warning light MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS SALOON 2018 Owner's Guide

Fu
nction of ABS (Anti-lock Braking Sy stem) ABS
regulates the brake pressure in critical driv‐
ing situations:
R During braking, e.g. at full brake application
or insuf ficient tyre traction, the wheels are
pr eve nted from lo cking.
R Vehicle steerability while braking is ensured.
If ABS inter venes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal. The pulsating brake
pedal can be an indication of hazardous road
conditions and can ser veas a reminder totake
ex tra care while driving.
Sy stem limitations
R ABS is active from speeds of appr ox.
8 km/h.
R ABS may be impai red or may not function if a
malfunction has occur red and theye l‐
low ! ABSwarning lamp lights up contin‐
uously in the instrument clus ter af terthe
engine is star ted. Fu
nction of BAS (Brake Assist Sy stem) &
WARNING Risk of an accident caused by
a malfunction in BAS (Brake Assi stSys‐
te m)
If BA S is malfunctioning, the braking dis tance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. #
Dep ress the brake pedal with full force
in emer gency braking situations. ABS
pr eve nts the wheels from locking. BA
S suppo rts yo ur eme rgency braking situation
with additional brake forc e.
If yo u depress the brake pedal quickl y,BA S is
acti vated:
R BAS au tomatical lyboosts the brake pres‐
sure.
R BAS can sho rten the braking dis tance.
R ABS pr events the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
re lease the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. Fu
nctions of ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro‐
gr am) &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
malfunctioning
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. In addition, other
driving saf ety sy stems are switched off. #
Drive on carefull y. #
Have ESP ®
ch ecked at a qualified spe‐
cialist workshop. &
WARNING Risk of skidding if ESP ®
is
deactivated
If yo u deactivate ESP ®
, ESP ®
cannot car ry
out vehicle stabilisation. #
ESP ®
should on lybe deactivated in the
fo llowing situations. Driving and parking
191

ESP
®
can moni tor and impr ovedriving stability
and traction in thefo llowing situations, within
ph ysical limits:
R When pulling away on wet or slippe rycar ria‐
ge wa ys.
R When braking.
R Vehicles with trailer hitch: in trailer opera‐
tion from speeds of 65 km/h, if theve hicle/
trailer combination begins tosw ay from side
to side.
R Instro ng side winds when you are driving
fa ster than 80 km/h.
If th eve hicle deviates from the direction desired
by the driver, ESP ®
can stabilise theve hicle by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R One or more wheels are braked.
R The engine output is adap ted according to
th e situation.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter. Obser
vethefo llowing points when ESP ®
is deac‐
tivated:
R Driving stability will no lon ger be impr oved.
R Vehicles with trailer hitch: stabilisation of
th eve hicle/trailer combination is no longer
active.
R Crosswind Assist is no longer active.
R The drive wheels could spin.
R ETS/4ETS traction control is still active.
% When ESP ®
is deactivated, you are still assis‐
te dby ESP ®
when braking.
If th e÷ ESP®
wa rning lamp flashes in the
instrument clus ter,one or se veralve hicle wheels
has reached its grip limit:
R Adapt the driving style to suit the pr evailing
ro ad and weather conditions.
R Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum‐
st ances.
R Onlydepress the accelerator pedal as far as
is necessar y. It may be best
todeactivate ESP ®
in thefo llow‐
ing situations:
R When using snow chains.
R In deep sn ow.
R On sand or gr avel.
% Spinning the wheels results in a cutting
action, which enhances traction.
If th e÷ ESP®
wa rning lamp lights up continu‐
ousl y,ESP ®
is not available due toa malfunction.
Obse rveth efo llowing information:
R Warning and indicator lamps
(/ page 560)
R Display messages (/ page 509)
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction Sy stem)
ETS/4E TStraction control is pa rtof ESP ®
and
makes it possible topull away and accelerate on
a slippe rycar riag ew ay.
ETS/4ETS can impr ovetheve hicle's traction by
inter vening in thefo llowing ways:
R The drive wheels are braked individually if
th ey spin. 19 2
Driving and pa rking

