2018 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS Owners Manual

Deactivating/activating ESP®
(Mercedes‑AM Gvehicles )
Important safet ynotes
iObserv eth e"Important safet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 65).
You can selec tbetween th efollowin gstates of
ES P
®:
RESP®is activated.
RSPORT handlin gmode is activated.
RES P®is deactivated.
GWARNING
Whe nSPORT handlin gmode is activated,
there is agreater ris kof skidding and acci-
dents .
Only activat eSPORT handlin gmode in th esit -
uation sdescribed in th efollowing.
GWARNING
If you deactivat eES P
®,ES P®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle. There is an increase dris k
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eES P
®in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing.
!Avoid spinnin gth edriven wheels fo ran
extended period wit hES P®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage th edrivetrain .
In th efollowin gsituations, it may be bette rto
activat eSPORT handlin gmode or deactivat e
ES P
®:
Rwhen usin gsnow chain s
Rin deepsnow
Ron san dor grave l
Ron specially designated roads when th evehi-
cle's own oversteering and understeering
characteristics are desire d
Spinning th ewheels result sin acutting action
whic hprovides bette rgrip.
Driving in SPORT handlin gmode or without
ES P
®require san extremely qualified and expe-
rienced driver .
iActivateES P®as soo nas th esituation s
described abov eno longer apply .ES P®will
otherwise no tbe able to stabilize th evehicle if th
evehicle start sto skid or awhee lstart sto
spin.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo activate SPORT handling mode: briefly
press butto n:.
The M SPORT handlin gmode warnin g
lamp in th einstrumen tcluster lights up. The
SPORT
handlingmod emessag eappears on
th emultifunction display.
XTo deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press butto n:.
The M SPORT handlin gmode warnin g
lamp in th einstrumen tcluster goe sout .
XTo deactivate ESP®:press butto n: until
th eå ESP®OF Fwarnin glamp lights up in
th einstrumen tcluster.
The ÷ OFF
messag eappears on th emul-
tifunction display.
XTo activate ESP®: briefly press butto n:.
The å ESP®OF Fwarnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster goe sout .The ÷ ON
messag eappears on th emultifunction dis -
play.
Characteristics of activate dSPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handlin gmode is activated and on eor
more wheels start to spin, th e÷ ESP®warn -
in glamp in th einstrumen tcluster flashes .ES P®
only stabilize sth evehicle to alimited degree .
Whe nSPORT handlin gmode is activated:
RES P®only improves drivin gstability to alimi-
te ddegree .
RTraction contro lis still activated.
Driving safety systems71
Safety
Z

REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Characteristics when ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in the
instrument cluster does not flash. In such situa-
tions, ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
RTraction control is still activated.
RActive Brake Assist is no longer available; nor
is it activated if you brake firmly with assis-
tance 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.
ESP®trailer stabilization
General information
ESP®trailer stabilization is not available in
Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
swerve, ESP
®assists you in this situation. ESP®
slows the vehicle down by braking and limiting
the engine output until the vehicle/trailer com-
bination has stabilized.
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center of gravity can
tip over before ESP
®can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions. 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 65).
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
72Driving safet ysystem s
Safety

the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (
Ypage 261) as well as display
messages (Ypage 233).
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 179) and hill start
assist (Ypage 140).
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function
General information
iObserve the important safety notes in the
"Driving safety systems" section (Ypage 65).
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 restri
cted 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- 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 73).
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.
Driving safet ysystem s73
Safety
Z

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 Recognition by the camera system is also
impaired in the event of:
Rdirt on the camera or if the camera is covered
Rglare on the camera system, e.g. from the sun
being low in the sky
Rdarkness
Ror if:
-pedestrians move quickly, e.g. into the path
of the vehicle
-the camera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as a person due to special cloth- ing or other objects
-a pedestrian is concealed by other objects
-the typical outline of a pedestrian is not
distinguishable from the background
Following damage to the front end of the vehicle,
have the configuration and operation of the
radar sensors 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.
Following damage to the windshield, have the
configuration and operation of the camera sys-
tem checked at a qualifi ed specia
list workshop.
Function
XTo activate or deactivate:
activate or deac-
tivate Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function using the on-board computer
(
Ypage 223).
If Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic func-
tion is deactivated, the æsymbol appears
on the multifunction display.
Starting at a speed of around 4 mph (7 km/h),
this function warns you if you are rapidly
approaching a vehicle in front. An intermittent
warning tone will then sound and the ·dis-
tance warning lamp will light up in the instru-
ment cluster.
XBrake immediately to defuse the situation.
or
XTake evasive action provided it is safe to do
so.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
can also brake the vehicle automatically under
the following conditions:
Rthe driver and front passenger have their seat
belts fastened
Rthe vehicle speed is between approximately
4 mph (7 km/h) and 124 mph (200 km/h)
74Driving safety systems
Safety

