2013 MERCEDES-BENZ GLK-Class brake

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 the warning is canceled when driving for an
extended period nex tto long vehicles, such
as trucks.
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 sensors and areas around
them are free of dirt, ice or 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 sensors
checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Blind Spot Assist may otherwise not work
properly.
Indicator and warning display
Active Blind Spot Assist is not active at
speeds below approximately 20 mph
(30 km/h). Vehicles in the monitoring range
are then not indicated. 0002
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When Active Blind Spot Assist is activated,
indicator lamp 0002in the exterior mirrors lights
up yellow at speeds of up to 20 mph
(30 km/h). At speeds above 20 mph
(30 km/h), the indicator lamp goes out and
Active Blind Spot Assist is operational. If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Active Blind Spot Assist at speeds
above 20 mph (30 km/h), warning lamp
0002
on the corresponding side lights up red. This
warning is always emitted 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 7mph
(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Spot Assist is no longer active.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.
Visual and acoustic collision warning
When you switch on the turn signals to
change lanes and a vehicle is detected in the
side monitoring range, you receive a visual
and acoustic collision warning .You then hear
a double warning tone and red warning
lamp 0002flashes. If the turn signal remains on,
detected vehicles are indicated by the
flashing of red warning lamp 0002.There are no
further warning tones.
Course-correcting brake application G
WARNING
Ac ourse-correcting brake application cannot
always prevent a collision. There is a risk of
an accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Blind Spot Assist warns
you or makes a course-correcting brake
application. Always maintain a safe distance
at the sides.
In very rare cases, the system may make an
inappropriate brake application. An
inappropriate brake application may be
interrupted at any time if you steer slightly in
the opposite direction or accelerate.
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a
lateral collision in the monitoring range, a
course-correcting brake application is carried 204
Driving systemsDriving and parking

out. This is meant to assist you in avoiding a
collision.
The course-correcting brake application is
available in the speed range between
20 mph (30 km/h) and120 mph (200 km/h).
If a course-correcting brake application
occurs, red warning lamp 0002flashes in the
exterio rmirro rand the following is shown in
the multifunctio ndisplay, for example: Either a very slight course-correcting brake
application, or none at all, may occur if:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, located on both sides of your
vehicle.
R a vehicle approaches you too closely at the
side.
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds.
R you clearly brake or accelerate.
R a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake.
R ESP ®
is switched off.
R the off-road program is activated.
R a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire is
detected.
Switching on Active Blind Spot Assist
X Make sure that the radar sensor system
(Y page 229) and Active Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 225 )are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignitio nlock.
Warning lamps 0002in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately
1.5 seconds and then turn yellow. Towing
atrailer
When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical
connection. This can be accomplished by
checking the trailer lighting .Active Blind Spot
Assist is then deactivated. The indicator lamp
lights up yellow in the exterior mirrors and the
Active Blind Spot Assist Currently Unavailable See Operator's Manual
message appears in the multifunction
display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area
in front of your vehicle by means of
camera
0002mounted at the top of the
windshield .Active Lane Keeping Assist
detects lane markings on the road and warns
you before you leave your lane
unintentionally. If you do not react to the
warning, a lane-correcting application of the
brakes can bring the vehicle back into the
original lane. 0002
Active Lane Keeping Assist camera
If you select km in the
Display Unit Speed-/Odometer: function on the on-board
computer(Y page 226), Active Lane Keeping
Assist is activated starting at a speed of
60 km/h. If the miles display uni
tis selected,
the assistance range begins at 40 mph. Driving systems
205Driving and parking Z

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active
Lane Keeping Assist can neither reduce the
ris kofa ccident nor override the laws of
physics .Lane Keeping Assist canno ttake into
accoun tthe road, traffic and weather
conditions. Lane Keeping Assist is merely an
aid. You are responsible for the distance to
the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for
braking in good time and for staying in your
lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot
continuously keep your vehicle in its lane. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle
R not give a warning or intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you.
Terminate the intervention in a non-critical
driving situation.
The system may be impaired or may not
function if:
R there is poor visibility, e.g. due to
insufficient illumination of the road, or due
to snow, rain, fog or spray
R there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
the sun or reflections (e.g. when the road
surface is wet)
R the windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged
or covered, for instance by a sticker, in the
vicinity of the camera
R there are no, several or unclear lane
markings for a lane, e.g. in areas with road
construction work
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 roadway
R no vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane
and there are broken lane markings
Warning vibration in the steering wheel
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.
In order that you are warned only when
necessary and in good time if you cross the
lane marking, the system recognizes certain
conditions 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
highway.
R the system recognizes solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend.
Lane-correcting brake application G
WARNING
A lane-correcting brake application cannot
always bring the vehicle back into the original
lane. There is a risk of an accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Lane Keeping Assist warns
you or makes a lane-correcting brake
application. G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
traffic conditions or road users. In very rare
cases, the system may make an inappropriate 206
Driving systemsDriving and parking