Ac
tivating/deactivating ESP ®
(Electronic Sta‐
bility Prog ram) Multimedia sy
stem:
4 © 5
Settings 5
Quick access
% ESP®
can only be activated/deactivated
using quick access when at least one other
function is available in quick access. ESP ®
can otherwise be found in theAssistance
menu. #
Select ESP.
A prom ptappears. #
Select Onorå Off.
ESP ®
is deactivated if theå ESP®
OFF warn‐
ing lamp lights up continuously in the instrument
clus ter.
Obser vethe information on warning lamps and
display messages which may be shown in the
instrument clus ter. Fu
nction of ESP ®
Crosswind Assist ESP
®
Crosswind Assist de tects sudden gu sts of
side wind and helps the driver tokeep theve hi‐
cle in the lane:
R ESP ®
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle
speeds between 80 km/h and 200 km/h
when driving stra ight ahead or cornering
slightly.
R The vehicle is stabilised bymeans of individ‐
ual brake application on one side. Fu
nction of ESP ®
trailer stabilisation &
WARNING Risk of accident in poor road
and weather conditions
In poor road and weather conditions, the
trailer stabilisation cannot pr event lu rching of
th eve hicle/trailer combination. Trailers with
a high centre of gr avity may tip over before
ESP ®
de tects this. #
Alw ays adapt your driving style to suit
th e cur rent road and weather condi‐
tions. When driving with a trailer, ESP
®
can stabilise
yo ur vehicle if the trailer begins toswer vefrom
side toside:
R ESP ®
trailer stabilisation is active abo ve
speeds of 65 km/h.
R Slight swerving is reduced bymeans of a tar‐
ge ted, individual brake application on one
side.
R Intheeve nt of se vere swerving, the engine
output is also reduced and all wheels are
braked.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation may be impaired or
may not function if:
R The trailer is not connec ted cor rectly or is
not de tected prope rly by theve hicle. 194
Driving and pa rking

Fu
nction of EBD (Electronic Brake forc e Dis‐
tribution) EBD is
characterised bythefo llowing:
R Monitoring and regulating the brake pressure
on there ar wheels.
R Impr oved driving stability when braking,
especially on bends. Fu
nction of STEER CONT ROL ST
EER CONT ROL helps youby transmitting a
noticeable steering forc eto thesteering wheel in
th e direction requiredforve hicle stabilisation.
This steering recommendation is given pa rticu‐
lar lyin thefo llowing situations:
R both right wheels or bo thleft wheels are on a
we t or slippe ryroad sur face when you brake
R theve hicle starts toskid
Sy stem limitations
ST EER CONTROL may be impaire d or may not
function in thefo llowing situations:
R ESP ®
is deactivated R
ESP ®
is malfunctioning
R thesteering is malfunctioning
If ESP ®
is malfunctioning, you will be assis ted
fur ther by the electric po werst eering. Fu
nction of Active Brake Assi st Ac
tive Brake Assi stconsi sts of thefo llowing
functions:
R Distance warning function
R Autonomous braking function
R Situation-dependent braking assi stance
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: Evasi veSteering Assist
Ac tive Brake Assi stcan help youto minimise the
ri sk of a collision with vehicles, cyclists or
pedestrians, or reduce the ef fects of su cha colli‐
sion.
If Ac tive Brake Assi sthas de tected a risk of colli‐
sion, a warning tone sounds and theL dis‐
ta nce warning lamp lights up in the instrument
clus ter. If
yo u do not react tothewa rning, autonomous
braking can be initiated in critical situations.
In especially critical situations, Active Brake
Assi stcan initia teautonomous braking direct ly.
In this case, thewa rning lamp and warning tone
occur simultaneously wi th the braking applica‐
tion.
If yo u apply the brake yourself in a critical situa‐
tion or apply the brake during autonomous brak‐
ing, situation-dependent braking assis tance
occu rs. The brake pressure increases up tomax‐
imum full-s top braking if necessar y. If autonomous braking or situation-dependent
braking assist
ance has occur red, display 1 Driving and parking
19 5

