There is, however, no system availabletoday
that can completely rule out injury or death.
It is also not possible to rule out arisk of injury
caused by an air bag due to the high speed at
which the air bag must be deployed.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you do not sit in the corrects eat position,
the air bag cannot protec tasintended and
could even cause additional injury when
deployed. This poses an increased risk of
injury or even fatal injury.
To avoid hazardous situations, alwaysm ake
sure that all of the vehicle's occupants:
Rhave fastened their seat belts correctly,
including pregnant women
Rare sittin gcorrectly and maintain the great-
est possible distance to the air bags
Rfollow the following instructions
Always make sure that there are no objects
between the air bag and the vehicle's occu-
pants.
RCorrectly adjust the seats before driving off.
Always make sure the seat backrest sare
positioned as close to the vertical as possible.
The center of the head restraints should sup-
port the back of the head at about eye level.
RMove the driver's and front-passenger seat as
far back as possible. The driver's seat position
must be such that the vehicle can be driven
safely.
RKeep hands on the outside of the steering
wheel rim. This allows the air bag to deploy
fully.
RAlways sit with your back against the seat
backrest when driving. Do not lean forward,
on the door or against the side window. Oth-
erwise, you are in the air bag deployment
area.
RAlways keep your feet in the footwell in front
of the seat. Do not,f or example, place your
feet on the dashboard. Otherwise, your feet
are in the air bag deployment area.
RSuitable restraint systems must alwaysb e
used for persons under 5ft(1.50 m) in height.
The seat belt cannot be worn correctly by
persons who do not reach this height. If children are also traveling in the vehicle,
please take note of the followingp
oints.
RChild restraint systems should preferably be
installed on the rear seats.
ROnly secureachild on the front-passenger
seat in arearward-facing child restraint sys-
tem if the front-passenger front air bag is
deactivated. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp is permanently lit, the front-
passenger front air bag is deactivated
(
Ypage 44).
RMake sure you observe the instructions and
safety notes on "Occupan t Classification Sys-
tem (OCS)" (Ypage 50) and "Children in the
vehicle" (Ypage 56), as well as the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
instructions.
Objects in the passenger compartment
could prevent an air bag from functioning
properly. To prevent risks due to the required
air bag speed after deployment, ensure the fol-
lowing before starting the journey:
Rthere are no persons, animals or objects
between the vehicle occupantsa nd an air
bag.
Rthere are no object sbetween the seat, door
and B-pillar.
Rno hard objects, e.g. coat hangers, hang on
the grab handles or coat hooks.
Rno accessories, such as cup holders, are
attached to the vehicle within the deployment
area of an air bag, e.g. to doors or side win-
dows.
Rthere are no heavy, sharp or fragile object sin
the pocketsofi tems of clothing. Such items
should be suitably stowed elsewhere.
GWARNING
If you modify the air bag cover or affix objects
such as stickers to it, the air bag can no longer
function correctly. There is an increased risk
of injury.
Never modify an air bag cover or affix objects
to it.
Vehicles with window curtain air bags for all
rows of seats:
GWARNING
Sensorstoc ontrol the air bags are located in
the doors. Modifications or work not per-
48Occupant safety
Safety
formed correctly to the doors or door panel-
ing, as wellasdamaged doors,c an leadtothe
function of the sensors being impaired .The air
bag smight therefore not function properly
anymore. Consequently, the air bag scannot
protect vehicl eoccupants as they are
designed to do. There is an increased risk of
injury.
Never modify the doors or parts of the doors. Always have work on the doors or door pan-
eling carrie dout at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
Fron tair bags
Driver's air bag :deploys in front of the steer-
ing wheel. Front-passenger air bag ;deploys in
front of and above the glove box and the center
console.
When deployed, the front air bag soffer addi-
tional heada nd thorax protection on the front
seats.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
showsy ou the status of the front-passenger
front air bag (
Ypag e44).
