2020 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS steering

R
setting amore favorable seatposition for
the front -passenger seat.
R vehicles withamulticontour seat:increasing
the airpressure inthe side bolsters ofthe
seat backrest.
! Make
surethatthere arenoobjects inthe
footwell orbehind theseats. Thereisadan-
ger that theseats and/or objects couldbe
damaged whenPRE-SA FE®
is activated.
Should anaccident notoccur, thepreventative
measures takenarereversed. Certainsettings
must bemade yoursel f.
X Ifthe seat beltpre-tensionin gis not
reduced, movetheseat backrest back
slightly.
Seat beltpre-tensionin gis released . PRE-SAFE
®
PLUS (anticipatory occu-
pant protection systemPLUS)
Introduction PRE-SA
FE®
PLUS isonly available invehicles
with theDriving Assistance package.
Using theradar sensor system, PRE-SAFE®
PLUS isable todetect thatahead-on orrear-
end collision isimminent. Incertain hazardous
situations, PRE-SAFE®
PLUS takes pre-emptive
measures toprotect thevehicle occupants.
Importa ntsafety notes The
intervent ionofPRE-SA FE®
PLUS cannot
prevent animminent collision.
The driver isnot warned abouttheintervent ion
of PRE-SA FE®
PLUS.
PRE-SA FE®
PLUS doesnotintervene ifthe
vehicle isbacking up.
When driving, orwhen parking orexiting a
parking spaceusingActive Parking Assist,
PRE-SA FE®
PLUS willnotapply thebrakes.
Function PRE-SA
FE®
PLUS intervenes incertain situa-
tions ifthe radar sensor system detects an
imminent head-onorrear-end collision. PRE-SA
FE®
PLUS takes thefollowi ngmeas-
ures depending onthe hazardous situation
detected:
R ifthe radar sensor system detects thata
head-on collision isimminent, theseat belts
are pre-tensioned.
R ifthe radar sensor system detects thata
rear-end collisionisimminent:
- the brake pressure isincreased ifthe
driver appliesthe brakes whenthevehicle
is stationary.
- the seat belts arepre-tensioned.
The PRE-SA FE®
PLUS braking application is
canceled:
R ifthe accelerator pedalisdepressed whena
gear isengaged
R ifthe risk ofacollision passesorisno lon-
ger detected
R ifAct ive Distance AssistDISTRONIC indi-
cates anintent iontointervene
If the hazardous situationpasseswithout
resulting inan accident, theoriginal settings
are restored. Automatic
measuresafteranacci-
dent
Immediately afteranaccident, thefollowi ng
measures areimplemented, dependingonthe
type andseverity ofthe impact:
R the hazard warning lampsareswitched on
R the emergency lightingisactivated
R the vehicle doorsareunlocked
R the front sidewindows arelowered
R the electrically adjustablesteeringwheelis
raised whenthedriver's doorisopened
R the engine isswitched offand thefuel sup-
ply iscut off
R vehicles withMercedes meconn ect:auto-
matic emergency call 56
Occ
upant safetySafety

The
securing systemofchild restraintsystems
is the seat beltsystem.
If you install achild restraintsystem onthe
front passenger seat,besure toobserve the
instr uctions andsafety noteson the "Occu-
pant Classification System(OCS)"(Ypage 48).
There youwillalso findinform ationondisa-
bling thefront passenger frontairbag.
All child restraintsystems mustmeet thefol-
lowing standards:
R U.S. Federal MotorVehicle SafetyStandards
213 and225
R Canadian MotorVehicle SafetyStandards
213 and210. 2
Confirmation thatthechild restraintsystem
correspon dstothe standards canbefound on
an instr uction labelonthe child restraintsys-
tem. Thisconfirmation canalso befound in
the installation instructions thatareincluded
with thechild restraintsystem.