appears in
the multifunction display and then
automatically goes out af ter a short time.
If th e autonomous braking function or the situa‐
tion-dependent braking assis tance is trig gered,
additional pr eventive measu resfo r occupant
pr otection (PRE-SAFE ®
) may also be initiated. &
WARNING Risk of an accident caused by
limited de tection per form ance of Active
Brake Assi st
Ac tive Brake Assi stcannot al ways clear ly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
In su chcases, Active Brake Assi stmight:
R Give a warning or brake without reason R
Not give a warning or not brake #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Active Brake
Assi stalone. Active Brake Assi stis only
an aid. The driver is responsible for
maintaining a suita ble distance tothe
ve hicle in front, vehicle speed and for
braking in good time. #
Be prepared tobrake or swer veif nec‐
essar y. Also obser
vethe sy stem limitations of Active
Brake Assi st.
The individual subfunctions are available in
th efo llowing speed ranges:
Distance warning function The dis
tance warning function issues a warning
in thefo llowing situations:
R From appr oximately 30 km/h, if over se veral
seconds the dis tance maintained totheve hi‐
cle tr avelling in front is insuf ficient forthe
driven speed, theL distance warning
lamp lights up in the instrument clus ter.
R From appr oximately 7 km/h, if your vehicle
is critically close toave hicle or pedestrian,
yo u will hear an intermit tent wa rning tone
and theL distance warning lamp lights
up in the instrument clus ter.
Brake immediately or take evasive action, pr ovi‐
ded it is safe todo so and the traf fic situation
allo wsthis. 19 6
Driving and pa rking

R
Assi stance thro ugh po wer-assis tedsteering if
it de tects a swerving manoeuvre.
R Activation byan abrupt steering mo vement
during a swerving manoeuvre.
R Assis tance du ring swerving and stra ightening
of theve hicle.
R Reaction from a speed of appr oximately
20 km/h up toa speed of appr oximately
70 km/h.
Yo u can pr eventthe assis tance at any time by
actively steering. &
WARNING Risk of an accident despi te
Evasive Steering Assist
Evasive Steering Assist cann otalw ays clearly
identify objects and complex traf fic situa‐
tions.
In addition, thesteering support of Evasive
St eering Assist is general lynot su fficient to
avo id a collision. In such cases Evasive
Steering Assist can:
R give an unnecessary warning or pr ovide
assis tance
R not gi veawa rning or not pr ovide assis‐
ta nce #
Alw ays pay careful attention tothe traf‐
fi c situation; do not rely on Ev asive
St eering Assist alone. #
Beready tobrake and take evasive
action, if necessar y. #
Preve ntthe assis tance byactively steer‐
ing in non-critical driving situations. #
Drive at an appropriate speed if pedes‐
trians are close tothe path of your vehi‐
cle. Sy
stem limitations
Fu ll sy stem per form ance is not available for a
fe w seconds af ter switching on the ignition or
af te r driving off. The sy
stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing situations:
R In sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatlyvarying
light conditions.
R Ifth e sensors are dirty, mis ted up, damaged
or co vered.
R Ifth e sensors are impaired due tointer fer‐
ence from other radar sources, e.g. strong
ra dar reflections in multi-s torey car par ks.
R If a loss of tyre pressure or a defective tyre
has been de tected and displ ayed.
R In complex traf fic situations whe reobjects
cannot always be clearly identified.
R If pedestrians or vehicles mo vequickly into
th e sensor de tection range.
R If pede strians are hidden by other objects.
R Ifth e typical outline of a pedestrian cann ot
be distinguished from the bac kground.
R If a pedestrian is not de tected as su ch, e.g.
due tospecial clo thing or other objects.
R On bends with a tight radius. 200
Driving and parking

