2015 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA-Class tow

Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(Y page 42) and the notes on correct use of
seat belts (Y page 44).
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 three-point seat belt fits properly without a booster seat. Special seat belt retractor
G
WARNING
If the seat belt is released while driving, the
child restraint system will no longer be
secured properly. The special seat belt retrac- tor is disabled and the inertia real draws in a
portion of the seat belt. The seat belt cannot
be immediately refastened. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Stop the vehicle immediately, paying atten-
tion to road and traffic conditions. Reactivate
the special seat belt retractor and secure the
child restraint system properly.
All seat belts except the driver's seat belt are equipped with a special seat belt retractor.
When activated, the special seat belt retrac-
tor ensures that the seat belt will not slackenonce the child restraint system has been
secured.
Installing a child restraint system:
X Always comply with the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
X Pull the seat belt smoothly from the belt
outlet.
X Engage the seat belt tongue in the belt
buckle. Activating the special seat belt retractor:
X Pull the seat belt out fully and let the inertia
reel retract it again.
While the seat belt is retracting, you should
hear a ratcheting sound. The special seat
belt retractor is activated.
X Push the child seat restraint system down
so that the seat belt is tight and does not
loosen.
Removing a child restraint system/deactivat-
ing the special seat belt retractor:
X Always comply with the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation instruc-
tions.
X Press the release button of the belt buckle,
hold the belt tongue firmly and guide it back
towards the belt outlet.
The special seat belt retractor is deactiva-
ted. Child restraint system
The use of seat belts and child restraint sys-
tems is required by law in:
R all 50 states
R the U.S. territories
R the District of Columbia
R all Canadian provinces
If you install a rearward-facing child restraint
system on the center rear seat, the rear arm
rest must be folded back as far as possible.
You can obtain further information about the correct child restraint system from any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is installed incor- rectly on a suitable seat, it cannot protect as
intended. The child cannot then be restrained in the event of an accident, heavy braking or
sudden changes of direction. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Make sure that you observe the child restraint
system manufacturer's installation instruc- Children in the vehicle
57Safety
Z

tions and the notes on use. Please ensure,
that the base of the child restraint system is
always resting completely on the seat cush-
ion. Never place objects, e.g. cushions, under or behind the child restraint system. Only usechild restraint systems with the original cover
designed for them. Only replace damaged
covers with genuine covers. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is installed incor- rectly or is not secured, it can come loose in
the event of an accident, heavy braking or a
sudden change in direction. The child
restraint system could be thrown about, strik- ing vehicle occupants. There is an increased
risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Always install child restraint systems prop-
erly, even if they are not being used. Make
sure that you observe the child restraint sys-
tem manufacturer's installation instructions.
You will find further information on stowing
objects, luggage or loads under "Loading
guidelines" (Y page 262). G
WARNING
Child restraint systems or their securing sys-
tems which have been damaged or subjected to a load in an accident can no longer protect
as intended. The child cannot then be
restrained in the event of an accident, heavy
braking or sudden changes of direction. There is an increased risk of injury, possibly even
fatal.
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. The securing systems of child restraint sys-
tems are:
R the seat belt system
R the LATCH-type (ISOFIX) securing rings
R the Top Tether anchorages
If it is absolutely necessary to carry a child on the front-passenger seat, be sure to observe
the information on the "Occupant Classifica-
tion System (OCS)" (Y page 49). There you
will also find information on deactivating the
front-passenger front air bag.
All child restraint systems must meet the fol- lowing standards:
R U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand-
ards 213 and 225
R Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2
Confirmation that the child restraint system
corresponds to the standards can be found
on an instruction label on the child restraint
system. This confirmation can also be found
in the installation instructions that are inclu-
ded with the child restraint system.
Observe the warning labels in the vehicle inte-
rior and on the child restraint system. LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child seat secur-
ing system G
WARNING
LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint systems
do not offer sufficient protective effect for
children whose weight is greater than 48 lbs
(22 kg) who are secured using the safety belt integrated in the child restraint system. In the
event of an accident, a child might not be
restrained correctly. This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
If the child weighs more than 48 lbs (22 kg),
only use LATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restraint
systems with which the child is also secured
with the vehicle seat belt. Also secure the
child restraint system with the Top Tether
belt, if available. 58
Children in the vehicleSafety

ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63).
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e. power transmission between the tires and the road surface.
If ESP ®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilize the
vehicle. The engine output is also modified to keep the vehicle on the desired course within
physical limits. ESP ®
assists the driver when
pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilize the vehicle during braking.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63).
ETS traction control is part of ESP ®
. On vehi-
cles with 4MATIC, 4ETS is part of ESP ®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for example if the road surface is slippery on one
side. In addition, more drive torque is trans-
ferred to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP ®
.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 63). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, ESP ®
is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv- ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP ®
checked at a
qualified specialist workshop. Vehicles without 4MATIC:
when towing
your vehicle with the front axle raised, it is
important that you observe the notes on ESP ®
(Y page 313).
ESP ®
is only deactivated if the åwarning
lamp is lit continuously.
If the ÷ warning lamp and the åwarn-
ing lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not
available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(Y page 252) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(Y page 218).
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function properly.
Characteristics of ESP ® General information
If the
÷ ESP®
warning lamp goes out
before beginning the journey, ESP ®
is auto-
matically active.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP ®
intervenes:
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle
stops moving. The engine starts automati-
cally when the driver wants to pull away again. ESP ®
remains in its previously selected sta-
tus. Example: if ESP®
was deactivated before
the engine was switched off, ESP ®
remains
deactivated when the engine is switched on
again. Driving safety systems
67Safety Z

alarm system. Switch off the alarm
(Y
page 71). Centrally locking and unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the inside. This can be useful if you wish to lock the vehicle before pulling away, for
example. X
To unlock: press button :.
X To lock: press button ;.
If all the doors and the trunk lid are closed, the vehicle locks.
Meanwhile, the fuel filler flap will not be
locked or unlocked.
You cannot unlock the vehicle centrally from
the inside if the vehicle has been locked with the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO.
You can open a door from inside the vehicle
even if it has been locked. You can open the
rear doors from inside the vehicle unless they
are secured by the child-proof lock
(Y page 62).
If the vehicle has previously been locked with
the SmartKey from the outside, opening a
door from the inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm system. Switch off the alarm
(Y page 71). If a locked door is opened from the inside, the
previous unlock status of the vehicle will be
taken into consideration if:
R the vehicle was locked using the locking
button for the central locking, or
R if the vehicle was locked automatically
The vehicle will be fully unlocked if it had pre- viously been fully unlocked. If only the driver's
door had been previously unlocked, only the
door which has been opened from the inside
is unlocked. Automatic locking feature
X
To deactivate: press and hold button :
for about five seconds until a tone sounds.
X To activate: press and hold button ;for
about five seconds until a tone sounds.
i If you press one of the two buttons and do
not hear a tone, the relevant setting has
already been selected.
The vehicle is locked automatically when the
ignition is switched on and the wheels are
turning.
You could therefore lock yourself out if:
R the vehicle is being pushed.
R the vehicle is being towed.
R the vehicle is on a roller dynamometer.
You can also switch the automatic locking
function on and off using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 212). 82
DoorsOpening and closing

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip- ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (Y page 24). Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle
Important safety notes
The sensor system of some driving and driv-
ing safety systems adjusts automatically
while a certain distance is being driven after
the vehicle has been delivered or after
repairs. Full system effectiveness is not
reached until the end of this teach-in proce-
dure.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometers of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the
brake pedal. The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its
performance in the future.
R You should therefore drive at varying vehi-
cle and engine speeds for the first
1000 miles (1500 km).
R Avoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full throt-
tle, during this period.
R Change gear in good time, before the tach-
ometer needle is Ôof the way to the red
area of the tachometer. R
Do not manually shift to a lower gear to
brake the vehicle.
R Try to avoid depressing the accelerator
pedal beyond the point of resistance (kick-
down).
R Ideally, for the first 1000 miles (1500 km),
drive in program E.
After 1,000 miles (1,500 km), you can
increase the engine speed gradually and bring the vehicle to full speed.
Additional breaking-in notes for AMG vehi-
cles:
R Do not drive faster than 85 mph
(140 km/h) for the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km).
R Only allow the engine to reach a maximum
engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
R Change gear in good time.
You should also observe these notes on
breaking-in if the engine or parts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced.
Always observe the respective speed limits. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle is
jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another. 140
DrivingDriving and parking

