Drivingsafet ysystems
Overview of drivin gsafet ysystems
In this section ,you will fin dinformation about
th efollowin gdrivin gsafet ysystems :
RABS (Anti-loc kBrakin gSystem)
(Ypage 60)
RBA S (B rakeAssist System) (Ypage 60)
RActive Brak eAssis t (Ypage 61 )
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Ypage 63)
REB D (Electroni cBrak eforc eDistribution )
(Ypage 66 )
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 66 )
RSTEERCONTROL (Ypage 66)
Important safet ynotes
If you fail to adapt your drivin gstyle or if you are
inattentive ,th edrivin gsafet ysystems can nei-
ther reduce th eris kof an acciden tno roverride
th elaws of physics. Driving safet ysystems are
merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible fo rmaintainin gth edistanc eto th e
vehicle in front, fo rvehicle speed, fo rbraking in
goo dtime, and fo rstayin gin lane. Always adapt
your drivin gstyle to suit th eprevailin groad and
weather condition sand maintain asaf edistanc e
from th evehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The drivin gsafet ysystems described only wor k
as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quat econtact between th etires and th eroad
surface. Please pay special attention to th e
note son tires ,recommended minimum tire
tread depths, etc. (
Ypage 282).
In wintr ydrivin gconditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )and if necessary, snow chains.
Only in this way will the driving safety systems
described in this section work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
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 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you
only brake gently.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 60).
GWARNING
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.
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 218) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 189).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit-
uation is over.
XTo 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, and functions as a reminder to take extra care while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
60Driving safety systems
Safety
Important safety notes
iObserveth e"Importan tsafet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 60).
GWARNIN G
If BA Sis malfunctioning ,th ebraking distanc e
in an emergenc ybraking situation is
increased. Ther eis aris kof an accident.
In an emergenc ybraking situation ,depress
th ebrak epedal wit hfull force .AB Sprevents
th ewheels from locking.
Braking
XKee pth ebrak epedal firmly depressed until
th eemergenc ybraking situation is over.
AB Sprevents th ewheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release th ebrak epedal .BA Sis deactivated.
Active Brake Assist
General information
iObserv eth e"Importan tsafet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 60).
Active Brake Assist consist sof adistanc ewarn -
ing function wit han autonomous braking func-
tion and braking assistanc eappropriat eto th e
situation .
Active Brake Assist can help you to minimiz eth e
ris kof acollision wit hth evehicl etraveling in
fron tor reduce th eeffects of suc h acollision .
If Active Brake Assist detects that there is aris k
of collision ,you will be warned visually and
acoustically. If you do no treac tto th evisual and
audible collision warning ,autonomous braking
can be initiate din critical situations. If you apply
th ebrak eyourself in acritical situation ,Adap-
tive Brake Assist support syou wit hbraking
assistanc eappropriat eto th esituation .
Important safety notes
Detection of hazardous situation scan be par-
ticularly impaired by:
Rthere is dirt on th esensor sor anythin gelse
covering th esensor s
Rthere is snow or heav yrain
Rthere is interferenc eby other radar source s
Rthere are strongradar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicl eis traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicl eis traveling in fron ton adifferen tlin e
Rne wvehicles or after servicing is carrie dout
on th eActive Brake Assist system
Observ eth eimportant safet ynote sin th e
"Breaking-in notes" section (
Ypage 120).
Followin gdamag eto th efron ten dof th evehicle,
hav eth econfiguration and operation of th e
radar sensor checke dat aqualified specialist
workshop. This also applie sto collision sat low
speeds wher eno visible damag eto th efron tof
th evehicl eis apparent.
Activating/deactivating
Active Brake Assist is active after every ignition
cycle.
You can activat eor deactivat eActive Brake
Assist (
Ypage 182) in th eon-board computer.
When deactivated, th edistanc ewarning func-
tion and th eautonomous braking function are
also deactivated.
