REmergency Tensioning Devices, if the systemdetermines that deployment can offer addi-
tional 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 determines
that deployment can offer additional protec-
tion to that provided by the seat belt
iNot all air bags are deployed in an accident.
The different air bag systems work independ-
ently of each other.
How the air bag system works is determined
by the severity of the accident detected,
especially the vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration and the apparent type of accident:
RFrontal collision
RSide impact
RRollover
PRE-SAFE®(anticipatory occupant
protection system)
Introduction
In certain hazardous situations, PRE-SAFE®
takes pre-emptive measures to protect the vehi-
cle occupants.
Important safety notes
!Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell or behind the seats. There is a danger that the seats and/or objects could be dam-
aged when PRE-SAFE
®is activated.
Despite your vehicle being equipped with the
PRE-SAFE
®system, the possibility of personal
injuries occurring as a result of an accident can-
not be eliminated. 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.
Function
PRE-SAFE®intervenes:
Rin emergency braking situations, e.g. when
BAS is activated
Rin critical driving situations, e.g. when physi-
cal limits are exceeded and the vehicle under-
steers or oversteers severely
Rvehicles with the Driving Assistance package:
when a driver assistance system intervenes
powerfully or the radar sensor system detects
an imminent danger of collision in certain sit- uations
PRE-SAFE
®takes the following measures
depending on the hazardous situation detected:
Rthe front seat belts are pre-tensioned.
Rif the vehicle skids, the front side windows are
closed.
Rvehicles with the memory function for the
front-passenger seat: the front-passenger
seat is adjusted if it is in an unfavorable posi-
tion.
If the hazardous situation passes without result-
ing in an accident, PRE-SAFE
®slackens the belt
pre-tensioning. All settings made by PRE-SAFE®
can then be reversed.
If the seat belt pre-tensioning is not reduced:
XMove the seat backrest or seat back slightly
when the vehicle is stationary.
The seat belt pre-tensioning is reduced and
the locking mechanism is released.
The seat-belt adjustment is an integral part of
the PRE-SAFE
®convenience function. Informa-
ti
on about the convenience function can be
found under "Belt adjustment" (
Ypage 48).
PRE-SAFE®PLUS (anticipatory occu-
pant protection system PLUS)
Introduction
PRE-SAFE®PLUS is only available in vehicles
with the Driving Assistance package.
Using the radar sensor system, PRE-SAFE
®
PLUS is able to detect that a head-on or rear-end
collision is imminent. In certain hazardous sit-
uations, PRE-SAFE
®PLUS takes pre-emptive
measures to protect the vehicle occupants.
58Occupant safety
Safety
Important safety notes
The intervention of PRE-SAFE®PLUScanno t
preven tan imminent collision .
The driver is no twarned about th eintervention
of PRE-SAF E
®PLUS.
PRE-SAF E®PLUSdoes no tinterven eif th evehi-
cle is backin gup.
When driving ,or when parking or exiting apark -
ing spac ewit hassistanc efrom Parking Pilot ,
PRE-SAF E
®PLUSwill no tapply th ebrakes.
Function
PRE-SAF E®PLUSintervenes in certain situa-
tion sif th eradar sensor system detects an
imminent head-on or rear-end collision .
PRE-SAF E
®PLUStakes th efollowin gmeasures
depending on th ehazardous situation detected:
Rif th eradar sensor system detects that a
head-on collision is imminent ,th eseat belt s
are pre-tensioned.
Rif th eradar sensor system detects that arear -
en dcollision is imminent :
-thebrak epressur eis increased if th edriver
applie sth ebrakes when th evehicl eis sta-
tionary.
-th eseat belt sare pre-tensioned.
The PRE-SAF E®PLUSbraking application is can -
celed:
Rif th eaccelerato rpedal is depressed when a
gear is engage d
Rif theris kof acollision passes or is no longer
detecte d
Rif Distanc ePilot DISTRONI Cindicates an
intention to pull away
If th ehazardous situation passes without result -
ing in an accident, th eoriginal setting sare
restored .
Automatic measures after an acci-
dent
Immediately after an accident, th efollowin g
measures are implemented, depending on th e
typ eand severit yof th eimpact :
Rthehazard warning lamp sare switched on
Rth eemergenc ylighting is activated
Rth evehicl edoor sare unlocked
Rth efron tside windows are lowered
Rvehicles wit h amemory function :th eelectri-
call yadjustable steering whee lis raised when
th edriver' sdoor is opened
Rth eengin eis switched off and th efuel suppl y
is cut off
Rvehicles wit hmbrace :automatic emergenc y
call
Children in the vehicle
Important 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-Ben zstrongly 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 (1.50 m) in height is traveling in th e
vehicle:
Ralways secure th echild in achild restrain t
system suitable for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles.
