
PASSENGERA
IR BAG OFF indicator lamp :
shows you whether the front-passenger front airbag is disabled.
X Turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock or, on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO,
press the Start/Stop button once or twice. The system carries out aself-diagnosis.
The PASSENGERA IR BAG OFF indicator lamp
must light up for approximately six seconds.
If, after the system self-test, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp:
R lights up ,the front-passenger fronta irbag
is disabled. It will then not be deployed in
the event of an accident.
R is not lit,t he sensor system did not detect
ac hild restraint system with transponder
for automatic child seat recognition. If, in
the case of an accident ,all deployment cri-
teria are met, the front-passenger fronta ir-
bag is deployed. G
WARNING
Electronic devices on the front-passenger
seat can affect the function of the automatic
child seat recognition, for example:
R laptop
R mobile phone
R transponder cards such as ski passes or
access passes
The front-passenger fronta irbag could deploy
unintentionally or not function as intended
during an accident .This poses an increased
risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Do not place any of the devices mentioned
above or similar devices on the front-
passenger seat. Be aware of the status of the front-passenger fronta irbag both before and
during the journey. Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes Accident statistics show that children
secured in the rear seats are safer than chil-
dren secured in the front-passenger seat. For
this reason, Mercedes-Benz strongly advises
that you install achild restraint system on a
rear seat.
Vehicles with automatic child seat recogni-
tion on the front-passenger seat: if it is abso- lutely necessary to fit achild restraint system
to the front-passenger seat, alway sobserve
the information on "Automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat"
(Y page 65).
You can thus avoid the risks that could arise
as aresult of:
R ac hild restraint system that is not detected
by the automatic child seat recognition
sensor system
R the unintentional disabling of the front-
passenger fronta irbag
R the unsuitable positionin gofthe child
restraint system, e.g. too close to the dash-
board Please observe the warning notice on the
front-passenger sun visor; see the illustra-
tion.
G
WARNING
If you secure achild in achild restraint system
on the front-passenger seat and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp is Children in the vehicle
67Safety
Z

off, the front-passenger front airbag can
deploy in the event of an accident .The child
could be struck by the airbag. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Make sure that the front-passenger front air-
bag has been disabled. The PASSENGER AIR- BAG OFF indicator lamp must be lit.
NEVERu searearward facing child restraint
on aseat protected by an ACTIVE AIRBAGin
front of it; DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the
CHILD can occur.
Vehicles without automatic child seat
recognition on the front-passenger seat If the front-passenger seat of your vehicle is
not equipped with automatic child seat rec-
ognition
,this is indicated by aspecial sticker.
The sticker is affixed to the side of the dash-
board on the front-passenger side. The
sticker is visible when you open the front-
passenger door.
If you turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp lights up briefly. It has no function, how-ever, and does not indicate that the front-
passenger seat is equipped with automatic
child seat recognition.
Always fit the rearward-facing restraint sys-
tem to asuitable rear seat in this case
(Y page 70).
Observe the following information under
"Rearward-facing child restraint system" and
"Forward-facing child restraint system" as
well as information on the suitable position- ing of the child restraint system
(Y
page 70).
Rearward-facing child restraint system Warning symbol for
arearward-facing child
restraint system.
If it is absolutely necessary to fit arearward-
facing child restraint system to the front-
passenger seat, always make sure that the
front-passenger front airbag is disabled. Only if the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is lit continuously (Y page 45) is the
front-passenger front airbag disabled.
Always observe the information on suitable
positioning of the child restraint system
(Y page 70) in addition to the child restraint
system manufacturer' sinstallation and oper-
ating instructions.
Forward-facing child restraint system If it is absolutely necessary to fit
aforward-
facing child restraint system to the front-
passenger seat, always move the front-
passenger seat as far back as possible. The
entire base of the child restraint system must
always rest on the seat cushion of the front-
passenger seat. The backrest of the child
restraint system must, as far as possible, lie
flat against the backrest of the front-
passenger seat. The child restraint system
must not touch the roof or be put under strain by the head restraint .Adjust the angle of the
seat backrest and the head restraint position accordingly. Always make sure that the shoul-
der belt strap is correctly routed from the 68
Children in the vehicleSafety

