steering MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS 2018 Owner's Manual

merely aids designed to assist driving. You are
responsible for maintaining the distance to the
vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for braking in
good time, and for staying in lane. Always adapt
your driving style to suit the prevailing road and
weather conditions and maintain a safe distance
from the vehicle in front. Drive carefully.
The driving safety systems described only work
as effectively as possible when there is ade-
quate contact between the tires and the road
surface. Pay particular attention to the informa-
tion regarding tires, recommended minimum
tire tread depths etc. in the "Wheels and tires"
section (
Ypage 333).
In wintry driving conditions, always use winter
tires (M+S tires) and if necessary, snow chains.
Only in this way will the driving safety systems
described in this section work as effectively as
possible.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
General information
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way that
the wheels do not lock when you brake. This
allows you to continue steering the vehicle when
braking.
The ! ABS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched
on. It goes out when the engine is running.
ABS works from a speed of about 5 mph
(8 km/h), regardless of road-surface conditions.
ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you
only brake gently.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 65).
GWARNING
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking. The steerability and braking charac-
teristics may be severely impaired. Addition-
ally, further driving safety systems are deac-
tivated. There is an increased danger of skid-
ding and accidents.
Drive on carefully. Have ABS checked imme-
diately at a qualified specialist workshop. When ABS is malfunctioning, other systems,
including driving safety systems, will also
become inoperative. Observe the information
on the ABS warning lamp (
Ypage 261) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 231).
Braking
XIf ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake pedal vigorously until the braking sit-
uation is over.
XTo make a full brake application: depress
the brake pedal with full force.
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a
pulsing in the brake pedal.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions, and functions as a reminder to take extra care while driving.
BAS (Brake Assist System)
General information
BAS operates in emergency braking situations.
If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS
automatically boosts the braking force, thus
shortening the stopping distance.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 65).
GWARNING
If BAS is malfunctioning, the braking distance
in an emergency braking situation is
increased. There is a risk of an accident.
In an emergency braking situation, depress
the brake pedal with full force. ABS prevents
the wheels from locking.
Braking
XKeep the brake pedal firmly depressed until
the emergency braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
The brakes will function as usual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
66Driving safety systems
Safety

Deactivating/activating ESP®
(Mercedes‑AM Gvehicles )
Important safet ynotes
iObserv eth e"Important safet ynotes" sec -
tion (Ypage 65).
You can selec tbetween th efollowin gstates of
ES P
®:
RESP®is activated.
RSPORT handlin gmode is activated.
RES P®is deactivated.
GWARNING
Whe nSPORT handlin gmode is activated,
there is agreater ris kof skidding and acci-
dents .
Only activat eSPORT handlin gmode in th esit -
uation sdescribed in th efollowing.
GWARNING
If you deactivat eES P
®,ES P®no longer sta-
bilizes th evehicle. There is an increase dris k
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivat eES P
®in th esituation sdescri-
bed in th efollowing.
!Avoid spinnin gth edriven wheels fo ran
extended period wit hES P®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage th edrivetrain .
In th efollowin gsituations, it may be bette rto
activat eSPORT handlin gmode or deactivat e
ES P
®:
Rwhen usin gsnow chain s
Rin deepsnow
Ron san dor grave l
Ron specially designated roads when th evehi-
cle's own oversteering and understeering
characteristics are desire d
Spinning th ewheels result sin acutting action
whic hprovides bette rgrip.
Driving in SPORT handlin gmode or without
ES P
®require san extremely qualified and expe-
rienced driver .
iActivateES P®as soo nas th esituation s
described abov eno longer apply .ES P®will
otherwise no tbe able to stabilize th evehicle if th
evehicle start sto skid or awhee lstart sto
spin.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo activate SPORT handling mode: briefly
press butto n:.
The M SPORT handlin gmode warnin g
lamp in th einstrumen tcluster lights up. The
SPORT
handlingmod emessag eappears on
th emultifunction display.
XTo deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press butto n:.
The M SPORT handlin gmode warnin g
lamp in th einstrumen tcluster goe sout .
XTo deactivate ESP®:press butto n: until
th eå ESP®OF Fwarnin glamp lights up in
th einstrumen tcluster.