The child restrain tsystem must be appropri-
ate to th eage, weigh tand siz eof th echild
Rbe sur eto observ eth einstruction sand safet y
note sin this section in addition to th echild
restrain tsystem manufacturer' sinstallation
instruction s
Rbe sureto observ eth einstruction sand safet y
note son th e"Occupant classification system
(OCS)" (
Ypage 51)
GWARNIN G
If you leav echildren unsupervised in th evehi-
cle ,they could set it in motion by, for example:
Rrelease th eparking brake.
Rshif tth eautomatic transmission out of th e
parking position P.
Rstart theengine.
In addition ,they may operate vehicl eequip-
men tand become trapped .Ther eis aris kof
an acciden tand injury.
When leaving th evehicle, always tak eth e
SmartKey wit hyou and loc kth evehicle. Never
leav echildren unsupervised in th evehicle.
Children in the vehicle59
Safety
Z
When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 244) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 213).
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.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 64).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Braking
XKeep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
Active Brake Assist
General information
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 64).
Active Brake Assist consists of a distance warn-
ing function with an autonomous braking func-
tion and Adaptive Brake Assist.
Active Brake Assist can help you to minimize the
risk of a collision with the vehicle traveling in
front or reduce the effects of such a collision.
If Active Brake Assist detects that there is a risk
of collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically. If you do not react to the visual and audible collision warning, autonomous braking
can be initiated in critical situations. If you apply
the brake yourself in a critical situation, Adap-
tive Brake Assist of the Active Brake Assist sys-
tem supports you.
Important safety notes
In particular, the detection of obstacles can be
impaired if:
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 exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle is traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle is traveling in front on a different line
Ryou are driving a new vehicle or servicing on
the Active Brake Assist system has just been
carried out
Observe the important safety notes in the
"Breaking-in notes" section (
Ypage 122).
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensor checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. This also applies to collisions at slow
speeds where there is no visible damage to the
front of the vehicle.
Activating/deactivating
Active Brake Assist is automatically active after
switching on the ignition.
You can activate or deactivate Active Brake
Assist (
Ypage 204) in the on-board computer.
Driving safety systems65
Safety
Z
When deactivated, the distance warning func-
tion and the autonomous braking function are
also deactivated.
If Active Brake Assist is deactivated, theæ
symbol appears on the assistant 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 64).
GWARNING
The distance warning function does not react:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
The distance warning function may not give
warnings 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.
Always adapt your speed to suit the prevailing
road and traffic conditions.
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 are rapidly approaching 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.
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.
If the autonomous braking function requires a
particularly high braking force, preventative
passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE
®)
are activated simultaneously (Ypage 58).
66Driving safety systems
Safety
Adaptive Brake Assist
Generalinformation
iObserv eth e"Importan tsafet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 64) .
Wit hth ehelp of adaptive Brake Assist, th edis-
tance warning signal can detec tobstacles that
are in th epat hof your vehicl efor an extended
period of time.
If adaptive Brake Assis tdetects aris kof colli-
sion wit hth evehicl ein front, it calculates th e
braking force necessar yto avoi d acollision .If
you apply th ebrakes forcefully, adaptive Brake
Assis twill automatically increas eth ebraking
force to alevel suitable for th etraffic conditions.
Adaptive Brake Assis tprovides braking assis-
tance in hazardous situation sat speeds abov e
4 mph (7 km/h). It uses radar sensor technology
to assess th etraffic situation .
Up to aspee dof approximately 15 5mph
(25 0km/h), Adaptive Brake Assis tis capable of
reacting to moving objects that hav ealready
been detecte das suc hat least once ove rth e
period of observation .
Up to aspee dof approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), Adaptive Brake Assis treacts to sta-
tionary obstacles.
If adaptive Brake Assis tdemand sparticularly
high braking force ,preventative passenger pro -
tection measures (PRE-SAF E
®)are activated
simultaneously (Ypage 58).
XKeepth ebrak epedal depressed until th e
emergenc ybraking situation is over.
AB Sprevents th ewheels from locking .
The brakes will wor knormally again if:
Ryou release th ebrak epedal .
Rthere is no longer any danger of acollision .
Rno obstacle is detecte din fron tof your vehi-
cle .
Adaptive Brake Assis tis then deactivated.
Important safety notes
iObserv eth e"Importan tsafet ynotes" sec -
tion for drivin gsafet ysystems (Ypage 64).
