
Deployment of Emergency Tensioning
Devicesan dair bags
Important safet ynotes
GWARNING
The air bag parts are hot after an air bag has
bee ndeployed .There is aris kof injury.
Do no ttouch th eair bag parts .Hav e a
deployed air bag replaced at aqualified spe -
cialis tworkshop as soo nas possible.
GWARNING
A deployed air bag no longer offers any pro -
tection and canno tprovid eth eintended pro -
tection in an accident. There is an increase d
ris kof injury.
Hav eth evehicle towed to aqualified special-
ist workshop in order to hav e adeployed air
bag replaced.
It is important fo ryour safet yand that of your
passenger to hav edeployed air bags replaced
and to hav eany malfunctionin gair bags
repaired. Thi swill hel pto mak esur eth eair
bags continue to perform their protective
function fo rth evehicle occupant sin th e
event of acrash .
GWARNING
Pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning Devices
that hav ebee ndeployed are no longer opera-
tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function .Thi sposes an
increase dris kof injury or eve nfatal injury.
Therefore, hav epyrotechni cEmergency Ten -
sioning Devices whic hhav ebee ntriggere d
immediately replaced at aqualified specialis t
workshop .
If Emergency Tensioning Devices are trig-
gered or air bags are deployed ,you will hear a
bang, and asmall amount of powder may also
be released. The 6restrain tsystem warn -
in g lamp lights up.
Only in rar ecases will th eban gaffec tyour
hearing. The powder that is release dgener-
ally doe sno tconstitute ahealth hazard ,but it may caus
eshort-term breathin gdifficulties in
people wit hasthm aor other respirator yprob-
lems. Provided it is saf eto do so, you should
leav eth evehicle immediately or ope nth e
window in order to preven tbreathin gdifficul-
ties.
Ai rbags and pyrotechni cEmergency Tension-
in gDevices (ETDs) contain perchlorat emate-
rial ,whic hmay require special handlin gand
regard fo rth eenvironment. National guide-
lines mus tbe observed durin gdis posa
l. In
California, see www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/
index.cfm .
Method of operation
Duringth efirst stage of acollision ,th e
restrain tsystem contro luni tevaluates impor -
tant physical dat arelatin gto vehicle deceler -
ation or acceleration ,suc has:
Rduration
Rdirection
Rintensit y
Based on th eevaluation of this data, th e
restrain tsystem contro luni ttriggers th e
Emergency Tensioning Devices durin g afron -
ta lor rea rcollision .
An Emergency Tensioning Devic ecan only be
triggered, if:
Rth eignition is switched on
Rth ecomponent sof th erestrain tsystem are
operational. You can fin dfurther informa-
tion under: "Restrain tsystem warnin g
lamp " (
Ypage 43)
Rthebelt tongue is engage din th ebuckl eon
th erespective front-passenger seat
The Emergency Tensioning Devices in th e
rea rcompartmen tare triggere dindepend -
entl yof th eloc kstatus of th eseat belts.
If th erestrain tsystem contro luni tdetects a
more severe accident, further component sof
th erestrain tsystem are activated independ -
entl yof eac hother in certain fronta lcollision
situations:
56Occupant safety
Safety

How the air bag system works is deter-
mined by the severity of the accident detec-
ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
Rfrontal collision
Rside impact
Rrollover
Automatic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, the following
measures are implemented, depending on
the type and severity of the impact:
Rthe hazard warning lamps are activated
Rthe emergency lighting is activated
Rthe vehicle doors are unlocked
Rthe front side windows are lowered
Rthe engine is switched off and the fuel sup-ply is cut off
Rvehicles with mbrace: automatic emer-
gency call
Children in the vehicle
Important safety 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 a child restraint system on a
rear seat. Children are generally better pro-
tected there.
If a child younger than twelve years old and
under 5 ft (1.50 m) in height istraveling in the
vehicle:
Ralways secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles. The child restraint system must be appropriate to the age, weight and size of
the child
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes in this section in addition to
the child restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and
safety notes on the "Occupant Classifica-
tion System (OCS)" (
Ypage 51)
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart 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.
GWARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle.
GWARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is a risk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you, always ensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight. Pro- tect it with a blanket, for example. If the child
restraint system has been exposed to direct
sunlight, let it cool down before securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle.
58Children in the vehicle
Safety

