2016 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA-Class drivin safety

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.
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no lon-
ger available; nor is it activated if you brake
firmly with assistance from ESP
®.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Off-road ESP®
An ESP®system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated (
Ypage 199).
Off-road ESP
®intervenes with a delay if there
is oversteering or understeering, thus improv- ing traction.
ESP®trailer stabilization
General information
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
swerve, ESP
®assists you in this situation.
ESP®slows the vehicle down by braking and
limiting the engine output until the vehicle/
trailer combination has stabilized. Important safety notes
GWARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center of gravity can
tip over before ESP
®can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
ESP
®trailer stabilization 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 monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
GWARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the
risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (
Ypage 269) as well as dis-
play messages (
Ypage 238).
72Driving safet ysystem s
Safety

Useful information
i
This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip-
ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
iRead the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (
Ypage 25).
Correct driver's seat position
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
XObserve the safety guidelines on seat
adjustment (
Ypage 103).
XMake sure that seat =is adjusted prop-
erly.
Manual seat adjustment (
Ypage 104)
Electrical seat adjustment (
Ypage 105)
When adjusting the seat, make sure that:
Ryou are as far away from the driver's air
bag as possible
Ryou are sitting in a normal upright posi-
tion
Ryou can fasten the seat belt properly
Ryou have moved the backrest to an
almost vertical position
Ryou have set the seat cushion angle so
that your thighs are gently supported
Ryou can depress the pedals properly
XCheck whether the head restraint is adjus-
ted properly (
Ypage 105).
When doing so, make sure that you have
adjusted the head restraint so that the back
of your head is supported at eye level by the
center of the head restraint.
XObserve the safety notes on steering col-
umn adjustment (
Ypage 108).
XMake sure that steering wheel :is adjus-
ted properly.
Adjusts the steering wheel (
Ypage 108)
When adjusting the steering wheel, make
sure that:
Ryou can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
Ryou can move your legs freely
Ryou can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly
XObserve the safety guidelines for seat belts
(
Ypage 44).
XCheck whether you have fastened seat
belt ;properly (
Ypage 46).
102Correct driver's seat position
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

The seat belt should:
Rfit snugly across your body
Rbe routed across the middle of your
shoulder
Rbe routed in your pelvic area across the
hip joints
XBefore starting off, adjust the rear-view mir-
ror and the exterior mirrors (
Ypage 109) in
such a way that you have a good view of
road and traffic conditions.
XVehicles with a memory function: save
the seat and exterior mirror settings
(
Ypage 112).
Seats
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust
the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when there is
no SmartKey in the ignition lock.
GWARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
(
Ypage 48) and "Children in the vehicle"
(
Ypage 58).
GWARNING
If the driver's seat is not engaged, it could
move unexpectedly while the vehicle is in
motion. This could cause you to lose control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Always make sure that the driver's seat is
engaged before starting the vehicle.
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you or
other vehicle occupants could be trapped and
thereby injured. Children in particular could
accidentally press the electrical seat adjust-
ment buttons and become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
While moving the seats, make sure that your
hands or other body parts do not get under the
lever assembly of the seat adjustment sys-
tem.
!To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
Rkeep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
Rif the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat
heating should also not be used to dry
the seats.
Rclean the seat covers as recommended;
see the "Interior care" section.
Rdo not transport heavy loads on the
seats. Do not place sharp objects on the
seat cushions, e.g. knives, nails or tools.
The seats should only be occupied by
passengers, if possible.
Rwhen the seat heating is in operation, do not cover the seats with insulating mate-
Seats103
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

Adjusting the seats electrically
:Seat height
;Seat cushion angle
=Seat fore-and-aftadjustmen t
?Backrest angle
iYou can store th eseat setting susin gth e
memory function (
Ypage 112).
Adjusting the head restraints
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
You could lose control of your vehicl eif you do
th efollowin gwhile driving:
Radjust th edriver's seat ,head restraint,
steering whee lor mirror s
Rfastenth eseat belt
There is aris kof an accident.
Adjus tth edriver's seat ,head restraint, steer -
ing whee land mirror and faste nyour seat belt
before starting th eengine.
GWARNIN G
If th ehead restraints are no tinstalled or no t
adjusted correctly, they canno tprovid epro -
tection as intended. There is an increased ris k
of injury in th ehead and neck area, e.g. in th e
event of an acciden tor when braking .
Always drive wit hth ehead restraints instal -
led. Befor edrivin goff ,mak esur efor every
vehicl eoccupant that th ecenter of th ehead
restrain tsupport sth ebac kof th ehead at
about eye level.
Using th efore-and-af tadj ustment, adjust th e
head restrain tso that it is as close as possible
to your head.
Gene ral notes
Fo rvehicles wit h sportsseat syou canno t
adjust th efron thead restraints or th eouter
rear head restraints .
Adjusting the head restraints manually
Adjusting th ehea drestrain theight
XTo raise: pull thehead restrain tup to th e
desired position .
XTo lower:press release catch :in th e
direction of th earrow and push th ehead
restrain tdown to th edesired position .
Adjusting th e fore/aftposition of th e
hea drestrain t
Seats105
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