Observe thewarning labelsinthe vehicle inte-
rior and onthe child restraintsystem. Child
restraintsystem onthe front-
passenger seat
General notes If
you install achild restraintsystem onthe
front -passenger seat,alway sobserve the
instr uctions andsafety noteson the "Occu-
pant Classification System(OCS)"(Ypage 48).
You canthus avoid therisks thatcould arise
as aresult of:
R an incorr ectlycategoriz edperson inthe
front -passenger seat
R deactivatin gthe front passenger frontair
bag unint ention ally
R the unsuitable positioningof the child
restr aintsystem, e.g.tooclose tothe dash-
board
Rear ward- facing childrestraintsystem If
circumst ancesrequire youtosecure achild
in arearward-facing childrestraintsystem on
the front -passenger seat,alway smake sure
that thefront passenger frontairbag isdeacti-
vated. Onlyifthe PASS ENGER AIRBAG OFF
indicator lampislit cont inuously (Ypage 41),
is the front passenger frontairbag deactiva-
ted. Always
observe thechild restraintsystem
manufact urer'sinstallation andoperating
instr uctions .
Forward- facingchildrestraintsystem If
you secure achild inaforward-fac ingchild
restr aintsystem onthe front -passenger seat,
alway smove thefront -passenger seatasfar
back aspossible. Fullyretrac tthe seat cushion
length. Theentir ebase ofthe child restraint
system mustalway srest onthe seat cushion
of the front -passenger seat.Thebackrest of
the child restraintsystem mustlieasflat as
possible againstthebackrest ofthe front -
passenger seat.Thechild restraintsystem
must nottouch theroof orbe subject edtoa
load bythe head restraint. Adjust theangle of
the seat backrest andthehead restraintposi-
tion according ly.Always makesurethatthe
shoulder beltstrap iscorrec tlyrouted fromthe
front -passenger seatbeltguide tothe shoulder
belt guide onthe child restraintsystem. The
shoulder beltstrap mustberouted forward
and down fromthefront -passenger seatbelt
guide. Ifnecessary, adjustthefront -passenger
seat according ly.
Always observe thechild restraintsystem
manufact urer'sinstallation andoperating
instr uctions . Pets
inthe vehicle G
WARNIN
G
If you leave animals unsupervised orunse-
cured inthe vehicle, theymaypress button s
or switches, forinstan ce.
In this way, animals may:
R activate vehicleequipment andbecome
trapped, forexample
R switch systems onoroff and thereby
endanger otherroadusers
Further more,unsecured animalsmaybe
flung around insidethevehicle inthe event
of an accident orabrupt steeringor braking
maneuver, andthereby injurevehicle occu-
pants. Thereisarisk ofaccident andinjury.
Never leaveanimals unattendedinthe vehi-
cle. Pets
inthe vehicle
59Safety
Z

Alw
ayssec ureani ma lspro perly when driv-
ing ,for instance with asu ita ble pe tcar rier. Dri
ving safe tysys tems Ove
rviewof driv ingsafe tysys tems
In thi ssec tion,youwi llfind informa tionab ou t
the followi ng driving safety system s:
R ABS (Anti -lock Bra king Syste m)
(Y page 60)
R BAS (Bra keAssist Sy stem )(Y page 61)
R Bra keAssi stwith cros s-tra fficfu nctio n
(Y page 61)
R Active BrakeAssi st(Y page 63)
R Ada ptive bra kelights (Ypage 65)
R ESP ®
(El ectro nicStability Pro gram)
(Y page 65)
R EBD (El ectro nicBrake forceDi stri butio n)
(Y page 69)
R ADAPTI VEBRAK E(Y page 70)
R Active BrakeAssi stwith cros s-tra fficfu nc-
tio n(Y page 70)
R STEER CONTR OL(Ypage 72) Impo
rtant safetynotes
If yo ufai lto adap tyo ur driving styleor ifyo u
ar eina ttenti ve,the driving safety system scan
nei ther reduce theriskof an acci dent nor
ove rride the laws ofphy sics. Driv ingsafety
sy stem sar emer elyai ds designe dto assist
dri ving .
