2016 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK-Class ESP

ently of each other in certain frontal collision
situations:
RFront air bags as well as driver's and front-
passenger knee bags
The front-passenger front air bag is activated or deactivated depending on the person on
the front-passenger seat. The front-
passenger front air bag can only deploy in an
accident if the PASSENGER AIR BAG ON indi- cator lamp is lit. Observe the information on
the PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps
(
Ypage 41).
Your vehicle has two-stage front air bags.
During the first deployment stage, the front
air bag is filled with propellant gas to reduce
the risk of injuries. The front air bag is fully
deployed with the maximum amount of pro-
pellant gas if a second deployment threshold
is reached within a few milliseconds.
The activation threshold of the Emergency
Tensioning Devices and the air bag are deter-
mined by evaluating the rate of vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration which occurs at vari-
ous points in the vehicle. This process is pre- emptive in nature. Deployment should take
place in good time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen-
tially determined by:
Rthe distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
Rthe collision angle
Rthe deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
Rthe characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided
Factors which can only be seen and measured
after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an air bag.
Nor do they provide an indication of air bag
deployment.
The vehicle can be deformed considerably,
without an air bag being deployed. This is the case if only parts which are relatively easily
deformed are affected and the rate of decel-
eration is not high. Conversely, air bags may be deployed even though the vehicle suffers
only minor deformation. This is the case if, for
example, very rigid vehicle parts such as lon-
gitudinal body members are hit
, and sufficient
deceleration occurs as a result.
If the restraint system control unit detects a
side impact or if the vehicle rolls over, the
applicable components of the restraint sys-
tem are activated independently of each
other depending on the apparent type of acci-
dent.
RSide impact air bag on the side of impact,
independently of the Emergency Tension-
ing Device and the use of the seat belt on
the driver's seat
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side deploys under the following
conditions:
-the OCS system detects that the front-
passenger seat is occupied or
-the belt tongue is engaged in the belt
buckle of the front-passenger seat
RHead bag on the side of impact, independ-
ently of the use of the seat belt and inde-
pendently of whether the front-passenger
seat is occupied
REmergency Tensioning Devices, if the sys-
tem determines that deployment can offer
additional protection in this situation
RHead bags on the driver's and front-
passenger side in certain situations when
the vehicle rolls over, if the system deter-
mines that deployment can offer additional protection to that provided by the seat belt
iNot all air bags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The different air bag systems work
independently of each other.
How the air bag system works is deter-
mined by the severity of the accident detec-
ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration and the apparent type of acci-
dent:
Rfrontal collision
Rside impact
Rrollover
Occupant safety55
Safety
Z

Removingth echild restrain tsystem and
deactivatin gth especial seat belt retractor:
XMak esur eyou observ eth echild restrain t
system manufacturer' sinstallation instruc -
tions.
XPress th erelease butto nof th eseat belt
buckle, hold th ebelt tongue and guide it
bac ktoward sth ebelt loop .
The special seat belt retracto ris deactiva-
ted.
Chil drestraint system
The use of seat belt sand child restrain tsys-
tems is require dby law in :
Rall 50 state s
RtheU.S. territories
Rth eDistric tof Columbia
Rall Canadian province s
You can obtain further information about th e
correc tchild restrain tsystem from any
authorize dMercedes-Ben zCenter.
GWARNIN G
If th echild restrain tsystem is installed incor-
rectl yon asuitable seat ,it canno tprotect as
intended. The child canno tthen be restrained
in th eevent of an accident, heav ybrakin gor
sudden changes of direction .There is an
increase dris kof injury, possibl yeve nfatal.
Mak esur ethat you observ eth echild restrain t
system manufacturer' sinstallation instruc -
tion sand th enote son use. Pleas eensure,
that th ebase of th echild restrain tsystem is
always resting completely on th eseat cush-
ion .Never plac eobjects ,e.g. cushions, under
or behin dth echild restrain tsystem. Only use
child restrain tsystems wit hth eoriginal cover
designed for them. Only replac edamaged
cover swit hgenuin ecovers.
GWARNIN G
If th echild restrain tsystem is installed incor-
rectl yor is no tsecured ,it can come loos ein
th eevent of an accident, heav ybrakin gor a
sudden chang ein direction .The child
restrain tsystem could be throw nabout ,strik -
in g vehicl eoccupants. There is an increase d
ris kof injury, possibl yeve nfatal.
Always install child restrain tsystems prop-
erly, eve nif they are no tbein gused .Mak e
sur ethat you observ eth echild restrain tsys-
te m manufacturer' sinstallation instructions.
Further information on stowin gobjects ,lug-
gage and loads securel ycan be found under
“Stowin goptions/stowage compartments ”
(
Ypage 254).
GWARNIN G
Child restrain tsystems or their securin gsys-
tems whic hhav ebeen damaged or subjecte d
to aload in an acciden tcan no longer protect
as intended. The child canno tthen be
restrained in th eevent of an accident, heav y
brakin gor sudden changes of direction .There
is an increase dris kof injury, possibl yeve n
fatal.
Replac echild restrain tsystems whic hhav e
been damaged or subjecte dto aload in an
acciden tas soo nas possible. Hav eth esecur-
in g systems on th echild restrain tsystem
checke dat aqualified specialist workshop ,
before you install achild restrain tsystem
again .
The securin gsystem of child restrain tsys-
tems is th eseat belt system.
iIf you install achild restrain tsystem on
th efront-passenger seat ,be sur eto read
and follow th einformation on th e"Occu-
pan tClassification Syste m(OCS)"
(
Ypage 49). There you will also fin dinfor -
mation on deactivatin gth efront-passenger
fron tair bag.
Al lchild restrain tsystems mus tmee tth efol -
lowin gstandards :
RU.S. Federal Motor Vehicl eSafet yStand -
ards 21 3and 22 5
RCanadian Motor Vehicl eSafet yStandards
21 3and 210. 2
Children in the vehicle59
Safety
Z