The front-passenger air bag wil lonly deploy if:
Rthe Occupant Classification System (OCS)
has detected that the front-passenger seati s
occupied (
Ypag e50). The PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lam pisnot lit
(
Ypag e51)
Rthe restraint system control unit predicts a
high accident severity
Side impact air bags
GWARNING
Unsuitabl eseatc overs coul drestrict or even
prevent the deployment of the air bag sinte-
grated into the seats. Consequently, the air
bag scannot protect vehicl eoccupants as
they are designed to do. In addition, the func- tion of the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) coul dberestricted. This posesa n
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
You should only use seatc overs that have
been approved for the respective seatb y
Mercedes-Benz.
Side impact air bags :deploy next to the outer
cushions of the seatb ackrest.
When deployed, the side impact air bag offers
additiona lthorax and pelvis protection. How-
ever, it does not protect the:
Rhead
Rneck
Rarms
In the event of aside impact, the side impact air
bag is deploye donthe side on which the impact
occurs.
The side impact air bag on the front-passenger
side deploys under the following conditions:
Rthe OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seatiso ccupied or
Rthe belttongue has engaged in the beltb uckle
of the front-passenger seat.
If the beltt ongue has engaged in the beltb uckle,
the side impact air bag on the front-passenger
side deploys if the corresponding accident sit-
uation occurs. This is regardless of whethe rthe
front-passenger seatiso ccupied or not.
Occupant safety49
Safety
Z
The spinningofthe wheels results in acutting
action for better traction on loose surfaces.
RTraction control is still activated
RESP®still provides support when you brake.
Dependin gonthe equipment in the vehicle, you
can activate or deactivate ESP
®when the
engine is runnin gbyusing the åbutton or by
using the on-board computer:
Ron vehicles without steerin gwheel buttons
(Ypage 173)
Ron vehicles with steerin gwheel buttons
(Ypage 183)
å button (equipment-dependent)
XTo activate/deactivate: when the engine is
running, press the åbutton.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when ESP
®is deactivated.
Trailer stabilization
Observe the important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (Ypage 62).
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 ahigh center of gravity can
tip over before ESP
®can detect this. There is
ar isk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
ESP
®trailer stabilization counteracts critical
driving situations in good time and thereby pro- vides considerable assistance when driving with
at railer. Trailer stabilization is part of ESP
®. If the sensor system and evaluation logic detect
trailer swinging movements, ESP
®trailer stabi-
lization firstly brakes individual vehicle wheels in
at argeted manner .Itthus counteracts swinging
movements. If the swinging movements do not
stop, the vehicle is braked until the vehicle/
trailer combination is stabilized. If necessary,
the vehicle's engine output is limited.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer com-
bination) start stoswerve, you will be able to
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination only by
braking. ESP
®trailer stabilization helps you to
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination in this
situation.
ESP
®trailer stabilization is activated above
speeds of about 40 mph (65 km/h).
If ESP
®is switched off or deactivated because of
am alfunction, the trailer stabilization system
will not function.
Crosswind Assist
Observe the important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (Ypage 62).
Strong crosswind gusts can impair the road-
holding of your vehicle when driving straight
ahead. The Crosswind Assist function integra-
ted in ESP
®reduces these impairments.
Dependin gonthe direction and intensity of the
side wind, Crosswind Assist intervenes auto-
matically. ESP
®intervenes with stabilizing brak-
ing to assist you in keeping the vehicle in the
lane. When Crosswind Assist intervenes, the
display shows the traffic sign for stron gside
winds and the message Crosswind Assist
.
Crosswind Assist is activated automatically
above avehicle speed of approx. 50 mph
(80 km/h) when the vehicle is driving straight
ahead or cornering gently.
Crosswind Assist does not react:
Rin the event of severe jolts and vibrations, e.g.
when driving over uneven surfaces or pot-
holes
Rwhen grip is reduced, e.g. on snow or ice or
when hydroplaning
Crosswind Assist does not work if ESP
®is deac-
tivated or disabled because of amalfunction.
Driving safety systems65
Safety
Z
Useful information
This Operator's Manual describes all models as
well as standard and optional equipment of your
vehicle that were available at the time of going
to print.Country-specific variation sare possi-
ble. Note that your vehicle may not be equipped
with all of the described functions. This also
applies to system sand function srelevantt o
safety.
