2015 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK warning

detected vehicle turns a corner and reveals
an obstacle or stationary vehicle, DISTRONIC PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS may detect vehicles that
are crossing your lane by mistake. Activating DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights with cross-
ing traffic, for example, could cause your vehi-
cle to pull away unintentionally. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when manoeuvring on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancelled and the HOLD function is deactivated when you depress theaccelerator pedal to pull away. Important safety notes G
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away despite being braked by the HOLD function if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply
R the HOLD function is deactivated by the
accelerator pedal being depressed, e.g. by
a vehicle occupant
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with
R the battery is disconnected
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
from rolling away.
! When DISTRONIC PLUS or the HOLD
function is activated, the vehicle brakes
automatically in certain situations.
To avoid damage to the vehicle, deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS and the HOLD function in
the following or similar situations:
R when towing away
R in a car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function
(Y page 205).
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R the vehicle is stationary
R the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
R the driver's door is closed or if your seat
belt is fastened
R the electric parking brake is released
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated
R the transmission is in position D,Ror Non
vehicles with automatic transmission 204
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Activating the HOLD function
X
Make sure that the activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until :appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again.
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated automati-
cally if:
R you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission
is in position Dor R.
R the transmission is in position Pon vehicles
with automatic transmission.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a
certain amount of pressure until :disap-
pears from the multifunction display.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric
parking brake.
i After a short period, the vehicle is secured
by the electric parking brake, thus relieving the service brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission When the HOLD function is activated, the
transmission is shifted automatically to posi-
tion Pif:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
The electric parking brake secures the vehicle automatically if the HOLD function is activa-
ted, the vehicle is stationary and:
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
Vehicles with manual transmission The electric parking brake secures the vehicle
automatically if the HOLD function is activa-
ted and:
R the driver's seat belt is not fastened and the
driver's door is open
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function
R a system fault occurs
R the power supply is insufficient
The Brake immediately Brake immediately message may also
appear in the multifunction display.
X Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the multifunc- tion display goes out.
The HOLD function is deactivated.
A horn will sound at regular intervals if you
turn off the engine, take off your seat belt or
open the driver's door when the HOLD func-
tion is activated. The horn alerts you to the
fact that the HOLD function is still activated.
If you attempt to lock the vehicle, the tone
becomes louder. The vehicle cannot be
locked until you have deactivated the HOLD
function.
i Once you have switched off the engine,
you cannot restart it until you have deacti-
vated the HOLD function. Driving systems
205Driving and parking Z

Start-off assist (except Mercedes-
AMG vehicles)
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you use start-off assist, individual wheels
may start to spin and the vehicle may skid. If
ESP ®
is deactivated, there is a greater danger
of skidding and having an accident. Make sure that no persons or obstacles are in the area
around the vehicle.
Start-off assist enables optimum acceleration
from a standstill. For this, a suitably high-grip road surface is required, along with the tyresand vehicle being in good condition.
Do not activate start-off assist on public
roads.
Observe the safety notes on driving safety
systems (Y page 69).
Be sure to read the safety notes and informa-
tion on ESP ®
(Y page 73).
Activating start-off assist X
Deactivate ESP ®
(Y page 248).
X Turn the steering wheel to the straight-
ahead position.
X Depress the brake pedal firmly with your
left foot and keep the brake pedal
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position D.
X Use the DYNAMIC SELECT button to select
the Sdrive program (Y page 166).
X Quickly depress the accelerator pedal fully.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
i Activate ESP ®
as soon as the acceleration
process has ended. ESP ®
will otherwise not
be able to stabilise the vehicle if the vehicle
starts to skid or a wheel starts to spin. Cancelling start-off assist
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
X Reactivate ESP. RACE START (AMG vehicles)
Important safety notes i
RACE START must not be used on normal
roads. RACE START must only be activated and used on dedicated road circuits, out-
side of public road use.
i RACE START is only available in
Mercedes‑AMG vehicles. G
WARNING
If you use RACE START, individual tyres may
get into a spin and the vehicle could skid.
Depending on the selected ESP ®
mode, there
is an increased risk of skidding and having an accident. Make sure that no persons, animals
or obstacles are within range of the vehicle.
RACE START enables optimum acceleration
from a standing start. For this, a suitably high-
grip road surface is required, along with the
tyres and vehicle being in good condition.
i Observe the safety notes on driving safety
systems (Y page 69).
Be sure to read the safety notes and infor-
mation on ESP ®
(Y page 73).
Activation conditions You can activate RACE START if:
R the doors, the bonnet and the boot lid are
closed
R the engine is running and the transmission,
traction control and engine are at operating temperature
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position
R the vehicle is stationary and the brake
pedal is depressed (left foot) 206
Driving systemsDriving and parking