GWARNIN G
Adaptive Brake Assis tcanno talways clearly
identify objects and complex traffic situa-
tions.
In suc hcases, Adaptive Brake Assis tcan :
Rinterven eunnecessarily
Rno tinterven e
There is aris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and be read yto brake. Terminate th e
intervention in anon-critical drivin gsituation .
GWARNIN G
Adaptive Brake Assis tdoes no treact:
Rto people or animals
Rto oncomin gvehicles
Rto crossing traffic
Rwhen cornering
As aresult ,th eAdaptive Brake Assis tmay no t
interven ein all critical conditions. There is a
ris kof an accident.
Always pay careful attention to th etraffic sit -
uation and be read yto brake.
Always adapt your spee dto suit th eprevailing
road and traffic conditions.
Due to th enature of th esystem, particularly
complicated but non-critical drivin gcondition s
may also caus eBrake Assis tto intervene.
If adaptive Brake Assis tis no tavailable due to a
malfunction in th eradar sensor system, th e
brak esystem remain savailable wit hfull brak e
boosting effec tand BAS.
ESP®(Electron ic Stability Program)
Gene ral notes
iObserv eth e"Importan tsafet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 64) .
ES P
®monitors drivin gstabilit yand traction ,i.e .
powe rtransmission between th etires and th e
road surface.
If ES P
®detects that th evehicl eis deviating from
th edirection desired by th edriver ,on eor mor e
wheels are braked to stabiliz eth evehicle. The
engin eoutput is also modifie dto keep th evehi-
cle on th edesired cours ewithin physical limits .
ES P
®assist sth edriver when pullin gaway on
Driving safety systems67
Safety
Z
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer com-
bination) begins to lurch, you can only stabilize
the vehicle/trailer combination by depressing
the brake firmly.
ESP
®trailer stabilization is active above speeds
of approximately 40 mph (65 km/h).
ESP
®trailer stabilization does not work if ESP®
is deactivated or malfunctioning.
Crosswind Assist
General information
Strong crosswind gusts can impair the ability of
your vehicle to drive straight ahead. The cross-
wind driving assistance function integrated in
ESP
®noticeably reduces these impairments.
ESP®intervenes automatically according to the
direction and intensity of the crosswinds affect-
ing your vehicle.
ESP
®intervenes with stabilizing braking to
assist you in keeping the vehicle in the lane.
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle speeds
above 50 mph (80 km/h) when driving straight
ahead or cornering gently.
Important safety notes
Crosswind Assist does not work if ESP®is
switched off or deactivated because of a mal-
function.
EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information
EBD monitors and controls the brake pressure
on the rear wheels to improve driving stability
while braking.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 64).
GWARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the
risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (
Ypage 244) as well as display
messages (Ypage 215).
ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety and
offers increased braking comfort. In addition to
the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE also has
the HOLD function (
Ypage 161) and hill start
assist (Ypage 127).
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function
General information
iObserve the important safety notes in the
"Driving safety systems" section (Ypage 64).
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
can help you to minimize the risk of a collision
with a vehicle in front or a pedestrian and reduce
the effects of such a collision. If the Active Brake
Assist with cross-traffic function detects a risk
of collision, you will be warned visually and
acoustically and, if necessary, your brake appli-
cation will be assisted according to the situa-
tion. If you do not react, the system can also
react by braking automatically. In the event of a
detected risk of collision due to crossing traffic,
you will also be visually and acoustically warned as well as assisted by the brake boosting effect
according to the situation.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
only available in vehicles with the Driving Assis-
tance Plus package.
For Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic func-
tion to assist you when driving, the radar sensor
system and the camera system must be opera-
tional.
If the radar sensor system or the camera systemis malfunctioning, Active Brake Assist with
cross-traffic function is restricted or no longer
available. The brake system is still available with
complete brake boosting effect and BAS.
The radar sensor system and camera system
help Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic func-
Driving safety systems71
Safety
Z
tion to detect obstacles that are in the path of
your vehicle for an extended period of time.
In addition, pedestrians in the path of your vehi-
cle can be detected.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
detects pedestrians using typical characteris-
tics such as body contours and the posture of a
person standing upright.
iObserve the restrictions described in the
"Important safety notes" section
(
Ypage 72).
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function will initially brake your vehicle by a partial
application of the brakes if a danger of colli-
sion is detected. There may be a collision
unless you brake yourself. Even after subse-
quent full application of the brakes a collision
cannot always be avoided, particularly when
approaching at too high a speed. There is a
risk of an accident.
Always apply the brakes yourself and try to
take evasive action, provided it is safe to do
so.