If Active Brake Assist is deactivated, th eæ
symbol appear sin th eassistanc egraphic dis-
play.
Distance warning function
Gene ral information
The distanc ewarning function can help you to
minimiz eth eris kof afront-en dcollision wit h a
vehicl eahead or reduce th eeffects of suc h a
collision .If th edistanc ewarning function
detects that there is aris kof acollision ,you will
be warned visually and acoustically.
Import ant safety notes
iObserveth e"Importan tsafet ynotes" sec -
tion for driving safet ysystems (Ypage 60).
GWARNIN G
The distanc ewarning function does no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
Driving safety systems61
Safety
Z
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 conditions
may also cause the system to display a warning.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obstacles
that are in the path of your vehicle for an exten-
ded 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 stop-
ped or parked vehicles.
Autonomous braking function
If the driver does not react to the distance warn-
ing signal in a critical situation, Active Brake
Assist can assist the driver with the autonomous
braking function. The autonomous braking function:
Rgives the driver more time to react to critical
driving situations
Rcan help the driver to avoid an accident or
Rreduces the effects of an accident
Vehicles without Distance Pilot DISTRONIC:
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
Vehicles with Distance Pilot DISTRONIC: the
autonomous braking function is available in the
following 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 conditions
may also cause the Autonomous Braking Func-
tion to intervene.
Braking assistance appropriate to the
situation
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 60).
With the help of the radar sensor system, Adap-
tive Brake Assist 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 colli-
sion with the vehicle in front, it calculates the
brake pressure necessary to avoid a collision. If
you apply the brakes forcefully, the braking
assistance adapts to the situation and automat-
ically increases the brake pressure to a degree
appropriate to the traffic situation.
Braking assistance appropriate to the situation
provides braking assistance in hazardous situa- tions at speeds above 4 mph (7 km/h). It uses
radar sensor technology to assess the traffic
situation.
Situation-dependent braking assistance is capa-
ble of reacting to moving objects that have
already been recognized as such at least once
over the period of observation, up to vehicle
speeds of around 155 mph (250 km/h).
62Driving safety systems
Safety
Vehicles without 4MATIC:when towing your
vehicle with the front axle raised, it is important
that you observe the notes on ESP
®
(Ypage 277).
If the å ESP®OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, ESP®is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP®warning lamp and the å
warning lamp are lit continuously, ESP®is not
available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 219) and display messages which may
be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 189).
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 prevailing
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 automatically when
the driver wants to pull away again. ESP
®
remains in its previously selected status. Exam-
ple: 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 60). 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.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cutting
action for better traction on loose surfaces.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing 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 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®
You can deactivate or activate ESP®via the on-
board computer (Ypage 182).
ESP®deactivated:
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
ESP
®activated:
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment 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 situations,
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.
64Driving safety systems
Safety
KEYLESS-GO
Gene ral notes
Bear in min dthat th eengin ecan be started by
any of th evehicl eoccupant sif there is aSmart -
Key in th evehicle.
Locking and unlocking
You can start ,loc kor unloc kth evehicl eusin g
KEYLESS-GO .To do this, you only need carry th e
SmartKey wit hyou. You can combine th efunc-
tion sof KEYLESS-GO wit hthose of aconven -
tional SmartKey. Unloc kth evehicl eby usin g
KEYLESS-GO ,for instance ,and loc kit usin gth e
& buttonon th eSmartKey.
The driver's door and th edoor at whic hth ehan -
dle is used ,mus tbot hbe closed. The SmartKey
mus tbe outside th evehicle. Whe nlocking or
unlocking wit hKEYLESS-GO ,th edistanc e
between th eSmartKey and th ecorresponding
door handle mus tno tbe greate rthan 3ft (1 m).
