
RFront air bags as well as driver's and front-passenger knee bags
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 ON indi-
cator lamp is lit. Observe the information on
the PASSENGER AIR BAG indicator lamps
(
Ypage 43).
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 control unit of the restraint system
detects a side impact or a vehicle rollover, the
relevant components of the restraint system
are activated separately depending on the
anticipated type of accident.
RSide impact air bags on the side where the
impact takes place, independently of the
Emergency Tensioning Device and the use
of the seat belt on the driver's seat and
outer seats in the second row
The side impact air bag on the front-
passenger side (front) 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
RWindow curtain air bag on the side of
impact, independently of the use of the
seat belt and independently 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
RWindow curtain air bags on the driver's and
front-passenger side in certain situations
when the vehicle rolls over, if the system
determines that deployment can offer addi-
tional 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.
Occupant safety57
Safety
Z

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 65)
RBA S (B rake Assist System) (Ypage 66)
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLU S
(
Ypage 66 )
RESP®(Electronic StabilityProgram)
(
Ypage 69 )
REBD (Electroni cBrak eforc eDi stribution )
(
Ypage 72)
RADAPTIV EBRAKE (Ypage 73 )
RSTEERCONTROL (Ypage 73)
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 340).
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 65).
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 269) and
display message swhic hmay be shown in th e
instrumen tcluster (
Ypage 236).
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 systems65
Safety
Z

sions at low speeds where there is no visible
damage to the front of the vehicle.
Switching on/off
The COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS is
automatically active after switching on the
ignition.
You can activate or deactivate COLLISION
PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS in the on-board
computer (
Ypage 228). When deactivated,
the distance warning function and the auton-
omous braking function are also deactivated.
If COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS is
deactivated, the æsymbol appears in the
assistance graphics display.
Distance warning function
General information
The distance warning function can help you to
minimize the risk of a front-end collision with
a vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of such a collision. If the distance warning function
detects that there is a risk of a collision, you
will be warned visually and acoustically.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (
Ypage 65).
GWARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
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 condi-
tions may also cause the system to display a warning.
With the help of the radar sensor system, the
distance warning function can detect obsta-
cles that are in the path of your vehicle for an
extended 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
stopped or parked vehicles.
Autonomous braking function
If the driver does not react to the distance
warning signal in a critical situation, COLLI-
SION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS can assist
with the autonomous braking function.
Driving safety systems67
Safety
Z

The autonomous braking function:
Rgives the driver more time to react to criti-
cal driving situations
Rcan help the driver to avoid an accident or
Rreduces the effects of an accident
Vehicles without DISTRONIC PLUS: 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 DISTRONIC PLUS: the auton-
omous braking function is available in the fol-
lowing 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 condi-
tions may also cause the Autonomous Brak-
ing Function to intervene.
Adaptive Brake Assist
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Ypage 65).
With the help of adaptive Brake Assist, the
distance 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 col-
lision with the vehicle in front, it calculates
the braking force necessary to avoid a colli-
sion. If you apply the brakes forcefully, adap-
tive 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
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
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (
Ypage 65).
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.
68Driving safety systems
Safety

Useful information
i
This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip-
ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's Manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
iRead the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (
Ypage 25).
SmartKey
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
If you attach heavy or large objects to the
SmartKey, the SmartKey could be uninten-
tionally turned in the ignition lock. This could
cause the engine to be switched off. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not attach any heavy or large objects to theSmartKey. Remove any bulky key rings before
inserting the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
!Keep the SmartKey away from strong
magnetic fields. Otherwise, the remote
control function could be affected.
Strong magnetic fields can occur in the
vicinity of powerful electrical installations.
Do not keep the SmartKey:
Rwith electronic devices, e.g. a mobile
phone or another SmartKey.
Rwith metallic objects, e.g. coins or metal
foil.
Rinside metallic objects, e.g. a metal case.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start function:
do not keep the SmartKey in the cargo com-
partment. Otherwise, the SmartKey may not
be detected, e.g. when starting the engine
using the Start/Stop button.
SmartKey functions
:& To lock the vehicle
;FTo open the tailgate
=%To unlock the vehicle
XTo unlock centrally: press the%but-
ton.
If you do not open the vehicle within
approximately 40 seconds of unlocking:
Rthe vehicle is locked again.
Rprotection against theft is reactivated.
XTo lock: press the &button.
76SmartKey
Opening and closing

