Page 73 of 462
Thus, the distance warning function cannot
provide a warning in all critical situations.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
G WARNING
The distance warning function cannot always
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may: R
give an unnecessary warning R
not give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and do not rely solely on the distance
warning function.
Function X
To activate/deactivate: activate or deac-
tivate the distance warning function in the
on-board computer ( Y
page 281).
If the distance warning function is not activa-
ted, the
Page 74 of 462

Adaptive Brake Assist
i Obs erv e th e "Importan t safet y notes" sec -
tion ( Y
page 68) .
Adaptive Brake Assis t provide s braking assis-
tance in hazardous situation s at speeds
abov e 4 mph (7 km/h). It uses radar sensor
technology to assess th e traffic situation .
G WARNIN G
Adaptive Brake Assis t canno t always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
In suc h cases, Adaptive Brake Assis t can :R
interven e unnecessarilyR
no t interven e
There is a ris k of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th e traffic sit -
uation and be read y to brake. Terminate th e
intervention in a non-critical drivin g situation .
G WARNIN G
Adaptive Brake Assis t does no t react:R
to people or animals R
to oncomin g vehiclesR
to crossing traffic R
to stationary obstacles R
when cornering
As a result , th e Adaptive Brake Assis t may no t
interven e in all critical conditions. There is a
ris k of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th e traffic sit -
uation and be read y to brake.
Due to th e nature of th e system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving condi-
tion s may also caus e Brake Assis t to inter-
vene.
Wit h th e help of Adaptive Brake Assist, th e
distanc e warning signal can detec t obstacles
that are in th e pat h of your vehicl e for an
extended period of time.
If adaptive Brake Assis t has detecte d that
there is a ris k of a collision , it calculates th e
braking force necessar y to avoi d a collision . Should you apply th e brakes vigorously,
Adaptive Brake As sist will automatically
increas e th e braking force to a level suitable
for th e traffic conditions. X
Kee p th e brak e pedal depressed until th e
emergenc y braking situation is over.
AB S prevents th e wheels from locking .
The brakes will wor k normally again if: R
you release th e brak e pedal .R
there is no longer any danger of a collision .R
no obstacle is detecte d in fron t of your
vehicle.
Adaptive Brake As sist is then deactivated.
Vehicles wit h PRE-SAFE ®
: if adaptive Brake
Assis t require s particularly high brak e pre s-
sure, preventive passenger protection meas -
ures (PRE-SAF E ®
) are deployed sim ultane -
ously.
Up to vehicl e speeds of aroun d 15 5 mph
(25 0 km/h), adaptive Brake Assis t is capable
of reacting to moving objects that hav e
already been recognized as suc h at least once
ove r th e period of observation . Adaptive
Brake Assis t does no t reac t to st ationary
obstacles.
If Adaptive Brake As sist is no t available due to
a malfunction in th e radar sensor system, th e
brak e system remain s available wit h full
brak e boosting effec t and BAS.
In particular, th e detection of obstacles can
be impaire d if there is: R
there is dirt on th e sensors or anythin g else
covering th e sensors R
there is sn ow or heav y rainR
there is interferenc e by other radar source sR
there are st ron g radar reflections, for
exampl e in parking garages R
a narrow vehicl e traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbik e R
a vehicl e traveling in fron t on a differen t lin e
relative to th e center of your vehicl eR
ne w vehicles or after th e COLLISION PRE -
VE NTION ASSIST system has been ser v-
ice d72
Driving safety systems
Safety
Page 75 of 462

Observe the notes in the section on break-
ing-in ( Y
page 164).
Following damage to the front end of the vehi-
cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensor checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applies to colli-
sions at low speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle.
ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion ( Y
page 68).
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)
4ETS traction control 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 ®
.
In appropriate driving situations, activate the
off-road program ( Y
page 258). Off-road 4ETS (Electronic Traction Sys-
tem) A 4ETS system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated ( Y
page 258).
Important safety notes
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.
! Only operate the vehicle for a maximum of
ten seconds on a brake test dynamometer.
Switch off the ignition.
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
! A function or performance test should
only be carried out on a two-axle dyna-
mometer. Before you operate the vehicle
on such a dynamometer, please consult a
qualified workshop. You could otherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
ESP ®
is only deactivated if the
Page 76 of 462