MERCEDES-BENZ CLS500 2006 W219 Owner's Manual

370 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Please note:
Conven. functions
available again

On-board voltage is sufficient; the
consumers will switch on again.
Run Flat Indicator
inactive
Run Flat Indicator* is
malfunctioning.

Have the Run Flat Indicator* checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Check tires
Then reactivate
Run Flat Indicator
There was a warning message about
a loss in the tire inflation pressure
and the Run Flat Indicator* has not
been reactivated yet.

Make sure that the correct tire inflation pres-
sure is set for each tire.

Then reactivate the Run Flat Indicator*.
Run Flat Indicator
unavailable
The Run Flat Indicator* has been
switched off due to an error.

Have the Run Flat Indicator* checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Tire pressure
Check tires
The Run Flat Indicator* indicates
that the pressure is too low in one or
more tires.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt, avoiding
abrupt steering and braking maneuvers. Ob-
serve the traffic situation around you.

Check and adjust tire inflation pressure as
required (
page 313).

If necessary, change the wheel (
page 423).

Reactivate the Run Flat Indicator* after adjust-
ing the tire inflation pressure values
(page 315).

371 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Tire pressure

displayed only
after driving a
few minutes
The tire inflation pressure is being
checked.

Drive the vehicle for a few minutes.
Tire pres. monitor
currently unavailable
The Advanced TPMS* is unable to
monitor the tire pressure due to

a nearby radio interference
source.


excessive wheel sensor temper-
atures.

As soon as the causes for the malfunction are
no longer present, the Advanced TPMS* auto-
matically becomes active again after a few
minutes driving.
Tire pres. monitor
inoperative
The Advanced TPMS* is
malfunctioning.

Have the Advanced TPMS* checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

372 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Tire pres. monitor
inoperative
No wheel sensors
There are wheels without wheel sen-
sors mounted (e.g. winter tires).

Have the Advanced TPMS* checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Have the wheel sensors installed by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Tire pres. monitor
Wheel sensor missing


One or more sensors malfunc-
tion (e.g. battery is empty).


One or more wheels without
wheel sensors mounted (e.g.
spare tire).
The tire inflation pressure for the re-
spective tire is not shown in the mul-
tifunction display.

Have the Advanced TPMS* checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Have the wheel sensors installed by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

373 Practical hints
What to do if …
Symbol messagesDisplay symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
Low voltage
Switch off
consumers
The battery has insufficient voltage.

Turn off unnecessary electrical con-
sumers.
Visit workshop
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes:

alternator malfunctioning


broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake system
requires electrical energy and may be
operating with restricted capability.
Considerably greater brake pedal force is
required and the stopping distance is
increased.

Stop immediately in a safe location or
as soon as it is safe to do so and
check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise
the engine will overheat due to an
inoperative water pump which may re-
sult in damage to the engine. Notify
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is intact:

Drive immediately to the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Adjust driving to be consistent with
reduced braking responsiveness.

374 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
Battery/Alternator
Stop vehicle
The battery is malfunctioning.
The electro-hydraulic brake system re-
quires electrical energy and therefore has
only limited operation. Considerably
greater brake pedal force is required and
the stopping distance is increased.

Stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe
to do so. Adjust driving to be consis-
tent with reduced braking responsive-
ness.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Low voltage
Start engine
The battery has insufficient voltage.

Start the engine (
page 49).
2
Brake wear
Visit workshop
The brake pads have reached their wear
limit.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon
as possible.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
inspected by a qualified technician at
the intervals specified in the
Maintenance Booklet.

375 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
!
Release parking
brake
You are driving with the parking brake
set.

Release the parking brake
(page 51).
T
Reduced braking power
Depress brake
pedal fully
The electro-hydraulic brake system is in
emergency operation mode. Consider-
ably greater brake pedal force is required
and the stopping distance is increased.
The maximum speed is limited to 55 mph
(90 km/h).

Do not drive any further.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location and
notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking the wheels with wheel
chocks or other sizable objects.

Call for Roadside Assistance.
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Reduced braking power
Start engine
The battery has insufficient voltage and
cannot supply sufficient power to the
electro-hydraulic brake system.

Start the engine.
The message disappears when suffi-
cient voltage is available.

376 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Reduced braking power
Visit workshop
The electro-hydraulic brake system is in
emergency operation mode. Consider-
able brake pedal force is required and the
stopping distance is increased.

Continue driving with added caution.

Adjust driving to be consistent with
reduced braking responsiveness.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Service brake
Visit workshop
There are malfunctions, but the
electro-hydraulic brake system is operat-
ing normally.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Brake overheated
Drive on, but with
even greater care
The brake system is overheated due to an
excessive load on the brakes.

Relieve the load on the brake system.

Drive more smoothly and think ahead
to avoid unnecessary braking.

When driving down slopes, shift into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking
power (
page 183).

Cautiously continue driving so that
the air stream will cool down the
brakes.

377 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Brake fluid
Visit workshop
There is insufficient brake fluid in the
reservoir.

Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle in a
safe location and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the messages “Brake fluid Visit
workshop” displayed can result in an acci-
dent. Have your brake system checked im-
mediately.
If there is a malfunction in the
electro-hydraulic brake system, we recom-
mend that the vehicle be transported with
all wheels off the ground using flatbed or ap-
propriate wheel lift/dolly equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances do
not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a speed not to
exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). For more infor-
mation, refer to “Towing the vehicle”
(page 437).
If the electro-hydraulic brake system enters
its emergency operation mode, the driver
must apply significantly greater brake pedal
pressure and depress the pedal much fur-
ther than normal to obtain braking effect. If
necessary, apply full pressure to the brake
pedal. Brakes may only be applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased!
Do not add brake fluid before checking the
brake system. Overfilling the brake fluid res-
ervoir can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You can be seriously burned.!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.

378 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only)ú(Canada only)±
Visit workshop
There may be a malfunction in the:

fuel injection system


ignition system


exhaust system


fuel system

Have the measuring system checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 297).

If you have to add coolant frequently,
have the cooling system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
the message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount
of coolant in the cooling system. The
engine will overheat causing major
engine damage.

379 Practical hints
What to do if …
During severe operation conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant
Stop, engine off
The coolant is too hot.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Only start the engine again after the
message disappears. You could other-
wise damage the engine.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
!The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.