2016 MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class SEDAN ESP inoperative

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are
inattentive, thedriving safet ysystems can nei-
ther reduce th eris kof an acciden tno roverride
th elaws of physics .Drivin gsafet ysystems are
merely aids designed to assist driving .You are
responsible for maintainin gth edistanc eto th e
vehicl ein front, for vehicl espeed, for braking in
goo dtime, and for staying in lane. Always adapt
your driving style to suit th eprevailing road and
weather condition sand maintai n asafedistanc e
from th evehicl ein front. Drive carefully.
The driving safet ysystems describe donly wor k
as effectivel yas possible when there is ade-
quat econtact between th etires and th eroad
surface. Pay particular attention to th einforma-
tion regarding tires ,recommended minimum
tire tread depths etc. in th e"Wheels and tires "
section (
Ypage 360).
In wintr ydriving conditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )and if necessary, snow chains.
Only in this way will the driving safety systems
described in this section work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way that
the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allows you to continue steering the vehicle when
braking.
The ! ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out when the engine is running.
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you
only brake gently.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 68).
GWARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 289) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 256).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit-
uation is over.
XTo make a full brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions, and functions as a reminder to take extra care while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 68).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
68Driving safety systems
Safety

Safety systems
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
!÷
Currently Unavaila‐ble See Operator'sManual
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and ESP®(Electronic Stability Pro-
gram) are temporarily not available.
Other driving systems and driving safety systems may also be faulty.
In addition, the ÷and! warning lamps light up in the instru-
ment cluster.
For example, the on-board voltage may be insufficient.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you brake
hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affected.
The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XDrive on carefully.
Carefully drive a suitable distance, making slight steering move-
ments at a speed above 12 mph (20 km/h).
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned above are available again.
If the multifunction display still shows the display message:
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
!÷
Inoperative SeeOperator's Manual
ABS and ESP®are malfunctioning.
Other driving systems and driving safety systems may also be faulty.
The $ (USA only) or J(Canada only), ÷and! warning
lamps in the instrument cluster may also light up.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you brake
hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affected.
The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
256Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
÷
Inoperative SeeOperator'sManual
ES P®is malfunctioning .
Other drivin gsystems and drivin gsafet ysystems may also be faulty.
The ÷ warning lamp also lights up in th einstrumen tcluster.
GWARNIN G
The brak esystem continues to function normally, but without th e
function slisted above.
The braking distanc ein an emergenc ybraking situation can thus
increase.
If ES P
®is no toperational, ES P®is unable to stabiliz eth evehicle.
There is an increased ris kof skiddin gand an accident.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
÷
Currently Unavaila‐ble See Operator' sManual
ESP®is temporarily unavailable .
Other drivin gsystems and drivin gsafet ysystems may also be faulty.
The ÷ warning lamp also lights up in th einstrumen tcluster.
The self-diagnosis function might no tbe complete, for example.
GWARNIN G
The brak esystem continues to function normally, but without th e
function slisted above. The wheels could therefor eloc kif you brak e
hard, for example.
The braking distanc ein an emergenc ybraking situation can thus
increase.
If ES P
®is no toperational, ES P®is unable to stabiliz eth evehicle.
There is an increased ris kof skiddin gand an accident.
XCarefully drive asuitable distance, making slight steering move-
ments at aspeed abov e12 mph (20 km/ h).
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned above are available again.
If the multifunction display still shows the display message:
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop immediately.
Display messages257
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
T!
÷
Inoperative SeeOperator'sManual
EB D(electronic brak eforce distribution), AB Sand ES P®are malfunc -
tioning .
Other drivin gsystems and drivin gsafet ysystems may also be faulty.
In addition ,th e÷ and! warning lamp sligh tup in th einstru-
men tcluste rand awarning tone sounds.
GWARNIN G
The brak esystem continues to function normally, but without th e
function slisted above. The fron tand rear wheels could therefor eloc k
if you brak ehard, for example.
The steerabilit yand braking characteristics may be severely affected.
The braking distanc ein an emergenc ybraking situation can increase.
If ES P
®is no toperational, ES P®is unable to stabiliz eth evehicle.
There is an increased ris kof skiddin gand an accident.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
F(USA
only)
!( Canada
only)
Tur nOn the Igni‐
tio ntoReleas etheParkingBrake
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada only) indicator lamp lights
up.
You attempte dto release th eelectric parking brak ewhile th eignition
was switched off .
XSwitchon th eignition .
F(USA
only)
!( Canada
only)
Please
Releas ePark‐ing Brake
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada only) indicator lamp flashes
and awarning tone sounds. Acondition for automatic release of th e
electric parking brak eis no tfulfilled (
Ypage 178).
You are drivin gwit hth eelectric parking brak eapplied.
XReleas eth eelectric parking brak emanually.
The red F(USAonly) or !(Canada only) indicator lamp flashes
and awarning tone sounds.
You are usin gth eelectric parking brak efor emergenc ybraking
(
Ypage 178).
F(USA
only)
!( Canada
only)
Parkin gBrake See
Operator' sManual
The yellow !warning lamp lights up.
The electric parking brak eis malfunctioning .
To apply :
XSwitchth eignition off .
XPress theelectric parking brak ehandle for at least te nseconds.
XShift th etransmission to position P.
XConsultaqualified specialist workshop .
258Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The yellow!warning lamp lights up and th ered F (USAonly)
or ! (Canada only) indicator lamp flashes .
It is no tpossibl eto apply th eelectric parking brak emanually.
XShift th etransmission to position P.