Yo uar eres ponsi ble for mainta ining the dis-
tance tothe vehiclein front, forveh iclespe ed,
for braking ingoo dtime ,and forstaying in
la ne. Alwaysad aptyo ur driving styleto suit
the prevailing roadand weath ercond itions and
ma inta inasa fe dista nce from thevehiclein
front. Drivecar efully.
The driving safety system sde scri bedonl y
wo rkas effe ctive lyas possi ble wh en ther eis
ad eq uate conta ctbetwe enthe tiresand the
roa dsu rfa ce. Paypa rticu laratte ntionto the
info rma tionreg arding tire s,reco mme nded
mini mumtire trea dde pths etc.inthe "Whee ls
and tires"sec tion(Y page 296 ).
In wintry driving cond itions, alwa ysusewi nter
tire s(M +S tire s)and ifnece ssary,snow cha
ins.Onl yin thi swa ywi llthe driving safety
sy stem sde scri bedin thi ssec tionwo rkas
effe ctive lyas possi ble. ABS
(Anti -lock Braki ngSys tem)
Ge neral info rmatio n ABS
regulate sbra kepre ssu reinsuch awa y
tha tthe wheelsdo not lock when youbra ke.
Thi sal lo ws youto conti nuesteering thevehi-
cle when bra king .
The 0025 ABSwarning lamp inthe instrum ent
clu ster lights upwhen the igniti onissw itch ed
on. Itgoe sou twh en the engineisrunning .
ABS works from aspe edofabou t5 mph
(8 km/h ),reg ardless ofroa d-su rface cond i-
tio ns. ABS works onslip pe ry surfa ces ,eve n
wh en youonl ybra kegently .
Impo rtant safetynotes i
Obs
ervethe "Impo rtant safety notes "sec -
tio n(Y page 60). G
WA
RNING
If ABS isma lfunctio ning,the wheelscou ld
lo ck when bra king .The stee rability and
bra king characteri stics wo uld be sev erely
aff ecte d.The reisan incr eased dange rof
ski dding and accidents.
Driv eon car efully. Hav eABS checked imme-
di ate lyat aqu alifi ed spe cialist wo rksh op.
Whe nABS isma lfunctio ning,othe rsy stem s,
incl uding driving safety system s,willal so
be come inoperative .Obs ervethe informa tion
on the ABS warning lamp (Ypage 239 )and
di spl aymes sages which maybe sho wninthe
ins trum entcluster (Ypage 209 ).
Brake s X
IfABS interv enes:conti nuetodepre ssthe
bra kepedalvig oro uslyunti lthe braking sit-
ua tio nis ove r.
X To make aful lbrake application:de pre ss
the brakepedalwi th fullforc e.
If ABS intervenes when bra king ,yo uwi llfee la
pu lsing inthe brakepedal. 60
Dri
ving safe tysys temsSafe ty

Up
toaspeed ofapproximately 44mph
(70 km/h), Active Brake Assist withcross-t raf-
fic function mayreact to:
R stationary objectsinthe path ofyour vehi-
cle, e.g. stopped orparked vehicles
R pedestrians inthe path ofyour vehicle
i If
there isan increased riskofacollision,
preventive passengerprotectionmeasures
(PRE-SAF E®
)are triggered (Ypage 55).
If the risk ofcollision withthevehicle infront
remains andyoudonot brake, takeevasive
action oraccelerate significantly, thevehicle
may perform automatic emergency braking,up
to the point offull brake application. Auto-
matic emergency brakingisnot performed
until immediately priortoan imminent acci-
dent.