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, underor behind the child restraint system. Only use
child restraint systems with the original cover
designed for them. Only replace damaged
covers with genuine covers.
GWARNING
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" (
Ypage 272).
GWARNING
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:
Rthe seat belt system
Rthe LATCH-type (ISOFIX) securing rings
Rthe 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)" (
Ypage 51). There you
will also find information on deactivating the
front-passenger front air bag.
All child restraint systems must meet the fol-
lowing standards:
RU.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stand-
ards 213 and 225
RCanadian 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
GWARNING
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.
60Children in the vehicle
Safety

Drivingsafet ysystems
Overview of drivin gsafet ysystems
In this section ,you will fin dinformation about
th efollowing drivin gsafet ysystems :
RABS (Anti-loc kBrakin gSystem)
(
Ypage 65)
RBA S (B rake Assist System) (Ypage 66)
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU S
(
Ypage 66 )
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(
Ypage 69 )
REBD (Electroni cBrak eforc eDi stribution )
(
Ypage 72)
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 72 )
RSTEERCONTROL (Ypage 72)
Important safet ynotes
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle or if you
are inattentive ,th edrivin gsafet ysystems can
neither reduce th eris kof an acciden tno r
override th elaws of physics. Driving safet y
systems are merely aids designed to assist
driving. You are responsible fo rmaintainin g
th edistanc eto th evehicle in front, fo rvehicle
speed, fo rbraking in goo dtime, and fo rstay-
in gin lane. Always adapt your drivin gstyle to
suit th eprevailin groad and weather condi-
tion sand maintain asaf edistanc efrom th e
vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The drivin gsafet ysystems described only
wor kas effectively as possible when there is
adequat econtact between th etires and th e
road surface. Please pay special attention to
th enote son tires ,recommended minimum
tire tread depths, etc. (
Ypage 328).
In wintr ydrivin gconditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )and if necessary, snow
chains. Only in this way will th edrivin gsafet y
systems described in this section wor kas
effectively as possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
AB Sregulates brake pressure in suc h away
that th ewheels do no tloc kwhen you brake .
Thi sallow syou to continue steerin gth evehi-
cl e when braking .
The ! ABSwarnin glamp in th einstrumen t
cluster lights up when th eignition is switched
on .It goe sout when th eengin eis running .
AB Sworks from aspeed of about 5mph
(8 km/h), regardles sof road-surfac econdi-
tions. AB Sworks on slipper ysurfaces, eve n
when you only brake gently.
Important safet ynotes
iObserv eth e"Important safet ynotes" sec -
tion (
Ypage 65).
GWARNING
If AB Sis faulty, th ewheels could loc kwhen
braking .The steerability and braking charac -
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition -
ally, further drivin gsafet ysystems are deac -
tivated. There is an increase ddanger of skid-
din gand accidents .
Drive on carefully. Hav eAB Schecke dimme-
diately at aqualified specialis tworkshop .
WhenAB Sis malfunctioning, other systems ,
includin gdrivin gsafet ysystems ,will also
becom einoperative .Observ eth einformation
on th eAB Swarnin glamp (
Ypage 261) and
display message swhic hmay be shown in th e
instrumen tcluster (
Ypage 228).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress th e
brake peda lvigorousl yuntil th ebraking sit -
uation is over.
XTo make afull brak eapplication:
depress th ebrake peda lwit hfull force.
If AB Sintervenes when braking ,you will feel a
pulsin gin th ebrake pedal.
Driving safety systems65
Safety
Z

ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
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)
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
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
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
GWARNING
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
®
(Ypage 323).
If the å ESP
®OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, ESP®is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP
®warning lamp and the å
warning lamp are lit continuously, ESP®is not
available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 263) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 228).
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:
XDo not deactivate ESP®under any circum-
stances.
XOnly depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
XAdapt 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 systems69
Safety
Z

