2021 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS HATCHBACK towing

*
N
NO
OTE
TE Damage from automatic braking If one of
thefo llowing functions is switched
on, theve hicle brakes automatically in cer tain
situations:
R Active Brake Assist
R Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC
R HOLD function
R Active Parking Assist
To avoid damage totheve hicle, deactivate
th ese systems in thefo llowing or similar situa-
tions: #
during towing #
in a car wash *
N
NOOTE
TE Damage due tounsuitable car wash #
Before driving into a car wash make sure
th at the car wash is suitable forth eve hi-
cle dimensions. #
Ensu rethere is su1cient ground clear-
ance between the underbody and the
guide rails of the car wash. #
Ensure that the clearance width of the
car wash, in particular the width of the
guide rails, is su1cient. To
avo id damage toyour vehicle when using a car
wa sh, ensu rethefo llowing beforehand:
R Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC is deactiva-
te d.
R The HOLD function is switched o..
R The 360° Camera or there ve rsing camera is
switched o..
R The side windo wsand sliding sunroof are com-
ple tely closed.
R The blo werfo rth eve ntilation/heating is
switched o..
R The windsc reen wiper switch is in position g.
R The key is at a minimum dis tance of 3 m away
from theve hicle. Otherwise theta ilgate could
open unintentionall y. R
In automatic car washes with con veyo r sys-
te ms:
- Neutral iis engaged.
- V
V ehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: If
yo uwo uld like tolea vetheve hicle while it
is being washed, make sure theke y is
located in theve hicle. The park position
j isotherwise automatically engaged.
% If, aTer the car wash, youre mo vethewax
from the windscreen and wiper rubbers, this
will pr event smearing and reduce wiper noise.
A
A ut
ut omatic car w
omatic car w ash mode
ash mode
In car wash mode, theve hicle is prepared for driv-
ing into the automatic car wash. Car wash mode
can be activated at a speed of up to20 km/h
Ac tivate (/ page 339).
The following settings are made when car wash
mode is activated:
R The outside mir rors are folded in.
R Topreve ntthe windscreen washer system
from starting up automaticall y,thera in sensor
is deactivated.
R The rear wind owwiper is deacti vated. 338
338
Maintenance and care

sumer on
your ow nve hicle, e.g. there ar win-
dow heater or lighting.
When the starting assistance/charging process is
comple te: #
Firs t, re mo vethe jump lead/charging cable
from ear thpoint 3and the negative pole of
th e donor batter y,then from positive clamp
2 and the positive pole of the donor batter y.
Begin ea chtime with the contacts on your
ow nve hicle /rst. #
ATer removing the jump lead/charging cable,
close co ver1 of positive clamp 2.
Plug-in h
Plug-in h ybr
ybrid:
id:ifyo ur vehicle has been star ted
with starting assis tance, it may not be possible to
use the electric drive for appr oximately 30
minutes.
Fu rther information can be obtained at a quali/ed
specialist workshop. R R
eplacing t
eplacing t he 12 V batt
he 12 V batt ery
ery #
Obser vethe no tes on the 12 V battery
(/ page 354). Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you ha vethe
12 V battery replaced at a quali/ed specialist
wo rkshop, e.g. at a Mercedes-Benz Se rvice
Centre.
Obser vethefo llowing no tes if youwa nttoreplace
th e battery yourself:
R Alwaysre place a faulty battery with a battery
which meets the speci/c vehicle requ ire-
ments.
The vehicle is equipped with a 0eece batter y.
Fu llve hicle functionality is only guaranteed
with a 0eece batter y.Fo r saf etyre asons,
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use batteries which ha vebeen tested and
appro vedfo ryo ur vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
R Use de tach able parts such as vent hoses,
elbow /ttings or term inal co vers from the bat-
te ry which is tobe replaced.
R Make sure that theve nt hose is alw ays con-
nected tothe original opening on the side of
th e batter y.
Fi t any existing or supplied cell caps.
Otherwise, gases or battery acid could
escape. R
Make sure that de tach able parts are recon-
nected in the same way. T T
o
o w
w -st
-st ar
arting or to
ting or towing away
wing away P
P
er
er mitt
mitt edto
ed towing met
wing met hods (non plug-in h
hods (non plug-in h ybr
ybrid)
id) Mercedes-Benz
recommends transporting your
ve hicle in the case of a breakdown, rather than
to wing it away.
Fo rto wing, use a tow rope or tow bar with bo th
axles on thegr ound. Do not use tow bar systems. &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of accident when towing
with steering wheel lock
If th e steering wheel lock is engaged, you will
not be able tosteer theve hicle. #
When towing with a tow rope or tow bar,
alw ays switch on theve hicle. *
N NOOTE TE Damage totheve hicle due to tow-
ing awa y incor rectly #
Obser vethe inst ructions and no tes on
to wing away. 358 358
Breakdown assistance