You canprevent theintervent ionofAct ive
Brake Assist withcross-t rafficfunction atany
time by:
R depressing theaccelerator pedalfurther
R activating kickdown
R releasi ngthe brake pedal
The braking application ofAct ive Brake Assist
with cross-t rafficfunction isended automati-
cally if:
R you maneuver toavoid theobstacle
R there isno longer arisk ofcollision
R an obstacle isno longer detected infront of
your vehicle STEER
CONTROL
General information STEE
RCONTROL helpsyoubytransmitt inga
noticeable steeringforcetothe steering wheel
in the direction requiredforvehicle stabiliza-
tion.
This steering assistance isprovided inparticu-
lar if:
R both right wheels orboth leftwheels areon
a wet orslippe ryroad surface whenyou
brake
R the vehicle startstoskid Importa
ntsafety notes i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes" sec-
tion (Ypage 60).
No steering supportisprovided fromSTEER
CONTROL, if:
R ESP ®
is deactivated
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning
R the steering isfaulty
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, youwillbeassisted
further bythe electrical powersteering. Protection
againsttheft Immobilizer
X To activate withtheSmart Key:remove
the SmartKey fromtheignition lock.
X To activate withKEYLESS-GO: switchthe
ignition offand open thedriver's door.
X To deactivate: switchonthe ignition.
The immobili zerprevents yourvehicle from
being started without thecorrect SmartKey.
When leaving thevehicle, alwaystake the
SmartKey withyouand lock thevehicle. The
engine canbestarted byanyone withavalid
SmartKey thatisleft inside thevehicle.
i The
immobili zerisalwa ysdeactivated
when youstart theengine.
In the event thattheengine cannot bestar-
ted (yet thevehicle's batteryischarged),
the system isnot operational. Contactan
authorized Mercedes-Benz Centerorcall
1-800 -FOR-MERCedes (inthe USA) or
1-800 -387-0100 (inCanada ). ATA
(anti-theft alarmsystem) 72
Protection
againsttheftSafety

The
seats canstillbeadjusted whenthereis
no Smart Keyinthe ignition lock. G
WARNIN
G
When youadjust aseat, youorother vehicle
occupant scould become trapped, e.g.on
the seat guide rail.There isarisk ofinjury.
When adjusting aseat, make surethatno
one hasany body parts inthe sweep ofthe
seat. G
WARNIN
G
If the driver's seatisnot engaged, itcould
move forwards asfar asthe next catchdur-
ing movemen tsuch asbraking orabrupt
changes ofdirection .As aresult, youwould
be pushed againstyourseatbeltbythe
unsecured driver'sseat.
This could cause youtolose controlofthe
vehicle. Theseat beltcann otprotec tas
inten dedandcould result inadditional
injury.
There isarisk ofan accident andinjury.
Before everyjourney, makesurethatthe
driver's seatisfully engaged.
Observe thesafety noteson "Air bags"
(Y page 45)and "Children inthe vehicle"
(Y page 57). G
WARNIN
G
If you adjust theseat height carelessly, you
or other vehicle occupant scould betrapped
and thereby injured.Children inparticular
could accident allypress theelectric alseat
adjustmen tbutton sand become trapped.
There isarisk ofinjury.
While moving theseats, makesurethatyour
hands orother bodyparts donot getunder
the lever assembly ofthe seat adjustmen t
system. G
WARNIN
G
If the head restraints arenot installed ornot
adjusted correctly,they cannotprovide pro-
tect ionasinten ded.There isan increased
risk ofinjury inthe head andneck area, e.g.
in the event ofan accident orwhen braking. Always
drivewiththehead restraints instal-
led. Before driving off,make sureforevery
vehicle occupant thatthecent erofthe head
restr aintsupports theback ofthe head at
about eyelevel. G
WARNIN
G
You could losecontrolofyour vehicle ifyou
do the following whiledriving:
R adjust thedriver's seat,head restraint,
steerin gwheel ormirrors
R fasten theseat belt
There isarisk ofan accident .