Setting
Active Brake Assi st Re
quirements:
R The ignition is switched on.
Multimedia sy stem:
4 © 5
Settings 5
Assistance
5 Active Brake Assist
The following settings are available:
R Early
R Medium
R Late #
Select a setting.
The setting is retained when the engine is
next star ted.
Deactivating Active Brake Assi st
% It is recommended that you alw ays lea ve
Ac tive Brake Assi stactivated. #
Select Off.
The dis tance warning function, the autono‐
mous braking function and the Evasive Steer‐
ing Assist are deactivated. When
theve hicle is next star ted, the middle
setting is automatically selected.
% IfAc tive Brake Assi stis deactivated, the
æ symbol appears inthest atus bar of the
multifunction displa y. Fu
nction of Adaptive Brake Lights Ad
aptive Brake Lights warnfollowing traf fic in an
emergency braking situation wi th thefo llowing
actions:
R Byflashing the brake lamps
R By activating the hazard warning lights
If th eve hicle is braked sharply from speeds
abo ve50 km/h, the brake lamps flash rapidl y.
This pr ovides traf fic tr avelling behind you with an
ev en more noticeable warning.
If th eve hicle is tr avelling at speeds of more than
70 km/h at the beginning of the brake applica‐
tion, the hazard warning lights switch on once
th eve hicle is stationar y.When you pull away
again, the hazard warning lights will switch off
automatically at appr oximately 10km/h. Yo u can also switch off
the hazard warning lights
using the hazard warning button. Cruise control and limiter
Fu
nction of cruise control
Cruise cont rolre gulates the speed totheva lue
selec tedby the driver.
If yo u accelerate toove rtake, forex ample, the
st ored speed is not dele ted. If youre mo veyour
fo ot from the accelera tor pedal af terov ertaking,
cruise control will resume speed regulation back
to thestored speed.
Cruise contro l is operated using the cor respond‐
ing steering wheel buttons. You can store any
speed abo ve20 km/h up tothe maximum speed
or up tothe set winter tyre limit.
If yo ufa ilto adapt your driving style, cruise con‐
trol can neither reduce therisk of an accident
nor override the la wsof ph ysics. It cannot take
into account road, weather or traf fic conditions.
Cruise control is only an aid. You are responsible
fo r maintaining a safe dis tance totheve hicle in
front, forve hicle speed, for braking in good time
and forst ay ing in lane. Driving and parking
201

1
Limiter is selected
2 Speed is stored, limiter is deactivated
3 Speed is stored, limiter is activated
% The segments in the speedome ter light up,
up tothe cur rently stored speed.
% When the driving speed is greater than the
st ored speed, display 3flashes.
Kickd own
If yo u depress the accelerator pedal be yond the
pressure point (kickdown), the limiter switches
to passive mode. The Limiter passivemessage
appears in the multifunction displa y.Af
ter completion of kickdown, theva riable lim‐
iter is activated again in thefo llowing situations:
R Ifth e driven speed drops below thestored
speed.
R Ifth estored speed is called up.
R Ifyo ustore a new speed.
Operating cruise control or theva riable lim‐
iter &
WARNING Risk of accident due tostored
speed
If yo u call up thestored speed and this is
lo we rth an your cur rent speed, theve hicle
decelerates. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. Re
quirements:
Cruise control
R Cruise control is selected.
R ESP ®
must be activated, but not inter vening.
R The driven speed is at least 20 km/h. R
The transmission is in position h.
Va riable limiter:
R The vehicle has been star ted.
R The variable limiter is selec ted.
Switching between cruise control and the
va riable limi ter Driving and pa
rking 203