Read the information on qualified specialist
workshops (
Ypage 29).
Exterior lighting
Important safetyn otes
For reasonsofsafety, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you drive with the lights switched on
even during the daytime. There may be differ-
ences in operatio ndue to legal requirements
and voluntary recommendations in some coun-
tries.
Light switch
Operation
1W Left-han dstanding lamps
2X Right-hand standing lamps
3TParkin glamps, licens eplate and
instrumentc luster lighting
4$Lightso ff and daytime running lamps
à with light sensor: automatic headlamp
mode, controlled by the light sensor
5L Low-beam or high-beam headlamps
BNFrontf og lamp
CRRear fog lamp
If you hear awarnin gtonew hen you leave the
vehicle, the lights may still be switched on.
XTurn the light switc hto$ orÃ.
The exterior lightin g(except the parkin glamps
and standing lamps) switches off automatically
if you:
Rremovet he key from the ignition lock
Ropen the driver'sd oor with the key in position
0 in the ignition lock
92Exterior lighting
Lights and windshield wipers
Low-beamheadlamps
When theignitio nisswitche donand thelight
switch is in the Lposition,t heparking lamps
and low-beam headlamps are switche doneven
if th elight sensor does not sense dark ambient
light.T his is particularly useful when there is fog
or rain.
XTo switch on: turnthe key to position 2in the
ignitio nlockors tart th eengine.
XTurn th elight switch to position L.
The L indicator lamp in th einstrument
cluster lightsu p.
Daytime running lamps
XTo switch on: turnthe light switch to the
$ orà position.
Automatic headlamp mode
GWARNING
When th elight switch is set to Ã,thelow-
beam headlamps may not be switche don
automatically if there is fog ,sno woro ther
cause sofpoor visibilityd ue to theweather
conditionss uch as spray. Thereisar isk of an
accident.
In such situations ,tur nt he light switch to
L.
Automatic headlampm ode is onlyadriving aid.
You are responsible for th evehicle lighting at all
times.
When th eparking lamps and low-beam head-
lamps are switche don, th egreen T (parking
lamps)a ndL (low-beam headlamps) indica-
to rlamps in th einstrumentc luster light up.
à is thepreferred light switch setting. The
light settin gisautomatically selected according
to th ebrightnes softheambientl ight (excep-
tion: poor visibilityd ue to weather conditions,
such as fog ,sno wors pray):
RKey in position 1in th eignitio nlock: th epark-
ing lamps are switche don/off automatically
depending on th ebrightnes softheambient
light.
RWhen th eengine is on: depending on the
ambientl ight,thedaytim erunnin glamps or
th ep arking lamps and low-beam headlamps
are switche don/off automatically.
XTo switch on automatic headlamp mode:
turnthe light switch to Ã.
Fog lamps/rear fog lamp
You can onlyswitch th efog lamps on or off
manually in vehicle swhichh ave fog lamps
installed.
Front fog lamps help you to see and be seen in
conditionsofp oor visibilitydue to fog or pre-
cipitation. They can onl ybeoperated together
with th eparking lamps or with th elow-beam
headlamps.
The rear fog lamp improves visibilityofy our
vehicle for th etraffic behindint heeven tof
heavy fog .Observe th elegal requirements of the
countr yyou are currently in when usingt herear
fog lamp.
XTurn th elight switch to LorÃ.
XTurn th ekey to position 2in th eignitio nlock
or start th eengine.
XTo switch th efront fog lamps on/off: press
the N button.
When th egreen N indicator lamp in the
instrumentc luster goes on, th efog lamps are
switche don.
XTo switch th erearfog lamps on/off: press
the R button.
When th eyellow Rindicator lamp in the
instrumentc luster goes on, th erear fog lamp
is switche don.
Standing lamp
!If th ebattery charge is veryl ow, thestand-
ing lamps will switch off automatically to ena-
ble th enexte ngine start.A lways park your
vehicle in accordance with legal regulations,
in as ecure and adequately lit location.A void
leavin gthe T parking lamps on for several
hours. If possible, switch on th eright X or
left W standin glamp.
