2018 MERCEDES-BENZ CLA warning

the SmartKe yf ro mt he ignition, the automatic
transmission shifts to ] automatically.
With the Start/Sto pb utton: if yo ut he no pe n
the driver's door or the front-passenge rd oo r,
the automatic transmission shifts to ] auto-
matically.
If yo uw an tt he automatic transmission to
remai ninn eutral \\ ,e .g .w he nh av in gt he vehi-
cle cleane dinana ut omatic car wash with a
towing system: X
Vehicle sw it ht he Start-Sto pb utton:
remove the Start-Stop button fro mt he igni-
tio nl oc k.X
Insert the SmartKe yi nto the ignition lock.X
Al lv eh icles: switch the ignition on.X
Depres st he brake peda la nd kee pi t
depressed. X
Engage neutral \\ .X
Releas et he brake pedal.X
Releas et he electri cp ar king brake.X
Switch off the ignition and leav et he SmartKey
in the ignition lock.
Electric parking brake
General notes
G WARNING
If yo ul eave children unsupervised in the vehi-
cle ,t he yc ould se titinm otion by ,f or example:R
release the parking brake. R
shift the automatic transmission ou toft he
parking position P .R
start the engine.
In addition, the ym ay operate vehicl ee quip-
ment and become trapped .T here is ar is ko f
an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKe yw it hy ou and lock the vehicle. Never
leav ec hildren unsupervised in the vehicle. The functio noft he electric parking brake is
dependent on the on-board voltage. If the on-
boar dv oltag eisl ow or there is am al functio ni n
the system, it ma yn ot be possibl etoa pply the
release dp ar king brake. X
If thi sist he case, onl yp ar kt he vehicl eo n
level ground and secur eittop revent it rolling
away. X
Shift the automatic transmission to position
] .
It ma yn ot be possibl etor elease an applied
parking brake if the on-board voltag eisl ow or
there is am al functio nint he system. Contact a
qualified specialis tw or kshop.
The electric parking brake performs af un ction
tes tatr egular intervals whil et he engine is
switched off .T he sound st ha tc an be he ar dw hile
thi siso ccurring ar en ormal.
Applyin gorr eleasing manually
X
To engage: push handle C .
When the electric parking brake is applied,
the red I (USA only) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp lights up in the instru-
ment cluster.
Th ee le ctric parking brake can also be applied
when the SmartKe yisr emoved.X
To release: pull handle C .
The red I (USA only) or $ (Canada
only) indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
goes out.
Th ee le ctric parking brake can onl yb e
released: R
if the SmartKe yisinp osit ion G or H in
the ignition lock ( Y
page 122 )o rR
if the ignition wa ss wi tched on using the
Start/Stop button142
Parking
Driving an dp arking

Drivin gt ip s
General notes
Important safet yn otes
G WARNING
If you switch of ft he ignition whil ed riving,
safety-relevant function sa re only available
wit hl imitations, or no tata ll. Thi sc ou ld affect,
fo re xa mple, th ep owe rs te erin ga nd th eb rake
boostin ge ffect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake .T here is ar is k
of an accident.
Do no ts witch of ft he ignition whil ed riving.
G WARNING
If you operat em ob ile communication equip -
men tw hen driving, you may be distracted
from th et ra ffic situation .Y ou could also los e
contro loft he vehicle. There is ar is kofa n
accident.
Only operat et hi se quipmen tw hen th ev ehicle
is stationary.
Observ et he lega lr equirements fo rt he country
in whic hy ou are driving. Some jurisdiction sp ro -
hibi tt he driver from usin gam ob ile phone whil e
drivin gav ehicle.
If you mak eac al lw hil ed riving, always use
hands-free mode. Only operat et he telephon e
when th et ra ffic situation permits. If you are
unsure ,p ull over to as af el ocation and stop
befor eo peratin gt he telephone.
Bear in min dt ha tatas peed of only 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), th ev ehicle cover sa
distanc eo f4 4f t( approximately 14 m) per sec-
ond.
Drive sensibly –s ave fuelObserve the following tips to save fuel: R
The tires should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tire pressure. R
Remove unnecessary loads. R
Remove roof rack sw hen they are not needed.R
Warm up the engin eatl ow engin es peeds.R
Avoid frequen ta cceleration or braking.R
Have all maintenanc ew ork carried out as
indicated by the servic ei ntervals in the Main- tenance Booklet or by the servic ei nterval dis-
play.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffic and in hilly ter-
rain.
Drinking and driving
G WARNING
Drinkin ga nd driving and/or takin gd rugs and
driving are very dangerous combinations.
Even as mall amount of alcohol or drugs can
affect your reflexes, perceptions and judg-
ment.
The possibility of as erious or even fatal acci-
dent is greatly increased when you drink or
take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or tak-
ing drugs.
Emission control
G WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is ar isk of fatal injury. Therefor en ever leave
the engin er unning in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficien tv entilation.
Certain engin es ystems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous component sine xhaust
fumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance with the
manufacturer's specifications .A lways have
work on the engin ec arried out at aq ualified
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use an authorized Mercedes-
Ben zC enter for this purpose. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related systems
must be carried out at aq ualified specialist
workshop.
The engin es ettings must not be changed under
any circumstances. Furthermore, all specific
servic ew ork must be carried out at regular
intervals and in accordance with the Mercedes-
Ben zs ervic er equirements. Details can be found
in the Maintenance Booklet.144
Driving tips
Driving and parking

