Page 73 of 418

If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS is
deactivated, theæsymbol appears in the
assistance graphics display.
Distance warning function
General information
The distance warning function can help you to
minimize the risk of a front-end collision with
a vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of such
a collision. If the distance warning function
detects that there is a risk of a collision, you
will be warned visually and acoustically.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (
Ypage 67).
GWARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
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.
GWARNING
The distance warning function cannot always
clearly identify objects and complex traffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot 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
Starting at a speed of approximately 4 mph
(7 km/h), the distance warning function
warns you if you rapidly approach a vehicle in
front. An intermittent warning tone will then
sound, and the ·distance warning lamp
will light up in the instrument cluster.
XBrake immediately in order to increase the distance from the vehicle in front.
or
XTake evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving condi-
tions may also cause the system to display a warning.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obsta-
cles that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), the distance warning function can
also react to stationary obstacles, such as
stopped or parked vehicles.
Autonomous braking function
If the driver does not react to the distance
warning signal in a critical situation, COLLI-
SION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS can assist
with the autonomous braking function.
The autonomous braking function:
Rgives the driver more time to react to criti-
cal driving situations
Rcan help the driver to avoid an accident or
Rreduces the effects of an accident
Vehicles without DISTRONIC PLUS: the
autonomous braking function is available in
the following speed ranges:
R4 - 65 mph (7 - 105 km/h) for moving
objects
R4 - 31 mph (7 - 50 km/h) for stationary
objects
Driving safety systems71
Safety
Z
Page 74 of 418

Vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS:the auton-
omous braking function is available in the fol- lowing speed ranges:
R4 - 124 mph (7 - 200 km/h) for moving
objects
R4 - 31 mph (7 - 50 km/h) for stationary
objects
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving condi-
tions may also cause the Autonomous Brak-
ing Function to intervene.
If the autonomous braking function requires a
particularly high braking force, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)
are activated simultaneously (
Ypage 59).
Adaptive Brake Assist
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67).
With the help of adaptive Brake Assist, the
distance warning signal can detect obstacles
that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended period of time.
If adaptive Brake Assist detects a risk of col-
lision with the vehicle in front, it calculates
the braking force necessary to avoid a colli-
sion. If you apply the brakes forcefully, adap-
tive Brake Assist will automatically increase
the braking force to a level suitable for the
traffic conditions.
Adaptive Brake Assist provides braking assis-
tance in hazardous situations at speeds
above 4 mph (7 km/h). It uses radar sensor
technology to assess the traffic situation.
Up to a speed of approximately 155 mph
(250 km/h), adaptive Brake Assist is capable
of reacting to moving objects that have
already been detected as such at least once
over the period of observation.
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), adaptive Brake Assist reacts to
stationary obstacles. If the autonomous braking function requires a
particularly high braking force, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)
are activated simultaneously (
Ypage 59). On
vehicles with the Driving Assistance package,
preventive passenger pro tection me
asures
(PRE-SAFE®PLUS) are triggered (Ypage 59).
XKeep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will work normally again if:
Ryou release the brake pedal.
Rthere is no longer any danger of a collision.
Rno obstacle is detected in front of your
vehicle.
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (
Ypage 67).
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
In such cases, Adaptive Brake Assist can:
Rintervene unnecessarily
Rnot intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation.
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
As a result, the Adaptive Brake Assist may not
intervene in all critical conditions. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
72Driving safety systems
Safety
Page 75 of 418

Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated but non-critical driving condi-
tions may also cause Brake Assist to inter-
vene.
If adaptive Brake Assist is not available due to
a malfunction in the radar sensor system, the
brake system remains available with full
brake boosting effect and BAS.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67).
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 67).
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 67).
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.
If the å ESP®OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, ESP®is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP
®warning lamp lights up con-
tinuously, ESP®is not available due to a mal-
function.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 296) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 258).
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 automatically
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.
Driving safet ysystem s73
Safety
Z
Page 76 of 418