brake application, e.g. after intentionally
driving over a solid lane marking. There is a
risk of an accident.
An inappropriate brake application may be
interrupted at any time if you steer slightly in
the opposite direction. Always make sure that
there is sufficien tdistance on the side for
other traffic or obstacles.
If you leave your lane, under certain
circumstances the vehicle will brake briefly
on one side. This is mean tto assist you in
bringing the vehicle back to the original lane.
This function is available in the range between
40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and
200 km/h).
A lane-correcting brake application can only
be made after driving over a solid,
recognizable lane marking. Before this, a
warning must be given by means of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel.
In addition, a lane with lane markings on both
sides must be recognized. The brake
application also slightly reduces vehicle
speed.
If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
the following, for example, appears in the
multifunction display: i
A further lane-correcting brake
application can only occur after your
vehicle has returned to the original lane.
No lane-correcting brake application occurs
if:
R you clearly and actively steer, brake or
accelerate.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
R you switch on the turn signals. R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist.
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of
acceleration.
R on vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the
electrical connection to the trailer has been
correctly established.
R ESP ®
is switched off.
R the transmission is not in position D.
R the off-road program is activated.
R a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire has
been detected and displayed.
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
traffic situations or road users. An
inappropriate brake application may be
interrupted at any time if you:
R steer slightly in the opposite direction
R use a turn signal.
R clearly brake or accelerate
Al ane-correcting brake applicatio nis
interrupted automatically if:
R a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ESP ®
, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind
Spot Assist.
R lane markings can no longer be recognized.
Switching on Active Lane Keeping Assist X
Switch on Active Lane Keeping Assist using
the on-board computer; to do so, select
Standard or
Adaptive (Y
page 225).
Symbol 0002appears in the multifunction
display.
If you drive at speeds above 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected, Driving systems
207Driving and parking Z

symbol
0002is shown in green. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is ready for use.
If Standard is selected, no warning
vibration 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 ®
.
If Adaptive is selected, no warning
vibration 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, e.g.
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 lanes quickly.
R you cut the corner on a sharp bend.
Towing atrailer
When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical
connection. This can be accomplished by
checking the trailer lighting. Towing
atrailer Notes on towing
atrailer
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you res tyour foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This
increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest .Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time. G
WARNING
When the vehicle/trailer combination begins
to lurch, you could lose control of it. The
vehicle/trailer combination could even
rollover. There is a risk of an accident.
On no account should you attempt to
straighten up the vehicle/trailer combination
by increasing the speed. Reduce vehicle
speed and do not countersteer .Apply the
brake as necessary.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
Please observe the manufacturer's operating
instructions for the trailer coupling if a
detachable trailer coupling is used.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If
you do not couple the trailer to the towing
vehicle correctly, the trailer could become
detached.
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible trailer drawbar noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
The applicable permissible values, which
must not be exceeded, can be found:
R in the vehicle documents
R on the identification plates of the trailer tow
hitch, the trailer and the vehicle
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
You will find the values approved by the
manufacturer on the vehicle identification
plates and those for the towing vehicle under
"Technical data".
When towing a trailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be differen tincomparison
with when driving without atrailer. 208
Towing
atrailerDriving an d parking

i
This also applies if you have activated
cruise control.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so that less braking will be required to
maintain the speed, This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additional braking, depress the
brake pedal repeatedly rather than
continuously.
Driving tips R
Maintain a greater distance from the
vehicle in frontt han when driving without a
trailer.
R Avoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake
gently at first to allow the trailer to run on.
Then, increase the braking force rapidly.
R The values given for gradient-climbing
capabilities from a standstill refer to sea
level. When driving in mountainous areas,
note that the power output of the engine
and, consequently, the vehicle's gradient-
climbing capability, decreases with
increasing altitude.
If the trailer swings from side to side:
X Do not accelerate.
X Do not counter-steer.
X Brake if necessary. Installing the ball coupling
G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed and secured
correctly the trailer may come loose. There is
a risk of an accident.
Install and secure the ball coupling as
described in the ball coupling installation
instructions. Make sure that the ball coupling
is installed and secured correctly before every
journey.
! Mercedes-Ben zrecommends that you
only use ball couplings that have been tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz.
This helps to avoid damage to the vehicle.
Cover cap
X
Pull protective cap 0002in the direction of the
arrow, out of ball coupling recess 0003.
X Store protective cap 0002in a safe place.
X Observe the manufacturer's installation
instructions. G
WARNING
If the ball coupling is not installed and secured
correctly it can become detached while the
vehicle is in motion and fall onto the road.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Install and secure the ball coupling as
described in the ball coupling installation
instructions. Make sure that the ball coupling
is installed and secured correctly before every
journey. Coupling up a trailer
Observe the maximum permissible trailer
dimensions (width and length).
Most U.S.s tates and all Canadia nprovinces
require by law:
R safety chains between the towing vehicle
and the trailer. The chains should be cross-
wound under the trailer drawbar. They must
be fastened to the vehicle's trailer
coupling, not to the bumper or the axle. 210
Towing
atrailerDriving an d parking

