2017 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-Class warning light

continue to perform their protective function for
the vehicle occupants in the event of a crash.
GWARNING
Emergency Tensioning Devices that have
deployed pyrotechnically are no longer opera-
tional and are unable to perform their inten-
ded protective function. This poses an
increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Have pyrotechnically triggered Emergency
Tensioning Devices replaced immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop.
An electric motor is used by PRE-SAFE
®to trig-
ger the tightening of the seat belt in hazardous
situations. This procedure is reversible.
If Emergency Tensioning Devices are triggered
or air bags are deployed, you will hear a bang,
and a small amount of powder may also be
released. The 6restraint system warning
lamp lights up.
Only in rare cases will the bang affect your hear-
ing. The powder that is released generally does
not constitute a health hazard, but it may cause short-term breathing difficulties in people with
asthma or other respiratory problems. Provided
it is safe to do so, you should leave the vehicle
immediately or open the window in order to pre-
vent breathing difficulties.
Air bags and pyrotechnic Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) contain perchlorate material,
which may require special handling and regard
for the environment. National guidelines must
be observed during disposal. In California, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/
Perchlorate/index.cfm .
Method of operation
During the first stage of a collision, the restraint
system control unit evaluates important physi-
cal data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as:
Rduration
Rdirection
Rintensity
Based on the evaluation of this data, the
restraint system control unit triggers the Emer-
gency Tensioning Devices during a frontal or
rear collision. An Emergency Tensioning Device can only be
triggered, if:
Rthe ignition is switched on
Rthe components of the restraint system are
operational. You can find further information
under: "Restraint system warning lamp"
(
Ypage 42)
Rthe belt tongue is engaged in the buckle on
the respective front-passenger seat
The Emergency Tensioning Devices in the rear
compartment are triggered independently of the
lock status of the seat belts.
If the restraint system control unit detects a
more severe accident, further components of
the restraint system are activated independ-
ently of each other in certain frontal collision
situations:
RFront air bags and driver's knee bag
RWindow curtain air bag, if the system deter-
mines that deployment can offer additional
protection to that provided by the seat belt
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 OFF indicator lamp is off.
Observe the information on the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indica
tor lamp (Ypage 42).
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 propellant gas if a sec-
ond deployment threshold is reached within a
few milliseconds.
The activation threshold of the Emergency Ten-
sioning Devices and the air bag are determined
by evaluating the rate of vehicle deceleration or
acceleration which occurs at various 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 acceleration
and the direction of the force are essentially
determined by:
Rthe distribution of forces during the collision
Rthe collision angle
Rthe deformation characteristics of the vehicle
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 deci-
54Occupant safety
Safety

Automa tic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, th efollowin g
measures are implemented, depending on th e
typ eand severity of th eimpact :
Rthehazard warning lamp sare activated
Rth eemergenc ylighting is activated
Rth evehicl edoor sare unlocke d
Rthefron tside windows are lowered
Rvehicles wit h amemory function :th eelectri-
call yadjustable steering whee lis raised
Rth eengin eis switched off and th efuel supply
is cut off
Rvehicles wit hmbrace :automatic emergenc y
call
Children in the vehicle
Import ant safety notes
Acciden tstatistics sho wthat children secured
in th erear seat sare safer than children secured
in th efront-passenger seat .Fo rthis reason ,
Mercedes-Benz strongly advises that you instal l
a child restrain tsystem on arear seat .Children
are generally bette rprotected there .
If achild younger than twelve years old and
under 5ft (1.5 0m) in height is traveling in the
vehicle:
Ralways secure the child in a child restraint
system suitable for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The child restraint system must be appropri-
ate to the age, weight and size of the child
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and safety
notes in this section in addition to the child
restraint system manufacturer's installation
instructions
Rbe sure to observe the instructions and safety
notes on the "Occupant classification system
(OCS)" (
Ypage 49)
GWARNING
If you leave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease the parking brake.
Rshift the automatic transmission out of the
parking position P.
Rstart the engine.
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. 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 unsupervised in the vehicle.
GWARNING
If persons, particularly children are subjected to prolonged exposure to extreme heat or
cold, there is a risk of injury, possibly even
fatal. Never leave children unattended in the
vehicle.
GWARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is a risk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you, always ensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight. Pro- tect it with a blanket, for example. If the child
restraint system has been exposed to direct
sunlight, let it cool down before securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle.
Always ensure that all vehicle occupants have
their seat belts fastened correctly and are sitting
properly. Particular attention must be paid to
children.
Observe the safety notes on the seat belt
(
Ypage 43) and the notes on correct use of seat
belts (Ypage 44).
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children over
41 lbs (18 kg) until they reach a height where a
three-point seat belt can be properly fastened
without a booster seat.
Special seat belt retractor
GWARNING
If the seat belt is released while driving, the
child restraint system will no longer be
58Children in the vehicle
Safety