open the driver's door or front-passenger
door
R the driver's door is opened when the vehi-
cle is stationary or driving at very low speed and the transmission is in position Dor R
Engaging reverse gear R !
Only shift the automatic transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary.
X If the transmission is in position Dor N:
push the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the first point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT lever up past the first point of
resistance.
The ECO start/stop function is not available
when reverse gear is engaged. Further infor-
mation on the ECO start/stop function
(Y page 145).
Shifting to neutral N 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. X
If the transmission is in position Dor R:
push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down to the first point of resistance.
X If the transmission is in position P: depress
the brake pedal and push the DIRECT
SELECT lever up or down to the first point of
resistance.
If you switch the engine off with the trans-
mission in position Ror D, the automatic
transmission shifts to Nautomatically.
With the SmartKey: if you then open the
driver's door or the front-passenger door or
remove the SmartKey from the ignition, the
automatic transmission shifts to Pautomati-
cally.
With the Start/Stop button: if you then
open the driver's door or the front-passenger door, the automatic transmission shifts to P
automatically.
If you want the automatic transmission to
remain in neutral N, e.g. when having the
vehicle cleaned in an automatic car wash with a towing system:
Using the SmartKey:
X Switch on the ignition.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch off the ignition and leave the Smart-
Key in the ignition lock.
With the Start/Stop button: X Remove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock.
X Insert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
X Switch on the ignition.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral N.
X Release the brake pedal. 150
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

Transmission positions
B Park position
This prevents the vehicle from roll- ing away when stopped.
Do not shift the transmission into
position P(Y page 149) unless the
vehicle is stationary. The parking
lock should not be used as a brake when parking. Always apply the
electronic parking brake in addi-
tion to the parking lock in order to
secure the vehicle.
If the vehicle electronics are mal-
functioning, the transmission may
be locked in position P. Have the
vehicle electronics checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist
workshop.
Park position Pis automatically
engaged if:
R you switch off the engine using
the SmartKey and remove the
SmartKey
R you switch off the engine using
the SmartKey or using the Start/
Stop button and open the driv-
er's door or front-passenger
door
R the driver's door is opened when
the vehicle is stationary or driv-
ing at very low speed and the
transmission is in position Dor R C Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to R
when the vehicle is stationary. A Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
shift the transmission to position N
if the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding, e.g. on icy roads.
If you switch the engine off with the transmission in position Ror D, the
automatic transmission shifts to N
automatically.
! Rolling in neutral
Ncan damage
the drive train. 7 Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by:
R the selected drive program (Y page 153)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
(Y page 152)
R the road speed
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts 152
Automatic transmissionDriving an
d parking

Problems with fuel and the fuel tank
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Fuel is leaking from the
vehicle. The fuel line or the fuel tank is faulty.
G WARNING
Risk of explosion or fire. X Turn the SmartKey to position 0immediately and remove it
(Y page 141).
X Do not restart the engine under any circumstances.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The fuel filler flap can-
not be opened. The fuel filler flap is not unlocked.
X Unlock the vehicle (Y page 74). The SmartKey battery is discharged or nearly discharged.
X Unlock the vehicle using the mechanical key (Y page 76).The fuel filler flap is unlocked, but the opening mechanism is jam-
med.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Parking
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is a risk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rials come into contact with parts of the vehi- cle which are hot. Take particular care not to
park on dry grassland or harvested grain
fields. 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.
! Always secure the vehicle correctly
against rolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle
or its drivetrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against
rolling away unintentionally:
R the electric parking brake must be applied.
R the transmission must be in position Pand
the transmission position display must
show P.
R the SmartKey must be removed from the
ignition lock.
R on uphill or downhill gradients, the front
wheels must be turned towards the curb. 160
ParkingDriving and parking