Confirmation that the child restraint system
corresponds to the standards canbefound
on an instruction label on the child restraint
system. This confirmation can also befound
in the installation instructions that are inclu-
ded with the ch ildrestraint system.
Observe the warning labels inthe vehicle inte-
rior and on the child restraint system.
Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes
If you install a child restraint system onto the
front-passenger seat, always observe the
instructions and safety notes on the "Occu-
pant Classification System (OCS)"
(
Ypage 49).
You can thus avoid the risks that could arise
as a result of:
Ran incorrect lycategorized person inthe
front-passenger seat
Rthe unintentional deactivation of the front-
passenger front air bag
Rthe unsuita blepositioning of the child
restraint system, e.g. too close to the dash-
board
Rearward-facing child restraint system
If it is absolute lynecessary to install a rear-
ward-facing ch ildrestraint system on the
front-passenger seat, always make sure that
the front-passenger front air bag is deactiva-
te d. Only if the PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp ispermanently lit (
Ypage 41)
is the front-passenger front air bag deactiva-
te d.
Always observe the child restraint system
manufacturer's installation and operating
instructions.
Forward-facing child restraint system
If you secure a ch ild ina forward-facing ch ild
restraint system on the front-passenger seat,
always move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible. The entire base of the ch ild
restraint system must always rest on the seat
cushion of the front-passenger seat. The
backrest of the ch ildrestraint system must lie
as flat as possible against the backrest of the
front-passenger seat. The ch ildrestraint sys-
tem must not touch the roof or besubjected
to a load bythe head restraint. Adjust the
ang leof the seat backrest and the head
restraint position accordingly. Always make
sure that the shoulder belt strap iscorrect ly
routed from the front-passenger seat belt
loop to the shoulder beltguide on the ch ild
restraint system. The shoulder belt strap
must berouted forwards and downwards
from the front-passenger seat beltloop.
Always observe the ch ildrestraint system
manufacturer's installation and operating
instructions.
Pets in the vehicle
GWARNIN G
If you leav eanimals unattended or unsecured
in th evehicle, they could press buttons or
switches, for example .
As aresult ,they could:
Ractivat evehicl eequipmen tand become
trapped ,for example
Ractivat eor deactivate systems ,thereby
endangering other road user s
Unsecured animals could also be flun garoun d
th evehicl ein th eevent of an acciden tor sud-
den steering or braking ,thereby injurin gvehi-
cle occupants. Ther eis aris kof an acciden t
and injury.
Never leav eanimals unattended in th evehi-
cle .Always secure animals properly durin g
th ejourney, e.g. use asuitable animal trans -
por tbox .
60Pets in the vehicle
Safety

