
Observe the legal requirements in each individ-
ual country when towing.
It is better to have the vehicle transported than
to have it towed.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission damage, have it transported on a transporter or trailer.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
automatic transmission must be in position N
when the vehicle is being towed. If the auto-
matic transmission cannot be shifted to position
N, have the vehicle transported on a transporter
or trailer.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the key to position 2in the igni-
tion lock
R cannot release the electric parking brake
R cannot shift the transmission to position Non
vehicles with automatic transmission
Deactivate the automatic locking feature before
towing the vehicle (Y page 88). You could oth-
erwise be locked out when pushing or towing
the vehicle.
Deactivate tow-away protection before the vehi-
cle is towed away (Y page 79). Fitting/removing the towing eye
Fitting the towing eye G
WARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be extremely hot.
There is a risk of burning when removing the
rear cover.
Do not touch the exhaust tail pipe. Use
extreme caution when removing the rear
cover. The brackets for the screw-in towing eye are
located in the bumpers. They are located at the
rear and at the front, under covers :.
X Remove the towing eye from the vehicle tool
kit (Y page 325).
X Press the mark on cover :inwards and
remove.
X Screw in the towing eye clockwise as far as it
will go and tighten it.
Vehicles with a trailer tow hitch do not have a
bracket at the rear for the screw-in towing eye.
Connect the towbar to the trailer tow hitch
(Y page 214).
Removing the towing eye X
Loosen the towing eye and unscrew it.
X Attach cover :to the bumper and press until
it engages. Towing the vehicle away with the rear
axle raised
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, observe the important safety notes
(Y page 336).
Only vehicles without 4MATIC can be towed
with the rear axle raised.
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised; otherwise,
the transmission may be damaged. Towing away and tow-starting
337Breakdown assistance Z

Vehicles with 4MATIC may either be towed with
both axles on the ground or be loaded and trans- ported.
! Vehicles with automatic transmission must
not be towed with the rear axle raised. The
car/trailer combination may otherwise
swerve or even overturn.
! The ignition must be switched off if you are
towing the vehicle with the rear axle raised.
Intervention by ESP ®
could otherwise dam-
age the brake system.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 116).
X Move the front wheels to the straight-ahead
position.
X If necessary, turn the key to position 0in the
ignition lock and remove the key from the
ignition lock.
X When leaving the vehicle, take the key with
you. Towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground
Vehicles with automatic transmission: the
automatic transmission automatically shifts to
position Pwhen you open the driver's or front-
passenger door or when you remove the key
from the ignition lock. In order to ensure that the
automatic transmission stays in position N
when the vehicle is being towed, you must
observe the following points:
X Make sure that the vehicle is stationary.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
N.
Vehicles with manual transmission: X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Depress the clutch pedal fully and shift to
neutral.
All vehicles:
X Leave the key in position 2in the ignition lock.
X Release the brake pedal. X
Release the electric parking brake.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 116).
In order to signal a change of direction when
towing the vehicle with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination switch
as usual. In this case, only the turn signals for
the desired direction flash. When you reset the
combination switch, the hazard warning lamps
start flashing again. Transporting the vehicle
4MATIC vehicles/vehicles with auto-
matic transmission !
When the vehicle is loaded for transport, the
front and rear axles must be stationary and on
the same transportation vehicle. Positioning
over the connection point of the transport
vehicle is not permitted. The drive train may
otherwise be damaged.
All vehicles !
You may only secure the vehicle by the
wheels, not by parts of the vehicle such as
axle or steering components. Otherwise, the
vehicle could be damaged.
The towing eye or trailer tow hitch can be used
to pull the vehicle onto a trailer or transporter if you wish to transport it.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal fully and engage
neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
turn the key to position
2in the ignition lock.
X Shift the automatic transmission to position
N. 338
Towing away and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

As soon as the vehicle is loaded:
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away by
applying the electric parking brake.