Leave enough play in the chains to make
tight cornering possible.
R a separate brake system for certain types
of trailer.
R a safety switch for braked trailers. Check
the specifi clegal requirements applicable
to your state.
If the trailer detaches from the towing
vehicle, the safety switch applies the
trailer's brakes.
! Do not connectt he trailer's brake system
(if featured) to the hydraulic brake system
of the towing vehicle, as the latter is
equipped with an anti-lock brake system.
Doing so will result in a loss of function of
the brake systems of both the vehicle and
the trailer.
i The vehicle's wiring harness features a
connection to the brake indicator lamp.
X Make sure that the automatic transmission
is set to position P.
X Apply the vehicle's parking brake.
X Close all doors and the tailgate.
X Couple up the trailer.
X Establish all electrical connections. Towing
atrailer
There are numerous legal requirements
concerning the towing of a trailer, e.g .speed
restrictions. Make sure that your car/trailer
combination complies with the local
regulations:
R in your place of residence
R in the location to which you are driving
The police and local authorities can provide
reliable information.
Observe the following when towing a trailer:
R To gain driving experience and to become
accustomed to the new handling characteristics, you should practice the
following in a traffic-free location:
-
cornering
- stopping
- backing up
R Before driving, check:
-the trailer tow hitch
- the safety switch for braked trailers
- the safety chains
- electrical connections
- the lights
- the wheels
R Adjust the exterior mirrors to provide an
unobstructed view of the rear section of the
trailer.
R If the trailer has electronically controlled
brakes, pull away carefully. Brake manually
using the brake controller and check
whether the brakes function correctly.
R Secure any objects on the trailer to prevent
the cargo from slipping when the vehicle is
in motion.
R When you couple up a trailer, chec kat
regular intervals that the load is firmly
secured. If the trailer is equipped with
trailer lights and brakes, check the trailer
to ensure that these are working.
R Bear in mind that the handling will be less
stable when towing a trailer than when
driving without one. Avoid sudden steering
movements.
R The vehicle/trailer combination is heavier,
accelerates more slowly, has a decreased
gradient climbing capability and a longer
braking distance.
It is more susceptible to side winds and
requires more careful steering.
R If possible, avoid abrupt braking. Depress
the brake pedal moderately at first, so that
the trailer can activate its own brakes .Then
increase the pressure on the brake pedal.
R If the automatic transmission continues to
shift back and forth between two gears Towing
atrailer
211Driving an d parking Z

when driving up or downhill, restric
tthe
shift range. Select shift range 4, 3, 2,or1.
Al ower gear and lower speed reduce the
risk of engine failure.
R When driving downhill, shift to a lower gear
to utilize the engine's braking effect.
Avoid continuous brake application as this
may overheat the vehicle brakes and, if
installed, the trailer brakes.
R If the coolant temperature increases
dramatically while the air-conditioning
system is switched on, switch off the air-
conditioning system.
Coolant heat can additionally be dissipated
by opening the windows and by setting the
blower fan and the interior temperature to
maximum.
R When overtaking, pay particular attention
to the extended length of your vehicle/
trailer combination.
Due to the length of the vehicle/trailer
combination, you require additional road
space in relation to the vehicle you are
overtaking, before you can change back to
the original lane. Decoupling
atrailer G
WARNING
If you uncouple a trailer with the overrun
brake engaged, you could trap your hand
between the vehicle and the trailer drawbar.
There is a risk of injury.
Do not uncouple a trailer if the overru nbrake
is engaged.
! Do not disconnect a trailer with an
engaged overru nbrake. Otherwise, your
vehicle could be damaged by the
rebounding of the overru nbrake.
X Make sure that the automatic transmission
is set to position P.
X Apply the vehicle's parking brake. X
Close all doors and the tailgate.
X Apply the trailer's parking brake.
X Remove the trailer cable and decouple the
trailer. Permissible trailer loads and drawbar
loads
Weight specifications The gross trailer weight is calculated by
adding the weight of the trailer to the weight
of the load and equipment on the trailer.
Missing values were not available at the time
of going to print.
The maximu
mpermissible trailer drawbar
noseweight is the maximum weight with
which the trailer drawbar can be loaded.
Missing values were not available at the time
of going to print.
Loading atrailer R
When loading the trailer, make sure that
neithe rthe permissible gross weight of the
trailer nor the gross vehicle weight is
exceeded. The permissible gross vehicle
weight is indicated on the identification
plate on the B-pillar on the driver's side of
the vehicle.
You can find the maximum permissible
values on the type plates of your vehicle
and the trailer. When calculating how much
weight the vehicle and trailer may carry,
pay attention to the respective lowest
values.
R The trailer drawbarl oad on the ball coupling
must be added to the rear axle load to avoid
exceeding the permissible gross axle
weight. The permissible gross vehicle
weight is indicated on the identification
plate on the B-pillar on the driver's side of
the vehicle.
i Mercedes-Benz recommends atrailer
load where the trailer drawbar noseweight 212
Towing
atrailerDriving an d parking