Drivingsafet ysystems
Overview of drivin gsafet ysystems
In this section ,you will fin dinformation about
th efollowing drivin gsafet ysystems :
RABS (Anti-loc kBrakin gSystem)
(
Ypage 61)
RBA S (B rake Assist System) (Ypage 62)
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU S
(distanc ewarnin gfunction and Adaptive
Brak eAssist) (
Ypage 62)
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(
Ypage 65)
REB D (Electroni cBrak eforc eDi stribution )
(
Ypage 69)
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 69 )
Important safet ynotes
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle or if you
are inattentive ,th edrivin gsafet ysystems can
neither reduce th eris kof an acciden tno r
override th elaws of physics. Driving safet y
systems are merely aids designed to assist
driving. You are responsible fo rmaintainin g
th edistanc eto th evehicle in front, fo rvehicle
speed, fo rbraking in goo dtime, and fo rstay-
in gin lane. Always adapt your drivin gstyle to
suit th eprevailin groad and weather condi-
tion sand maintain asaf edistanc efrom th e
vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The drivin gsafet ysystems described only
wor kas effectively as possible when there is
adequat econtact between th etires and th e
road surface. Please pay special attention to
th enote son tires ,recommended minimum
tire tread depths, etc. (
Ypage 308).
In wintr ydrivin gconditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )and if necessary, snow
chains. Only in this way will th edrivin gsafet y
systems described in this section wor kas
effectively as possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
AB Sregulates brake pressure in suc h away
that th ewheels do no tloc kwhen you brake .
Thi sallow syou to continue steerin gth evehi-
cl e when braking .
The ! ABSwarnin glamp in th einstrumen t
cluster lights up when th eignition is switched
on .It goe sout when th eengin eis running .
AB Sworks from aspeed of about 5mph
(8 km/h), regardles sof road-surfac econdi-
tions. AB Sworks on slipper ysurfaces, eve n
when you only brake gently.
Important safet ynotes
iObserv eth e"Important safet ynotes" sec -
tion (
Ypage 61).
GWARNING
If AB Sis faulty, th ewheels could loc kwhen
braking .The steerability and braking charac -
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition -
ally, further drivin gsafet ysystems are deac -
tivated. There is an increase ddanger of skid-
din gand accidents .
Drive on carefully. Hav eAB Schecke dimme-
diately at aqualified specialis tworkshop .
WhenAB Sis malfunctioning, other systems ,
includin gdrivin gsafet ysystems ,will also
becom einoperative .Observ eth einformation
on th eAB Swarnin glamp (
Ypage 243) and
display message swhic hmay be shown in th e
instrumen tcluster (
Ypage 212).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress th e
brake peda lvigorousl yuntil th ebraking sit -
uation is over.
XTo make afull brak eapplication:
depress th ebrake peda lwit hfull force.
If AB Sintervenes when braking ,you will feel a
pulsin gin th ebrake pedal.
Driving safety systems61
Safety
Z

Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assist reacts to
stationary obstacles.
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
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.
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.
Detection of hazardous situations can be par-
ticularly impaired by:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is snow or heavy rain
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for
example in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle traveling in front on a different line
Rnew vehicles after the first few kilometers
of driving or after the COLLISION PREVEN-
TION ASSIST PLUS system has been serv-
iced
Observe the important safety notes in the
"Breaking-in notes" section (
Ypage 138).
Following damage to the front end of the vehi- cle, have the configuration and operation of
the radar sensor checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop. This also applies to colli-
sions at low speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 61).
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
Driving safety systems65
Safety
Z

pulling away on wet or slippery roads. ESP®
can also stabilize the vehicle during braking.
ETS (Electronic Traction System)
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 61).
ETS traction control is part of ESP
®.
ETS brakes the drive wheels individually 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 transferred to
the wheel or wheels with traction.
ETS remains active when you deactivate
ESP
®.
iMercedes-AMG vehicles: your vehicle
may be equipped with 20-inch tires on the
rear axle. After changing to 19 inch wheels,
ETS may intervene noticeably earlier during
the first few kilometers. After approx-
imately 10 km ETS will function as usual
again. Information on the dimensions and
types of wheels and tires for your vehicle
can be found in the "Wheel/tire combina-
tions" section (
Ypage 335).
Important safety notes
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.
When towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised, observe the notes on ESP®
(Ypage 303).
ESP
®is only deactivated if the åwarning
lamp is lit continuously.
If the ÷ warning lamp and the åwarn-
ing lamp are lit continuously, ESP
®not avail-
able due to a malfunction. Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 245) and display messages which
may be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 212).
iOnly 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 auto-
matically 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.
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®(except
Mercedes ‑AMG vehicles)
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 61).
66Driving safety systems
Safety

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
iActivate 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
®
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.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
(Mercedes ‑AMG vehicles)
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 61).
You can select between the following states
of ESP
®:
RESP®is activated.
RSPORT handling mode is activated.
RESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
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.
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.
Driving safety systems67
Safety
Z

In the following situations, it may be better to
activate SPORT handling mode or deactivate
ESP
®:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Ron 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.
iActivate 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
®
XTo activate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
The SPORT handling mode
message
appears in the multifunction display.
XTo deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster goes out.
XTo deactivate ESP®: press button :until
the å ESP®OFF warning lamp lights up
in the instrument cluster.
The ÷ OFF
message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
XTo activate ESP®: briefly press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out. The ÷
ESP
®ONmessage appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Characteristics of activated SPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handling mode is activated and one
or more wheels start to spin, the ÷ESP
®
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes. ESP®only stabilizes the vehicle to a
limited degree.
When SPORT handling mode is activated:
RESP®only improves driving stability to a
limited degree.
Rtraction control is still activated.
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.
Rthe engine's torque is restricted only to a
limited degree and the drive wheels can
spin. The spinning of the wheels results in a
cutting action, which provides better grip.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
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.
68Driving safety systems
Safety