Problems with automatic child seat recognition
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator
lamp on the centre con-
sole is lit. As
pecial Mercedes-Benz child restraint system with atrans-
ponder for automatic child seat recognition has been fitted to the
front-passenger seat. The front-passenger front airbag has there- fore been disabledasd esired. G
WARNING
There is no child restraint system fitted to the front-passenger
seat. Automatic child seat recognition is malfunctioning, for exam-
ple due to electronic devices on the front-passenger seat.
There is arisk of injury.
X Remove electronic equipment from the front-passenger seat,
e.g.:
R laptop
R mobile phone
R ac ard with atransponder, such as aski pass or access pass
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp remains lit, the
front-passenger seat may not be used.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. The
6 restraint sys-
tem warning lamp
lights up and/or the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF indicator lamp
does not light up briefly
when you switch the
ignition on. G
WARNING
Automatic child seat recognition is malfunctioning.
Do not install achild restraint system on the front-passenger seat.
It is recommended that you fit the child restraint system to asuit-
able rear seat.
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop.
X Please also refer to the notes about the restraint system warning
lamp (Y page 306). Suitable positioning of the child
restraint system
Introduction Only child restraint systems which are
approved in accordance with the ECE stand-
ard ECE R44 are permitted for use in the vehi- cle.
For certain child restraint systems in weight
categories II or III, this can mean that the area of use is restricted. The maximum size setting of the child restraint system is not possible
due to possible contact with the roof.
"Universal" category child restraint systems
can be recognised by their orange approval
label and the text "Universal".70
Children in the vehicleSafety

G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they may be abletos et the vehiclein
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position Por shift manua ltransmission into
neutral
R start the engine
In addition, they may operate vehicl eequip-
ment and become trapped. There is arisk of
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, alwayst ake the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. G
WARNING
If persons (particularly children) are exposed
to heatorc old foraprolonged period, there is
ar isk of serious or even fatal injuries. Never
leave persons (particularly children) unatten-
ded in the vehicle. G
WARNING
If the child restraint system is placed in direct sunlight, the parts coul dbecome very hot.
Childre ncouldbes uffer burns by touching
these parts, in particular on the metallic parts
of the child restraint system. There is arisk of
injury.
If you and yourc hild leave the vehicle, always
make sure that the child restraint system is
not in direct sunlight. Cove ritwithablanket,
for example. If the child restraint system has
been expose dtodirect sunlight, leave it to
cool downb efore securing the child in it.
Never leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle. Child-proof locks for the rear doors Rea
rdoor child-proof lock (example: Saloon)
You secure each door individually with the
child-proof locks on the rear doors. Adoor
secure dwithachild-proof lock cannot be
opened from insid ethe vehicle. When the
vehicl eisunlocked ,the door can be opened
from the outside.
X To activate: press the child-proof lock
leve rupint he direction of arrow :.
X Make sure that the child-proof locks are
working properly.
X To deactivate: press the child-proof lock
leve rdow nint he direction of arrow ;.
Override feature for the rear side win-
dows X
To enable/disable: press button;.
If indicator lamp :is 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 :is off, oper- 76
Children in the vehicleSafety

atio
nisp ossible usin gthe switches in the
rear compartment. Pet
sint hevehicle G
WARNING
If you leave animals unsupervised or unse-
cured in th evehicle ,the ym ay push abutton
or as witch ,for example.
They could:
R activat evehicle equipmen tand become
trapped, for example
R switch vehicle systems on or off ,thus
endangering other road users
In th eevent of an accident, sudde nbraking or
abrupt changes of direction ,unsecured ani-
mals could be flun garoun dthe vehicle ,injur-
ing th evehicle occupants .Ther eisar iskofan
acciden tand injury.
Never leave animals unattende dinthevehi-
cle .Always secure animals correctly durin ga
journey, e.g .inananimal transpor tbox. Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems overview
In this section, you will fin dinformatio nabout
th ef ollowin gdriving safety systems:
R AB S(Anti-lock Braking System)
(Y page 77)
R BA S(Brake AssistSystem) (Y page 78)
R BA SP LUS(Brake AssistSystem PLUS) with
Cross-Traffic Assist (Y page 78)
R COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS
(distanc ewarning function and Adaptive
Brake Assist )(Y page 80)
R Adaptive brak elamps (Y page 83)
R ESP ®
(E lectronic Stability Program)
(Y page 83)
R EB D( electronic brakeforce distribution)
(Y page 86)
R ADAPTIV EBRAKE (Y page 86) R
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake (Y page 87)
R STEE RCONTROL (Y page 89) Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you
are inattentive, th edriving safety systems can
neither reduc ethe riskofana ccidentnor
override th elaws of physics. Drivin gsafety
systems are merely aids designe dtoassist
driving .You are responsible for maintaining
th ed istanc etothevehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time, and for stay- ing in lane .Always adapt your driving style to
suit th eprevailin groad and weather condi-
tions and maintain asafe distanc efromt he
vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The driving safety systems describe donly
work as effectivel yaspossible when there is
adequat econtac tbetween th etyres and the
road surface. Pleas epay special attentio nto
th en otes on tyres, recommended minimum
tyr etread depths etc. (Y page 416).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tyres (M+ Styres) and ,ifnecessary, snow
chains .Onlyint hisw ay will th edriving safety
systems describe dinthiss ectio nwork as
effectivel yaspossible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General notes AB
Sr egulate sbrak epressure in suc haway
that th ewheels do no tloc kw hen you brake.
This allows you to continue steering th evehi-
cle when braking.
The yellow !ABSw arning lamp in the
instrumen tcluste rlight supw hen th eignition
is switched on .Itgoes out when th eengineis
running.
Important safety notes i
Observ
ethe "Important safety notes" sec-
tio n(Ypage 77). Driving safety systems
77Safety Z

