G DANGER
If th e PASSENGER AI R BA G OF F indicator
lamp remain s lit after th e system self-test , th e
front-passenger fron t air bag is disabled. It will
no t be deployed in th e event of an accident. In
this case, th e front-passenger fron t air bag
canno t perfor m it s intended protective func-
tion , e.g. when a person is seated in th e front-
passenger seat .
That person could, for example, come int o
contact wit h th e vehicle's interior, especially
if th e person is sitting to o close to th e dash -
board. This poses an increased ris k of injury or
eve n fatal injury.
Whe n th e front-passenger seat is occupied,
always ensur e that:R
th e classification of th e person in th e front-
passenger seat is correc t and th e front-
passenger fron t air bag is enabled or disa-
bled in accordanc e wit h th e person in th e
front-passenger seat R
th e person is seated properly wit h a cor-
rectl y fastene d seatbeltR
th e front-passenger seat has been moved
bac k as far bac k as possibl e
If th e PASSENGER AI R BA G OF F indicator
lamp remain s lit when it should not, th e front-
passenger seat may no t be used . Do no t
instal l a child restrain t system on th e front-
passenger seat . Hav
e th e O ccupant Classifi-
ca tion Syste m (OCS ) checke d and repaire d
immediately at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
G WARNIN G
Objects between th e seat surfac e and th e
child restrain t system could affec t OCS oper -
ation . This could result in th e front-passenger
air bag no t functioning as intended during an
accident. This poses an increased ris k of
injury or eve n fatal injury.
Do no t plac e any objects between th e seat
surfac e and th e child restrain t system. The
entire base of th e child restrain t system mus t
always res t on th e seat cushion of th e front-
passenger seat . The backrest of th e forward - facing child restrain t system must, as far as
possible, be resting on th e backrest of th e
front-passenger seat . Always compl y wit h th e
child restrain t system manufacturer' s instal -
lation instructions.
Afte r th e system self-test , th e PASSENGER
AI R BA G OF F or PASSENGER AI R BA G ON
indicator lamp displays th e status of th e front-
passenger fron t air bag ( Y
page 51) .
Fo r mor e information about th e OCS , see
"Problem s wit h th e Occupant Classification
System" ( Y
page 55) .54
Occupant safety
Safety
Drivin g safet y systems
Overview of drivin g safet y systemsIn this section , you will fin d information about
th e following drivin g safet y systems :R
AB S ( A nti-loc k B rakin g S ystem)
( Y
page 65) R
BA S ( B rake A ssist S ystem) ( Y
page 66 )R
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU S
( Y
page 66 )R
ES P ®
( E lectronic S t ability P rogram)
( Y
page 69 )R
EB D ( E lectroni c B r ak e forc e D i stribution )
( Y
page 72) R
ADAPTIV E BRAKE ( Y
page 73 )R
STEE R CONTROL ( Y
page 73 )
Important safet y notesIf you fail to adapt your drivin g style or if you
are inattentive , th e drivin g safet y systems can
neither reduce th e ris k of an acciden t no r
override th e laws of physics. Driving safet y
systems are merely aids designed to assist
driving. You are responsible fo r maintainin g
th e distanc e to th e vehicle in front, fo r vehicle
speed, fo r braking in goo d time, and fo r stay-
in g in lane. Always adapt your drivin g style to
suit th e prevailin g road and weather condi-
tion s and maintain a saf e distanc e from th e
vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The drivin g safet y systems described only
wor k as effectively as possible when there is
adequat e contact between th e tires and th e
road surface. Please pay special attention to
th e note s on tires , recommended minimum
tire tread depths, etc. ( Y
page 340).
In wintr y drivin g conditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ S tires ) and if necessary, snow
chains. Only in this way will th e drivin g safet y
systems described in this section wor k as
effectively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information AB S regulates brake pressure in suc h a way
that th e wheels do no t loc k when you brake .
Thi s allow s you to continue steerin g th e vehi-
cl e when braking .
The % AB S warnin g lamp in th e instrumen t
cluster lights up when th e ignition is switched
on . It goe s out when th e engin e is running .
AB S works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardles s of road-surfac e condi-
tions. AB S works on slipper y surfaces, eve n
when you only brake gently.
Important safet y notes
i Observ e th e "Important safet y notes" sec -
tion ( Y
page 65).
G WARNING
If AB S is faulty, th e wheels could loc k when
braking . The steerability and braking charac -
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition -
ally, further drivin g safet y systems are deac -
tivated. There is an increase d danger of skid-
din g and accidents .
Drive on carefully. Hav e AB S checke d imme-
diately at a qualified specialis t workshop .
Whe n AB S is malfunctioning, other systems ,
includin g drivin g safet y systems , will also
becom e inoperative . Observ e th e information
on th e AB S warnin g lamp ( Y
page 269) and
display message s whic h may be shown in th e
instrumen t cluster ( Y
page 236).
Braking X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress th e
brake peda l vigorousl y until th e braking sit -
uation is over. X
To make a full brak e application:
depress th e brake peda l wit h full force.
If AB S intervenes when braking , you will feel a
pulsin g in th e brake pedal.Driving safety systems 65
Safety Z
You can select between the following states
of ESP ®
:R
ESP ®
is activated.R
SPORT handling mode is activated. R
ESP ®
is deactivated.
G WARNING
When SPORT handling mode is activated,
there is a greater risk of skidding and acci-
dents.
Only activate SPORT handling mode in the sit-
uations described in the following.
G WARNING
If you deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP ®
in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
In the following situations, it may be better to
activate SPORT handling mode or deactivate
ESP ®
: R
when using snow chains R
in deep snow R
on sand or gravel R
on 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.
i Activate 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 ®
X
To activate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button C .
The t SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
The SPORT handling mode message
appears in the multifunction display. X
To deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button C .
The t SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster goes out. X
To deactivate ESP ®
: press button C until
the
R
Use the residual heat function if you want to
heat or ventilate the vehicle interior when
the ignition is switched off. The residual
heat function can only be activated or deac-
tivated with the ignition switched off. R
If you change the settings of the climate
control system, the climate status display
appears for approximately three seconds
at the bottom of the screen in the Audio/
COMAND display (see separate operating
instructions). You will see the current set-
tings of the various climate control func-
tions.
DYNAMIC SELECT button (except
Mercedes-AMG vehicles) You can choose between various drive pro-
grams with the DYNAMIC SELECT button
( Y
page 157).
If you have selected drive program E :R
when heating, the electrical heater booster
is deactivated and in the warming-up phase
heat output is reduced R
the rear window defroster running time is
reduced
Depending on the configuration, the climate
settings can also be influenced in drive pro-
gram I .
If you have selected drive program C or S , the
climate settings are not affected.
ECO start/stop function
During automatic engine switch-off, the cli-
mate control system only operates at a
reduced capacity. If you require the full cli-
mate control output, you can switch off the
ECO start/stop function by pressing the ECO
button ( Y
page 155). Operating the climate control sys-
tems
Activating/deactivating the climate
control
General notes When the climate control is switched off, the
air supply and air circulation are also
switched off. The windows could fog up.
Therefore, switch off climate control only
briefly
Air-conditioning system X
Turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the igni-
tion lock ( Y
page 149). X
To switch on: turn control