P
P
er
er mitt
mitt edto
ed towing met
wing met hods
hods V
V
ehicle eq
ehicle eq uipment/to
uipment/to wing met
wing method
hod Bot
Bot
h axles on t
h axles on t hegr
he ground
ound F
F
r
ront axle r
ont axle r aised
aised R
R
ear axle r
ear axle r aised
aised
Ve hicles with manual transmission Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h
Ve hicles with automatic transmis-
sion Ye
s, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h
4MATIC vehicles Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h No NoT
T
o
o wing wit
wing wit h a r
h a r aised axle:
aised axle: towing should be per-
fo rm ed byato wing compan y. Ov
Ov
er
ervie
vie w of per
w of per mitt
mittedto
ed towing met
wing met hods (plug-in
hods (plug-in
h
h ybr
ybr id)
id) Mercedes-Benz
recommends transporting your
ve hicle in the case of a breakdown, rather than
to wing it away. Fo
rto wing, use a tow rope or tow bar with bo th
axles on thegr ound. Do not use tow bar systems.
* N
NO OTE
TE Damage totheve hicle due to tow-
ing awa y incor rectly #
Obser vethe inst ructions and no tes on
to wing away. Obser
vethe information on towing and transport-
ing theve hicle in theve hicle Owner's Manual. Breakdown assis
tance
359
359

P
P
er
er mitt
mitt edto
ed towing met
wing met hods
hods V
V
ehicle eq
ehicle eq uipment/to
uipment/to wing met
wing method
hod Bot
Bot
h axles on t
h axles on t hegr
he ground
ound F
F
r
ront axle r
ont axle r aised
aised R
R
ear axle r
ear axle r aised
aised
Plug-in hybrid vehicles Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h Yes, maximum 50 km at 50 km/h
The steering wheel must be /xed in
th e centre position with a steering
wheel loc k. In
thefo llowing situations, only transporting the
ve hicle is permitted:
R the multifunction display is not working
or
R theá Towing not permitted See Owner's
Manual display message appears
Ex Ex cep
cep tion:
tion: ifth eve hicle is located in a danger
zone, it can be reco vered from the danger zone
despite the display message or the display not
wo rking. It must not be
towe d fur ther than 50 m with bo th
axles on thegr ound. A towing speed of 10 km/h
must not be exceeded. Be yond these limits, only
transporting is permitted. T
T
o
o wing t
wing t he v
he vehicle wit
ehicle wit h bot
h both axles on t
h axles on t hegr
he ground
ound #
Obser vethe no tes on the permitted towing
me thods (/ page 358). #
Plug-in hybrid: obser vethe no tes on the per-
mitted towing me thods (/ page 359). #
Make sure that the battery is connected and
ch arge d.
Obser vethefo llowing points when the battery is
dischar ged:
R theve hicle cann otbe star ted
R the electric parking brake cannot be released
or applied
R V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: the
transmission cannot be shiTed toposition i
or j. 360
360
Breakdown assistance

%
V
V ehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: ifthe
transmission cannot be shiTed toposition i
or if the display does not show anything,
transport theve hicle (/ page 362). A towing
ve hicle with liTing equipment is requ ired for
ve hicle transpor tation.
* NO
NO TE
TEDamage due to towing away at
ex cessively high speeds or over long dis-
ta nces The driv
etra in could be damaged when towing
at excessively high speeds or over long distan-
ces. #
Atowing speed of 50 km/h must not be
ex ceeded. #
Atowing dis tance of 50 km must not be
ex ceeded. &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of accident when towing a
ve hicle which is too heavy
If th eve hicle tobe tow- star ted or towe daway
is heavier than the permissible gross mass of
yo ur vehicle, thefo llowing situations can
occur:
R theto wing eye may become de tach ed.
R theve hicle/trailer combination may
swer veorove rturn. #
Before tow- starting or towing away,
ch eck if theve hicle tobe tow- star ted or
to we dawa yex ceeds the permissible
gr oss mass. If a
vehicle must be tow- star ted or towe dawa y,its
permissible gross mass must not exceed the per-
missible gross mass of theto wing vehicle. #
Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle identi-
/cation plate (/ page 392). #
V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: do not
open the driver's door or front passenger door;
the transmission otherwise automati-
cally shiTs toposition j. #
Fitth eto wing eye (/ page 363). #
Fasten theto wing device.
* N
NOOTE
TE Damage due toincor rect connec-
tion of theto w bar #
Only connect theto w rope or tow bar to
th eto wing eyes. #
Deactivate the automatic locking mechanism
(/ page 88). #
Do not activate the HOLD function. #
Deactivate tow- awa y protection
(/ page 101). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assist (/ page 245). #
V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: shiTto
position i. #
V Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h manual tr
h manual tr ansmission:
ansmission: shiTto
neutral i. #
Release the electric parking brake. Breakdown assistance
361 361