cialist workshop. Thi
salsoa pplies to colli-
sions at slo wspeeds where there is no visible
damag etothe front of the vehicle.
Distanc ewarnin gfunction General notes
The distance warning function can hel
pyou to
minimis ethe ris kofa collisio nwitht he vehi-
cle in front or reduce the effects of such a
collision. If the distance warning function
detects that there is ariskofa collision, you
will be warned visuall yand acoustically.
Important safety notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 77).G
WARNING
The distance warning function doe snot react:
R to peopl eoranimals
R to oncoming vehicles
R to crossing traffic
R whe ncornering
Thus, the distance warning function cannot
provid eawarning in al lcritical situations.
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spaycareful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake. G
WARNING
The distance warning function cannot always
clearl yide ntif yobjects and comple xtraffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
R giv eanu nnecessary warning
R not giv eawarning
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spaycareful attention to the traffic sit-
uation; do not rel yonthe distance warning
function alone. Function
The distance warning function issue
sawarn-
ing at speeds:
R of approximately 30 km/h or more ,if, over
several seconds, the distance maintained
to the vehicle travelling in front is insuffi-
cient. The ·distance warning lamp
then lights up in the instrument cluster.
R of approximately 7km/h or more ,ifyou
rapidly approach avehicle in front. An inter-
mittent warning tone will then sound and
the · distance warning lamp will light
up in the instrument cluster.
X Brake immediately in order to increas ethe
distance from the vehicle in front.
or
X Take evasiv eaction provided it is safe to do
so.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicate dbutnon-critical driving condi-
tions may also cause the system to display a
warning.
With the hel pofthe radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obsta-
cle sthat are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
Up to aspeed of approximately 70 km/h ,the
distance warning function can also react to
stationary obstacles, such as stopped or
parked vehicles.
Autonomous braking function If the driver doe
snot react to the distance
warning signal in acritical situation, COLLI-
SION PREVENTIO NASSIST PLUS can assist
with the autonomous braking function.
The autonomous braking function:
R gives the driver more time to react to criti-
cal driving situations
R can hel pthe driver to avoid an accident or
R reduce sthe effects of an accident Drivin
gsafety systems
81Safety Z

