2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class ESP

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Auxiliary Battery
Malfunction
The auxiliarybattery fo rth eautomati ctransmissio nis no longer
bein gcharged.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop at th enext opportunity.
XUnti lthen ,set th etransmissio nto position Pbefore you switch
of fth eengine.
XBefore leavin gth evehicle, apply th eelectric parkin gbrake.
NThe trunk lid is open .
XCloseth etrunk lid.
MThe hoo dis open .
GWARNIN G
The open hoo dmay bloc kyour vie wwhen th evehicl eis in motion .
There is aris kof an accident.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 171).
XCloseth ehood.
CAt leas ton edoo ris open . Awarnin gtone also sounds.
XClos eall th edoors .
Ð
PowerSteeringMal‐
function See Oper‐
ator's Manual
The powe rsteerin gis malfunctioning.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
GWARNIN G
You will need to use mor eforc eto steer .
There is aris kof an accident.
XChec kwhether you are able to apply th eextr aforc erequired.
XIf you ar eabl eto steer safely: carefully drive on to aqualified
specialist workshop .
XIf you areunable to steer safely :do no tdrive on .Contac tth e
neares tqualified specialist workshop .
J
Trunk Partition
Open
The trunk partition is open .
XCloseth etrunk partition (Ypage 103).
Display messages267
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Phone No ServiceYour vehicleis outside th enetwork provider' stransmitter/
receiver range.
XWait until th emobile phone operational readiness symbol
appears in th emultifunction display.
K
Decrease Speed
You wante dto open th eroo fwhile th evehicl ewas in motion .
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XOpe nth eroo f (Ypage 101).
K
Vario-Roo fLower‐
ing
The roo fis no tfull yopened or closed .The hydraulic sare depres-
surized.
XFull yopen or close th eroo f (Ypage 101).
K
Open/Clos eVario-
Roo fCompletel y
The roofis no tlocked.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XPush or pull and hold th eroo fswitch until th eroo fis full yopen
or closed (
Ypage 101).
K
Start Engine See
Operator' sManual
The on-boar dvoltag eis to olow.
XStart th eengine.
XAfte rapproximately te nseconds, repeat th eopenin gor closin g
procedure (
Ypage 101).
The roofhas been opened and closed several times in arow .The
roo fdrive has been switched of fautomatically fo rsafet yreasons.
You can open and close th eroo fagain after approximately te n
minutes.
XSwitc hof fth eignition and tur nit bac kon .
XRepea tth eopenin gor closin gprocedure (Ypage 101).
Close Rea rSid e
Window s
You leav eth evehicl eand at leas ton erear side window is open .
XCloseth eside windows (Ypage 98).
¥
Check Washer Fluid
The washer flui dlevel in th ewasher flui dreservoir has dropped
belo wtheminimum .
XAddwasher flui d (Ypage 539).
268Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Wiper Malfunction‐
ing
The windshield wipersare malfunctioning.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
Hazard Warning
Flashers Malfunc‐
tioning
The hazard warnin glamp sare faulty.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
SmartKey
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
Â
Key DoesNot
Belong to Vehicl e
You haveput th ewrong SmartKey in th eignition lock.
XUse th ecorrec tSmartKey.
Â
Tak eYourKeyfrom
Ignition
The SmartKey is in th eignition lock.
XRemove th eSmartKey.
Â
Obtain aNew Key
The SmartKey needs to be replaced.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
Â
ReplaceKeyBattery
The SmartKey battery is discharged.
XChange th ebattery (Ypage 86) .
Â
Don't Forget You r
Key
The SmartKey is notin th eignition lock. You hav eopened th e
driver's doo rwit hth eengin eswitched off.
The multifunction display shows th edisplay message amaximum
of 60 seconds and is simply areminder .
XTaketh eSmartKey wit hyou when you leav eth evehicle.
Â
Key Not Detected
(re ddisplay message )
The SmartKey is no tin th evehicle.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
If th eengin eis switched off, you can no longer loc kth evehicl e
centrall yor start th eengine.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 171).
XLocate th eSmartKey.
XPress aon thesteerin gwhee lto confirm th edisplay mes -
sage .
Display messages269
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Becausethere is interferenc efrom astron gsource of radi owaves,
th eke yis no tdetecte dwhils tth eengin eis running .
A warnin gtone also sounds.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 171).
XInsertth eSmartKey into th eignition loc kand bring into ke y
mode.
Â
Key Not Detected
(whit edisplay mes -
sage )
The SmartKey is currentl yundetected.
XChange th elocation of th eSmartKey in th evehicle.
If th eSmartKey still canno tbe detected:
XInser tth eSmartKey into th eignition loc kand tur nit to th e
desire dposition .
Â
Remove'Start'But‐
ton and Insert Key
The SmartKey is continually undetected.
KEYLESS-GO is temporarily malfunctionin gor is defective. Awarn -
in g tone also sounds.
XInser tth eSmartKey into th eignition loc kand tur nit to th e
desire dposition .
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
Warning and indicator lamps
General notes
Some systems carry outaself-diagnosi swhen th eignition is switched on .Therefore ,som e
indicato rand warnin glamp smay ligh tup or flas htemporarily. This behavio ris non-critical.
These indicato rand warnin glamp sonly indicate amalfunction if they ligh tup or flas hafter
startin gth eengin eor whils tdriving.
270Warning and indicator lamps
On-board computer and displays

