
Parking brake
G
WARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
R start the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. 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 unsupervised in the vehicle. G
WARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking
brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels could lock. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi-
cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly. If the
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begin turning again. The brake lamps are not illuminated when you
brake the vehicle using the parking brake.
As a rule, you may only apply the parking
brake when the vehicle is stationary. X
To apply the parking brake: pull brake
lever 0043up as far as the last possible
detent.
The 0066 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up if the engine is running.
i On vehicles with a folding brake lever, you
can then press lever 0043down to the stop.
X To release the parking brake: on vehicles
with a folding brake lever, first pull brake
lever 0043up to the stop.
X Raise brake lever 0043slightly and press
release knob 0044.
X Guide brake lever 0043down to the stop.
The 0066 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Exceptionally, if the service brake fails, the
parking brake can be used to brake the vehi-
cle in an emergency.
X Emergency braking: press and hold
release button 0044and carefully apply brake
lever 0043. Switching off the engine
G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of
an accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
! If the coolant temperature is very high,
e.g. after driving on hilly roads, leave the
engine running at idle speed for about
two minutes before turning it off.
This allows the coolant temperature to
return to normal.
X Stop the vehicle.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P. 152
ParkingDriving and parking

When you return from your journey, and as
close to the border as possible, you will need
to:
R remove the adhesive surfaces from your
halogen headlamps and clean the glass of
the headlamps if necessary
R have the Bi-Xenon headlamps reset to
asymmetrical low beam at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop Transport by rail
Transporting your vehicle by rail may be sub-
ject to certain restrictions or require special
measures to be taken in some countries due
to varying tunnel heights and loading stand-
ards.
You can obtain further information from any
authorized Sprinter dealer. Braking
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients !
Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
On long and steep downhill gradients, you
should change down to shift range 0048or0047
in good time. This should be observed in par-
ticular when driving with a laden vehicle and
when towing a trailer. i
You must also change the shift range in
good time when cruise control is switched
on.
You thereby make use of the braking effect of
the engine and do not have to brake as often
to maintain the speed. This relieves the load
on the service brake and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
If you rest your 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.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately.
Drive on for a short while. The brakes are
cooled down more quickly in the airflow.
Wet road surfaces If you have been driving for a long time in
heavy rain without braking, there may be a
delayed response when you first apply the
brakes. This may also occur after driving
through a car wash or deep water.
You must depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a longer distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
While paying attention to the traffic condi-
tions, you should brake the vehicle firmly
after driving on a wet road surface or through
a car wash. This heats the brake discs, so that
they dry more quickly, which protects them
against corrosion.156
Driving tipsDriving and parking

Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads When driving on salted roads, salt may start
to build up on the brake disks and brake pads.
This can increase braking distances consid-
erably.
Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle in
front.
To remove any build up of salt that may have
formed:
X Apply the brakes at the start of the journey,
occasionally during journey and at the end
of the journey. Make sure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
Parking brake G
WARNING
If you must brake the vehicle with the parking
brake, the braking distance is considerably
longer and the wheels could lock. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Only use the parking brake to brake the vehi-
cle when the service brake is faulty. Do not
apply the parking brake too firmly. If the
wheels lock, release the parking brake until
the wheels begin turning again.
When driving on wet roads or dirt-covered
surfaces, road salt and/or dirt may get into
the parking brake. This causes corrosion and
a reduction of braking force.
In order to prevent this, drive with the parking
brake lightly applied from time to time. When
doing so, drive for a distance of approximately
110 yds (100 m) at a maximum speed of
12 mph (20 km/h).
The brake lamps are not illuminated when you
brake the vehicle using the parking brake. Driving in wet conditions
Braking on wet road surfaces If you have been driving for a long time in
heavy rain without braking, there may be a
delayed response when you first apply the
brakes. This may also occur after driving
through a car wash or deep water.
You must depress the brake pedal more
firmly. Maintain a longer distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
While paying attention to the traffic condi-
tions, you should brake the vehicle firmly
after driving on a wet road surface or through
a car wash. This heats the brake discs, so that
they dry more quickly, which protects them
against corrosion.
Hydroplaning G
WARNING
There is a danger of hydroplaning occurring,
even if you are driving slowly and your tires
have sufficient tread depth, depending on the
depth of water on the road. There is a risk of
an accident.
For this reason, avoid tire ruts and brake care-
fully.
Therefore, in heavy rain or other conditions in
which hydroplaning can occur, drive as fol-
lows:
R reduce your speed
R avoid tire ruts
R apply the brakes with care
Driving on flooded roads !
Do not drive through flooded areas.
Check the depth of any water before driving
through it. Drive slowly through standing
water. Otherwise, water may enter the
vehicle interior or the engine compartment.
This can damage the electronic compo-
nents in the engine or the automatic trans-
mission. Water can also be drawn in by the Driving tips
157Driving and parking Z