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
$(USA
only)
J( Canada
only)
Check Brake Fluid
Level
There is no tenough brak eflui din th ebrak efluid reservoir .
In addition ,th e$ (USAonly) or J(Canada only) warning lamp
lights up in th einstrumen tcluste rand awarning tone sounds.
GWARNIN G
The braking effec tmay be impaired.
There is aris kof an accident.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions. Do no tcontinu edrivin g
under any circumstances.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 177).
XConsult aqualified specialist workshop .
XDo notadd brak efluid .This does no tcorrec tth emalfunction .
#
CheckBrakePadWear
The brak epads/linings hav ereached their wear limit.
US Aonly: th e$ red brak esystem warning lamp is lit while th e
engin eis running.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
G
Inoperative
Oneor mor emain features of th embrace system are malfunctioning .
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
Collision Preven‐tionAssist Plu sCurrently Unavaila‐ble See Operator' sManual
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU Sis temporarily no toperational.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rth eradar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to elec -
tromagneti cradiation emitted by nearby TV or radi ostation sor
other source sof electromagneti cradiation .
Rthesystem is outside th eoperating temperature range.
Rth eon-boar dvoltag eis to olow.
Whe nth ecauses state dabov eno longer apply, th edisplay message
disappears.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU Sis operational again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 177).
XRestart th eengine.
Display messages26 1
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Collision Preven‐tionAssist Plu sInoperative
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU Sis temporarily inoperative due
to amalfunction .Adaptive Brake Assis tmay also hav efailed.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
PRE-SAFE Inopera‐tiv eSeeOperator' sManual
Importantfunction sof PRE-SAF E®havefailed. Al lother occupant
safet ysystems ,e.g. air bags ,remain available.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
PRE-SAFE FunctionsCurrently Limite dSee Operator'sMan ‐ual
PRE ‑S AF E®PLU Sor PRE‑SAFE®Brake is temporarily inoperative.
Possibl ecauses are:
Rfunction is impaire ddue to heav yrain or snow.
Rth eradar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to elec -
tromagneti cradiation emitted by nearby TV or radi ostation sor
other source sof electromagneti cradiation .
RMercedes-AMG vehicles: ES P®is deactivated
Rthesystem is outside th eoperating temperature range.
Rth eon-boar dvoltag eis to olow.
Whe nth ecauses state dabov eno longer apply, th edisplay message
disappears.
PRE ‑S AF E
®PLU Sand PRE ‑S AF E®Brake are operational again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 177).
XRestart th eengine.
XMercedes-AMG vehicles: switch ES P®on again(Ypage 74).
PRE-SAFE FunctionsLimitedSee Opera‐tor's Manual
PRE ‑S AF E®PLU Sor PRE‑SAFE®Brake is unavailable due to amal-
function .BA SPLU Swit hCross-Traffic Assis tmay also hav efailed.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
262Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
RadarSensorsDirtySee Operator' sMan ‐ual
At least on eof th efollowin gdrivin gsystems or drivin gsafet ysystems
is temporarily restricted or inoperative:
RPRE-SAF E®PLUS
RPRE-SAF E®Brake
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU S
RActive LaneKeepin gAssis t
RActive Blind Spot Assis t
RDISTRONICPLU Swit hSteering Assis tand Stop&Go Pilo t
If th eradar sensor system in fron tis dirty, Active Blind Spot Assis twill
no tperfor m acourse-correcting brak eapplication .
Possibl ecauses are:
Rth esensor sin th eradiato rtrim and/o rin th ebumpers are dirty
Rth efunction of th edrivin gsystem or drivin gsafet ysystem is
impaire ddue to heav yrain or snow
A warning tone also sounds.
Whe nth ecauses state dabov eno longer apply, th edisplay message
disappears. Al ldrivin gsystems or drivin gsafet ysystems are operative
again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 177).
XSwitchoff th eengine.
XClean th esensor sin th efollowin glocation s (Ypage 339):
Rin theradiato rtrim
Rin th efron tbumper
Rin th erear bumper, particularly in th emiddle of th erear bumper
XRestart th eengine.
The display message disappears.
6
SRSMalfunctionSer ‐viceRequired
The restrain tsystem is faulty. The 6warning lamp also lights up in
th einstrumen tcluster.
GWARNIN G
The air bags or Emergency Tensioning Devices may either be triggered
unintentionally or, in th eevent of an accident, may no tbe triggered .
There is an increased ris kof injury.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop immediately.
Fo rfurther information about th erestrain tsystem, see (
Ypage 46).
Display messages263
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop immediately.
Fo rfurther information about th eOccupant Classification System, see
(
Ypage 54).
Lights
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
b
CheckLeftLowBeam(Example)
The correspondin gbulb is faulty.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
or
XChec kwhether you are permitte dto replace th ebulb yourself
(Ypage 122).
iLE Dligh tsources: th edisplay message for th ecorrespondin g
lamp only appear swhen all th eLEDs in th elamp hav efailed.
b
Active HeadlampsInoperative
The active ligh tfunction is faulty.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
b
Malfunction SeeOperator’sManual
The exterio rlighting is defective.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
b
AutoLam pFunctionInoperative
The ligh tsensor is faulty.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
b
Switch Off Lights
You leaveth evehicl eand th elights are switched on . Awarning tone
also sounds.
XTurn th eligh tswitch to th eà position .
b
Switch On Headlamps
You are drivin gwit hlow-beam headlamp sswitched off .
XTurn theligh tswitch to th eL orà position .
Display messages267
On-board computer and displays
Z