thewarnings aresuppressed fora
certain periodoftime.
R adriving safetysystem interven es,such
as ABS ,BAS orESP ®
.
If Adaptive is
selected, nowarning
vibration occursif: Driving
systems
207Driving and parking Z

R
you switchon thetur ns ignals .Int his
event, thewarnings aresuppressed fora
certain periodoftime.
R adriving safetysystem interven es,e.g.
ABS ,BAS orESP ®
.
R you accelerate hard,e.g.kickdown.
R you brake hard.
R you steer actively, e.g.swerve toavoid
an obstacle orchange lanequickly.
R you cutthe corner onasharp bend.
Tra iler towing
When youattach atrailer, makesureyouhave
correct lyestablished theelectrical
conn ection. Thiscanbeaccomplished by
check ingthe trailer lighting. Off-r
oaddriving systems 4MATIC
(permanentfour-wheel drive)
4MATIC ensuresthatallfour wheels are
permanent lydriven. Together withESP®
and
4ETS, itimproves thetract ionofyour vehicle
whenever adrive wheel spinsdueto
insufficient grip. G
WARNING If
adrive wheel isspinning duetoinsufficient
tract ion:
R While driving off,apply aslittle throttleas
possible.
R While driving, easeupon the accelerator
pedal.
R Adapt yourspeed anddriving styletothe
prevailing roadcondition s.
Failure toobserve theseguidelinescould
cause thevehicle toskid.
The 4MATIC cannotprevent accidents
resulting fromexcessive speed.
! Never towthevehicle withoneaxle
raised. Thismay damage thetransf ercase.
Damage ofthis sort isnot covered bythe
Mercedes-Ben zLimited Warranty. All
wheels mustremain eitheronthe ground or
be fully raised. Observe theinstruct ions
for towing thevehicle withallwheels infull
cont actwith theground. i
In
wintry driving condition s,the maximum
effect of4MATIC canonly beachieved if
you usewinter tires(M+S tires ),wi th snow
chai nsifnecessa ry.
! Function orperfo rmance testsmayonly
be perfo rmed ona2-axle dynamome ter.If
you wish tooper atethe vehi cleonsuch a
dy namome ter,please consul tan
auth orizedMer cedes-Ben zCent er
beforehan d.You could otherwisedamage
the drive trainorthe brake system.
For infor mation aboutdriving off-road, see
(Y page 162). DSR
(Dow nhillSpeed Regulat ion)
Impor tantsafet ynotes DS
Rassists youwhen driving downhill. It
keeps thespeed oftravel atthe speed seton
the on-board comput er.The steeper the
downhill gradient,the greater theDSR
brakin geffec tonthe vehicle. Whendriving on
flat stret ches ofroad oron anuphill gradient,
the DSR braking effectisminimal ornon-
existent . G
WARNING Downhill
SpeedRegulation (DSR) isa
conven iencesystem designed toassist the
driver during vehicle operation. Thesystem
settin gmust beappropriate tothe
topographical andweather condition s
encount ered,which canchange quickly. The
driver isresponsible forthe vehicle speedand
for safe brake operation atall times.
Depending onthe programmed speed,actual
vehicle speedandgradient, switching onDSR
while driving cancause thevehicle toslow
down rapidly ,and youmay hear asound,
caused bythe activation ofthe vehicle's brake
system through DSR.Sudden andunexpected
deceleration canresult inloss ofvehicle 208
Off-r
oaddriving systemsDriving and parking

Safety
systems Display
messages Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
!÷
Currently
Unavailable
See Operator's
Manual G
Risk
ofaccident ABS
(Anti-lock Braking System), ESP®
(Electr onicStability
Program), BAS(Brake Assist), PRE-SAFE®
,the HOLD function,hill
start assist andESP®
trailer stabilization aretemporarily
unvailabl e.
BAS PLUS andPRE-SA FE®
Brake mayalsohave failed.
In addition, the÷, åand! warning lampslightupin
the instrumen tcluster.
The self-diagnosis functionmight notbecomplete, forexample.
ATTENTI ONASS ISTisdeactivated.
The brake system continues tofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefore lockifyou
brake hard,forexample.
X Carefull ydrive asuitable distance makingslightsteering
movement sat aspeed above12mph (20km/ h).
If the display message disappears,the funct ionsment ioned
above areavaila bleagain.
If the display message continues tobe display ed:
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aqual ified specialist workshop. G
Risk
ofaccident ABS
,ESP ®
,BAS ,PRE-SA FE®
,the HOLD function,hillstart assist
and ESP®
trailer stabilization aretemporarily unavailable.
BAS PLUS andPRE-SA FE®
Brake mayalsohave failed.
In addition, the÷, åand! warning lampslightupin
the instrumen tcluster.
For example, theon-board voltagemaybeinsufficient .
ATTEN TIONASSISTisdeactivated.
The brake system continues tofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefore lockifyou
brake hard,forexample.
X Drive oncarefully.
If the display message disappears,the funct ionsment ioned
above areavaila bleagain.
If the display message continues tobe display ed:
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aqual ified specialist workshop. Display
messages
239On-board computer and displays Z