:
Example: sensors in the front bumper,
left-hand side
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush. Otherwise, they may not function cor-
rectly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(Y page 332).
Range Front sensors
Centre Approx. 100 cm
Corners Approx. 60 cm Rear sensors
Centre Approx. 120 cm
Corners Approx. 80 cm
Minimum distance
Centre Approx. 20 cm
Corners Approx. 20 cm
If there is an obstacle within this range, the
relevant warning displays light up and a warn- ing tone sounds. If the distance falls below
the minimum, the distance may no longer be
shown.
Warning displays :
Segments on the left-hand side of the
vehicle
; Segments on the right-hand side of the
vehicle
= Segments showing operational readiness
The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and the obstacle. The
warning display for the front area is located
on the dashboard above the centre air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is loca-
ted on the roof lining in the rear compart-
ment.
The warning display for each side of the vehi- cle is divided into five yellow and two red seg-ments. PARKTRONIC is operational if yellow
segments showing operational readiness =
light up. 210
Driving systemsDriving an
d parking

The gear lever position or the transmission
position of the automatic transmission and
the direction in which the vehicle is rolling
determine which warning display is active
when the engine is running.
Manual transmission: Gear lever posi-
tion Warning display
Forward gear
or
Neutral
Front area activated
Reverse gear
or
the vehicle is rolling backwards Rear and front areas
activated
Automatic transmission:
Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling back-
wards Rear and front areas
activated
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 onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for approx-
imately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimum distance. Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC :
Indicator lamp
; To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp :lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the key to position 2in the
ignition lock. Driving systems
211Driving and parking Z

