2015 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK warning light

Automatic transmission
X
Shift the transmission to position P
(Y page 170).
The transmission position indicator in the
multifunction display shows P
(Y page 170).
i You can start the engine in transmission
position Pand N.
Starting procedure with the key To start the engine using the key instead of
the Start/Stop button, pull the Start/Stop
button out of the ignition lock.
X To start a diesel engine : turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock (Y page 157).
The % preglow indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X Turn the key to position 3in the ignition
lock (Y page 157) and release it as soon as
the engine is running.
Starting procedure using the Start/
Stop button The Start/Stop button can be used to start
the vehicle manually without inserting the key
into the ignition lock. The key must be in the
vehicle and the Start/Stop button must be
inserted in the ignition lock. This mode for
starting the engine operates independently of the ECO start/stop automatic engine start
function.
You can start the engine if a valid key is in thevehicle. Switch off the engine and always take
the key with you when leaving the vehicle,
even if you only leave it for a short time. Pay
attention to the important safety notes. X
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Press the Start/Stop button once
(Y page 157).
Vehicles with a petrol engine: the engine
starts.
Vehicles with a diesel engine: preglow is
activated and the engine starts. Pulling away
General notes G
WARNING
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
If the engine speed is above the engine idling speed and you then engage transmission
position Dor R, the vehicle may accelerate
suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always keep the brake pedal firmly depressed
and do not depress the accelerator pedal at
the same time.
! Vehicles with manual transmission:
change gear in good time and avoid spin-
ning the wheels. You could otherwise dam-
age the vehicle.
Depress the accelerator carefully when pull-
ing away.
The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at any
time.
You can also deactivate the automatic locking feature (Y page 251).
Vehicles with automatic transmission: it
is only possible to shift the transmission from position Pto the desired position if you 160
DrivingDriving and pa
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Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Vehicles with a petrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. The
coolant warning lamp
may also be on and a
warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 326). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. DYNAMIC SELECT button (all vehicles
except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
Use the DYNAMIC SELECT button to change
the drive program. Depending on the drive
program selected, the following vehicle char- acteristics will change:
R the drive (engine and transmission man-
agement)
R the suspension (vehicles with damping sys-
tem or AMG RIDE CONTROL)
R the steering
R the availability of the ECO start/stop func-
tion
R the climate control
If the ignition is switched off for less than four hours, the previously selected drive program
is activated when the engine is next started. If the ignition is switched off for more than four hours, drive program
Cis activated when the
engine is next started. X
Press DYNAMIC SELECT controller :as
many times as necessary until the desired
drive program is selected.
The selected drive program appears in the
multifunction display. After five seconds
the display goes out and the status icon of the selected drive program appears. 166
DYNAMIC SELECT button (all vehicles except Mercedes-AMG vehicles)Driving and parking

In addition, at least one of the following con-
ditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine is switched off
R the driver is not wearing a seat belt and the
driver's door is open
R there is a system malfunction
R the power supply is insufficient
R the vehicle is stationary for a lengthy period
The red !indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
The electric parking brake is not automati-
cally applied if the engine is switched off by
the ECO start/stop function.
Releasing automatically The electric parking brake can only be
released automatically in vehicles with auto-
matic transmission.
The electric parking brake of your vehicle is
released automatically when all of the follow-
ing conditions are fulfilled:
R the engine is running
R the transmission is in position Dor R
R the seat belt is fastened
R you depress the accelerator pedal
If the transmission is in position R, the tailgate
must be closed.
If your seat belt is not fastened, the following conditions must be fulfilled to automatically
release the electric parking brake:
R the driver's door is closed
R you have shifted out of transmission posi-
tion Por you have previously driven faster
than 3 km/h
Ensure that you do not depress the acceler-
ator pedal unintentionally. Otherwise, the
parking brake will be released and the vehicle will start to move.
Emergency braking The vehicle can also be braked during an
emergency by using the electric parking
brake. X
While driving, push handle :of the electric
parking brake (Y page 185).
The vehicle is braked as long as you keep
handle :of the electric parking brake
pressed. The longer the electric parking
brake handle :is depressed, the greater
the braking force.
During braking:
R a warning tone sounds
R the Release park. brake Release park. brake message
appears
R the red !indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster flashes
When the vehicle has been braked to a stand- still, the electric parking brake is applied. Parking up the vehicle
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer
than four weeks, the battery may be damaged by exhaustive discharging.
If you leave the vehicle parked up for longer
than six weeks, it may suffer from lack of use.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop and
seek advice.
i You can obtain information about trickle
chargers from a qualified specialist work-
shop. Driving tips
General notes
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving. Driving tips
187Driving and parking Z