Adaptive brak
elamps
i Observ
ethe "Importan tsafet ynotes "sec-
tion (Y page 77).
The adaptive brak elights warn followin gtraf-
fic in an emergenc ybraking situation:
R by flashin gbrak elamps
R theh azard warning lamp sare activated
If you brak esharply from aspee dofm ore
than 50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS or BA SPLUS, th ebrak elamp sflas hrapidly. In
this way, traffic travellin gbehind you is
warned in an eve nmoren oticea ble manner.
If you brak esharply from aspee dofm ore
than 70 km/h to astandstill, th ehazard warn-
ing lamp sare activated automatically. If the
brakes are applie dagain ,the brak elamps
ligh tupc ontinuo usly. The hazard warning
lamp sswitch off automatically if you travel
faste rtha n1 0k m/ h.You can also switch off
th eh azard warning lamp susingthe hazard
warning butto n(Ypage 145). ESP
®
(Electronic Stabilit yProgram)
Genera lnotes i
Observ
ethe "Importan tsafet ynotes "sec-
tion (Y page 77).
ESP ®
monitors driving stabilit yand traction,
i.e .p ower transmission between th etyres
and th eroad surface.
If ESP ®
detects that th evehicl eisd eviating
from th edirection desired by th edriver, one
or mor ewheels are braked to stabilis ethe
vehicle. The engin eoutput is also modifie dto
keep th evehicl eont hedesired cours ewithin
physical limits .ESP ®
assist sthe driver when
pullin gaway on wet or slippery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilis ethe vehicl eduring braking.
ETS/4ET S(Electronic Traction System) ET
St raction control is part of ESP ®
.Onv ehi-
cle sw ith4 MATIC ,4ETSisa component of
ESP ®
. Traction control brakes th
edrivew heels indi-
vidually if they spin .This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for exampl eiftheroad surfac eisslippery on one
side .Ina ddition ,mored rivet orque is trans-
ferred to th ewhee lorw heels wit htraction.
Traction control remain sactive if you deacti-
vat eE SP®
.
Important safety notes i
Observ
ethe "Importan tsafet ynotes "sec-
tion (Y page 77). G
WARNING
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning ,ESP ®
is unable to
stabilis ethe vehicle. In addition ,other driving
safet ysystems are switched off .This increa-
ses th eriskofs kiddin gand an accident.
Drive on carefully. Hav eESP®
checke data
qualified specialist workshop.
! Vehicles wit
h4MATIC :function or per-
formance test smay only be carrie dout on
a2 -axled ynamometer. Befor eoperating
th ev ehicl eons uchad ynamometer, please
consult aqualified specialist workshop.
You could otherwise damag ethe driv etrain
or th ebrak esystem.
Vehicles without 4MATIC: when towin gyour
vehicl ewitht he rear axl eraised, observ ethe
note sonE SP®
(Y page 410).
When ESP ®
is deactivated, the åESP®
OF Fw arning lamp lights up continuously.
If the ÷ warning lamp and the åwarn-
ing lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not
available due to amalfunction.
Observ ethe information on warning lamps
(Y page 333) and display message swhich
may be shown in th einstrumen tcluster
(Y page 300).
i Only use wheels wit
hthe recommended
tyr es izes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly. Driving safety systems
83Safety Z

Characteristics of ESP
®General notes
If the
÷ ESPw arning lamp goes out before
beginnin gthe journey, ESP ®
is automatically
active.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in th einstrumen tcluster.
If ESP ®
intervenes:
X Do no tdeactivate ESP ®
unde rany circum-
stances.
X When pullin gaway, only depress th eaccel-
erator pedal as far as is necessary.
X Adapt your driving style to suit th eprevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/sto pfunction switches the
engin eoff automaticall yifthevehicle stops
moving .When pullin gaway again ,the engine
start sautomatically. ESP ®
remains in its pre-
viously selecte dstatus. Example: if ESP®
was deactivate dbefore th eenginew as
switched off ,ESP ®
remains deactivate dwhen
th ee ngineiss witched on again.
Deactivating/activatin gESP®
(except
AMG vehicles) Important safety notes
You can selec
tbetween th efollowin gsta-
tuses of ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
is activated.
R ESP ®
is deactivated. G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
,E SP ®
no longer sta-
bilise sthe vehicle .Ther eisani ncreased risk
of skiddin gand an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in th esituations descri-
bed in th efollowing. It may be best to deactivate ESP
®
in th efol-
lowin gsituations:
R when usin gsnowc hains
R in deep snow
R on san dorgravel
i Activate ESP ®
as soon as th esituations
describe dabov enol onger apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise no tbeable to stabilise th evehi-
cle if th evehicle start stoskidoraw heel
start stos pin.
Deactivating/activatin gESP®
You can deactivate or activat eESP®
via the
on-board computer (Y page 287).
ESP ®
deactivated:
The å ESP®
OF Fw arning lamp in the
instrumen tcluste rlight sup.
ESP ®
activated:
The å ESP®
OF Fw arning lamp in the
instrumen tcluste rgoes out.
Characteristics when ESP ®
is deactivated
If ESP ®
is deactivate dand on eorm orew heels
start to spin ,the ÷ ESP®
warning lamp in
th ei nstrumen tcluste rflashes. In suc hsitua-
tions ,ESP ®
will no tstabilise th evehicle.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improve sdriving stability
R engin etorque is no longer limited and the
driv ewheels are able to spin
The spinnin gofthewheels results in acut-
tin ga ction for bette rtraction on loos esur-
faces.
R traction control is still activated
R ESP ®
still provide ssupport when you brake 84
Driving safety systemsSafety