X Vehicles with manual transmission: fully
depress the clutch pedal and engage first or
reverse gear.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission to position
P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition lock
and remove it.
X Secure the vehicle. Notes for 4MATIC vehicles
! Vehicles with 4MATIC must not be towed
with the front or rear axle raised; otherwise,
the transmission may be damaged.
Vehicles with 4MATIC may either be towed away
with both axles on the ground or be loaded up
and transported.
If the vehicle has transmission damage or dam- age to the front or rear axle, have it transportedon a transporter or trailer.
In the event of damage to the electrical sys-
tem: if the battery is defective, the automatic
transmission will be locked in position P. To shift
the automatic transmission to position N, you
must provide power to the vehicle's electrical
system in the same way as when jump-starting
(Y page 333).
Have the vehicle transported on a transporter or
trailer. Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
! Do not tow-start vehicles with automatic
transmission. You could otherwise damage
the automatic transmission.
i You can find information on "Jump-starting"
under (Y page 333).
Before tow-starting, the following conditions
must be fulfilled:
R the battery is connected
R the engine has cooled down
R the exhaust system has cooled down When tow-starting, it is important that you
observe the safety notes (Y
page 336) and the
legal requirements in each respective country.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 116).
X Fit the towing eye (Y page 337).
X Secure the rigid towing bar or the towing
rope.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition lock.
X Depress the clutch pedal fully, engage 2nd
gear and continue to keep the clutch pedal
fully depressed.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Tow-start the vehicle.
X Release the clutch pedal slowly; do not
depress the accelerator pedal while doing so.
X When the engine has been started, immedi-
ately depress the clutch pedal fully and shift
to neutral.
X Pull over at a suitable place and stop the vehi-
cle safely, paying attention to road and traffic
conditions.
X Use the electric parking brake to secure the
vehicle and prevent it from rolling away.
X Remove the rigid towing bar or towing rope.
X Remove the towing eye (Y page 337).
X Switch off the hazard warning lamps. Fuses
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you manipulate, bridge or replace a faulty
fuse with a fuse of a higher amperage, the
electric cables could be overloaded. This may result in a fire. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Always replace faulty fuses with specified newfuses of the correct amperage.
Blown fuses must be replaced with fuses of the same rating, which you can recognise by the
colour and fuse rating. The fuse ratings are listed
in the fuse allocation chart.
The fuse allocation chart is on the fuse box in the boot (Y page 341). Fuses
339Breakdown assistance Z

The tyre pressure values given for low loads are
minimum values that offer you good driving
comfort characteristics.
However, you can also use the values given for
higher loads. These are permissible and will not adversely affect the running of the vehicle. Tyre pressure loss warning system
General notes While the vehicle is in motion, the tyre pressure
loss warning system monitors the set tyre pres-
sure using the rotational speed of the wheels.
This enables the system to detect significant
pressure loss in a tyre. If the rotational speed of
a wheel changes as a result of a loss of tire
pressure, a corresponding warning message will
appear in the multifunction display.
You can recognise the tyre pressure loss warn-
ing by the Run Flat Indicator active Run Flat Indicator active
Restart with OK
Restart with OK message, which appears in
the Service
Service menu of the multifunction display.
Information on the message display can be
found in the "Restarting the tyre pressure loss
warning system" section (Y page 347).
Important safety notes The tyre pressure warning system does not warn
you of an incorrectly set tyre pressure. Observe the notes on the recommended tyre pressure
(Y page 345).
The tyre pressure loss warning system does not
replace the need to regularly check the tyre
pressure. An even loss of pressure on several
tyres at the same time cannot be detected by
the tyre pressure loss warning system.
The tyre pressure loss warning system is not
able to warn you of a sudden loss of air, e.g. if the
tyre is penetrated by a foreign object. In the
event of a sudden loss of air, bring the vehicle to
a halt by braking carefully. Avoid abrupt steering manoeuvres.