The ÷ OFF
messag eappears on th emul-
tifunction display.
XTo activate ESP®: briefly press butto n:.
The å ESP®OF Fwarnin glamp in th e
instrumen tcluster goe sout .The ÷ ON
messag eappears on th emultifunction dis -
play.
Characteristics of activate dSPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handlin gmode is activated and on eor
more wheels start to spin, th e÷ ESP®warn -
in glamp in th einstrumen tcluster flashes .ES P®
only stabilize sth evehicle to alimited degree .
Whe nSPORT handlin gmode is activated:
RES P®only improves drivin gstability to alimi-
te ddegree .
RTraction contro lis still activated.
Driving safety systems71
Safety
Z

Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h), Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function may react to:
Rstationary objects in the path of your vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
Rpedestrians in the path of your vehicle
iIf there is an increased risk of a collision,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAFE
®) are triggered (Ypage 58).
If the risk of collision with the vehicle in front
remains and you do not brake, take evasive
action or accelerate significantly, the vehicle
may perform automatic emergency braking, up
to the point of full brake application. Automatic
emergency braking is not performed until imme-
diately prior to an imminent accident.
If you apply the brake yourself in a critical sit-
uation or during autonomous braking, situation-
dependent braking assistance is implemented.
If necessary, this increases the brake pressure
up to full brake application.
To avoid a collision, Active Brake Assist with
cross-traffic function calculates the brake force
necessary if:
Ryou approach an obstacle, and
RActive Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
has detected a risk of a collision
When driving at a speed under 20 mph
(30 km/h): if you depress the brake pedal,
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
activated. The increase in brake pressure from
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function is
carried out at the last possible moment.
When driving at a speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h): if you depress the brake pedal
sharply, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic
function automatically increases the brake pres-
sure to a degree suited to the traffic situation.
Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function
provides braking assistance in hazardous situa- tions with vehicles in front within a speed range
between 4 mph (7 km/h) and 155 mph
(250 km/h). Up to a speed of approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h) the Active Brake Assist with cross-
traffic function assists you with braking in haz-
ardous situations with:
Rstationary obstacles in the path of the vehicle,
e.g. stopped or parked vehicles
Rstationary pedestrians in the path of the vehi-
cle
Robstacles crossing your path that move in the
detection range of the sensors and are detec-
ted
XKeep the brake pedal depressed until the
emergency
braking situation is over.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
You can prevent the intervent
ion of Active Brake
Assist with cross-traffic function at any time by:
Rdepressing the accelerator pedal further.
Ractivating kickdown.
Rreleasing the brake pedal
The braking application of Active Brake Assist
with cross-traffic function is ended automati-
cally if:
Ryou maneuver to avoid the obstacle.
Rthere is no longer a risk of collision.
Ran obstacle is no longer detected in front of
your vehicle.
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEER CONTROL helps you by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to the steering wheel
in the direction required for vehicle stabilization.
This steering assistance is provided in particular
if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on a
wet or slippery road surface when you brake
Rthe vehicle begins to skid
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 65).
Driving safety systems75
Safety
Z

No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
RESP®is deactivated
RESP®is malfunctioning
Rthe steering is malfunctioning
If ESP®is malfunctioning, you will be assisted
further by the electrical power steering.
Protection against theft
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents your vehicle from
being started without the correct SmartKey.
XTo activate with the SmartKey: remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock.
XTo activate with KEYLESS-GO start-func-
tion or KEYLESS-GO: switch the ignition off
and open the driver's door.
XTo deactivate: switch on the ignition.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Anyone
can start the engine if a valid SmartKey has been
left inside the vehicle.
iThe immobilizer is always deactivated when
you start the engine.
In the event that the engine cannot be started
(yet the vehicle's battery is charged), the sys-
tem is not operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA) or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).
ATA (anti-theft alarm system)
XTo arm: lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO.
Indicator lamp :flashes. The alarm system
is armed after approximately ten seconds.
XTo disarm: unlock the vehicle with the Smart-
Key or KEYLESS-GO.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
or
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO start function
or KEYLESS-GO: press the Start/Stop but-
ton.
The SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the
alarm system is armed and you open:
Ra door
Rthe vehicle with the mechanical key
Rthe trunk lid
Rthe hood
XTo stop the alarm with the SmartKey:
press the %or& button on the Smart-
Key.
The alarm is stopped.
or
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS-GO: remove the Start/Stop but-
ton from the ignition lock (
Ypage 137).
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
The alarm is stopped.
XTo stop the alarm using KEYLESS-GO:
grasp the outside door handle. The SmartKey
must be outside the vehicle.
The alarm is stopped.
or
XPress the Start/Stop button on the dash-
board. The SmartKey must be inside the vehi-
cle.
The alarm is stopped.
The alarm is not switched off, even if you close
the open door that triggered it, for example.
iIf the alarm continues for more than
30 seconds, the mbrace emergency call sys-
tem automatically notifies the Customer
Assistance Center. This is done either by text
message or data connection.
76Protection against theft
Safety

Correct driver's seat position
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
Observe the following when adjusting steering
wheel :, seat belt ;and driver's seat =:
Ryou are as far away from the driver's air bag as
possible
Ryou are sitting in a normal upright position
Ryour thighs are slightly supported by the seat
cushion
Ryour legs are not entirely stretched and you
can depress the pedals properly
Rthe back of your head is supported at eye level
by the center of the head restraint
Ryou can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
Ryou can move your legs freely
Ryou can see all the displays in the instrument
cluster clearly
Ryou should have a good overview of traffic
conditions
Rthe seat belt is pulled snugly against the body and is routed across the center of your shoul-
der and across your hips in the pelvic area
Further related subjects:
RAdjusting the seats electrically (Ypage 102).
RAdjusting the steering wheel mechanically
(Ypage 106).
RAdjusting the steering wheel electrically
(Ypage 106).
RFastening the seat belt correctly (Ypage 48).
RAdjusting the rear-view mirror and exterior
mirrors (Ypage 108).
RStoring the seat, steering wheel, exterior mir-
ror and head-up display settings with the
memory function (
Ypage 111).
Seats
Important safety notes
GWARNING
Children could become trapped if they adjust
the seats, particularly when unattended.
There is a risk of injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The seats can still be adjusted when there is no
SmartKey in the ignition lock.
GWARNING
When you adjust a seat, you or other vehicle
occupants could become trapped, e.g. on the seat guide rail. There is a risk of injury.
Make sure when adjusting a seat that no one
has any body parts in the sweep of the seat.
Observe the safety notes on "Air bags"
(
Ypage 49) and "Children in the Vehicle"
(Ypage 60).
GWARNING
If the head restraints are not installed or not
adjusted correctly, they cannot provide pro-
tection as intended. There is an increased risk
100Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

of injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in theevent of an accident or when braking.
Always drive with the head restraints instal-
led. Before driving off, make sure for every
vehicle occupant that the center of the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
about eye level.
Do not rotate the head restraints of the front and rear seats. Otherwise, you cannot adjust the
height and angle of the head restraints cor-
rectly.
Using the fore-and-aft adjustment, adjust the
head restraint so that it is as close as possible to
your head.
GWARNING
If the driver's seat is not engaged, it could
move unexpectedly while the vehicle is in
motion. This could cause you to lose control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Always make sure that the driver's seat is
engaged before starting the vehicle.
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
If you adjust the seat height carelessly, you or
other vehicle occupants could be trapped and
thereby injured. Children in particular could
accidentally press the electrical seat adjust-
ment buttons and become trapped. There is a
risk of injury.
While moving the seats, make sure that your
hands or other body parts do not get under the
lever assembly of the seat adjustment sys-
tem.
GWARNING
The seat belt does not offer the intended level of protection if you have not moved the back-
rest to an almost vertical position. When brak-
ing or in the event of an accident, you could
slide underneath the seat belt and sustain
abdomen or neck injuries, for example. This
poses an increased risk of injury or even fatal injury.
Adjust the seat properly before beginning
your journey. Always ensure that the backrest
is in an almost vertical position and that the
shoulder section of your seat belt is routed
across the center of your shoulder.
!To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
Rkeep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
Rif the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat heat-
ing should also not be used to dry the seats.