R
Initiates acceleration tothestored speed if
th e turn signal indicator is switched on to
ch ange totheove rtaking lane.
R Vehicles with Driving Assistance Pack‐
age: takes one-sided overtaking restrictions
into account on mo torw ays or on multi-lane
ro ads with separate car riag ewa ys(countr y-
dependent).
Ve hicles with Active Parking Assist and Driv‐
ing Assistance Package: ifth eve hicle has
been braked toast andstill on multi-lane, stru c‐
tural lyseparate car riag ew aysby Active Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC, it can au tomatically follow
th eve hicle in front driving off again within 30
seconds. If a critical situation is de tected when
driving off, a visual and acoustic warning is given
indicating that the driver must now take control
of theve hicle. The vehicle is not accelerated any
fur ther.
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is only an aid.
The driver is responsible forke eping a safe dis‐
ta nce totheve hicle in front, forve hicle speed
and for braking in good time. Sy
stem limitations
The sy stem may be impaired or may not function
in thefo llowing ins tances:
R In sno w,rain, fog, heavy spr ay, if there is
gl are, in direct sunlight or in greatlyvarying
light conditions.
R The windsc reen in the area of the camera is
dirty, mis ted up, damaged or co vered.
R Ifth era dar sensors are dirty or co vered.
R In multi- stor ey car pa rks or on roads with
st eep uphill or downhill gradients.
R Ifth ere are nar rowvehicles in front, such as
bicycles or mo torcyc les.
In addition, on slippery roads, braking or accel‐
erating can cause one or se veral wheels tolose
traction and theve hicle could then skid.
Do not use Active Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC in
th ese situations. &
WARNING Risk of accident from acceler‐
ation or braking byActive Dis tance
Assi stDISTRONIC
Ac tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC may accel‐
erate or brake in thefo llowing cases, for
ex ample:
R Ifth eve hicle pulls away using Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC.
R Ifth estored speed is called up and is
considerably faster or slo werth an the
cur rently driven speed.
R IfAc tive Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC no
longer de tects a vehicle in front or does
not react toreleva nt objects. #
Alw ays carefully obser vethe traf fic con‐
ditions and be ready tobrake at all
times. #
Take into account the tra ffic situation
before calling up thestored speed. 206
Driving and parking

Sy
stem limitations
Te mp orary speed restrictions (e.g. for a cer tain
time or due towe ather conditions) cannot be
proper lyde tected bythe sy stem. The maximum
permissible speed applying for a vehicle with a
trailer is not de tected bythe sy stem. In these sit‐
uations you must adjust your speed yourself. &
WARNING Risk of accident due toActive
Speed Limit Assi stadapting theve hicle's
speed
The speed adop tedby Active Speed Limit
Assi stmay be too high or incor rect in some
individual cases, su chas:
R Inthewe t or in fog
R When towing a trailer #
Ensure that the driven speed complies
with traf fic re gulations. #
Adjust the driving speed tosuit cur rent
traf fic and weather conditions. Fu
nction of route-based speed adaptation %
The following function is countr y-dependent
and only available in conjunction with the
Driving Assi stance Package.
When Dis tance Assi stDISTRONIC is acti ve,the
function adju ststh e speed depending on the
ro ute events ahead. Depending on the drive pro‐
gram selected, theve hicle negotiates thero ute
eve nt ahead in a fuel-s aving, com fortable or
dynamic manner. When thero ute event has been
passed, theve hicle accelerates again tothe
st ored speed. The set dis tancetotheve hicle in
front, vehicles de tected ahead and speed restric‐
tions ahead are take n into account.
Ro ute-based speed adjustment can byconfig‐
ured in the multimedia sy stem
(/ page211).
Ro ute events ahead are:
R Bends
R T-junctions, roundabouts and tollst ations
R Turns and exits
R Traf fic jams ahead (only wi thLive Traf fic
( / page 358)) %
When theto llst ation is reached, Active Dis‐
ta nce Assi stDISTRONIC adopts the speed as
th estored speed.
Also, the speed is reduced if the turn signal to
ch ange lanes is swit ched on and one of thefo l‐
lowing situations is de tected:
R Turning off at junctions
R Driving on slowing-down lanes
R Driving on lanes adjacent toslowing-down
lanes
The driver is responsible forch oosing theright
speed and observing other road users. This
applies in particular tojunctions, roundabouts
and traf fic lights, as route-based speed adap ta‐
tion does not brake theve hicle toast andstill.
When route guidance is active, thefirs t speed
adjustment is car ried out automaticall y.Ifthe
turn signal indica tor is switched on, the selected
ro ute is confirmed and fur ther speed adjustment
is activated. 210
Driving and pa rking