Blind Spot Assist monitors the area approx-
imately 10 ft (3.0 m) behind your vehicle and
approximately 11.5 ft (3.5 m) to each side of
it. For this purpose, Blind Spot Assist uses
radar sensors in the rear bumper and behind
the protective strips of the B-pillars.
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 a clear warning situation may not occur.
The yellow indicator lamp on the relevant
side of the vehicle will then light up.
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 trucks, for a prolonged time.
The four sensors of Blind Spot Assist are inte-
grated into the rear bumper and behind the
protective strips of the B-pillars. Make sure
that the bumper and protective stripping are
free of dirt, ice or slush in the vicinity of the
sensors. The radar sensors must not be cov-
ered, for example by cycle racks or overhang-
ing loads. Have the function of the radar sensors
checked at a qualified specialist workshop:
R
after a severe impact
R in the event of damage to the bumper
R in the event of damage to the protective
strips of the B-pillars
Blind Spot Assist may otherwise not work
properly.
Indicator and warning display
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). Vehicles in
the monitoring range are then not indicated. 0043
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
If yellow indicator lamp 0043lights up:
R you are driving at less than 20 mph
(30 km/h)
R Blind Spot Assist is deactivated
R Blind Spot Assist is malfunctioning
R there is no clear warning, depending on the
situation
Blind Spot Assist is active from a speed of
20 mph (30 km/h). If a vehicle is detected in
the blind spot monitoring range, red warning
lamp 0043on the corresponding side lights up.
This warning 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 14 mph (22 km/h).
Yellow indicator lamp 0043goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. Blind Spot Assist is then
deactivated. Driving systems
165Driving and parking Z

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 once. Red warning lamp 0043
flashes. If the turn signal remains on,
detected vehicles are indicated by the flash-
ing of red warning lamp 0043. There are no fur-
ther warning tones.
Activating/deactivating Blind Spot Assist
i Blind Spot Assist is activated when you
switch on the ignition.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
Warning lamps 0043in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately
1.5 seconds and then turn yellow.
X To deactivate: press the button in
the center console (Y page 37).
The yellow indicator lamp in exterior mir-
ror 0043first flashes and then lights up con-
tinuously. Blind Spot Assist is deactivated.
X To activate: press the button in the
center console again (Y page 37).
The yellow indicator lamp in exterior mir-
ror 0043flashes initially. If you exceed
19 mph (30 km/h) while driving, the yellow
indicator lamp in exterior mirror 0043goes
out. Blind Spot Assist is activated.
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 in the exte-
rior mirrors lights up yellow.
On vehicles with steering wheel buttons, the
message: Blind Spot Assist deacti‐
Blind Spot Assist deacti‐ vated vated
also appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
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 windshield. Lane Keeping Assist
detects lane markings on the road and warns
you before you leave your lane unintention-
ally.
0043
Lane Keeping Assist camera
Lane Keeping Assist supports you from
speeds of approximately 40 mph(60 km/h).
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Lane Keeping Assist may not always clearly
recognize lane markings.
In this case, 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 stay in lane, in particular if
warned by Lane Keeping Assist. G
WARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning does not
return the vehicle to the original lane. There
is a risk of an accident. 166
Driving systemsDriving and parking