The function of the tyre pressure loss warning
system is limited or delayed if:
R snow chains are fitted on your vehicle
R road conditions are wintry
R you are driving on a loose surface (e.g. sand or
gravel) R
you adopt a very sporty driving style (corner-
ing at high speeds or driving with high rates of
acceleration)
R you are towing a very heavy or large trailer
R you are driving with a heavy load
Restarting the tyre pressure loss warn-
ing system Restart the tyre pressure loss warning system if
you have:
R changed the tyre pressure
R changed the wheels or tyres
R fitted new wheels or tyres
X Before restarting, make sure that the tyre
pressures are set properly on all four tyres for
the respective operating conditions. The rec-
ommended tyre pressures can be found in the tyre pressure table on the fuel filler flap.
The tyre pressure loss warning system can
only give reliable warnings if you have set the
correct tyre pressure. If an incorrect tyre
pressure is set, this incorrect value will be
monitored.
X Observe the notes in the section on tyre pres-
sure (Y page 345).
X Make sure that the key is in position 2in the
ignition lock (Y page 133).
X Press òon the steering wheel to call up
the menu list.
X Press 9or: on the steering wheel to
select the Service Servicemenu.
X Confirm by pressing aon the steering
wheel.
X Select Tyre pressure
Tyre pressure with9 or:.
X Press ato confirm.
The Run
Run Flat
Flat Indicator
Indicator active
activeRestart
Restart
with OK
with OK message is shown in the multifunc-
tion display.
If you wish to confirm the restart: X Press the abutton.
The Tyre pressure now OK?
Tyre pressure now OK? message is
shown in the multifunction display.
X Select Yes
Yes with 9 or:.
X Press ato confirm.
The Run Flat Indicator restarted
Run Flat Indicator restarted mes-
sage is shown in the multifunction display.
After a teach-in period, the tyre pressure loss
warning system will monitor the set tyre pres- sures of all four tyres. Tyre pressure
347Wheels and tyres Z

Trailer tow hitch
Trailer loads
Permissible trailer load, braked (at a
minimum gradient-climbing capability
of 12% from a standstill) Towing a trailer is not possible with all models.
Further information (Y
page 214).
Missing values were not available at the time of going to press. Model Manual
trans-
mission Auto-
matic
trans-
mission Mercedes-AMG
C 43 4MATIC
— 1000 kg
All other models
Permissible trailer load, unbraked
Towing a trailer is not possible with all models.
Further information (Y
page 214).
Missing values were not available at the time of going to press. Model Manual
trans-
mission Auto-
matic
trans-
mission Mercedes-AMG
C 43 4MATIC
— 750 kg
All other models
Maximum drawbar load
!
Use a drawbar noseweight as close as pos-
sible to the maximum permissible nose-
weight. Do not use a noseweight of less than
50kg, otherwise the trailer may come loose.
Note that the payload and the rear axle load
are reduced by the actual payload.
Towing a trailer is not possible with all models.
Further information (Y page 214).
The drawbar load reduces the permissible over- all load and rear axle load.
The drawbar load acts from above onto the ballhead on the trailer tow hitch. The drawbar load is not included in the trailer
load.
Missing values were not available at the time of
going to press. Model Manual
trans-
mission Auto-
matic
trans-
mission Mercedes-AMG
C 43 4MATIC
— 75 kg
All other models
You can attach carrier systems, e.g. bicycle
racks or load-bearing implements, to the ball
coupling. The maximum payload of 75 kg applies
when carrier systems are attached to the ball
coupling. Permissible rear axle load when tow-
ing a trailer
Towing a trailer is not possible with all models.
Further information (Y page 214).
Missing values were not available at the time of
going to press. Model Manual
trans-
mission Auto-
matic
trans-
mission Mercedes-AMG
C 43 4MATIC
— 1290 kg
All other models Trailer tow hitch
369Technical data Z