2021 MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS SALOON 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 and heating is
switched o..
R the windscreen wiper switch is in position g.
R The key is at a minimum dis tance of 3 m away
from theve hicle. Otherwise the boot lid could
open unintentionall y.
R For car washes with a con veyor system: -
neutral iis engaged.
- F
F or v
or v ehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission:
If yo u lea vetheve hicle while it is being
wa shed, make sure theke y is located in
th eve hicle. The park position jisother-
wise 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 333) .
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.
R The windo wsand the sliding sunroof are
closed. 332
332
Maintenance and care

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. 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 No354
354
Breakdown assis
tance

T
T
o
o wing wit
wing wit h a r
h a raised 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.
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. Breakd
own assistance
355 355

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 354). #
Plug-in hybrid: obser vethe no tes on the per-
mitted towing me thods (/ page 355). #
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
V ehicles wit
ehicles wit h aut
h automatic tr
omatic tr ansmission:
ansmission: the
transmission cannot be shiTed toposition i
or j.
% V
Vehicles 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 357). A towing
ve hicle with liTing equipment is requ ired for
ve hicle transpo rtation.
* NO
NOTE
TE Damage 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. 356
356
Breakdown assis
tance

#
Information on the permissible gross mass of
th eve hicle can be found on theve hicle identi-
/cation plate (/ page 384). #
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 359). #
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 102). #
Deactivate Active Brake Assist (/ page 239).#
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. #
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 356). #
Connect theto wing device totheto wing eye
in order toload theve hicle.
% You can also attach theto w bar tothe trailer
hitch. Breakdown assistance
357
357

T
T
o
o wing ey
wing eye st
e st or
orag
ag e location
e location The
towing eye is located in the st owage space
under the boot 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. #
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
NO OTE
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 356). #
If necessar y,allow the engine and exhaust
system tocool down. #
Swit chon the ignition. #
Engage second gear. #
Release the electric parking brake. Breakdown assistance
359
359

A 250 e
A 250 e
Cha
rge time – mode 2
with 3.7 kW charging capacity App
rox. 3 h
15 min
Char getime – mode 2
with 2.3 kW charging capacity App
rox. 5 h
30 min
Char getime – mode 2
with 1.8 kW charging capacity App
rox. 7 h
30 min Char
getimes – modes 2 and 3 app lyto alternat-
ing cur rent charging from 10% to100% of the usa-
ble energy content. Char getime – mode 4 applies
to direct cur rent charging from 10% to80% of the
usable energy content.
The time take nto charge the battery depends on
th ech arge status of the batter y,the ambient tem-
perature and thech arging capacity of the batter y.
The charging capacit y,in turn, depends on the
supply voltage, the cur rent intensity and the type
of po wer suppl y.
The nominal voltage range foryo ur vehicle can be
fo und on the information label in the soc ket co ver
( / page 188). T T
r
railer hitch
ailer hitch Gener
Gener
al not
al notes on t
es on t he tr
he trailer hitch
ailer hitch Modi/cations
tothe engine cooling system may
be necessar y,depending on theve hicle model.
The retro/tting of a trailer hitch is on lypermissi-
ble if a towing capacity is speci/ed in your vehicle
documents.
Fu rther information can be obtained at a quali/ed
specialist workshop. Mounting dimensions of t Mounting dimensions of t
he tr
he trailer hitch
ailer hitch 1
Fastening points
2 Overhang dimension
3 Rear axle cent reline Te
ch nical data
397
397

Hybr
Hybr
id syst
id syst em
em Displa
Displa
y messag
y messag es P
es Possible causes/conseq
ossible causes/conseq uences and
uences andM
MSolutions
Solutions
u
Towing not permitted See
Owner's Manual *T
he drive system is malfunctioning. #
Have theve hicle transpo rted only using a transpor ter or trailer (/ page 355).
ò Acoustic presence indica-
tor inoperative *T
he sound generator (acoustic vehicle warning system) is malfunctioning. No driving noises are being produced. The
ve hicle may not be heard by otherroad users. #
Drive with particular care. #
Consult a quali/ed specialist workshop.
è
Charger cable connected *Y
ou cannot pull away while thech arging cable is connected. #
Disconnect thech arging cable from theve hicle.
Not possible to unlock
charging cable See Own-
er's Manual *T
hecharging cable connector cann otbe remo ved from thech arging station's soc ket. #
Press the EMERGENCY OFF switch on thech arging station.
If th ech arging cable connector cann otbe remo ved aTer that: Displ
aymessages and warning/indicator lamps
415
415