Rclean the seat covers as recommended;
see "Interior care".
Rdo not transport heavy loads on the seats.
Do not place sharp objects on the seat
cushions, e.g. knives, nails or tools. The
seats should only be occupied by passen-
gers, if possible.
Rwhen the seat heating is in operation, do
not cover the seats with insulating materi-
als, e.g. blankets, coats, bags, seat covers,
child seats or booster seats.
!Make sure that there are no objects in the
footwell under or behind the seats when mov-
ing the seats back. There is a risk that the
seats and/or the objects could be damaged.
iThe rear-compartment head restraints can
be removed (Ypage 103).
Vehicles without the through-loading feature:
the head restraints cannot be removed from
the rear compartment seats.
For more information, contact a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
iRelated topic:
RRear bench seat through-loading feature
(Ypage 283)
Seats101
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

Adjusting the seats electrically
Electrically adjustable seatswit hmemory
function
:Hea drestrain theight
;Backrest angle
=Seat height
?Seat cushion lengt h
ASeat cushion angle
BSeat fore-and-aftadjustmen t
iFurther relate dsubjects :
RYou can store th eseat setting susin gth e
memory function (Ypage 111).
RIf PRE-SAFE®is triggered ,th efront-
passenger seat will be moved to abette r
position if it was previously in an unfavora-
ble position (
Ypage 58).
RWhen theseat is moved forward or back,
th eheadres tis moved up or down auto -
matically.
Vehicles wit hAM GPerformance seat :th eheight
of th ehead restraints canno tbe adjusted.
Electrically adjustable seat swithout mem -
ory function
:Backrest angle
;Seat height
=Seat cushion angle
?Seat fore-and-af tadjustmen t
Adjusting the head restraints
Import ant safety notes
GWARNIN G
You could lose control of your vehicl eif you do
th efollowin gwhile driving:
Radjust th edriver's seat ,head restraint,
steering whee lor mirror s
Rfastenth eseat belt
There is aris kof an accident.
Adjus tth edriver's seat ,head restraint, steer -
ing whee land mirror and faste nyour seat belt
before starting th eengine.
GWARNIN G
If th ehead restraints are no tinstalled or no t
adjusted correctly, they canno tprovid epro -
tection as intended. There is an increased ris k
of injury in th ehead and neck area, e.g. in th e
event of an acciden tor when braking .
Always drive wit hth ehead restraints instal -
led. Befor edrivin goff ,mak esur efor every
vehicl eoccupant that th ecenter of th ehead
restrain tsupport sth ebac kof th ehead at
about eye level.
Genera l notes
Pay attention to th eimportant safet ynote s
(Ypage 100).
Do no trotate th ehead restraints of th efron tand
rear seats. Otherwise ,you canno tadjust th e
height and angle of th ehead restraints to th e
correc tposition .
102Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Adjusting the head restraint height
manually
XTo raise: pull thehead restrain tup to th e
desired position .
XTo lower:press release catch :in th edirec -
tion of th earrow and push th ehead restrain t
down to th edesired position .
Adjusting the head restraint fore-and-
aft positionmanually
Withthis function you can adjust th edistanc e
between th ehead restrain tand th ebac kof th e
seat occupant's head .
XTo moveforward: pull thehead restrain t
forward in th edirection of th earrow until it
engage sin th edesired position .
XTo moveback :press and hold th erelease
catch :.
XPush th ehead restrain tback.
XReleas eth erelease butto nonce th ehead
restrain tis in th edesired position .
XEnsurethat th ehead restrain thas engage d
properly.
Using th efore-and-af tadjustment, adjust th e
head restrain tso that it is as close as possibl eto
your head .
Adjusting the height ofthe head
restraints electri cally
XTo adjust thehea drestrain theight :slid e
th eswitch for th ehead restrain tadjustmen t
(
Ypage 102) up or down in th edirection of th e
arrow.
Vehicles wit hAM GPerformance seat :th eheight
of th ehead restraints canno tbe adjusted.
Adjusting the rear seat head restraint
height
XOnce th ehead restrain tis fully lowered, press
release catch :.
XTo raise:pull thehead restrain tup to th e
desired height .