A chec kwhic hperiodically establishes aradi o
connection between th evehicl eand th eSmart -
Key determine swhether avalid SmartKey is in
th evehicle. This occurs, for example:
Rwhen starting th eengin e
Rwhile drivin g
Rwhen usingHANDS-FRE EACCESS
Rwhen th eexternal door handles are touched
Rduring convenience closin g
XTo unlock thevehicle: touch theinner sur -
fac eof th edoor handle.
XTo lock th evehicle: touch sensor surfac e:
or ;. Mak
esur ethat you do no ttouch th einner
surfac eof th edoor handle.
XConvenienc eclosin gfeature: touch
recessed sensor surfac e; for an extended
period.
Further information on th econvenience clos-
ing feature (
Ypage 82).
XTo unlock th etrunk lid :pull trunk lid han -
dle :.
Deactivating and activating
If you do no tinten dto use th evehicl efor alon -
ger period of time, you can deactivat eKEYLESS -
GO. The SmartKey will then use ver ylittl epower,
thereby conserving battery power. Fo rth epur-
poses of activation/deactivation ,th evehicl e
mus tno tbe nearby.
XTo deactivate: press the& buttonon th e
SmartKey twice in rapi dsuccession .
The battery chec klamp of th eSmartKey
flashes twice briefl yand lights up once ,then
KEYLESS-GO is deactivated (
Ypage 72).
XTo activate:press any butto non th eSmart -
Key.
or
XInser tth eSmartKey int oth eignition lock.
KEYLESS-GO and all of it sassociated features
are available again .
KEYLESS-GOstart function
Gene ral notes
Bear in min dthat th eengin ecan be started by
any of th evehicl eoccupant sif there is aSmart -
Key in th evehicle.
70SmartKey
Opening and closing
Changing the settings of the locking
system
You can change the settings of the locking sys-
tem. This means that only the driver's door and
the fuel filler flap are unlocked when the vehicle
is unlocked. This is useful if you frequently travel
on your own.
XTo change the setting:press and hold the
% and& buttons simultaneously for
approximately six seconds until the battery
indicator lamp flashes twice (
Ypage 72).
If the setting of the locking system is changed
within the signal range of the vehicle, pressing
the & or% button:
Rlocks or
Runlocks the vehicle
The SmartKey now functions as follows:
XTo unlock: press the%button once.
XTo unlock centrally: press the%button
twice.
XTo lock centrally: press the&button.
The KEYLESS-GO function is changed as fol-
lows:
XTo unlock the driver's door: touch the inner
surface of the door handle on the driver's
door.
XTo unlock centrally: touch the inner surface
of the door handle on the front-passenger
door or the rear door.
XTo lock centrally: touch the outer sensor
surface on one of the door handles.
XTo restore the factory settings: press and
hold the %and& buttons simultane-
ously for approximately six seconds until the
batter
y check lamp flashes twice
(Ypage 72).
Mechanical key
General notes
If the vehicle can no longer be locked or
unlocked with the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO,
use the mechanical key.
If you use the mechanical key to unlock and
open the driver's door or the trunk lid, the anti-
theft alarm system will be triggered (
Ypage 67). There are several ways to turn off the alarm:
XTo deactivate the alarm with the key:
press
the % or& button on the key.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or
XTo deactivate the alarm with KEYLESS-GO: press the Start/Stop button in the ignition
lock. The SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
or
XLock or unlock the vehicle using KEYLESS-
GO. The SmartKey must be outside the vehi-
cle.
If you unlock the vehicle using the mechanical
key, the fuel filler flap will not be unlocked auto- matically.
XTo unlock the fuel filler flap: insert the
SmartKey into the ignition lock.
Removing the mechanical key
XPush release catch :in the direction of the
arrow and at the same time remove mechan- ical key ;from the SmartKey.
For further information about:
RUnlocking the driver's door (Ypage 76)
RUnlocking the trunk (Ypage 80)
RLocking the vehicle (Ypage 76)
Inserting the mechanical key
XPush mechanical key ;completely into the
SmartKey until it engages and release
catch :is back in its basic position.