Important safety notes
GWARNING
If th erear seat backrest sare no tlocked, they
could fol dforwards in th eevent of an acci-
dent, heav ybraking or sudde nchanges of
direction .As aresult ,child restrain tsystems
canno tperfor mtheir intended protective
function .Rear seat backrest sthat are no t
locke dcan also caus eadditional injuries, e.g.
in th eevent of an accident. This poses an
increased ris kof injury or eve nfatal injury.
Always loc krear seat backrest safter instal -
lin g a Top Tether belt .Observ eth eloc kveri-
fication indicator. Adjus tth erear seat backr -
est sso that they are in an upright position .
If th erear seat backrest is no tengage dand
locked, this will be shown in th emultifunction
display in th einstrumen tcluster. Awarning tone
also sounds.
Top Tether anchorages
Top Tether anchorage points =are installed in
th erear compartmen tbehind th eouter head
restraints .
XMovehead restrain t: upwards.
XFold up cover ;of Top Tether anchorage =.
XInstall theLATCH-type (ISOFIX) child restrain t
system wit hTop Tether .Always comply wit h
th echild restrain tsystem manufacturer' s
installation instruction swhen doin gso.
XRout eTop Tether belt Aunder head
restrain t: between th etwo head restrain t
bars .
XHook Top Tether hoo k? intoTop Tether
anchorage =.
XMakesur ethat Top Tether belt Ais no ttwis-
ted.
XTension Top Tether belt A.Always comply
wit hth echild restrain tsystem manufactur -
er' sinstallation instruction swhen doin gso.
XFold down cover ;of Top Tether anchorage
=.
XMov ehead restrain t: bac kdown again
slightly if necessar y (Ypage 95).
Mak esur ethat you do no tinterfere wit hth e
correc trouting of Top Tether belt A.
Child restraint system on the front-
passenger seat
General notes
Acciden tstatistics sho wthat children secured
in th erear seat sare safer than children secured
in th efront-passenger seat .Fo rthis reason ,
Mercedes-Ben zstrongly advises that you instal l
th echild restrain tsystem on arear seat .
If it is absolutely necessar yto instal l achild
restrain tsystem on th efront-passenger seat ,
always observ eth einstruction sand safet y
note son th e"Occupant Classification Syste m
(OCS)" (
Ypage 49).
Children in the vehicle61
Safety
Z

GWARNING
If the child restraint system is subjected to
direct sunlight, parts may get very hot. Chil-
dren may burn themselves on these parts,
particularly on the metal parts of the child
restraint system. There is a risk of injury.
If you leave the vehicle, taking the child with
you, always ensure that the child restraint
system is not exposed to direct sunlight. Pro- tect it with a blanket, for example. If the child
restraint system has been exposed to direct
sunlight, let it cool down before securing the
child in it. Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle.
Child-proof locks for the rear doors
You secure each door individually with the child-
proof locks on the rear doors. A door secured
with a child-proof lock cannot be opened from
inside the vehicle. When the vehicle is unlocked,the door can be opened from the outside.
XTo activate: press the child-proof lock lever
up in the direction of arrow :.
XMake sure that the child-proof locks are work-
ing properly.
XTo deactivate: press the child-proof lock
lever down in the direction of arrow ;.
Override feature for the rear side win-
dows
XTo activate/deactivate:press button ;.
If indicator lamp :is lit, operation of the rear
side windows is disabled. Operation is only
possible using the switches in the driver's
door. If indicator lamp :is off, operation is
possible using the switches in the rear com-
partment.
Pets in the vehicle
GWARNING
If you leave animals unattended or unsecured
in the vehicle, they could press buttons or
switches, for example.
As a result, they could:
Ractivate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
Ractivate or deactivate systems, thereby
endangering other road users
Unsecured animals could also be flung around
the vehicle in the event of an accident or sud-
den steering or braking, thereby injuring vehi-
cle occupants. There is a risk of an accident
and injury.
Never leave animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Always secure animals properly during
the journey, e.g. use a suitable animal trans-
port box.
Pets in the vehicle63
Safety
Z