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
remains and 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 function
has 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). Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h) the Active Brake Assist with cross-
traffic function assists you with braking in haz-
ardous situations with:
Rstationary obstacles in the path of the vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
Rstationary pedestrians in the path of the vehi-
cle
Robstacles crossing your path that move in the
detection range of the sensors and are detec-
ted
XKeep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency
braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
You can prevent the intervent
ion of Active Brake
Assist with cross-traffic function at any time by:
Rdepressing the accelerator pedal further.
Ractivating kickdown.
Rreleasing the brake pedal
The braking application of Active Brake Assist
with cross-traffic function is ended automati-
cally if:
Ryou maneuver to avoid the obstacle.
Rthere is no longer a risk of collision.
Ran obstacle is no longer detected in front of
your vehicle.
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering wheel
in the direction required for vehicle stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in particular
if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on a
wet or slippery road surface when you brake
Rthe vehicle begins to skid
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 65).
Driving safety systems75
Safety
Z

No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
RESP®is deactivated
RESP®is malfunctioning
Rthe steering is malfunctioning
If ESP®is malfunctioning, you will be assisted
further by the electrical power steering.
Protection against theft
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey.
XTo activate with the SmartKey: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XTo activate with KEYLESS-GO start-func-
tion or KEYLESS-GO: switch the ignition off
and open the driver's door.
XTo deactivate: switch on the ignition.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Anyone
can start the engine if a valid SmartKey has been
left inside the vehicle.
iThe immobilizer is always deactivated when
you start the engine.
In the event that the engine cannot be started
(yet the vehicle's battery is charged), the sys-
tem is not operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA) or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
ATA (anti-theft alarm system)
XTo arm: lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO.
Indicator lamp :flashes. The alarm system
is armed after approximately ten seconds.
XTo disarm: unlock the vehicle with the Smart-
Key or KEYLESS-GO.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO start function
or KEYLESS-GO: press the Start/Stop but-
ton.
The SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed and you open:
Ra door
Rthe vehicle with the mechanical key
Rthe trunk lid
Rthe hood
XTo stop the alarm with the SmartKey:
press the %or& button on the Smart-
Key.
The alarm is stopped.
or
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS-GO: remove the Start/Stop but-
ton from the ignition lock (
Ypage 137).
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
The alarm is stopped.
XTo stop the alarm using KEYLESS-GO:
grasp the outside door handle. The SmartKey
must be outside the vehicle.
The alarm is stopped.
or
XPress the Start/Stop button on the dash-
board. The SmartKey must be inside the vehi-
cle.
The alarm is stopped.
The alarm is not switched off, even if you close
the open door that triggered it, for example.
iIf the alarm continues for more than
30 seconds, the mbrace emergency call sys-
tem automatically notifies the Customer
Assistance Center. This is done either by text
message or data connection.
76Protection against theft
Safety

The emergency call system sends a message
or establishes a data connection provided
that:
Ryou have subscribed to the mbrace service.
Rthe mbrace service has been activated
properly.
Rthe necessary mobile phone network is
available.
Protection against theft77
Safety
Z

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 the
SmartKey. Remove any bulky key rings before
inserting the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
!Keep the SmartKey away from strong mag-
netic fields. Otherwise, the remote control
function could be affected.
Strong magnetic fields can occur in the vicin-
ity 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.
This can affect the functionality of the Smart- Key. Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO start function:
do
not keep the SmartKey on the parcel shelf or in
the trunk. Otherwise, the SmartKey may not be
detected, e.g. when starting the engine using
the Start/Stop button.
A brief radio connection between the vehicle
and the SmartKey determines whether a valid
SmartKey is in, or in the direct vicinity of, the
vehicle. This occurs, for example:
Rwhen starting the engine
Rwhile driving
Rwhen using HANDS-FREE ACCESS
Rwhen the external door handles are touched
Rduring convenience closing
SmartKey functions
:& Locks the vehicle
;FOpens/closes the trunk lid
=%Unlocks the vehicle
XTo unlock centrally: press the%button.
If you do not open the vehicle within approx-
imately 40 seconds of unlocking:
Rthe vehicle is locked again.
Rprotection against theft is reactivated.
XTo lock centrally: press the&button.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks the
following components:
Rthe doors
Rthe trunk lid
Rthe fuel filler flap
The turn signals flash once when unlocking and
three times when locking.
You can also set an audible signal to confirm
that the vehicle has been locked. The audible
signal can be activated and deactivated via the
78SmartKey
Opening and closing