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.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67).
You can select between the following states
of ESP
®:
RESP®is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
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.
It may be best to deactivate ESP®in the fol-
lowing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Activate ESP
®as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehicle
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 deactivate:
press button:.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
XTo activate: press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
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 flashes. In such situa-
tions, 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
®.
RPRE-SAFE®is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP®
intervenes.
RPRE-SAFE®Brake is no longer available, it
is also not activated if you brake firmly and
ESP
®intervenes.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
74Driving safet ysystem s
Safety
Page 77 of 418

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.
Crosswind Assist
General information
Strong crosswinds can cause your vehicle to
deviate from a straight course. The crosswind driving assistance function integrated in
ESP
®noticeably reduces these impairments.
ESP
®intervenes automatically according to
the direction and intensity of the crosswinds
affecting your vehicle.
ESP intervenes with stabilizing braking to
assist you in keeping the vehicle in the lane.
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle speeds
above 50 mph (80 km/h) when driving
straight ahead or cornering gently. Important safety notes
Crosswind Assist does not work if ESP
®is
deactivated or disabled because of a mal-
function.
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 67).
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 294) as well as dis-
play messages (
Ypage 261).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi- tion to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
also has the HOLD function (
Ypage 194) and
hill start assist (
Ypage 157).
PRE-SAFE®Brake
General information
PRE-SAFE®Brake can help you to minimize
the risk of a collision with a vehicle ahead or a
pedestrian, and reduce the effects of such a
Driving safety systems75
Safety
Z
Page 78 of 418

collision. If PRE-SAFE®Brake has detected a
risk of collision, you will be warned visually
and acoustically as well as by automatic brak-
ing.
iPay attention to the important safety
notes in the "Driving safety systems" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67).
PRE‑SAFE
®Brake is only available in vehicles
with the Driving Assistance Plus package.
For PRE-SAFE
®Brake to assist you when driv-
ing, the radar sensor system and the camera system must be switched on and be opera-
tional.
With the help of the radar sensor system and
the camera system, PRE-SAFE
®Brake can
detect obstacles that are in front of your vehi-
cle for an extended period of time.
In addition, pedestrians in the path of your
vehicle can be detected.
PRE-SAFE
®Brake detects pedestrians using
typical characteristics such as the body con-
tours and posture of a person standing
upright.
iObserve the restrictions described in the
"Important safety notes" section
(
Ypage 76).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake will initially brake your vehi-
cle by a partial application of the brakes if a
danger of collision is detected. There may be
a collision unless you brake yourself. Even
after subsequent full application of the brakes
a collision cannot always be avoided, partic-
ularly when approaching at too high a speed.
There is a risk of an accident.
Always apply the brakes yourself and try to
take evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
In the event of a partial application of the
brakes, the vehicle is braked with up to 50% of
the full braking pressure.
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot always clearly iden-
tify objects and complex traffic conditions.
In these cases, PRE-SAFE
®Brake may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle
Rnot give a warning or intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and be ready to brake, especially if
PRE-SAFE
®Brake warns you. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation.
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot always clearly iden-
tify people, especially if they are moving. In
these cases, PRE-SAFE
®Brake cannot inter-
vene. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and be ready to brake, especially if
PRE-SAFE
®Brake warns you.
In order to maintain the appropriate distance
to the vehicle in front and thus prevent a col-
lision, you must apply the brakes yourself.
GWARNING
PRE-SAFE
®Brake does not react:
Rto small people, e.g. children
Rto animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
As a result, PRE-SAFE
®Brake may neither
give warnings nor intervene in all critical sit-
uations. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
In the event of snowfall or heavy rain, the rec-
ognition can be impaired.
76Driving safety systems
Safety
Page 79 of 418