XTo lower:press release catch :and push
th ehead restrain tdown until it is in th e
desired position .
Installing and removing rear head
restraints
XReleaseth erear seat backrest and fol dit
slightly forward (Ypage 284).
XTo remove:pull thehead restrain tup to th e
stop.
XPress release catch :and pull th ehead
restrain tout of th eguides.
XTo re-install :insert th ehead restrain tso that
th enotches on th ebar are on th elef twhen
viewed in th edirection of travel .
XPush thehead restrain tdown until you hear it
engage in position .
XFold backth erear seat backrest until it
engages.
Seats103
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

Adjusting the 4-way lumbar support
:Raises thebackrest contour
;Soften sth ebackrest contour
=Lowers th ebackrest contour
?Harden sth ebackrest contour
You can adjust th econtour of th efron tseat
backrest sindividually to provid eoptimum sup-
por tfor your back.
Adjusting the AMG Perfor mance Seat
To adjust th econtour of th eseat and for
improve dlateral support ,you can individually
adjust th efron tseats.
Adjusting th esid ebolsters of th esea tcush -
ion
XTo set narrower: press button:.
XTo set wider: press button;.
To adjust th esid ebolsters of th esea tback -
res t
XTo set narrower: press button=.
XTo set wider: press button?.
Switching the seat heating on/off
Switching on/off
GWARNIN G
Repeatedly switching on th eseat heating can
caus eth eseat cushion and backrest pads to
become ver yhot .The healt hof person swit h
limite dtemperature sensitivit yor alimite d
abilit yto reac tto high temperatures may be
affecte dor they may eve nsuffer burn-like
injuries. There is aris kof injury.
Therefore ,do no tswitch th eseat heating on
repeatedly.
The three red indicator lamp sin th ebutto nindi-
cat eth eheating level you hav eselected.
The system automatically switches down from
level 3to level 2after approximately eigh t
minutes.
The system automatically switches down from
level 2to level 1after approximately te n
minutes.
The system automatically switches off approx -
imately 20 minute safter it is set to level 1.
XTurn theSmartKey to position 1or2 in th e
ignition loc k (Ypage 136).
XTo switch on: press button: repeatedly
until th edesired heating level is set .
XTo switch off:press butto n: repeatedly
until all th eindicator lamp sgo out .
iIf thebattery voltag eis to olow, th eseat
heating may switch off .
iIf drive programEis selected, th epowe rof
th eseat heating is reduced.
104Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Switching the seat ventilation on/off
Switching on/off
The blue indicator lamps in the button indicate
the ventilation level you have selected.
XTurn the SmartKey to position 1or2 in the
ignition lock (Ypage 136).
XTo switch on: press button:repeatedly
until the desired ventilation level is set.
XTo switch off: press button:repeatedly
until all the indicator lamps go out.
iIf the battery voltage is too low, the seat
ventilation may switch off.
iYou can open the side windows and the slid-
ing sunroof using the "Convenience opening"
feature (
Ypage 92). The seat ventilation of
the driver's seat automatically switches to the
highest level.
iWhen the vehicle is stationary, the fan
speed can be reduced automatically. This
reduces the noises of the seat ventilation.
Problems with the seat heating/seat ventilation
ProblemPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
The seat heating or seat
ventilation has switched
off prematurely or can-
not be switched on.The on-board voltage is too low because too many electrical consum-
ers are switched on.
XSwitch off electrical consumers that you do not need, such as the
rear window defroster or interior lighting.
Once the battery is sufficiently charged, the seat heating or seat
ventilation can be switched back on manually.
Steering wheel
Important safety notes
GWARNING
You could lose control of your vehicle if you do the following while driving:
Radjust the driver's seat, head restraint,
steering wheel or mirrors
Rfasten the seat belt
There is a risk of an accident.
Adjust the driver's seat, head restraint, steer-
ing wheel and mirror and fasten your seat belt before starting the engine.
GWARNING
Children could injure themselves if they
adjust the steering wheel. There is a risk of
injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children unsupervised in the vehicle.
The electrically adjustable steering wheel can
still be adjusted when there is no key in the igni-
tion lock.
Steering wheel105
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z