You should always steer, brake or accelerate
yourself, in particular if warned by Lane Keep-
ing Assist.
Lane Keeping Assist may not work properly
or may not work at all if the vehicle is incor-
rectly loaded (Y page 242).
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lane
Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of
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, braking in good time and
for staying in your 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 windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged
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. In addition, a warning tone sounds and the
00B0indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
Activating/deactivating Lane Keeping
Assist
Lane Keeping Assist is automatically acti-
vated when you start the engine.
X To deactivate: press the button in
the center console (Y page 37).
On vehicles without steering wheel but-
tons:
OFF OFF flashes briefly in the display and the
00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes and then lights up continuously.
On vehicles with steering wheel but-
tons:
The message: Lane Keeping Assist Lane Keeping Assist
deactivated
deactivated appears in the display and
the 00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes and then lights up contin-
uously.
Lane Keeping Assist is deactivated.
X To activate: press the button in the
center console again (Y page 37).
On vehicles without steering wheel but-
tons:
ON ON flashes briefly in the display and the
00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes and then goes out.
On vehicles with steering wheel but-
tons:
The message: Lane Keeping Assist Lane Keeping Assist
activated
activated appears in the display and the
00B0 indicator lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes and then goes out.
Lane Keeping Assist is activated.
A Lane Keeping Assist warning is suppressed
if:
R a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
.
R you have set the turn signal and a lane
change is detected. In this case, the warn- Driving systems
167Driving and parking Z

The sensors must be free of dirt, ice or slush.
Otherwise, they cannot function correctly.
Clean the sensors regularly, taking care not
to scratch or damage them (Y page 270).Front sensors
Center Approximately 39 in
(100 cm)
Corners Approximately 26 in
(65 cm)
Rear sensors
Center Approximately 71 in
(180 cm)
Corners Approximately 39 in
(100 cm) Minimum distance
Center Approximately 12 in
(30 cm) Front corner sen-
sors Approximately 10 in
(25 cm) Rear corner sensors Approximately 12 in
(30 cm) If an obstacle is within this range, all seg-
ments of the warning displays light up and you
hear a warning tone. If the distance between
the vehicle and the obstacle falls below the
minimum range, it is possible that the dis-
tance may no longer be displayed.
Warning displays
Warning display, front area
Warning display for the left-hand rear area in the
left-hand exterior mirror
0043
Warning segments for the left front area
0044 Warning segments for the right front area
0087 Operational readiness symbol for the
front area Driving systems
169Driving and parking Z

0085
Warning display segments
0083 Operational readiness symbol for the rear
area
The warning displays show the distance
between the sensor and the obstacle.
The warning display is divided into five yellow
and two red segments for each side of the
vehicle. PARKTRONIC is operational if yellow
indicator segments 0087and 0083are lit.
There is a malfunction if only the red seg-
ments of the warning display light up
(Y page 171).
The position of the gear lever determines
whether the front and/or rear area is moni-
tored. Selector lever
position Monitoring
D
Front area
R
or N Front and rear area
P
No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R
sixth segment, an intermittent warning
tone sounds for approximately 2 seconds.
R seventh segment, a continuous warning
tone sounds. This indicates that you have
now reached the minimum distance.
Roll-back warning PARKTRONIC automatically monitors the
area behind the vehicle if the vehicle begins
to roll backwards without reverse gear
engaged, e.g. after stopping on an uphill gra-
dient.
If PARKTRONIC recognizes an obstacle at a
distance of at most 31 in (80 cm), all the seg-
ments in the warning displays light up. A con-
tinuous warning tone also sounds as the vehi-
cle approaches the obstacle and for a further 2 seconds after the vehicle has come to a
halt.
Activating/deactivating PARKTRONIC
X
Press the 0069button.
If PARKTRONIC is deactivated, the indica-
tor lamp in the switch lights up.
Towing a trailer PARKTRONIC detects a coupled trailer if your
vehicle is equipped with the corresponding
electrical installations for trailer towing.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area
when you establish an electrical connection
between your vehicle and a trailer. If you use
an adapter for the socket, remove it from the
socket after detaching the trailer. Otherwise,
PARKTRONIC remains deactivated for the
rear area.
Remove a detachable trailer coupling if it is
no longer required. PARKTRONIC measures
the minimum detection range to an obstacle
from the bumper, not the ball coupling. 170
Driving systemsDriving and parking