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 64)
RBA S (B rakeAssist System) (Ypage 65)
RBASPLU S (B rake Assis tSystem PLUS) wit h
Cross-Traffic Assis t (Ypage 65)
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU S
(Ypage 67 )
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(Ypage 69)
REB D (Electroni cBrak eforc eDistribution )
(Ypage 72 )
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 72 )
RPRE-SAF E®Brake (Ypage 72 )
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. Pay particular attention to th einforma-
tion regardin gtires ,recommended minimum
tire tread depths etc. in th e"Wheels and tires "
section (
Ypage 292).
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 64).
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 229) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 204).
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.
64Driving safety systems
Safety

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
At and above a speed of approximately 4 mph
(7 km/h), the distance warning function warns
you if you rapidly approach a vehicle in front. Anintermittent 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, COLLISION PRE-
VENTION ASSIST PLUS can assist with the
autonomous braking function.
The autonomous braking function is available in
the following speed ranges:
Rfrom 4 mph (7 km/h) to approx. 65 mph
(105 km/h) for moving objects
Rfrom 4 mph (7 km/h) to approx. 31 mph
(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.
If the autonomous braking function requires a
particularly high braking force, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)
are activated simultaneously.
Adaptive Brake Assist
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 64).
With the help of adaptive Brake Assist, the dis-
tance warning signal 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
braking force necessary to avoid a collision. If
you apply the brakes forcefully, adaptive Brake
Assist will automatically increase the braking
force to a level suitable for the traffic conditions.
Adaptive Brake Assist provides braking assis-
tance in hazardous situations at speeds above
4 mph (7 km/h). It uses radar sensor technology
to assess the traffic situation.
Up to a speed of approximately 155 mph
(250 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assist is capable of reacting to moving objects that have already
been detected as such at least once over the
period of observation.
Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), adaptive Brake Assist reacts to sta-
tionary obstacles.
If adaptive Brake Assist demands particularly
high braking force, preventative passenger pro-
tection measures (PRE-SAFE
®) are activated
simultaneously (Ypage 56).
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 vehi-
cle.
Adaptive Brake Assist is then deactivated.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Ypage 64).
GWARNING
Adaptive Brake Assist cannot always clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
68Driving safety systems
Safety

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 conditions
may also cause Brake Assist to intervene.
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.
ESP®(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 64).
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 vehi-
cle on the desired course within physical limits.
ESP
®assists the driver when pulling away on
wet or slippery roads. ESP®can also stabilize
the vehicle during braking.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
ETS traction control is part of ESP®. On vehicles
with 4MATIC, 4ETS is part of ESP®.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually 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 transfer-
red to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP
®.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 64).
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.
!Vehicles with 4MATIC: function or perform-
ance tests may only be carried out on a 2-axle dynamometer. Before you operate the vehicle
on such a dynamometer, please consult a
qualified workshop. You could otherwise
damage the drive train or the brake system.
Vehicles without 4MATIC: observe the notes on
ESP
®(Ypage 289) when towing the vehicle
with a raised rear axle.
If the å ESP
®OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, then ESP®is deactivated.
If the ÷ ESP®warning lamp and the å
ESP®OFF warning lamp are lit continuously,
ESP®is not available due to a malfunction.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Ypage 229) and display messages which may
be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Ypage 204).
iOnly use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP®function properly.
Driving safety systems69
Safety
Z

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, e.g. if
ESP®was deactivated before the engine was
automatically switched off.
Deactivating/activating ESP®(except
Mercedes ‑AMG vehicles)
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 64).
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.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage the drivetrain. It may be best to deactivate ESP
®in the follow-
ing situations:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Spinning the wheels results in a cutting action
which provides better grip.
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.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
You can deactivate or activate ESP®via the on-
board computer (Ypage 195).
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 ,
E
SP®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.
RTraction control is still activated.
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no longer
available; nor is it activated if you brake firmly
with assistance from ESP
®.
RPRE-SAFE®is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP®inter-
venes.
RPRE-SAFE®Brake is no longer available, it is
also not activated if you brake firmly and ESP®
intervenes.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
70Driving safety systems
Safety