Problems with PARKTRONIC
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
You also hear a warning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is then
deactivated and the
indicator lamp on the
PARKTRONIC button
lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has been deactivated.
X If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
PARKTRONIC is then
deactivated. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X Clean the PARKTRONIC sensors (Y page 332).
X Switch the ignition back on. The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X See if PARKTRONIC functions in a different location. Active Parking Assist
General notes Active Parking Assist is an electronic parking
aid with ultrasound. It measures the road on
both sides of the vehicle. A parking symbol
indicates a suitable parking space. Active
steering intervention and brake application
can assist you during parking and when exit-
ing a parking space. You may also use
PARKTRONIC (Y page 209).
i The active braking application is only
available on vehicles with automatic trans-
mission.
Important safety notes Active Parking Assist is only an aid. It is not a
substitute for your attention to the immediate
surroundings. The responsibility for safe
manoeuvring and parking remains with you. Make sure that no persons, animals or
objects are in the manoeuvring range.
When PARKTRONIC is deactivated, Active
Parking Assist is also unavailable. G
WARNING
While parking or pulling out of a parking
space, the vehicle swings out and can drive
onto areas of the oncoming lane. This could
cause you to collide with other road users.
There is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to other road users. Stop the
vehicle if necessary or cancel the Active Park- ing Assist parking procedure.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as kerbs slowly and not at a
sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tyres. 212
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Active Parking Assist may also display spaces
not suitable for parking, e.g.:
R parking or stopping prohibitions
R in front of driveways or entrances and exits
R unsuitable surfaces
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, drive as closely as possi-
ble past the parking space
R parking spaces that are littered or over-
grown might be identified or measured
incorrectly
R parking spaces that are partially occupied
by trailer drawbars might not be identified
as such or be measured incorrectly
R snowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately
R pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 210 )warning messages during the
parking procedure
R you can intervene in the steering procedure
to correct it at any time. Active Parking
Assist will then be cancelled
R when transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you should not use
Active Parking Assist
R never use Active Parking Assist when snow
chains are fitted
R make sure that the tyre pressures are
always correct. This has a direct influence
on the parking characteristics of the vehi-
cle.
Use Active Parking Assist for parking spaces
that are:
R parallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel.
R on straight roads, not bends
R on the same level as the road, e.g. not on
the pavement
For vehicles with the trailer tow hitch folded
out, the minimum length for parking spaces is slightly longer.
If you have attached a trailer to your vehicle,
you should not use Active Parking Assist.
Once the electrical connection is established between your vehicle and the trailer, Active
Parking Assist is no longer available.
PARKTRONIC is deactivated for the rear area.
Detecting parking spaces Objects located above the height range of
Active Parking Assist will not be detected
when the parking space is measured. These
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. G
WARNING
If there are objects above the detection range:
R Active Park Assist may steer too early
R the vehicle may not stop in front of these
objects
This could cause a collision. There is a risk of
an accident.
If objects are located above the detection
range, stop and deactivate Active Parking
Assist.
For further information on the detection
range (Y page 209).
Active Parking Assist does not assist you
parking in spaces at right angles to the direc-
tion of travel if:
R two parking spaces are located directly
next to one another
R the parking space is directly next to a low
obstacle such as a low kerb
R you forward park
Active Parking Assist does not assist you
parking in spaces that are parallel or at right
angles to the direction of travel if:
R the parking space is on a kerb
R the system reads the parking space as
being blocked, for example by foliage or
grass paving blocks
R the area is too small for the vehicle to
manoeuvre into
R the parking space is bordered by an obsta-
cle, e.g. a tree, a post or a trailer Driving systems
213Driving and parking Z

Example: parking symbol
:
Detected parking space on the left
; Parking symbol
= Detected parking space on the right
Active Parking Assist is activated automati-
cally when driving forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
35 km/h. While in operation, the system inde- pendently locates and measures parking
spaces on both sides of the vehicle.
Active Parking Assist will only detect parkingspaces:
R parallel or at right angles to the direction of
travel
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
and are at least 1.5 m wide
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
and at least 1.0 mlonger than your vehicle
R that are at right angles to the direction of
travel and at least 1.0 m wider than your
vehicle
i Note that Active Parking Assist cannot
measure the length of a parking space if it
is at right angles to the direction of travel.
You will need to judge whether your vehicle
will fit in the parking space.
When driving at speeds below 30 km/h, you
will see parking symbol ;as a status indi-
cator in the instrument cluster. When a park-
ing space has been detected, an arrow
towards the right or the left also appears.
Active Parking Assist only displays parking
spaces on the front-passenger side as stand- ard. Parking spaces on the driver's side are
displayed as soon as the turn signal on the
driver's side is activated. When parking on the driver's side, this must remain activated untilyou confirm the use of Active Parking Assist by pressing the
abutton on the multi-
function steering wheel. The system auto-
matically determines whether the parking
space is parallel or at right angles to the direc-
tion of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are
driving past it, and until you are approx-
imately 15 m away from it.
Parking G
WARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Active Parking Assist it could roll
away if:
R there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply.
R the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses are tam-
pered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
R the vehicle is accelerated, e.g. by a vehicle
occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always secure it
against rolling away.
i Vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion:
When PARKTRONIC detects obstacles,
Active Parking Assist brakes automatically
during the parking process. You are respon-
sible for braking in good time.
X Stop the vehicle when the parking symbol
shows the desired parking space in the
instrument cluster.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to reverse gear.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift into position R.
The Start Park Assist? Start Park Assist? Yes: OK
Yes: OKNo:
No:
% message appears in the multifunction
display. 214
Driving systemsDriving and parking