SmartKey71
Opening and closing
Z
Closing
XPull down the trunk lid using handle:.
XLet the trunk lid drop into the lock.
XIf necessary, lock the vehicle with the &
button on the SmartKey or with KEYLESS-GO.
Opening automatically from outside
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Exhaust
gases can enter the vehicle interior if the
trunk lid is open when the engine is running,
especially if the vehicle is in motion. There is a
risk of poisoning.
Always switch off the engine before opening
the trunk lid. Never drive with the trunk lid
open.
!The trunk lid swings upwards when opened.
Therefore, make sure that there is sufficient
clearance above the trunk lid.
iThe opening dimensions of the trunk lid can
be found under "Vehicle data" (Ypage 314).
Opening automatically
You can open the trunk lid automatically using
the SmartKey or the handle in the trunk lid.
XPress and hold the Fbutton on the Smart-
Key until the trunk lid opens.
or
XIf the trunk lid is unlocked, pull the trunk lid
handle and let it go again immediately.
HANDS-FREE ACCESS
Important safety notes
GWARNING
The vehicle's exhaust system may be very hot. You could burn yourself by touching the
exhaust system if you use HANDS-FREE
ACCESS. There is a risk of injury. Always
ensure that you only make the kicking move-
ment within the detection range of sensors.
!If the SmartKey is within the rear detection
range of KEYLESS-GO, the following situa-
tions, for example, could lead to the uninten-
tional opening of the trunk:
Rusing a car wash
Rusing a power washer
Make sure that the SmartKey is at least 10 ft
(3 m) away from the vehicle.
iYou can also deactivate KEYLESS-GO. Fur-
ther information on deactivating and activat-
ing KEYLESS-GO (
Ypage 70).
General notes
With KEYLESS-GO and HANDS-FREE ACCESS,
you can open the trunk lid without using your
hands. This is useful if you have your hands full. To do this, make a kicking movement under the
bumper with your foot.
Observe the following points:
RCarry your KEYLESS-GO key about your per-
son. The KEYLESS-GO key must be in the rear
detection range of the vehicle.
RWhen making the kicking movement, make
sure that you are standing firmly on the
ground and that there is sufficient clearance
to the rear of the vehicle. You could otherwise
lose your balance, for example on ice.
78Trunk
Opening and closing
operates independently of the ECO start/stop
automatic engine switch-off function.
Key positions with the Start/Stop button
:Start/Stop button
;Ignition lock
As soon as the ignition is switched on, all the
indicator lamps in the instrument cluster light
up.
For further information on situations in which an indicator lamp either fails to go out after the
engine is started or lights up while driving,
please refer to "Warning and indicator lamps in
the instrument cluster" (
Ypage 217).
If Start/Stop button :has not yet been
pressed, this corresponds to the SmartKey
being removed from the ignition.
XTo switch on the power supply: press
Start/Stop button :once.
The power supply is switched on. You can now
activate the windshield wipers, for example.
The power supply is switched off again if:
Rthe driver's door is opened and
Ryou press Start/Stop button :twice when in
this position
XTo switch on the ignition: press Start/Stop
button :twice.
The ignition is switched on.
If you press Start/Stop button :once when
in this position, the ignition is switched off
again.
Removing the Start/Stop button
You can remove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock and start the vehicle as normal
using the SmartKey.
You can only switch between Start/Stop button
mode and SmartKey operation when the vehicle is stationary. You must also engage park position
P.
XRemove Start/Stop button:from ignition
lock ;.
You do not have to remove the Start/Stop but-
ton from the ignition lock when you leave the
vehicle. You should, however, always take the
SmartKey with you when leaving the vehicle. As
long as the SmartKey is in the vehicle:
Rthe vehicle can be started using the Start/
Stop button
Rthe electrically powered equipment can be
operated
Starting the engine
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
Ropen the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
Rget out and disrupt traffic.
Roperate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
RStart the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children.
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficient ventilation.
122Driving
Driving and parking