In addition to driving style, the actual consump-
tion is affected by other factors, such as: R
Load R
Tire pressure R
Cold start R
Choice of route R
Active electrical consumers
These factors are not include dint he ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving ah igher valu eint he categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant": R
observe the gearshift recommendations. R
drive the vehicle in drive program C or E
(vehicles with aD YNAMIC SELECT button).
On long journeys at ac onstant speed ,e .g. on the
highway, only the outer area for "constant" will
change.
The ECO display summarizes the driving style
from the start of the journey to its completion.
Therefore, there are more marked changes in
the outer area satt he start of aj ourney. On lon-
ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform am anua lr est
( Y
page 181).
For more information on the ECO display, see
( Y
page 180).
Braking
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If you shift down on as lippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheel sc ould lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on as lippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
! On long and steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes by shifting to a
lowe rg ear in good time. This allows you to
take advantage of engine braking. For this you
must first activate manua lg earshifting. This helps you to avoid overheating the brakes and
wearing them out excessively.
When you take advantage of engine braking, it
is possible that ad rive wheel wil ln ot rotate for
some time, e.g. on as lippery road surface.
This could cause damage to the drive train.
This type of damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Briefly depressing the accelerator peda lo n
downhill gradients whil et he manua ld rive pro-
gram M is temporaril ya ctivated: the automatic
transmission may switch to the last active auto-
matic drive program E or S .T he automatic trans-
missio nm ay shift to ah ighe rg ear. This can
reduce the engine's braking effect.
Heavy and light loads
G WARNING
If you rest you rf oot on the brake peda lw hile
driving, the braking system can overheat. This
increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail .T here is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake peda lasaf ootrest. Never
depres st he brake peda la nd the accelerator
peda latt he same time.
! Depressing the brake peda lc onstantly
results in excessive and premature wea rt o
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to ah eavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicle immediately .D rive
on for as hort while. This allows the airflow to
cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads If you have driven for al ong time in heavy rain
withou tb raking, there may be ad elayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You have to depres st he brake peda lm ore
firmly .M aintai nag reater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on aw et road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whil ep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This wil lw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.146
Driving tips
Driving and parking

Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you driv eons alted roads ,al ayer of salt resi-
due may for mont he brak ed isc sa nd brake
pads. This can result in as ignificantly longer
braking distance. R
In orde rtop revent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to
th et ra ffic conditions.R
Carefully depress th eb rak ep edal and the
beginnin ga nd end of aj ou rney.R
Maintain ag reater distanc etot he vehicle
ahead.
Servicing th eb rakes
! The brak ef luid level may be to ol ow, if:R
if th er ed brak ew arning lamp light supi n
th ei nstrumen tc luster andR
you hear aw arning tone while th ee ngine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brak ef luid level may be to ol ow due to
brak ep ad wear or leaking brak el ines.
Hav et he brak es ystem checked immediately.
Consult aq ualifie ds pecialist workshop to
arrange this.
! Af unction or performanc et es ts hould only
be carried out on a2 -a xle dynamometer. If
you wish to operate th ev ehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult aq ualifie ds pe-
cialis tw orkshop in advance. You could oth-
erwis ed amage th ed riv et ra in or th eb rake
system.
! As th eE SP ®
system operates automatically,
th ee ngine and th ei gnitio nm ust be switched
off (th eS ma rtKey must be in position

