
Replace child restraint systems which have
been damaged or subjected to a load in an
accident as soon as possible. Have the secur- ing systems on the child restraint system
checked at a qualified specialist workshop,
before you install a child restraint system
again. G
WARNING
Infants and small children should never share a seat belt with another occupant. In the event
of an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is sig- nificantly increased if the child restraints are
not properly secured in the vehicle and/or thechild is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Children that are too large for a child restraint
must travel in seats using normal seat belts.
Position the shoulder belt across the chest
and shoulder, not the face or neck. A booster seat may be necessary to achieve proper seat
belt positioning for children over 41 lbs
(18 kg) until they reach a height where a lap/
shoulder belt fits properly without a booster
seat.
When the child restraint is not in use, remove it from the vehicle or secure it with the seat
belt to prevent the child restraint from becom-
ing a projectile in the event of an accident. G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R Start the engine. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. G
WARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is a risk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you, always ensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight. Pro- tect it with a blanket, for example. If the childrestraint system has been exposed to direct
sunlight, let it cool down before securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in the vehicle.
If an infant or child is traveling in the vehicle:
R Secure the child with a child or infant seat
restraint system appropriate to the age and
weight of the child.
R Make sure that the infant or child is prop-
erly secured at all times while the vehicle is
in motion.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you always
properly secure all infants and children with a
child or infant seat restraint system for the
trip.
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in:
R all 50 states
R the U.S. territories 58
Children in the vehicleSafety

X
Install the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system on both LATCH-type (ISO-
FIX) securing rings 0043. Comply with the
child restraint system manufacturer's
instructions when installing the LATCH-
type (ISOFIX) child restraint system.
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) is a standardized secur- ing system for specially designed child
restraint systems on the rear seats. LATCH-
type (ISOFIX) securing rings 0043for two
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint systems
are installed on the left and right of the rear
seats.
Non LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seats may
also be used and can be installed using the
vehicle's seat belt system. Install the child
seat according to the manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Top Tether Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Always engage the rear seat backrests in an
upright position before installing the Top
Tether belt. Push and pull the rear seat backr- ests to check whether they are engaged cor-
rectly. If the seat backrest is not locked prop-
erly, the seat backrest could fold. The child
seat would no longer be supported properly or
positioned to provide its intended benefit.
That could cause serious or even fatal injuries. Example: Top Tether belt with one belt strap
Top Tether provides an additional connection
between the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system secured with LATCH-type
(ISOFIX) and the rear seat. This helps reduce the risk of injury even further. If the child
restraint system is installed with Top Tether,
this should always be used.
The Top Tether anchorage points are installed
in the rear compartment behind the outer
head restraints on the parcel shelf.
There is also another Top Tether anchorage
point behind the central rear seat.
X Press down the rear of cover 0044in the
direction of the arrow.
Cover 0044is raised slightly at the front.
X Fold up cover 0044of Top Tether anchorage
0087.
X Top Tether belt with one belt strap: route
Top Tether belt 0083centrally over head
restraint 0043.
X Top Tether belt with two belt straps:
route Top Tether belts 0083on the left and
right past the side of head restraint 0043. Children in the vehicle
61Safety Z

X
Hook Top Tether hook 0085into Top Tether
anchorage 0087.
X Make sure that Top Tether belt 0083is not
twisted.
X Install the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child
restraint system with Top Tether. Always
comply with the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation instructions
when doing so. Make sure that Top Tether
belt 0083is tight. Child-proof locks
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R Start the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. G
WARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle. G
WARNING
If children are traveling in the vehicle, they
could:
R open doors, thus endangering other people
or road users
R exit the vehicle and be caught by oncoming
traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Always activate the child-proof locks and
override feature if children are traveling in the vehicle. When leaving the vehicle, always take
the key with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unattended in the vehicle.
You can activate the following child-proof
locks: R rear doors (Y page 62)
R rear side windows (Y page 63)
Child-proof locks for the rear doors G
WARNING
Children could open a rear door from inside
the vehicle. This could result in serious inju-
ries or an accident. Therefore, when children
ride in the rear always secure the rear doors
with the child-proof locks. You secure each door individually with the
child-proof locks on the rear doors. A door
secured with a child-proof lock cannot be
opened from inside the vehicle. When the 62
Children in the vehicleSafety