Drive sensibly – save fuel
Observe the following tips to save fuel:
R The tyres should always be inflated to the
recommended tyre pressure.
R Remove unnecessary loads.
R Remove roof racks when they are not nee-
ded.
R Warm up the engine at low engine speeds.
R Avoid frequent acceleration or braking.
R Have all maintenance work carried out as
indicated by the service intervals in the
Service Booklet or by the service interval
display.
Fuel consumption also increases when driv-
ing in cold weather, in stop-start traffic, on
short journeys and in hilly terrain. ECO display
The ECO display shows you how economical
your driving style is. The ECO display assists
you in achieving the most economical driving
style for the selected settings and prevailing
conditions. Consumption can be significantly influenced by your driving style. :
Acceleration
; Coasting
= Constant
? Additional range achieved
Range ?is shown under Bonus fr. start Bonus fr. start
and represents the additional range achieved
since the beginning of the journey as a result of an adapted driving style.
If the fuel level has dropped into the reserve
range, the Reserve fuel Reserve fuel message is shown
in the multifunction display instead of
range ?. In addition, the 8warning lamp in the instrument cluster lights up
(Y
page 301).
The ECO display consists of three sections,
with an inner and outer area. The sections
correspond to the following three categories: :
Acceleration
(evaluation of all
acceleration processes):
R the outer area fills up and the
inner area lights up green: mod-
erate acceleration, especially at
higher speeds
R the outer area empties and the
inner area is grey: sporty accel-
eration ;
Coasting
(evaluation of all decel-
eration processes):
R the outer area fills up and the
inner area lights up green: antic-
ipatory driving, keeping your dis- tance and early release of the
accelerator. The vehicle can
coast without use of the brakes.
R the outer area empties and the
inner area is grey: frequent heavy
braking =
Constant
(continuous evaluation
over the entire journey):
R the outer area fills up and the
inner area lights up green: con-
stant speed and avoidance of
unnecessary acceleration and
deceleration
R the outer area empties and the
inner area is grey: fluctuations in
speed The three inner areas display the current driv-
ing style and light up green as a result of a
particularly economical driving style.
Depending on the driving situation, up to two
areas may light up simultaneously.
At the beginning of the journey, the three
outer areas are empty and fill up as a result of 188
Driving tipsDriving and pa
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economical driving. A higher level indicates a
more economical driving style. If the three
outer areas are completely filled at the same
time, the driver has adopted the most eco-
nomical driving style for the selected settings and prevailing conditions. The ECO display
border lights up.
The ECO display does not indicate the actual
fuel consumption. The additionally achieved
range displayed under Bonus fr. start
Bonus fr. start
does not indicate a fixed consumption reduc- tion.
In addition to driving style, the actual con-
sumption is affected by other factors, such
as:
R load
R tyre pressure
R cold start
R choice of route
R the use of electrical consumers
These factors are not included in the ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style involves driving at a moderate engine speed.
To achieve a higher value in the categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant":
R observe the gearshift recommendation
R drive the vehicle in drive program Cor E
(vehicles with DYNAMIC SELECT button).
On long journeys at a constant speed, e.g. on
the motorway, only the outer area for "con-
stant" will change.
The ECO display summarises the driving style from the start of the journey to its completion.
Therefore, there are more marked changes in the outer areas at the start of a journey. Dur-
ing a prolonged driving time, these changes
are smaller. For more marked changes, per-
form a manual reset (Y page 243).
Further information on the ECO display
(Y page 242). Brakes
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.
This increases the risk of skidding and having
an accident.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Downhill gradients Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular note of this when driving a laden vehicle and
when towing a trailer. For vehicles with auto-
matic transmission, you need to activate
manual gearshifting (Y page 177).
This also applies if you have activated cruise
control, SPEEDTRONIC or DISTRONIC PLUS.
This will use the braking effect of the engine,
so less braking will be required to maintain
vehicle speed. This relieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Briefly depressing the accelerator pedal on
downhill gradients while the manual drive
program Mis temporarily activated (vehicles
with automatic transmission): the automatic
transmission may switch back to the last
active automatic drive program Eor S. The
automatic transmission may shift to a higher
gear. This can reduce the engine's braking
effect.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave your foot on the brake pedal while driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even cause the braking system to fail. There is
a risk of an accident. Driving tips
189Driving and parking
Z