If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a
window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have you rv ehicle winter-proofed at aq ualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road sur-
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and
braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise control or
Distance Pilo tD ISTRONIC.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed: X
Shift the transmission to position N .X
Try to bring the vehicle under control using
corrective steering.
The outsid et emperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outsid et emperature are dis-
played after as hort delay.
Indicated temperature sj ust above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
woode da rea soronb ridges.
You shoul dp ay specia la ttention to road condi-
tions when temperature sa re around freezing
point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see ( Y
page 290).
For more information on driving with summer
tires, see ( Y
page 289).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation" sec-
tion ( Y
page 289).
Drivin gs ystems
Cruise control
General notes
Cruise control maintains ac onstant road speed
for you .Itb rakes automatically in order to avoid
exceeding the set speed .Onl ong and steep
downhill gradients, especially if the vehicle is
laden, you must select al ow gear in good time.
You need to shift manually using the steering
wheel paddle shifters beforehand. By doing so,
you wil lm ake use of the braking effect of the engine. This relieves the load on the brake sys-
tem and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly.
When the engine is running, you can use the
cruise control lever to limi tt he speed to any
speed betwee n20m ph (30 km/h )a nd the tech-
nicall yp ermitted maximum speed of the vehicle.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain as teady
speed for ap rolonge dp eriod.
The speed indicated in the speedometer may
differ slightly from the speed stored.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt you rd riving style, cruise con-
trol can neither reduce the risk of an accident
nor override the law sofp hysics. Cruise control
cannot take into account the road, traffic and
weather conditions. Cruise control is only an
aid .Y ou are responsible for the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed ,f or braking in
good time and for staying in you rl ane.
Do not use cruise control: R
in road and traffic conditions which do not
allow you to maintain ac onstant speed ,e .g. in
heavy traffic or on winding roads R
on slippery road surfaces .B raking or accel-
erating could cause the drive wheel stol ose
traction and the vehicle could then skid R
in poor visibility, e.g. due to fog, heavy rain or
snow
If there is ac hange of drivers, advise the new
driver of the speed stored.
Cruise control lever
C
Activates or increases speed
D
Activates or reduces speedDriving systems 149
Driving and parking Z

i When you switch off the engine, the last
speed stored is cleared.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC
General notes Distance Pilot DISTRONIC regulates the speed
and automatically helps you maintain the dis-
tanc etot he vehicle detected in front. Vehicles
are detected with the aid of the radar sensor
system. Distance Pilot DISTRONIC brakes auto-
matically to avoid exceedin gt he set speed or to
maintain the designated distanc ef rom the vehi-
cle in front.
If Distance Pilot DISTRONIC detect st hat there is
ar isk of ac ollision, you will be warned visually
and acoustically. Without your intervention, Dis-
tanc eP ilot DISTRONIC cannot prevent ac olli-
sion. An intermittent warning ton ew ill then
sound and the distanc ew arning lamp will light
up in the instrument cluster. Brake immediately
in order to increase the distanc etot he vehicle in
fron tort ake evasive action provided it is safe to
do so.
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC operates in the range
between 0m ph (0 km/h) and 120 mph
(200 km/h).
Change into al ower gear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients .T his is especially
importan tift he vehicle is laden. By doing so, you
will make use of the braking effect of the engine.
This relieves the load on the brake system and
prevent st he brakes from overheatin ga nd wear-
ing too quickly.
Do not use Distance Pilot DISTRONIC on roads
with steep gradients.
For Distance Pilot DISTRONIC to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Sinc eD istance Pilot DISTRONIC transmits radar
waves, it can resemble the radar detectors of
the responsible authorities. You can refer to the
relevant chapter in the Operator' sM anual if
questions are asked about this.
i USA only: This device has been approved by
the FCC as a" Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor is intended for use in an auto-
motive radar system only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of the device will void any war-
ranties, and is not permitted by the FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
An yu nauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
i Canada only: This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference,
and
2. This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device
will void any warranties, and is not permitted.
Do not tamper with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
An yu nauthorized modification to this device
could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC does not react to: R
people or animals R
stationary object sont he road, e.g. stopped
or parked vehicles R
oncoming vehicles and crossin gt raffic
As ar esult, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may
neither give warnings nor intervene in such
situations. There is ar isk of an accident.
Always pay careful attention to the traffic sit-
uation and be ready to brake.
G WARNING
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC cannot always
clearly identif yo ther road users and complex
traffic situations.
In such cases, Distance Pilot DISTRONIC may: R
give an unnecessary warning and then
brake the vehicle R
neither give aw arning nor intervene R
accelerat eorb rake unexpectedly
There is ar isk of an accident.Driving systems 151
Driving and parking Z

