2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER ESP inoperative

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are
inattentive, the driving safety systems can nei-
ther reduce the risk of an accident nor override the laws of physics. Driving safety systems are
merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible for maintaining the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in
good time, and for staying in lane. Always adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather conditions and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The driving safety systems described only work
as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quate contact between the tyres and the road
surface. Pay particular attention to the informa- tion regarding tyres, recommended minimum
tyre tread depths etc. in the "Wheels and tyres" section (Y page 304).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tyres (M+S tyres) and, if necessary, snow
chains. Only in this way will the driving safety
systems described in this section work as effec-
tively as possible. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General notes ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way that
the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allows you to continue steering the vehicle when braking.
The ! ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out when the engine is running.
ABS works from a speed of about 8 km/h,
regardless of road-surface conditions. ABS
works on slippery surfaces, even when you only brake gently.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 62). G
WARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac- tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop.
If ABS is malfunctioning, other systems, includ-
ing driving safety systems, will also become
inoperative. Observe the information on the ABS warning lamp (Y page 246) and display mes-
sages which may be shown in the instrument
cluster (Y page 217).
Brakes X
If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal with force until the braking sit-
uation is over.
X To make a full brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions; this serves as a
reminder to take extra care while driving. BAS (Brake Assist)
General notes BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 62). G
WARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking. 62
Driving safety systemsSafety

Safety systems
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions !÷
currently unavaila‐
currently unavaila‐
ble ble See
SeeOwner's
Owner's Man‐
Man‐
ual
ual ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Pro-
gram) are temporarily unavailable.
Other driving and driving safety systems may also be faulty.
In addition, the ÷,åand! warning lamps light up in the
instrument cluster.
Possible causes:
R self-diagnosis is not yet complete
R the on-board voltage may be insufficient
G WARNING
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 affected. The braking distance may increase in an emergency braking situation.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilise the vehicle.
There is an increased danger of skidding and risk of an accident.
X Carefully drive on a suitable stretch of road, making slight steering
movements at a speed above 20 km/h.
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned above
are available again.
If the multifunction display still shows the display message: X Drive on carefully.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. !÷
inoperative inoperative See
See Own‐
Own‐
er's Manual
er's Manual ABS and ESP
®
are faulty.
Other driving and driving safety systems may also be faulty.
In addition, the J,÷, åand! warning lamps light up in
the instrument cluster.
G WARNING
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 affected. The braking distance may increase in an emergency braking situation.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilise the vehicle.
There is an increased danger of skidding and risk of an accident.
X Drive on carefully.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. Display messages
217On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions ÷
currently unavaila‐ currently unavaila‐
ble ble
See
SeeOwner's
Owner's Man‐
Man‐
ual
ual ESP
®
is temporarily unavailable.
Other driving and driving safety systems may also be faulty.
In addition, the ÷andå warning lamps light up in the instru-
ment cluster.
The self-diagnosis function, for example, may not be complete.
G WARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above.
The braking distance may thus increase in an emergency braking sit-
uation.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilise the vehicle.
There is an increased danger of skidding and risk of an accident.
X Carefully drive on a suitable stretch of road, making slight steering
movements at a speed above 20 km/h.
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned above are available again.
If the multifunction display still shows the display message:
X Drive on carefully.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. ÷
inoperative inoperative
See SeeOwn‐
Own‐
er's Manual
er's Manual ESP
®
is faulty.
Other driving and driving safety systems may also be faulty.
In addition, the ÷andå warning lamps light up in the instru-
ment cluster.
G WARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above.
The braking distance may thus increase in an emergency braking sit-
uation.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilise the vehicle.
There is an increased danger of skidding and risk of an accident.
X Drive on carefully.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. 218
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions T!
÷
inoperative inoperative See
SeeOwn‐
Own‐
er's Manual
er's Manual EBD (electronic brake force distribution), ABS and ESP
®
are faulty.
Other driving and driving safety systems may also be faulty.
In addition, the ÷,åand! warning lamps light up in the
instrument cluster and a warning tone sounds.
G WARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the
functions listed above. The front and rear wheels could therefore lock, for example, if you brake hard.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affected.The braking distance may increase in an emergency braking situation.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilise the vehicle.
There is an increased danger of skidding and risk of an accident.
X Drive on carefully.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop immediately. !
Turn on the igni‐ Turn on the igni‐
tion tion
to
torelease
release the
the
parking brake
parking brake The red
!indicator lamp lights up.
You attempted to release the electric parking brake while the ignition
was switched off.
X Key: turn the key to position 1in the ignition lock.
X KEYLESS-GO: switch on the ignition. !
Release parking Release parking
brake brake The red
!indicator lamp flashes and a warning tone sounds. A
condition for automatic release of the electric parking brake is not
fulfilled (Y page 154).
You are driving with the electric parking brake applied.
X Release the electric parking brake manually. The red
!indicator lamp flashes and a warning tone sounds.
You are making an emergency stop using the electric parking brake
(Y page 154). !
Parking brake See Parking brake See
Owner's Manual Owner's Manual The yellow
!warning lamp lights up.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.
To apply:
X Switch the ignition off.
X Press the electric parking brake lever for at least ten seconds.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Display
messages
219On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Active
Active
Brake
BrakeAssist
Assist
Functions
Functions currently
currently
limited
limited See
SeeOwner's
Owner's
Manual
Manual Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function or PRE
‑SAFE®
PLUS is
deactivated and temporarily inoperative.
Possible causes:
R The system is outside the operating temperature range.
R The on-board voltage is too low.
R The radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio stations or
other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
R Mercedes-AMG vehicles: ESP ®
is deactivated.
Once the causes listed above no longer apply, the display message
goes out.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function and PRE ‑SAFE®
PLUS
are functional again.
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 153).
X Restart the engine.
X Mercedes-AMG vehicles: reactivate ESP ®
(Y page 70). Act. Brake Assist Act. Brake Assist
Functions limited Functions limited
See Owner's Manual See Owner's Manual
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function or PRE
‑SAFE®
PLUS is
not available due to a fault.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Display
messages
223On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Further information on the automatic front-passenger front airbag
deactivation feature (Y page 46).Lights
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions b
Left dipped beam Left dipped beam
(Example) The corresponding bulb is faulty.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
or X Check whether you are permitted to replace the bulb yourself
(Y page 118).
LED light bulbs: the display message for the corresponding lamp only appears when all the LEDs in the lamp have failed. b
Intell. Light Sys‐ Intell. Light Sys‐
tem inoperative tem inoperative The Intelligent Light System is faulty. The lights remain available with-
out the Intelligent Light System.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. b
Malfunction Malfunction
See
SeeOwn‐
Own‐
er's Manual
er's Manual The exterior lighting is faulty.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. b
AUTO lights inoper‐ AUTO lights inoper‐
ative ative The light sensor is faulty.
X
Consult a qualified specialist workshop. b
Switch off lights Switch off lights The lights are still switched on when you leave the vehicle. A warning
tone also sounds.
X Turn the light switch to the Ãposition. Adaptive Highbeam
Adaptive Highbeam
Assist Plus cur‐ Assist Plus cur‐
rently unavailable rently unavailable
See Owner's Manual See Owner's Manual Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus is deactivated and temporarily inop-
erative.
Possible causes:
R The windscreen is dirty in the camera's field of vision.
R Visibility is impaired due to heavy rain, snow or fog.
X Clean the windscreen.
If the system detects that the camera is fully operational again, the Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus available again Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus available again message is
displayed.
Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus is operational again. Adaptive Highbeam Adaptive Highbeam
Assist Plus inoper‐ Assist Plus inoper‐
ative ative Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus is faulty.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 228
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions You inadvertently touched the multifunction steering wheel while
steering intervention was active.
X While steering intervention is active, make sure not to touch the
multifunction steering wheel. The vehicle has started to skid and ESP
®
has intervened.
X Use the Parking Pilot again later (Y page 183).Parking Pilot inop‐ Parking Pilot inop‐
erative erative You have just carried out a large number of turning or parking manoeu-
vres.
Parking Pilot will become available again after approximately ten
minutes (Y page 183).
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Switch off and restart the engine.
If the multifunction display still shows the display message: X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Parking Pilot is malfunctioning.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Parking Pilot ended Parking Pilot ended The vehicle is parked. A warning tone also sounds.
The display message disappears automatically. Distance Pilot off
Distance Pilot off Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated (Y
page 161).
If it was deactivated automatically, a warning tone also sounds. Distance Pilot
Distance Pilot
available again available again Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is operational again after having been tem-
porarily unavailable. You can now reactivate Distance Pilot
DISTRONIC (Y page 161). Distance Pilot cur‐
Distance Pilot cur‐
rently unavailable rently unavailable
See Owner's Manual See Owner's Manual Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is temporarily inoperative.
Steering Pilot and Stop&Go Pilot are also temporarily inoperative.
Possible causes:
R The radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radio stations or other sources of electromagnetic radiation.
R The system is outside the operating temperature range.
R The on-board voltage is too low.
A warning tone also sounds.
Once the causes listed above no longer apply, the display message
goes out.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is operational again.
If the display message does not disappear:
X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions.
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 153).
X Restart the engine. 234
Display
messagesOn-board computer and displays