In the event of a partial application of the brakes,
the vehicle is braked with up to 50% of the full
braking pressure.
GWARNING
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function cannot always clearly identify objects and
complex traffic situations.
In such cases, Active Brake Assist with cross-
traffic function might:
Rissue an unnecessary warning or engage
Rneither give a warning nor intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and be prepared to brake, especially
if Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic func-
tion alerts you. Terminate the intervention in a
non-critical driving situation.
GWARNING
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function cannot always clearly identify people, partic-
ularly if they are moving. Active Brake Assist
with cross-traffic function cannot intervene in
these cases. There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and be prepared to brake, especially
if Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic func-
tion alerts you.
In order to maintain the appropriate distance to
the vehicle in front and thus prevent a collision,
you must apply the brakes yourself.
GWARNING
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function does not react:
Rto small people, e.g. children
Rto animals
Rto oncoming vehicles
Rwhen cornering
As a result, Active Brake Assist with cross-
traffic function may not warn you or engage in
all critical situations. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit- uation and be ready to brake.
In the event of snowfall or heavy rain, the rec-
ognition can be impaired.
Recognition by the radar sensor system is also
impaired if:
Rthere is dirt on the sensors or anything else
covering the sensors
Rthere is interference by other radar sources
Rthere are strong radar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicle is traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicle is traveling in front on a different line
Rvehicles moving quickly into the radar sensor
system detection range
72Driving safet ysystem s
Safety
Recognition by thecamera system is also
impaire din th eevent of:
Rdirt on th ecamera or if th ecamera is covered
Rglar eon th ecamera system, e.g. from th esun
bein glow in th esk y
Rdarkness
Ror if:
-pedestrian smov equickly, e.g. int oth epat h
of th evehicl e
-thecamera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as aperson due to special cloth -
ing or other objects
-a pedestrian is concealed by other objects
-th etypical outlin eof apedestrian is no t
distinguishable from th ebackgroun d
Followin gdamag eto th efron ten dof th evehicle,
hav eth econfiguration and operation of th e
radar sensor schecke dat aqualified specialist
workshop. This also applie sto collision sat slow
speeds wher ethere is no visible damag eto th e
fron tof th evehicle.
Followin gdamag eto th ewindshield, hav eth e
configuration and operation of th ecamera sys-
te m checke dat aqualified specialist workshop.
Function
XTo activate or deactivate: activateor deac -
tivat eActive Brake Assist wit hcross-traffic
function usin gth eon-board computer
(
Ypage 205).
If Active Brake Assist wit hcross-traffic func-
tion is deactivated, th eæ symbol appear s
on th emultifunction display.
Starting at aspee dof aroun d 4mph (7 km/h),
this function warn syou if you are rapidly
approachin g avehicl ein front. An intermittent
warning tone will then soun dand th e· dis-
tance warning lamp will ligh tup in th einstru-
men tcluster.
XBrake immediately to defuse th esituation .
or
XTak eevasive action provide dit is saf eto do
so.
Active Brake Assist wit hcross-traffic function
can also brak eth evehicl eautomatically under
th efollowin gconditions:
Rth edriver and fron tpassenger hav etheir seat
belt sfastene d
Rthevehicl espee dis between approximately
4 mph (7 km/ h) and 124 mph (200 km/h) Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function may react to:
Rstationary objects in the path of your vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
Rpedestrians in the path of your vehicle
iIf there is an increased risk of a collision,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAFE
®) are triggered (Ypage 58).
If the risk of collision with the vehicle in front
remai ns a
nd you do not brake, take evasive
action or accelerate significantly, the vehicle
may perform automatic emergency braking, up
to the point of full brake application. Automatic emergency braking is not performed until imme-
diately prior to an imminent accident.
If you apply the brake yourself in a critical sit-
uation or during autonomous braking, situation-
dependent braking assistance is implemented.
If necessary, this increases the brake pressure
up to full brake application.
To avoid a collision, Active Brake Assist with
cross-traffic function calculates the brake force
necessary if:
Ryou approach an obstacle, and
RActive Brake Assist with cross-traffic functionhas detected a risk of a collision
When driving at a speed under 20 mph
(30 km/h): if you depress the brake pedal,
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
activated. The increase in brake pressure from
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
carried out at the last possible moment.
When driving at a speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h): if you depress the brake pedal
sharply, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function automatically increases the brake pres-
sure to a degree suited to the traffic situation.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
provides braking assistance in hazardous situa-
tions with vehicles in front within a speed range
between 4 mph (7 km/h) and 155 mph
(250 km/h).
Driving safety systems73
Safety
Z