Switching on th estandin glamps ensures that
th ec orresponding side of th evehicle is illumi-
nated.
Exterior lighting93
Lightsa nd windshield wipers
Z
lected on the windshield can scratchthe glass
if wiping takes place when the windshield is
dry.
If it is necessary to switc honthe windshield
wipers in dry weathe rconditions, always use
washer fluid when operating the windshield
wipers.
!If the windshield wipers leave smearsont he
windshield after the vehicle has been washed
in an automatic car wash, wax or other resi-
dues may be the reason for this .Clean the
windshield using washer fluid after washing
the vehicle in an automatic car wash.
!Intermitten twiping with rain sensor: due to
optical influences and the windshield becom-
ing dirtyind ry weatherconditions, the wind-
shield wipers may be activate dinadvertently.
This could the ndamage the windshield wiper
blades or scratc hthe windshield.
For this reason,y ou should always switc hoff
the windshield wipers in dry weather.
1$ Windshield wipers off
2ÄIntermitten twipe, low (rain sensor set
to low sensitivity)
3Å Intermitten twipe, high (rain sensor
set to high sensitivity)
4° Continuous wipe, slow
5¯Continuous wipe, fast
BîFirstpressure point –single wipe; sec-
ond pressure point –wipe with washer fluid
XTurn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
XTurn the íwiper switc htothe corre-
sponding position.
In the ÄorÅ positions ,the appropriate
wiping frequenc yisset automatically according
to the intensity of the rain. In the Åposition,
the rain sensor is more sensitiv etoprecipitation than in the
Äposition, causin gthe wind-
shield wipers to wipe more frequently.
The windshield will no longer be wiped properly
if the wiper blades are worn.T his may prevent
you fromo bservingthe traffic conditions. Infor-
matio nonr eplacing the wiper blades can be
foundu nder "Replacingw iper blades"
(
Ypage 103).
Switchin gthe rea rwindow wiper on/
off
1b To wipe with washer fluid
2°Intermitten twipe
3$ Rear window wiper off
4bTo wipe with washer fluid
XTurn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
XMove the èswitchtot he corresponding
position.
If the rear window wiper is activated, the è
symbol is shown in the status area of the dis-
play.
The Status Overview
in the Assist.menu
the nshows the èsymbol for vehicles with
steeringw heel buttons (
Ypage 183) .
XTo wipe with washer fluid: press theè
switc hbeyond the current position as far as it
will go to 1or press and hold 4.
When you release the èswitch, the rear
window wiper continues to wipe for about
another 5seconds. The rear window wiper
the nw ipes accordingtot he original position
2 or3.
The rear window wiper switches on automati-
cally if you engag ereverse gear and the wind-
shield wipers are on.
If the vehicle is stationar yand you open the tail-
gate or rear door, the rear window wiper will
102Windshield wipers
Lightsa nd windshield wipers
Useful information
This Operator's Manual describes all models as
well as standard and optional equipment of your
vehicle that were available at the time of going
to print.Country-specific variation sare possi-
ble. Note that your vehicle may not be equipped
with all of the described functions. This also
applies to system sand function srelevantt o
safety.
Read the information on qualified specialist
workshops (
Ypage 29).
Breaking-in notes
Important safetyn otes
In certain drivingand drivingsafetysystems, the
sensors adjust automatically while acertain dis-
tance is being driven after the vehicle has been
delivered or after repairs. Full system effective- ness is not reached until the end of this teach-in
procedure.
New or replaced brake pads and brake discs
only reach their optimal brakin geffecta fter a
few hundred kilometers of driving. Until then,
compensat efor this by applying greater forcet o
the brake pedal.
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
For the servicel ife and economy of your vehicle
it is crucial that you break in the engin ewith due
care.
RTherefore, protect the engin efor the first
1000m iles (1500k m) by drivingatv arying
vehicle and engin espeeds.
RAvoid overstraining the vehicle and high
engin espeeds during this period, e.g. driving
at full throttle. Do not exceed Øof the max-
imum speed for each gear.