Disp
laymessa ges Poss
iblecauses/c onseq uences and M Solu
tions ÷
Ino
perative See Ope
rator'sMan ual G
Ri
sk ofacci dent ES
P®
,BA S,PRE -SAF E®
,th eHO LD function ,hill start assi stand
ES P®
trailer stabiliz ation are unav ailable duetoamalf unction .
BA SPLU Sand PRE-SAF E®
Br ake may alsohavefail ed.
In addit ion,th e÷ andå warning lamp sligh tupin the
inst rument cluster.
ATTE NTION ASSIS Tis deactiv ated.
The brake system continues tofunc tion norm ally,butwithout the
func tionslisted above.
X Driv eon carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. T!
÷
Inoper
ative See Operat
or'sManual G
Risk
ofaccident EB
D(elect ronic brake forcedistr ibution), ABS,ES P®
,BA S,PRE-
SA FE®
,the HOLD function,hill start assist andESP®
trailer
stabilizat ionare unavailable duetoamalfunc tion.
BA SPLUS andPRE-S AFE®
Brak emay alsohave failed.
In addition, the÷, åand! warning lampslightupin
the instrument clusterandawarning tonesounds.
ATTE NTION ASSIS Tis deactiv ated.
The brake system continues tofunc tion norm ally,butwithout the
func tionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefore lockifyou
brake hard,forexample.
X Driv eon carefully.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshopimmediately. #
Check
Brake Pad Wear The
brake pads/linin gshave reached theirwear limit.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. F(USA
only)!
(Canada
only) Please
Release Parkin
gBrake The
redF (USAonly)/ !(Canada only)indicat orlamp
flashes andawarning tonesounds. Acondition forautomatic
release ofthe electric parking brakeisnot fulfilled (Ypage 156).
You aredriving withtheelectric parking brakeapplied .
X Release theelectric parking brakemanually . The
redF (USAonly)/ !(Canada only)indicator lamp
flashes andawarning tonesounds.
You aremaking anemergenc ystop using theelectric parking
brake (Ypage 156). Display
messages
241On-board computer and displays Z

Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
!
The
yello wABS warning
lamp islit while the
engine isrunning. G
Risk
ofaccident ABS
(Anti-lock Brake System) isdeactivated duetoamalfunction .
BAS (Brake Assist), BASPLUS, ESP®
(Electr onicStability
Program), PRE-SAFE®
,PRE-SA FE®
Brake, theHOLD function,hill
start assist andESP®
trailer stabilization aretherefore also
deactivated, forexample.
The brake system continues tofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefore lockifyou
brake hard,forexample.
ATTENTI ONASS ISTisdeactivated.
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aqual ified specialist workshop.
If the ABS controlunit isfaulty, thereisalso apossibili tythat other
systems, suchasthe navigation systemorthe automatic
transm ission,willnotbeavaila ble. !
The
yello wABS warning
lamp islit while the
engine isrunning. G
Risk
ofaccident ABS
istemporarily unavailable.BAS,BAS PLUS, ESP®
,EBD
(electronic brakeforcedistribution), PRE-SAFE®
,
PRE-SA FE®
Brake, theHOLD function,hillstart assist and
ESP ®
trailer stabilization aretherefore alsodeactivated, for
example.
Self diagnosis isnot yetcomplete orthe on-board voltagemaybe
insufficient ,for example.
The brake system continues tofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefore lockifyou
brake hard,forexample.
ATTENTI ONASS ISTisdeactivated.
X Carefull ydrive asuitable distance makingslightsteering
movement sat aspeed above12mph (20km/ h).
The funct ionsment ioned above areavaila bleagain whenthe
warning lampgoesout.
If the warning lampisstill on:
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aqual ified specialist workshop. 272
War
ning andindicator lampsin the instrum entclusterOn-board computer and displays

Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
!
The
yello wABS warning
lamp islit while the
engine isrunning. A
warning tonealso
sounds. G
Risk
ofaccident EBD
isfaulty. Therefore, BAS,BAS PLU S,ESP ®
,PR E-SAFE ®
,PR E-
SAFE ®
Bra ke, the HOLD functio n,hillsta rtas sist and ESP®
tra iler
sta bilizati onarealso una vailab le,for exa mpl e.
The brakesystem continuestofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefor elock ifyou
brake hard,forexample.
ATTE NTION ASSISTisdeactivated.
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop. $
(USAonly)
J (Canada only)
֌!
The redbrake warning
lamp, theyellow ESP®
and ESP®
OFF warning
lamps andtheyellow
ABS warning lampare
lit while theengine is
runnin g. G
Risk
ofaccident ABS
andESP®
are faulty. Therefore, BAS,BAS PLUS, EBD,PRE-
SAF E®
,PRE-S AFE®
Brake, theHOLD function,hillstart assist and
ESP ®
trailer stabilization arealso unavailab ledue toa
malfunct ion,forexample.
The brake system continues tofunct ionnormally, butwithout the
funct ionslisted above. Thewheels couldtherefor elock ifyou
brake hard,forexample.
ATTE NTION ASSISTisdeactivated.
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Drive oncarefully.
X Visit aquali fiedspecialist workshop. ÷
The
yellow ESP®
warning lampflashes
while thevehicle isin
motion . G
Risk
ofaccident ESP
®
or tract ioncont rolhas interv enedbecause thereisarisk of
skidding oratleast onewheel hasstart edtospin.
Cruise controlorDIS TRONIC PLUSisdeactivated.
X Only depress theaccelerator pedalasfar asnecessary when
pulling away.
X Ease offthe accelerator pedalwhilethevehicle isin motion .
X Adapt yourdriving styletosuit theroad andweather conditions.
X Do not deactivate ESP®
.
Ex ception s:(Y page 63). War
ning andindicator lampsin the instru mentcluster
273On-board computer and displays Z

(100
km)as they onlyreach theirfull
perfo rmanceafter thisdistan ce.
R Do not use tiresthat areexcessively worn
as the tire tract ion onwet road surfac es
decr eases significantlywhen thetread
depth isless than 1
/ 8 inc
h(3 mm).
R Replace thetiresafter sixyears atthe
latest ,regardles sof wear. Thisalso applies
to the spare wheel/em ergencyspare
wheel.
The servicelife oftire sdepends onthe
followin gfact orsamong stothe rthings:
R driving style
R tire pressure
R mileage MOExtended
tires(tires withrun-flat
proper ties)
MOExt ended tires(tires withrun-flat
properties) allowyoutocont inue driving your
vehicle evenifone ormore tiresareentirely
deflated.
MOExt ended tiresmaybeused onlyin
conj unction withtheactivated tirepressure
loss warning systemorthe activated tire
pressure monitorin gsystem andonly on
wheels specifically testedbyMercedes-Ben z.
You willfind notes ondriving with
MOExt ended tiresinthe "Breakdown
assistance" section(Ypage 338). Winter
operation Please
bearthefollow inginmind
At the onset ofwinter, haveyourvehicle
winterproofed ataqual ified specialist
workshop, e.g.atan authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center.
Observe thenotes inthe "Cha nging awheel"
section (Ypage 374). Driving
withsumm ertires
At temperatures below45‡(+7 †), the
elasticity ofsummer tiresandtherefore also
tract ionand braking capabilityare reduced
considerably —equip your vehicle with
M+S tires.Using summer tiresatvery cold
temper aturescouldcause tearstoform ,
ther eby damaging thetires perman ently.
Mercede s-Benz cann otaccept responsibility
for this type ofdamage. M+S
tires
At temper aturesbelow45‡(+7 †), use
winter tiresorall-season tires.Both types of
tire areidentified bythe M+S marking.
Only winter tiresbearing thei snowflake
symbol inaddition tothe M+S marking
provide thebest possible gripinwintry road
condit ions.Onlythese tireswillallow driving
safety systems suchasABS andESP®
to
funct ionoptimally inwinter, asthese tires
have been designed specifically fordriving on
snow.
Use M+S tiresofthe same make andtread on
all wheels tomaintain safehandling
charact eristics. G
WARNIN
G M+S
tireswithatread depth ofless than 1
/ 6
inch (4mm) must bereplaced. Theyareno
longer suitable forwinter operation.
Always observe themaximum permissible
speed specified forthe M+S tiresyouhave
mounted.
Once youhave mounted thewinter tires:
X Check thetire pressures (Ypage 357).
X Restart thetire pressure losswarning
system (Ypage 357). G
WARNIN
G If
you mount thespare wheel whendriving
with M+S tires, bearinmind thatdriving
stability willbeimpaired duetounstable 352
Winter
operationWheels and tires