#
Switch on theve hicle; the steering wheel loc k-
ing may otherwise engage. &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of accident due tolimited
saf ety-re lated functions during theto wing
process
Saf ety-re lated functions are limited or no lon-
ge rav ailable in thefo llowing situations:
R theve hicle is switched o..
R the brake system or po wer steering system
is malfunctioning.
R the energy supply or the on-board electri-
cal system is malfunctioning.
When your vehicle is towe daw ay, signi/cantly
more e.ort may be requ ired tosteer and
brake than is normally requ ired. #
Use a tow bar. #
Make sure that the steering wheel can
mo vefreely be fore towing theve hicle
awa y. *
N
NO
OTE
TE Damage due toexcessive tractive
po wer If
yo u pull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged. #
Pull away slo wlyand smoo thly. Loading t
Loading t
he v
he vehicle f
ehicle f or tr
or transport
anspo rt Hybr
Hybr
id v
id vehicles:
ehicles: transpor tation of vehicles should
only be car ried out byprofessional reco very com-
panies. #
Obser vethe no tes on towing away
( / page 360). #
Connect theto wing device totheto wing eye
in order toload theve hicle.
% You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. #
V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: shiTthe
automatic transmission toposition i.
% V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: the
automatic transmission may be loc ked in posi- tion
jintheev ent of damage tothe electri-
cal system. ToshiT toi , pr ovide the on-
board electrical system with po wer
( / page 357). #
V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h manual tr
h manual tr ansmission:
ansmission: shiTto
neutral. #
Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter. #
V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: shiTthe
automatic transmission toposition j. #
V
Vehicles wit
ehicles wit h manual tr
h manual tr ansmission:
ansmission: engage
/rst or reve rsege ar. #
Use the electric parking brake tosecure the
ve hicle against rolling away. #
Only secure theve hicle bythe wheels.
V
V ehicles wit
ehicles wit h adap
h adaptiv
tiv e dam
e dam ping adjus
ping adjustment tment &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of an accident when trans-
porting vehicles with adaptive damping
adjustment
When transpo rting vehicles with adaptive
damping adjustment, theve hicle/trailer com-
bination may begin torock and start toskid. 362
362
Breakdown assis
tance

#
Load theve hicle cor rectly onto the
transpor ter. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels
with suitable tensioning straps. #
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
speed of 60 km/h when transporting. *
N
NO OTE
TE Damage totheve hicle from secur-
ing it inco rrectly #
ATer loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged. #
A minimum dis tance of 20 cm upwards
and 10 cm down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform. #
Secure theve hicle on all four wheels aTer
loading. 4MA
4MA
TIC v
TIC v ehicles/v
ehicles/v ehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ans-
ans-
mission
mission #
Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transpor tation vehicle.
* N
NOOTE
TE Damage tothe drive train due to
incor rect positioning of theve hicle #
Do not position theve hicle abo vethe
connection point of the transport vehi-
cle. T
T
o
o wing ey
wing eye st
e st or
orag
ag e location
e location The
towing eye is under the load compartment
0oor. F
F
itting and r
itting and r emo
emoving t
ving t heto
he towing eye
wing eye #
Press the mark on co ver1 inwa rds and
re mo ve. Breakd
own assistance
363
363

#
Screw intheto wing eye clockwise as far as it
will go and tighten.
V
V ehicles wit
ehicles wit h a tr
h a trailer hitc
ailer hitc h:
h:vehicles with a trailer
hitch do not ha veare ar brac ketfo rth eto wing
ey e. Fasten theto w bar tothe trailer hitch. #
Make sure that co ver1 engages in the
bumper when youre mo vetheto wing eye.
* N
NOOTE
TE Damage totheve hicle due toincor-
re ct use of theto wing eye or trailer hitch When a
towing eye or trailer hitch is used to
re co ver a vehicle, theve hicle may be damaged
in the process. #
Only use theto wing eye or trailer hitch to
to w awa y or tow start theve hicle. #
Do not use theto wing eye or trailer hitch
to to wtheve hicle during reco very. T
T
o
o w
w -st
-st ar
arting t
ting t he v
he vehicle
ehicle V V
ehicles wit ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission
ansmission
* NO
NOTE
TEDamage tothe automatic transmis-
sion due to tow-starting The au
tomatic transmission may be damaged
in the process of tow- starting vehicles with
automatic transmission. #
Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow- star ted. #
Vehicles with an automatic transmission must
not be tow- star ted.
V V ehicles wit ehicles wit h manual tr
h manual tr ansmission
ansmission #
Obser vethe no tes on towing away
( / page 360). #
If necessar y,allow the engine and exhaust
system tocool down. #
Swit chon the ignition. #
Engage second gear. #
Release the electric parking brake. #
Tow- start theve hicle while the clutch pedal is
fully depressed. #
Slowly re leasethe clutch pedal. #
Immediately shiT toneutral if the engine
starts. #
Stop theve hicle in accordance with the tra1c
conditions. #
Remo vetheto w bar. #
Remo vetheto wing eye. #
Have theve hicle checked at a quali/ed spe-
cialist workshop. Electr
Electr
ical fuses
ical fuses N
No
ot
tes on electr
es on electr ical fuses
ical fuses &
W
WARNING
ARNING Risk of accident and injury due
to ove rloaded lines
If yo u manipulate or bridge a faulty fuse or if
yo ure place it with a fuse with a higher amper-
age, the electric line could be overloaded.
This could result in a /re. 364
364
Breakdown assis
tance