Problems with the seat heating
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The seat heating has
switched off prema-
turely or cannot be
switched on.The on-board voltage is too low because too many electrical con-
sumers are switched on.
XSwitch off electrical consumers that you do not need, such as
the rear window defroster or interior lighting.
Once the battery is sufficiently charged, the seat heating will
switch back on automatically.
Steering wheel
Important safety notes
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
Children could injure themselves if they
adjust the steering wheel. There is a risk of
injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
Adjusting the steering wheel
GWARNING
If the steering wheel is unlocked while the
vehicle is in motion, it could change position
unexpectedly. This could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an
accident.
Before starting off, make sure the steering
wheel is locked. Never unlock the steering
wheel while the vehicle is in motion.
:Release lever
;Adjusts the steering wheel height
=Adjusts the steering wheel position (fore-
and-aft adjustment)
XPush release lever :down completely.
The steering column is unlocked.
XAdjust the steering wheel to the desired
position.
XPush release lever :up completely.
The steering column is locked.
XCheck if the steering column is locked.
When doing so, try to push the steering
wheel up or down or try to move it in the
fore-and-aft direction.
108Steering wheel
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Calling up a stored parking position set-
ting
XTurn the SmartKey to position2in the igni-
tion lock (
Ypage 149).
XAdjust the exterior mirror on the front-
passenger side with the corresponding but-
ton (
Ypage 109).
XEngage reverse gear.
The exterior mirror on the front-passenger
side moves to the stored parking position.
The exterior mirror on the front-passenger
side moves back to its original position:
Ras soon as you exceed a speed of 9 mph
(15 km/h)
Rabout ten seconds after you have disen-
gaged reverse gear
Rif you press button :for the exterior mir-
ror on the driver's side
Memory function
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you use the memory function on the driver's side while driving, you could lose control of
the vehicle as a result of the adjustments
being made. There is a risk of an accident.
Only use the memory function on the driver's
side when the vehicle is stationary.
GWARNING
When the memory function adjusts the seat,
you and other vehicle occupants – particularly
children – could become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
While the memory function is making adjust-
ments, make sure that no one has any body
parts in the sweep of the seat. If somebody
becomes trapped, immediately release the
memory function position button. The adjust-
ment process is stopped.
GWARNING
Children could become trapped if they acti-
vate the memory function, particularly when
unattended. There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The memory function can be used at any time,
e.g. even when the SmartKey isn't in the igni-
tion lock.
Storing settings
With the memory function, you can store up
to three different settings, e.g. for three dif-
ferent people.
The following settings are stored as a single
memory preset:
Rseat and backrest position
Rdriver's side: position of the exterior mir-
rors on the driver's and front-passenger
sides
XAdjust the seat (Ypage 105).
XAdjust the exterior mirror on the driver's
side (
Ypage 109).
XBriefly press the Mmemory button and
then press storage position button 1,2or 3
within three seconds.
The settings are stored in the selected pre-
set position. A tone sounds when the set-
tings have been completed.
112Memory function
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Useful information
i
This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip-
ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
iRead the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (
Ypage 25).
Notes on breaking-in a new vehicle
Important safety notes
The sensor system of some driving and driv-
ing safety systems adjusts automatically
while a certain distance is being driven after
the vehicle has been delivered or after
repairs. Full system effectiveness is not
reached until the end of this teach-in proce-
dure.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometers of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the
brake pedal.
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its
performance in the future.
RYou should therefore drive at varying vehi-
cle and engine speeds for the first
1000 miles (1500 km).
RAvoid heavy loads, e.g. driving at full throt-
tle, during this period.
RChange gear in good time, before the tach-
ometer needle is Ôof the way to the red
area of the tachometer.
RDo not manually shift to a lower gear to
brake the vehicle.
RTry to avoid depressing the accelerator
pedal beyond the point of resistance (kick- down).
RIdeally, for the first 1000 miles (1500 km),
drive in program E.
After 1,000 miles (1,500 km), you can
increase the engine speed gradually and bring
the vehicle to full speed.
Additional breaking-in notes for Mercedes-
AMG vehicles:
RDo not drive faster than 85 mph
(140 km/h) for the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km).
ROnly allow the engine to reach a maximum engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
RChange gear in good time.
You should also observe these notes on
breaking-in if the engine or parts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced.
Always observe the maximum permissible
speed.
Driving
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the pedal travel or obstruct a depressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle is
jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats
securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats and do not place floormats on
top of one another.
148Driving
Driving and parking

GWARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage of the pedals, e.g.:
Rshoes with thick soles
Rshoes with high heels
Rslippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals.
GWARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk
of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving.
GWARNING
If the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
Roverheat and cause a fire
Rlose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
!Do not warm up the engine with the vehi-
cle stationary. Drive off immediately. Avoid
high engine speeds and driving at full throt-
tle until the engine has reached its operat-
ing temperature.
Only shift the automatic transmission to
the desired drive position when the vehicle
is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
!Mercedes-AMG vehicles: avoid full-load
operation and engine speeds greater than
5000 rpm when the engine is cold. This helps to protect the engine and avoids
uncomfortable driving.
SmartKey positions
SmartKey
gTo remove the SmartKey
(shift the transmission to position P)
1Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windshield wipers
2Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
3To start the engine
iThe SmartKey can be turned in the igni-
tion lock even if it is not the correct Smart- Key for the vehicle. The ignition is not
switched on. The engine cannot be started.
Start/Stop button
General notes
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO are equipped with
SmartKeys featuring the integrated KEYLESS-
GO function and a detachable Start/Stop but-
ton.
A check which periodically establishes a radioconnection between the vehicle and the
SmartKey determines whether a valid Smart-
Key is in the vehicle. This occurs, for example,
when starting the engine.
When you insert the Start/Stop button into
the ignition lock, the system needs approx-
imately two seconds recognition time. You
can then use the Start/Stop button.
Driving149
Driving and parking
Z