Continue to driv ec arefull ya nd be read yt o
brake, especiall yifD is tance Pilot DI ST RONIC
warn sy ou.
G WAR NING
Distance Pilot DI ST RONI Cb rakes your veh icle
wit hupt o5 0% of th em aximum poss ible
deceleration. If th is deceleratio nisn ot suff i-
cient ,D is tance Pilot DI ST RONI Ca lert sy ou
wit hav is ual and acoust ic warning .T her eisa
ris kofana cc iden t.
Ap ply th eb rakes yourself in these situations
and tr yt ot ak ee vasive action.
! When Distance Pilot DI ST RONI Co rt he
HOLD function is activated, th ev eh icle
brakes automaticall yinc ertain situations.
To avoid damag etot he veh icle ,d eactivate
Distance Pilot DI ST RONI Ca nd th eH OL D
function in th ef oll owin gors imilar situations:R
when to wing th ev eh icleR
in th ec ar wash
If you fail to adapt your driv ing style, Distance
Pilot DI ST RONI Cc an neither reduce th er is ko f
an acc iden tn or overr ide th el aws of physics.
Distance Pilot DISTRONI Cc anno tt ak ei nto
accoun tr oad ,w eather or traff ic conditions .D is -
tance Pilot DI ST RONI Ci so nl yana id. You are
respon sible for th ed istanc etot he veh icle in
front, for veh icle spee d, for braking in good time
and for staying in your lane.
Do no tu se Distance Pilot DI ST RONI C:R
in road and traff ic conditions whic hdon ot
allow you to maintain ac onstant spee d, e.g .i n
heav yt ra ff ic or on wind ing roadsR
on slipp ery road surfaces .B ra kin gora ccel-
erating could caus et he driv ew heel stol ose
t r action and th ev eh icle could then sk idR
when there is poor vis ibilit y, e.g .d ue to fog,
heav yr ain or snow
Distance Pilot DI ST RONI Cm ay no td etect nar-
row veh icle sd riving in front, e.g .m otorcycles, or
veh icle sd riving on ad ifferent lin e.
In particular ,t he detection of obstacle sc an be
impaired if: R
there is dirt on th es ensor sora nythin ge lse
covering th es ensorsR
there is snow or heav yr ain R
there is interferenc ebyo th er radar sourcesR
there are stron gr adar reflections ,f or exam-
ple, in parking garages
If Distance Pilot DI ST RONI Cn ol onger detect sa
vehicle in front, it may unexpect edly accelerate
to th es pee ds to re d.
This spee dm ay: R
be to oh igh if you are driving in af ilter lane or
an ex it lane R
be so high when driving in th er ight-han dl ane
that you overtake vehicle sint he left-hand
lane R
be so high in th el eft lane that you pass vehi-
cle sd riving in th er igh tl ane
If there is ac ha ng eofd rivers ,a dvis et he new
driv er of th es pee ds to re d.
Cruise control lever
C
St ore st he curren ts pee dorah igher speedD
Store st he curren ts pee doral ower speed

HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the drive rint he
following situations: R
when pulling away, especially on steep slopes R
when maneuvering on steep slopes R
when waiting in traffic
The vehicl eisk ept stationary without the driver
having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is cancele da nd the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator peda ltop ul la way.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, it can still roll away
despite being braked by the HOLD function if: R
there is am alfunction in the system or in
the voltag es upply.R
the HOLD function has been deactivated by
pressing the accelerator peda lort he brake
pedal, e.g. by av ehicl eo ccupant.R
the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuse sh ave
been tampere dw ith.R
the battery is disconnected
There is ar isk of an accident.
If you wis htoe xit the vehicle, alway st urn off
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
! When Distance Pilot DISTRONIC or the
HOLD function is activated, the vehicle
brakes automatically in certain situations.
To avoi dd amage to the vehicle, deactivate
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC and the HOLD
function in the following or similar situations: R
when towing the vehicle R
in the car wash
Deactivating the HOLD function ( Y
pag e1 57). Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if: R
the vehicl eiss tationary R
the engine is running or if it has been auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/stop
function R
the driver's door is closed or you rs eat bel ti s
fastened R
the electric parking brake is released R
Distance Pilot DISTRONIC is deactivated R
the transmission is in position [ , ^ or \\
on vehicles with automatic transmission
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure that the activation conditions are
met. X
Depress the brake pedal. X
Quickly depress the brake peda lf urther
until C appears in the multifunction display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake peda lt he first time
does not activate the HOLD function, wait
briefly and then try again.
Deactivatin gt he HOLD functionThe HOLD function is deactivated automatically
if: R
you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission is in
position [ or ^ . R
the transmission is in position ] on vehicles
with automatic transmission. R
you depress the brake peda la gain with ac er-
tain amount of pressure until C disappears
from the multifunction display. R
you activate Distance Pilot DISTRONIC. R
you secure the vehicl eu sing the electric park-
ing brake.Driving systems 157
Driving and parking Z