i
Cruise control is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. For exam-
ple, if you accelerate briefly to overtake,
cruise control adjusts the vehicle's speed
to the last speed stored after you have fin- ished overtaking.
Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Brake.
or X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable SPEEDTRONIC is selected. LIM
indicator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if: R the vehicle is secured with the electric
parking brake
R you are driving at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R while driving a vehicle with manual trans-
mission, you shift into neutral or depress
the clutch pedal for longer than six seconds
R on vehicles with manual transmission, you
shift to a gear that is too high, and as a
result the engine speed is too low
R on vehicles with automatic transmission,
you shift to position Nwhile driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear a
warning tone. You will see the Cruise con‐
Cruise con‐
trol off trol off message in the multifunction dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. SPEEDTRONIC
General notes SPEEDTRONIC brakes automatically so that
you do not exceed the set speed. You must
select a lower gear in good time on long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer. For vehi-
cles with automatic transmission, you need to have selected manual shift drive program M
(Y page 177). By doing so, you will make use
of the braking effect of the engine. 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.
You can set a variable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. when driving with winter tyres
fitted (Y page 196)
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed
stored.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, SPEED-
TRONIC can neither reduce the risk of an
accident nor override the laws of physics.
SPEEDTRONIC cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. SPEED-
TRONIC is only an aid. You are responsible for
the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good time, and for stay-
ing in lane.
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new driver of the speed stored. 194
Driving systemsDriving and pa
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Variable SPEEDTRONIC
General notes
:
To activate or increase speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To activate at the current speed/last
stored speed
? To activate or reduce speed
A To switch between cruise control and var-
iable SPEEDTRONIC
B To deactivate cruise control
With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS and vari-
able SPEEDTRONIC.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec- ted:
R LIM indicator lamp off: cruise control or
DISTRONIC PLUS is selected
R LIM indicator lamp on: variable SPEED-
TRONIC is selected
When the engine is running, you can use the
cruise control lever to limit the speed to any
speed between 30 km/h and the technically
permitted maximum speed of the vehicle. If
the set value of permanent SPEEDTRONIC is
lower then this value applies (Y page 196).
Selecting variable SPEEDTRONIC X Check whether LIM indicator lamp ;is on.
If it is on, variable SPEEDTRONIC is already selected. If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow
A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
selected.
Storing the current speed
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up :
or down ?.
The current speed is stored and shown in
the multifunction display.
Storing or calling up the speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it is lower
than the current speed, the vehicle deceler-
ates. If you do not know the stored speed, the vehicle could decelerate unexpectedly. There
is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =.
Setting a speed X To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h
increments: briefly press the cruise con-
trol lever up :beyond the pressure point
for a higher speed, or down ?for a lower
speed.
or X Keep the cruise control lever pressed
beyond the pressure point until the desired
speed is set. Press the cruise control lever
up : for a higher speed or down ?for a
lower speed.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 km/h incre-
ments: briefly press the cruise control Driving systems
195Driving and parking Z

lever up
:to the pressure point for a
higher speed or down ?for a lower speed.
or X Keep the cruise control lever pressed to the
pressure point until the desired speed is
set. Press the cruise control lever up :for
a higher speed or down ?for a lower
speed.
Switching SPEEDTRONIC to passive
If you depress the accelerator pedal beyond
the pressure point (kickdown), SPEED-
TRONIC is switched to passive mode. The fol-
lowing message appears in the multifunction
display: SPEEDTRONIC passive
SPEEDTRONIC passive.
You can then exceed the stored speed.
SPEEDTRONIC is activated again if you:
R drive slower than the stored speed without
kickdown
R set a new speed or
R call up the last speed stored again
The SPEEDTRONIC passive SPEEDTRONIC passive message in the
multifunction display disappears.
Deactivating variable SPEEDTRONIC
It is not possible to deactivate variable
SPEEDTRONIC by braking.
There are several ways to deactivate variable SPEEDTRONIC:
X Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever goes out. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
deactivated.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is selec-
ted.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
SPEEDTRONIC switches off if you shift to a
higher gear and as a result, the engine speed
is too low.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Permanent SPEEDTRONIC You can use the on-board computer to limit
the speed permanently to a value between
160 km/h(e.g. for driving on winter tyres) and
the maximum speed (Y page 251).
Shortly before the stored speed is reached, it appears in the multifunction display.
Permanent SPEEDTRONIC remains active
even if variable SPEEDTRONIC is deactivated.
You cannot exceed the stored limit speed
even if you depress the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown). DISTRONIC PLUS
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tance to the vehicle detected in front. Vehi-
cles are detected with the aid of the radar
sensor system. DISTRONIC PLUS brakes
automatically to avoid exceeding the set
speed or to maintain the designated distance from the vehicle in front.
Change into a lower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. Take particular note of this when driving a laden vehicle. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly.
If DISTRONIC PLUS detects that there is a risk of a collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically. Without your intervention,
DISTRONIC PLUS cannot prevent a collision.
An intermittent warning tone will then sound
and the distance warning lamp will light up in
the instrument cluster. Brake immediately to
increase the distance to the vehicle driving in front, or take evasive action, provided it is
safe to do so.
DISTRONIC PLUS operates in the range
between 0 km/h and 200 km/h.
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients. 196
Driving systemsDriving and parking