Recognition by theradar sensor system is
also impaire din th eevent of:
Rthere is dir ton th esensor sor anythin gelse
coverin gth esensor s
Rthere is interferenc eby other radar source s
Rthere are strongradar reflections, for
exampl ein parkin ggarages
Ranarrow vehicl etravelin gin front, e.g. a
motorbik e
Ravehicl etravelin gin fron ton adifferen tlin e
relative to th ecenter of your vehicl e
Recognition by th ecamera system is also
impaire din th eevent of:
Rdir ton th ecamera or if th ecamera is cov-
ere d
Rthere is glar eon th ecamera system, e.g.
from th esun bein glow in th esk y
Rdarkness
Rif:
-pedestrian smov equickly, e.g. into th e
pat hof th evehicl e
-thecamera system no longer recognizes
a pedestrian as aperson due to special
clothin gor other objects
-apedestrian is concealed by other
objects
-th etypical outlin eof aperson is no tdis-
tinguishable from th ebackgroun d
Followin gdamag eto th efron ten dof th evehi-
cle ,hav eth econfiguration and operation of
th eradar sensor schecke dat aqualified spe -
cialist workshop .This also applie sto colli-
sion sat low speeds wher ethere is no vis ible
d
amag eto th efron tof th evehicle.
Followin gdamag eto th ewindshield, hav eth e
configuration and operation of th ecamera
system checke dat aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Function
XTo activate/deactivate: activateor deac -
tivat ePRE-SAF E®Brake in th eon-boar d
computer (
Ypage 253).
If th ePRE-SAF E®Brake is no tactivated, th e
æ symbol appear sin th emultifunction
display.
Startin gat aspeed of around 4mph (7 km/h),
this function warn syou if you rapidly
approac h avehicl ein front. An intermittent
warnin gtone will then soun dand th e·
distanc ewarnin glamp will ligh tup in th e
instrumen tcluster.
XBrake immediately to defuse th esituation .
or
XTak eevasive action provided it is saf eto do
so.
PRE-SAF E
®Brake can also brak eth evehicl e
automatically under th efollowin gconditions:
Rth edriver and front-passenger hav etheir
seat belt sfastene d
and
Rth evehicl espeed is between approx -
imately 4mph (7 km/h) and 12 4mph
(20 0km/h)
At speeds of up to approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h) PRE-SAF E
®Brake can also detect:
Rstationary objects in th epat hof your vehi-
cle ,e.g. stoppe dor parked vehicles
Rpedestrian sin th epat hof your vehicl e
iIf there is an increase dris kof acollision ,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAF E
®)are activated (Ypage 59).
If th eris kof collision wit hth eve
hicl ein fron t
remain sand you do no tbrake, tak eevasive
action or accelerate significantly, th evehicl e
may perfor mautomatic emergenc ybraking,
up to th epoin tof full brak eapplication .Auto-
matic emergenc ybrakin gis no tperformed
until immediately prior to an imminen tacci-
dent.
Driving safety systems77
Safety
Z
Page 80 of 418

You can prevent the intervention of the PRE-
SAFE®Brake at any time by:
Rdepressing the accelerator pedal further.
Ractivating kickdown.
Rreleasing the brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE
®Brake is
ended automatically if:
Ryou maneuver to avoid the obstacle.
Rthere is no longer a risk of collision.
Rthere is no longer an obstacle detected in
front of your vehicle.
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a noticeable steering force to the steering
wheel in the direction required for vehicle
stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in partic-
ular if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on
a wet or slippery road surface when you
brake.
Rthe vehicle starts to skid.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 67).
No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
RESP®is malfunctioning.
Rthe lighting is faulty.
If ESP
®is malfunctioning, you will be assisted
further by the electrical power steering.
Protection against theft
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey.
XTo activate with the SmartKey: remove
the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XTo activate with KEYLESS-GO start-
function or KEYLESS-GO: switch the igni-
tion off and open the driver's door.
XTo deactivate: switch on the ignition.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Any-
one can start the engine if a valid SmartKey
has been left inside the vehicle.
iThe immobilizer is always deactivated
when you start the engine.
In the event that the engine cannot be star-
ted (yet the vehicle's battery is charged),
the system is not operational. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA) or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
ATA (anti-theft alarm system)
XTo arm: lock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or KEYLESS-GO.
Indicator lamp :flashes. The alarm sys-
tem is armed after approximately
10 seconds.
XTo disarm: unlock the vehicle with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
78Protection against theft
Safety