vehicle is unlocked, the door can be opened
from the outside.
X To activate: press the child-proof lock
lever up in the direction of arrow 0043.
X Make sure that the child-proof locks are
working properly.
X To deactivate: press the child-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow 0044.
Override feature for the rear side win-
dows G
WARNING
When children ride on the vehicle's rear seats, activate the override switch. Otherwise, the
children could be injured, e.g. by trapping
themselves in the rear side window. X
To activate/deactivate: press button0043.
If indicator lamp 0044is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the driv- er's door. If indicator lamp 0044is off, oper-
ation is possible using the switches in the
rear compartment. Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
(Y page 63)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System) (Y page 64) R
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST (distance
warning function and adaptive Brake
Assist) (Y page 64)
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS
(Y page 64)
R ESP ®
(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Y page 67)
R EBD ( Electronic Brake force Distribution)
(Y page 71)
R ADAPTIVE BRAKE (Y page 71)
R STEER CONTROL (Y page 71) Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or
become distracted, the driving safety sys-
tems can neither reduce the risk of accident
nor override the laws of physics. Driving
safety systems are merely aids designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the dis- tance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speedand for braking in good time. Always adapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road,
weather and traffic conditions and maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front. Drive
carefully.
i The driving safety systems described only
work as effectively as possible when there
is adequate contact between the tires and
the road surface. Pay particular attention to the information regarding tires, recommen-
ded minimum tire tread depths etc. in the
"Wheels and tires" section (Y page 314).
In wintry driving conditions, always use
winter tires (M+S tires) and if necessary,
snow chains. Only in this way will the driv-
ing safety systems described in this section
work as effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way
that the wheels do not lock when you brake. Driving safety systems
63Safety Z

This allows you to continue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
The 0025 ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched on. It goes out when the engine is running.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 63).G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid- ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information on the ABS warning lamp (Y page 245) and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (Y page 214).
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h) , regardless of road-surface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery roads, even if
you only brake gently.
Braking X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit- uation is over.
X To make a full brake application:
depress the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions, and func-
tions as a reminder to take extra care while
driving. BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If you depress the brake pedal quickly,
BAS automatically boosts the braking force,
thus shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63). G
WARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Braking X
Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
General notes COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consists of
the Adaptive Brake Assist and the distance
warning function, which are described in the
following.
Distance warning function Important safety notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63). 64
Driving safety systemsSafety

sions at low speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 63).G
WARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
In such cases, Adaptive Brake Assist may:
R intervene unnecessarily
R not intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation. 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.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving condi-
tions may also cause Brake Assist to inter-
vene.
Adaptive Brake Assist aids you in braking dur-
ing hazardous situations at speeds above
4 mph (7 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 rear-end
collision. Should you apply the brakes vigo-
rously, Adaptive Brake Assist will automati-
cally increase the braking force to a level suit- able 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-
ognized as such at least once over the period
of observation. Adaptive Brake Assist does
not react to stationary obstacles.
Up to vehicle speeds of around 155 mph
(250 km/h), adaptive Brake Assist is capable
of reacting to moving objects that have
already been recognized 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, thebrake 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 there is snow or heavy rain 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R engine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-faces.
R traction control is still activated.
R PRE-SAFE ®
is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP ®
intervenes.
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no lon-
ger available; nor is it activated if you brake
firmly with assistance from ESP ®
.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
ESP ®
trailer stabilization General information
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
swerve, ESP ®
assists you in this situation.
ESP ®
slows the vehicle down by braking and
limiting the engine output until the vehicle/
trailer combination has stabilized.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center of gravity can
tip over before ESP ®
can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail- ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
ESP ®
trailer stabilization is active above
speeds of about 40 mph (65 km/h). ESP
®
trailer stabilization does not work if
ESP ®
is deactivated or disabled because of a
malfunction. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 63). G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the rear wheels can still lock, e.g. under full braking. This increa-
ses the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Havethe brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (Y page 245) as well as dis-
play messages (Y page 216). ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
also has the HOLD function (Y page 176) and
hill start assist (Y page 142). For further
information, see Driving tips (Y page 162). STEER CONTROL
General information STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering Driving safety systems
71Safety Z

wheel in the direction required for vehicle
stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in partic-
ular if:
R both right wheels or both left wheels are on
a wet or slippery road surface when you
brake.
R the vehicle starts to skid.
Important safety notes No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning.
R the lighting is faulty.
Power steering will, however, continue to
function. Theft deterrent locking system
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey. X To activate: remove the SmartKey from
the ignition lock.
X To deactivate: switch on the ignition.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. The
engine can be started by anyone with a valid
SmartKey that is left inside the vehicle.
i The immobilizer is always deactivated
when you start the engine.
In the event that the engine cannot be star- ted when the starter battery is fully
charged, the immobilizer may be faulty.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA) or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada). ATA (anti-theft alarm system)
X
To arm: lock the vehicle with the Smart-
Key.
Indicator lamp 0043flashes. The alarm sys-
tem is armed after approximately
15 seconds.
X To disarm: unlock the vehicle with the
SmartKey.
or
X Insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed and you open:
R the vehicle with the mechanical key
R a door
R the trunk lid
R the hood
X To stop the alarm: insert the SmartKey
into the ignition lock.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the 0036or0037 button on the
SmartKey.
The alarm is switched off.
The alarm is not switched off, even if you
close the open door that triggered it, for
example. 72
Theft deterrent locking systemSafety