Adjust thedriver's seat,head restraint,
steerin gwheel andmirror andfasten your
seat beltbefore startingthe engine.
! To
prevent damage tothe seats andthe
seat heating, observethefollowing notes:
R Do not spill liquids ontothe seats. Drythe
seats assoon aspossible ifliquid does
get spilled onthe seats.
R Ifthe seat covers aredamp orwet, donot
switch onthe seat heating. Also,donot
use theseat heating todry the seats.
R Clean theseat covers asrecomm ended;
see the"Inter iorcare" section .
R Do not trans portheavy loadsonthe
seats. Donot place pointed objectson
the seat cushions suchaskniv es,nails or
tools. Where possible, usetheseats only
for carrying passengers.
R When operating theseat heating, donot
cover theseats withinsulating materials,
e.g. blankets ,coats, bags,protec tivecov-
ers, child seats orbooster seats.
R When theseat heating isswitched on,the
seat surface canbedamaged asaresult
of object sbeing placed onthe seats, for
example, seatcushions, childseats and
protec tivecovers notapproved by
Mercedes- Benz.
! Make
surethatthere arenoobject sin the
footwell underorbehind theseats when
moving theseats back. There isarisk that
the seats and/or theobject scould bedam-
aged.
i The
head restraints cannotbe removed. 98
SeatsSeats,
steering wheelandmirrors

seat
beltguide .This makes iteasier tomove
the seats forward.
Before youdrive off,theseat beltmust be
inserted intotheseat beltguide .
Observe thesafety guidelinesforseat belts
(Y page 42).
X To remove: openupmagnetic head0044and
fold thetabupinthe direction ofthe arrow.
X Take theseat beltoutofseat beltguide 0043.
X To insert: foldthetabupinthe direction of
the arrow.
X Insert theseat beltback intotheseat belt
guide andfold thetabback down. Adjusting
thehead restra ints G
WARNING
You could losecontrolofyour vehicle ifyou
do the followi ngwhile driving:
R adjust thedriver's seat,head restraint,
steering wheelormirrors
R fasten theseat belt
There isarisk ofan accident.
Adjust thedriver's seat,head restraint,
steering wheelandmirror andfasten your
seat beltbefore starting theengine.
X To adju stthe head restra intheight: slide
the switch forthe head restraint adjust-
ment 0043upordown inthe direction ofthe
arrow. Moving
theseats forward/back G
WARNING
When youadjust aseat, youorother vehicle
occupants couldbecome trapped, e.g.on
the seat guide rail.There isarisk ofinjury.
When adjusting aseat, make surethatno
one hasany body parts inthe sweep ofthe
seat.
! Make
surethatthere arenocont ainers in
the cup holder andnoobjects inthe foot-
well orbehind theseats when adjusting the
seats. Otherwise, youcould damage the
seats andtheobjects. You
canmove theseat forwards inorder to
gain better access tothe rear compartment ,
e.g. toreach thestowage compartment inthe
rear passenger compartment .
X Remove theseat beltfrom theseat belt
guide (Ypage 99).
X To move theseat forwards: press0064on
switch 0043.
The seat moves automaticall yto the fore-
most position.
X To move theseat backwards: press0063
on switch 0043.
The seat moves backtothe previous posi-
tion.
X To stop seatmovement: press0064or
0063 inthe opposite direction. Adjusting
themulticontour seat
You canadjust themulticontour seatusing
COMAND (seeDigital Operator's Manual). Adjusting
theactive multicontour
seat
The active multicontour seatcanbeadjusted
using COMAND (seetheDigital Operator's
Manual ). Adjusting
the4-way lumbar support
You canadjust the4-way lumbarsupport
using COMAND (seetheDigital Operator's
Manual ). 100
SeatsSeats,
steering wheeland mirrors

Switching
theseat heating on/off
Switching on/off G
WARNING
Repeatedly switchingonthe seat heating
can cause theseat cushion andbackrest
pads tobecome veryhot.Thehealth ofper-
sons withlimited temperature sensitivityor
a limited abilityto react tohigh tempera-
tures maybeaffected orthey mayeven suf-
fer burn-like injuries.Thereisarisk ofinjury.