Safety systems
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
$(USA only)
J (Canada only)
The red brake system
warning lamp comes on
while the engine is run-
ning. A warning tone
also sounds.There is not enough brake fluid in the brake fluid reservoir.
GWARNING
The braking effect may be impaired.
There is a risk of an accident.
XPull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions. Do not continue driving
under any circumstances.
XSecure the vehicle against rolling away (Ypage 171).
XDo not add brake fluid. Adding more will not remedy the mal-
function.
XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
!
The yellow ABS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running.ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) is deactivated due to a malfunc-
tion. BAS (Brake Assist), BAS PLUS, ESP®(Electronic Stability
Program), PRE‑ SAFE®, PRE‑SAFE®Brake, the HOLD function and
hill start assist are therefore also deactivated, for example.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affec-
ted. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can
increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
If the ABS control unit is faulty, there is also a possibility that other
systems, such as the navigation system or the automatic trans-
mission, will not be available.
272Warning and indicator lamps
On-board computer and displays

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
!
The yellow ABS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running.ABS is temporarily unavailable. BAS, BAS PLUS, ESP®, EBD (elec-
tronic brake force distribution), PRE‑SAFE®, PRE‑SAFE®Brake, the
HOLD function, hill start assist are therefore also deactivated, for example.
Possible causes are:
Rself-diagnosis is not yet complete.
Rthe on-board voltage may be insufficient.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The front and rear wheels could therefore
lock if you brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affec-
ted. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can
increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is a risk of an accident.
XCarefully drive a suitable distance, making slight steering move-
ments at a speed above 12 mph (20 km/h).
The functions mentioned above are available again when the
warning lamp goes out.
If the warning lamp is still on:
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
Warning and indicator lamps273
On-board computer and displays
Z

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
!
The yellow ABS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running. A
warning tone also
sounds.EBD is not available due to a malfunction. Therefore, ABS, BAS,
BAS PLUS, ESP®, PRE-SAFE®, PRE-SAFE®Brake, the HOLD func-
tion and hill start assist are also unavailable, for example.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The front and rear wheels could therefore
lock if you brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affec-
ted. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can
increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
$ (USA only)
J (Canada only)
֌!
The red brake warning
lamp, the yellow ESP
®
and ESP®OFF warning
lamps and the yellow
ABS warning lamp are
lit while the engine is
running.
ABS and ESP®are not available due to a malfunction. Therefore,
BAS, BAS PLUS, EBD, PRE ‑SAFE®, PRE‑SAFE®Brake, the HOLD
function and hill start assist, for example, are not available either.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
GWARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The front and rear wheels could therefore
lock if you brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affec-
ted. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can
increase.
If ESP
®is not operational, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XObserve the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
XDrive on carefully.
XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
274Warning and indicator lamps
On-board computer and displays

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
÷
The yellow ESP
®warn-
ing lamp flashes while
the vehicle is in motion.
ESP®or traction control has intervened because there is a risk of
skidding or at least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
XWhen pulling away, only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary.
XEase off the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is in motion.
XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
XDo not deactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypage 75) , it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP
®(Ypage 74).
å
The yellow ESP
®OFF
warning lamp is lit while
the engine is running.
ESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If ESP®is switched off, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
Further driving systems or driving safety systems are thus restric-
ted, e.g. Active Blind Spot Assist. The system does not perform
course-correcting brake applications.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XReactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypage 75) , it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP
®(Ypage 74).
XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
If ESP
®cannot be activated:
XDrive on carefully.
XHave ESP®checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
M
Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles only:
The yellow SPORT han-
dling mode warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running.SPORT handling mode is activated.
GWARNING
When SPORT handling mode is switched on, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XOnly switch on SPORT handling mode in certain situations
(
Ypage 76).
Warning and indicator lamps275
On-board computer and displays
Z