The SmartKey centrally locks/unlocks:
Rthe doors
Rthe tailgate
Rthe fuel filler flap
The turn signals flash once when unlocking
and three times when locking.
When the locator lighting is activated in Audio
20/COMAND, it also lights up when it is dark after the vehicle is unlocked with the remote
control (see the separate operating instruc-
tions).
You can also set an audible signal to confirm
that the vehicle has been locked. The audible
signal can be activated and deactivated using
the on-board computer (
Ypage 230).
XTo open the tailgate automatically from
outside the vehicle: press and hold button
F until the tailgate opens (
Ypage 87).
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO or KEYLESS-
GO start function:
XTo close the tailgate automatically from
outside the vehicle: if the key is located in
the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, press
the F button on the key (
Ypage 87).
When the tailgate closes you can then
release the button.
KEYLESS-GO
General notes
Bear in mind that the engine can be started by
any of the vehicle occupants if there is a
SmartKey in the vehicle.
Locking and unlocking
You can start, lock or unlock the vehicle using
KEYLESS-GO. To do this, you only need carry the SmartKey with you. You can combine the
functions of KEYLESS-GO with those of a con-ventional SmartKey. Unlock the vehicle by
using KEYLESS-GO, for instance, and lock it
using the &button on the SmartKey. The driver's door and the door at which the
handle is used, must both be closed. The
SmartKey must be outside the vehicle. When
locking or unlocking with KEYLESS-GO, the
distance between the SmartKey and the cor-
responding door handle must not be greater
than 3 ft (1 m).
A check which periodically establishes a radio
connection between the vehicle and the
SmartKey determines whether a valid Smart-
Key is in the vehicle. This occurs, for example:
Rwhen starting the engine
Rwhilst driving
Rwhen the external door handles are
touched
Rduring convenience closing
XTo unlock the vehicle:
touch the inner
surface of the door handle.
XTo lock the vehicle: touch sensor sur-
face :or;.
Make sure that you do not touch the inner
surface of the door handle.
XConvenience closing feature: touch
recessed sensor surface ;for an exten-
ded period.
Further information on the convenience
closing feature (
Ypage 92).
SmartKey77
Opening and closing
Z

XTo unlock the tailgate:pull tailgate han-
dle :.
Deactivating and activating
If you do not intend to use the vehicle for a
longer period of time, you can deactivate KEY-
LESS-GO. The SmartKey will then use very lit-
tle power, thereby conserving battery power.
For the purposes of activation/deactivation,
the vehicle must not be nearby.
XTo deactivate: press the&button on
the SmartKey twice in rapid succession.
The battery check lamp of the SmartKey
flashes twice briefly and lights up once,
then KEYLESS-GO is deactivated
(
Ypage 80).
XTo activate: press any button on the
SmartKey.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
KEYLESS-GO and all of its associated fea-
tures are available again.
KEYLESS-GO start function
General notes
Bear in mind that the engine can be started by
any of the vehicle occupants if there is a
SmartKey in the vehicle.
Changing the settings of the locking
system
You can change the settings of the locking
system. 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 fre-
quently 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 80).
If the setting of the locking system is changed
within the signal range of the vehicle, press-
ing 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%but-
ton 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 sur-
face 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 simul-
taneously for app
roximately six seconds
until the battery check lamp flashes twice
(
Ypage 80).
78SmartKey
Opening and closing

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 73).
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 igni-
tion lock. The SmartKey must be in the
vehicle.
or
XLock or unlock the vehicle using KEYLESS-
GO. The SmartKey must be outside the
vehicle.
If you unlock the vehicle using the mechanical
key, the fuel filler flap will not be unlocked
automatically.
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
mechanical key ;from the SmartKey.
For further information about:
Runlocking the driver's door (Ypage 84)
Runlocking the cargo compartment
(
Ypage 89)
Rlocking the vehicle (Ypage 85)
Inserting the mechanical key
XPush mechanical key ;completely into
the SmartKey until it engages and release
catch :is back in its basic position.
SmartKey battery
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Batteries contain toxic and corrosive substan- ces. If batteries are swallowed, it can result in
severe health problems. There is a risk of fatalinjury.
Keep batteries out of the reach of children. If
a battery is swallowed, seek medical attention immediately.
The SmartKey batteries 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.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you have
the battery replaced at a qualified specialist
workshop.
SmartKey79
Opening and closing
Z