RDo not change down agear manually in order
to brake.
RTry to avoid depressingt he accelerator pedal
beyond the point of resistance (kickdown).
After 1000m iles (1500km), you can increase
the engin espeed gradually and accelerate the
vehicle to full speed.
iYou should also observet hesenotes on
breaking-in if the engin eorparts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced.
Driving
Important safetyn otes
GWARNING
Flammable materials introduced through
environmental influence or by animals can
ignit eifinc ontact with the exhaust system or
parts of the engin ethat heat up. There is arisk
of fire.
Carry out regular checks to make sure that
ther eare no flammable foreign materials in
the engin ecompartmen torinthe exhaust
system.
GWARNING
If you switc hoff the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant function sare 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 efforttos teer and brake. There is arisk
of an accident.
Do not switc hoff the ignition while driving.
GWARNING
If the parkin gbrake has not been fully
released when driving, the parkin gbrake can:
Roverheat and cause afire
Rlose its hold function.
There is arisk of fire and an accident. Release
the parkin gbrake fully before drivingo ff.
!Warm up the enginequickly. Do not use the
engine's full performanc euntil it has reached
operatin gtemperature.
Only shift the automatic transmission to the
desired drive position when the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery roads.
You could otherwise damage the drive train.
Driving119
Driving and parking
Z
RESP®intervenes or youdeactivate ESP®
Rthere is amalfunctio ninthe ESP®or ABS sys-
tem
If cruis econtro lautomaticall ydeactivates, a
warning tone sounds and the Cruise
ControlOffmessage appearsbriefl yint he display.
The V symbo land the displa yofthe stored
spee dint he header or in the status area of the
displa yarethenn ot shown.
Problems with cruis econtrol
The spee dcanno tbes et when cruis econtro lis
activated.
The displa yisshowing amessage of high priority
and canno ttherefore sho wachange in speed.
XProcee dasinstructed by the message in the
display.
COLLISIO NPREVENTION ASSIST
General notes
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST help syou:
Rto minimize the ris kofafront-end collision
with adetecte dobstacle in the path of your
vehicle
Rto reduce the consequences of afront-end
collision
The system uses rada rsensor stod etect vehi-
cle sinf ront.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST consists of the
distance warning functio nand Adaptive Brake
Assist.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is malfunc-
tioning ,the displa yshows acorresponding mes-
sage (
Ypage 213).
Distance warning function
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The distance warning functio ndoesn ot react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
Thus, the distance warning functio ncannot
provid eawarning in al lcritica lsituations.
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spaycarefu lattentio ntothe traffics it-
uatio nand be ready to brake.
GWARNING
The distance warning functio ncanno talway s
clearly identify objects and comple xtraffic
situations.
In such cases, the distance warning function
may:
Rgive an unnecessary warning
Rnot give awarning
There is ariskofana ccident.
Alway spaycarefu lattentio ntothe traffics it-
uatio nand do not rel ysolel yont he distance
warning function.
In particular ,the detection of obstacle scan be
impaired in the cas eof:
Rdirt on the sensor soranything else covering
the sensors
Rit is snowing or raining heavily
Rthere is interferenc efromo therradar sources
Rthe possibility of strong rada rreflections, for
example, in parkin ggarages .
Ranarrow vehicl etraveling in front, e.g .a
motorbike
Rav ehicl etraveling in front on adifferent line
Due to the nature of the system ,particularly
complicate dbutnon-critical drivin gconditions
maya lsoc ause the system to displa yawarning.
If yo ufailtoa dapt your drivin gstyle ,the dis-
tance warning functio ncan neitherr educe the
ris kofana ccident nor override the laws of phys-
ics .The distance warning functio ncanno ttake
into account road, weather or trafficc onditions.
The distance warning functio ni
so nlyana id.
You
ar er esponsibl efor the distance to the vehicl ein
front, for vehicl espeed, braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuratio nand operatio nofthe
rada rsensor checked at aquali fied specialist
workshop .Thisa lsoa pplies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
Driving system s143
Driving an dparking
Z