2012 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class parking sensors

Active Blind Spot Assist (Y page 364) and
Active Lane Keeping Assist ( Y page 367).
Active Blind Spot Assist
Important safety notes
Active Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor
system to monitor the side areas of your
vehicle which are in back of the driver. 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. If a risk of lateral collision
is detected, corrective braking may help you
avoid a collision. To support the course-
correcting brake application, Active Blind
Spot Assist also uses the forward-facing radar
sensor system. Active Blind Spot Assist
supports you from speeds of approximately
20 mph (30 km/h).
GWARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid, and
may detect vehicles/obstacles incorrectly or
not at all.
The system may be impaired or may not
function if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to snow,
rain, fog or spray.
R the rear and/or front sensors are dirty.
Active Blind Spot Assist may not detect
narrow vehicles, such as motorcycles or
bicycles, or may only detect them too late. It
cannot detect vehicles that are overtaken at
a small distance and then enter the blind spot
area.
Active Blind Spot Assist cannot detect road
and traffic conditions. It is not a substitute for
attentive driving. You are responsible for the
vehicle's speed, braking in good time, and
steering correctly. Always adapt your driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognize dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and
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 device 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.
For Active Blind Spot Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must
be activated ( Y page 387) and operational.
Monitoring area
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area
shown in the figure up to 10 ft (3 m) behind
and immediately adjacent to your vehicle. For
this purpose, Active Blind Spot Assist uses
radar sensors in the rear bumper.GWARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors certain
areas in the immediate vicinity of your vehicle.
Vehicles that approach and drive past at high
speeds are not detected. No visual nor
364Driving systemsDriving and parking

audible warnings are emitted and the system
does not brake the vehicle to correct your
course.
If the lanes are very wide, it may not be
possible to monitor the complete width of the
neighboring lane. For this reason, vehicles in
the next lane may not be detected, especially
if they are driving in a staggered formation.
This may be the case if vehicles are driving at
that edge of their lane which is furthest away
from your vehicle.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
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 there are vehicles driving at the
inner edge of their lanes.
Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when
driving close to crash barriers or similar
solid lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside long vehicles, such as trucks, for
a prolonged time.
Two Active Blind Spot Assist radar sensors
are integrated into the front and rear bumpers
respectively. An additional radar sensor is
located behind the cover in the radiator grill.
Make sure that the sensor areas on the
bumpers and the sensor cover in the radiator
grill are free of dirt, ice and slush. The rear
sensors must not be covered, for example by
cycle racks or overhanging cargo. Following
a severe impact or in the event of damage to
the bumpers, have the function of the radar
sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. Blind Spot Assist may otherwise
not work properly.Indicator and warning display:Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When Active Blind Spot Assist is activated,
indicator lamp : lights up yellow in the
exterior mirrors up to a vehicle speed of
20 mph (30 km/h). When the vehicle speed
exceeds 20 mph (30 km/h), the indicator
lamp goes out and Active Blind Spot Assist is
ready for use.
When your speed exceeds approximately
20 mph (30 km/h), warning lamp : lights up
red on the corresponding side whenever a
vehicle is detected in the blind spot
monitoring range. This warning is always
given when a vehicle enters the blind spot
monitoring range from behind or from the
side. When you are passing another vehicle,
the warning is emitted only if the difference
in speed is less than 7 mph (12 km/h).
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. In this event, Active Blind
Spot Assist is no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light.
GWARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds
lower than 20 mph (30 km/h). The indicator
lamps in the exterior mirrors are yellow.
Vehicles in the monitoring range are then not
indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
Driving systems365Driving and parkingZ

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and M SolutionsBlind Spot Assist
Currently
Unavailable See
Oper. Manual or
Active Blind Spot
Assist Currently
Unavailable See
Oper. ManualBlind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assist is temporarily
inoperative if:
R the sensors are dirty.
R its function is impaired due to heavy rain or snow.
R the radar sensor system is outside the operating temperature
range.
R the radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio
stations or other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
The yellow 9 indicator lamps also light up in the exterior
mirrors.
Blind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assist is operational again
and the display message disappears if:
R the dirt (e.g. slush) drops away while the vehicle is in motion.
R the system detects that the sensors are fully available again.
R the radar sensor system is back within the operating
temperature range.
If the display message continues to be displayed:XClean the sensors ( Y page 467).XRestart the engine.Blind Spot Assist
Inoperative or
Active Blind Spot
Assist InoperativeBlind Spot Assist or Active Blind Spot Assist is defective.
The yellow 9 indicator lamps also light up in the exterior
mirrors.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.Parking Guidance
InoperativeParking Guidance is malfunctioning ( Y page 350).XRestart the engine.
If the display message continues to be displayed:
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.412Display messagesOn-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and M SolutionsParking Guidance
CanceledParking Guidance has been deactivated because:
R the vehicle is skidding.
R the sensors are dirty.
R a malfunction has occurred.XReactivate Parking Guidance later ( Y page 350).
If the parking space symbol is not displayed in the multifunction
display when you are driving at a speed of less than 19 mph
(30 km/h):
XClean the sensors ( Y page 467).XRestart the engine.
If the parking space symbol is still not displayed in the
multifunction display when you are driving at a speed of less than
19 mph (30 km/h):
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.Parking Guidance has been deactivated because you are no longer
following the recommended path.XPark again and, while doing so, observe the display messages
in the multifunction display.Parking Guidance
FinishedThe vehicle is parked. A warning tone also sounds.
The display message disappears automatically.DISTRONIC PLUS
OffDISTRONIC PLUS has been deactivated ( Y page 332). If it was
deactivated automatically, a warning tone also sounds.DISTRONIC PLUS
Available AgainDISTRONIC PLUS is operational again after having been
temporarily unavailable. You can now reactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
( Y page 332).Display messages413On-board computer and displaysZ