Deactivating/activating ESP®(except
Mercedes ‑AMG vehicles )
Important safet ynotes
You can selec tbetween th efollowing states
of ES P
®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If you deactivat eES P
®,ES P®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle. There is an increase dris k
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eES P
®in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing.
It may be bes tto deactivat eES P®in th efol-
lowin gsituations:
Rwhen usin gsnow chain s
Rin deep snow
Ron sandor grave l
iActivateES P®as soo nas th esituation s
described abov eno longer apply. ES P®will
otherwise no tbe able to stabilize th evehi-
cl e if th evehicle start sto skid or awhee l
start sto spin.
!Avoid spinnin gth edriven wheels fo ran
extended period wit hES P®deactivated.
You could otherwise damage th edrivetrain .
Deactivating/activating ESP
®
You can deactivat eor activat eES P®via th e
on-boar dcompute r (
Ypage 219).
ESP
®deactivated:
The å ESP
®OF Fwarnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster lights up.
ESP
®activated:
The å ESP
®OF Fwarnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster goe sout .
Characteristics when ESP
®is deactivate d
If ES P
®is deactivated and on eor more wheels
start to spin, th e÷ ESP®warnin glamp in th
einstrumen tcluster flashes .In s
uc hsitua-
tions, ES P®will notstabilize th evehicle.
If you deactivat eES P
®:
RESP®no longer improves drivin gstability.
REngin etorqu eis no longer limited and th e
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinnin gof th ewheels result sin acut -
ting action fo rbette rtraction on loose sur -
faces.
RTraction contro lis still activated.
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no lon -
ger available ;no ris it activated if you brake
firmly wit hassistanc efrom ES P
®.
RESP®still provides suppor twhen you brake
firmly.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
(Mercedes ‑AM Gvehicles )
Important safet ynotes
iObserv eth e"Important safet ynotes" sec -
tion (
Ypage 65).
You can selec tbetween th efollowing states
of ES P
®:
RESP®is activated.
RSPORT handlin gmode is activated.
RES P®is deactivated.
GWARNING
Whe nSPORT handlin gmode is activated,
there is agreater ris kof skidding and acci-
dents .
Only activat eSPORT handlin gmode in th esit -
uation sdescribed in th efollowing.
GWARNING
If you deactivat eES P
®,ES P®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle. There is an increase dris k
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eES P
®in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing.
70Driving safety systems
Safety

In the following situations, it may be better to
activate SPORT handling mode or deactivate
ESP
®:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Ron specially designated roads when the
vehicle's own oversteering and understeer- ing characteristics are desired
Driving in SPORT handling mode or without
ESP
®requires an extremely qualified and
experienced driver.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP®deactivated.
You could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP
®
XTo activate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
The SPORT handling mode
message
appears in the multifunction display.
XTo deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster goes out.
XTo deactivate ESP®: press button :until
the å ESP®OFF warning lamp lights up
in the instrument cluster.
The ÷ OFF
message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
XTo activate ESP®: briefly press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out. The ÷
ESP
®ONmessage appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Characteristics of activated SPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handling mode is activated and one
or more wheels start to spin, the ÷ESP
®
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes. ESP®only stabilizes the vehicle to a
limited degree.
When SPORT handling mode is activated:
RESP®only improves driving stability to a
limited degree.
RTraction control is still activated.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-
faces.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Characteristics when ESP
®is deactivated
If ESP
®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in
the instrument cluster does not flash. In such
situations, ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP
®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur-
faces.
RTraction control is still activated.
Driving safety systems71
Safety
Z

RCOLLISION PREVENTION AS SIST isno lon-
ger available; nor is itactivated ifyou brake
firmly with assistance from ESP
®.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
ESP®trailer stabilization
General info rmation
If your veh icle/trailer combination begins to
swerve, ESP
®assists you inthis situation.
ESP®slows the vehicle down bybraking and
limit ing the engine output unt ilthe vehicle/
trailer co mbination has stabilized.
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
If road and weather condition sare poor ,
trailer stabilization will no tbe able to preven t
th evehicle/traile rcombination from swerv-
ing .Trailers wit h ahigh cente rof gravity can
tip ove rbefore ES P
®can detect this. Ther eis
a ris kof an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to th eprevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
If your veh icle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
co mbin ation) begins to lurch, you can only
stabiliz e the vehicle /trailer combination by
depr essing the brake firmly.
ESP
®trailer stabiliz ation is active above
speeds of about 65 km/h.
ESP
®trailer stabilization does not work if
ESP®is deactivated or disabled because of a
malfunction.
EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information
EBD mon itors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stabilit ywhile braking.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
GWARNIN G
If EB Dis malfunctioning, th erear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking .This increases th e
ris kof skiddin gand an accident.
You should therefor eadapt your driving style
to th edifferent handlin gcharacteristics. Hav e
th ebrak esystem checked at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (
Ypage 261) as wellas dis-
play messages (
Ypage 230).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. Inaddi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
also has the HOLD function (
Ypage 187) and
hill start assist (
Ypage 151).
STEER CONTROL
General information
ST EER CONTROL helps you bytransmitting a
noticea blesteering force to the steering
wheel inthe direction required for vehicle
stabiliz ation.
This steering assistance ispro vide din partic-
ular if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on
a wet or slippery road surface when you
brake.
Rthe veh iclestarts to skid.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
72Driving safety systems
Safety