Therefore, donot switch theseat heating on
repeatedly.
! When
theseat heating isswitched on,the
seat surface canbedamaged asaresult of
object sbeing placed onthe seats, forexam-
ple, seat cushions, childseats andprotec-
tive covers notapproved byMercedes-B enz.
Ensure thatthere arenoobject son the seat
surface whentheseat heating isswitched
on. Driver's
andfront -passenger seat The
three redindicator lampsinthe button
indicate theheating levelyouhave selected.
The system automatically switchesdownfrom
level 3to level 2after approximately eight
minutes.
The system automatically switchesdownfrom
level 2to level 1after approximately ten
minutes.
The system automatically switchesoffapprox-
imately 20minutes afteritis set tolevel 1.
X Make surethattheSmartK eyisin position
0047 or0048 inthe ignition lock.
X To switch on:press button 0043repeatedly
until thedesired heating levelisset.
X To switch off:press button 0043repeatedly
until allthe indicator lampsgoout.
i If
the battery voltage istoo low, theseat
heating mayswitch off.
Problems withtheseat heating Problem
Possible
causes/co nsequences and0050 0050
Solutions The
seat heating has
switched offprema-
turely orcannot be
switched on.The vehi-
cle's electrical system
voltage istoo low
because toomany elec-
trical consumers are
switched on. Switch
offelectrical consumers thatyoudonot need, suchasthe
rear window defroster orinterior lighting.
Once thebattery issufficiently charged,switchonthe seat heating
again. Seats
101Seats,steering wheeland mirrors Z

Switching
theseat ventilation on/off
Switching on/off The
three blueindicator lampsinthe buttons
indicate theblower settingyou have selected.
X Ensure thattheSmartK eyisin position 0048
in the ignition lock.
X To switch on:press button 0043repeatedly
until thedesired blowersettingis set.
X To switch off:press button 0043repeatedly
until allthe indicator lampsgoout.
i If
the battery voltage istoo low, theseat
vent ilation mayswitch off.
i If
you open theroof using theSmartK ey
(Y page 92),thedriver's seatventilation is
automatically switchedonand theside win-
dows open.
Problems withtheseat ventilation The
seat ventilation hasswitched offprema-
turely orcannot beswitched on.The vehicle's
electrical systemvoltage istoo low because
too many electrical consumers areswitched
on.
X Switch offelectrical consumers thatyoudo
not need, suchasthe rear window defroster
or interior lighting.
X Once thebattery issufficiently charged,
switch onthe seat heating again. AIRSCA
RF
Setting headlevelheating (AIRSCARF) G
WARNING
When AIRSCARF isswitched on,very hotair
can flow from thevent sin the head
restraint s.This could result inburns inthe
immediate vicinityofthe airvent s.There isa
risk ofinjury.
Reduce theheater output beforeitbecomes
too hot. The
AIRSCARF functionwarms thehead and
neck areaofvehicle occupants withwarm air.
The warm airflows outofthe holes inthe head
restraint s.
The three redindicator lampsinthe button
indicate theheating levelyouhave selected.
X Ensure thattheSmartK eyisin position 0048
in the ignition lock.
X To switch on:press button 0043.
Three redindicator lampsinthe button light
up. The blower startsupafter apreheating
phase ofseven seconds.
X Press button 0043repeatedly untilthedesired
heating levelisset.
X To switch off:press button 0043repeatedly
until allthe indicator lampsgoout.
i The
blower continues running forseven
seconds tocool down theheating elements.
i If
the battery voltage istoo low, AIRSCARF
may switch off. 102
SeatsSeats,
steering wheeland mirrors