Tyres
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Tyre
Tyre
pressure
pressure Check
Check
tyre(s)
tyre(s) The tyre pressure loss warning system has detected a significant loss
in pressure.
A warning tone also sounds.
Possible causes:
R you have changed the positions of the wheels and tyres or fitted new
wheels and tyres
R The tyre pressure in one or more tyres has dropped
G WARNING
Underinflated tyres pose the following risks:
R the tyres may burst, especially as the load and vehicle speed
increase
R the tyres may wear excessively and/or unevenly, which may greatly
impair tyre traction
R the driving characteristics, as well as steering and braking, may be
greatly impaired
There is a risk of an accident.
X Stop the vehicle without making any sudden steering or braking
manoeuvres. Pay attention to the traffic conditions as you do so.
X Safeguard the vehicle against rolling away (Y page 153).
X Check the tyres and, if necessary, follow the instructions for a flat
tyre (Y page 289).
X Check the tyre pressures and, if necessary, correct the tyre pres-
sure.
X Restart the tyre pressure loss warning system when the tyre pres-
sure is correct (Y page 309). Check tyre pres‐ Check tyre pres‐
sures then restart sures then restart
Run Flat Indicator Run Flat Indicator The tyre pressure loss warning system generated a display message
and has not been restarted since.
X Set the correct tyre pressure in all four tyres.
X Restart the tyre pressure loss warning system (Y page 309).Run Flat Indicator Run Flat Indicator
inoperative inoperative The tyre pressure loss warning system is faulty.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Rectify tyre pres‐
Rectify tyre pres‐
sure sure The tyre pressure is too low in at least one of the tyres, or the tyre
pressure difference between the wheels is too great.
X Check the tyre pressures at the next opportunity (Y page 309).
X If necessary, correct the tyre pressure.
X Restart the tyre pressure monitor (Y page 311). Display
messages
237On-board computer and displays Z