steering MERCEDES-BENZ C-Class SEDAN 2016 W205 Owner's Guide

Important safety notes
If you fail to adapt your driving style or if you are
inattentive, thedriving safet ysystems can nei-
ther reduce th eris kof an acciden tno roverride
th elaws of physics .Drivin gsafet ysystems are
merely aids designed to assist driving .You are
responsible for maintainin gth edistanc eto th e
vehicl ein front, for vehicl espeed, for braking in
goo dtime, and for staying in lane. Always adapt
your driving style to suit th eprevailing road and
weather condition sand maintai n asafedistanc e
from th evehicl ein front. Drive carefully.
The driving safet ysystems describe donly wor k
as effectivel yas possible when there is ade-
quat econtact between th etires and th eroad
surface. Pay particular attention to th einforma-
tion regarding tires ,recommended minimum
tire tread depths etc. in th e"Wheels and tires "
section (
Ypage 360).
In wintr ydriving conditions, always use winte r
tires (M+ Stires )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 68).
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 289) and dis-
play messages which may be shown in the
instrument cluster (
Ypage 256).
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 68).
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.
68Driving safety systems
Safety

GWARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®, ESP®no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
!Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP®deactivated. You
could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
In the following situations, it may be better to
activate SPORT handling mode or deactivate
ESP
®:
Rwhen using snow chains
Rin deep snow
Ron sand or gravel
Ron specially designated roads when the vehi-
cle's own oversteering and understeering
characteristics are desired
Driving in SPORT handling mode or without
ESP
®requires an extremely qualified and expe-
rienced driver.
iActivate ESP®as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP®will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehicle if
the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to
spin.
Deactivating/activating ESP®
XTo activate SPORT handling mode: briefly
press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up. The SPORT handling mode
message appears in
the multifunction display.
XTo deactivate SPORT handling mode:
briefly press button :.
The M SPORT handling mode warning
lamp in the instrument cluster goes out.
XTo deactivate ESP®: press button :until
the å ESP®OFF warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster.
The ÷ OFF
message appears in the multi-
function display.
XTo activate ESP®: briefly press button :.
The å ESP®OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out. The ÷ON
message appears in the multifunction display.
Characteristics of activated SPORT han-
dling mode
If SPORT handling mode is activated and one or
more wheels start to spin, the ÷ESP®warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster flashes. ESP®
only stabilizes the vehicle to a limited degree.
When SPORT handling mode is activated:
RESP®only improves driving stability to a limi-
ted degree.
RTraction control is still activated.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cutting
action for better traction on loose surfaces.
RESP®still provides support when you brake
firmly.
Characteristics when ESP®is deactivated
If ESP®is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®warning lamp in the
instrument cluster does not flash. In such situa-
tions, ESP
®will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP®:
RESP®no longer improves driving stability.
REngine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
The spinning of the wheels results in a cutting
action for better traction on loose surfaces.
RTraction control is still activated.
RCOLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no longer
available; nor is it activated if you brake firmly
with assistance from ESP
®.
Driving safety systems75
Safety
Z

Recognition by theradar sensor system is also
impaire dif:
Rthere is dirt on th esensor sor anythin gelse
covering th esensor s
Rthere is interferenc eby other radar source s
Rthere are strongradar reflections, for exam-
ple in parking garages
Ra narrow vehicl eis traveling in front, e.g. a
motorbike
Ra vehicl eis traveling in fron ton adifferen tlin e
relative to th ecenter of your vehicl e
Recognition by th ecamera system is also
impaire din th eevent of:
Rdirt on th ecamera or if th ecamera is covered
Rglar eon th ecamera system, e.g. from th esun
bein glow in th esk y
Rdarkness
Ror if:
-pedestrian smov equickly, e.g. int oth epat h
of th evehicl e
-thecamera system no longer recognizes a
pedestrian as aperson due to special cloth -
ing or other objects
-a pedestrian is concealed by other objects
-th etypical outlin eof aperson is no tdistin-
guishable from th ebackgroun d
Followin gdamag eto th efron ten dof th evehicle,
hav eth econfiguration and operation of th e
radar sensor schecke dat aqualified specialist
workshop. This also applie sto collision sat slow
speeds wher ethere is no visible damag eto th e
fron tof th evehicle.
Followin gdamag eto th
ew
indshield, hav eth e
configuration and operation of th ecamera sys-
te m checke dat aqualified specialist workshop.
Function
XTo activate/deactivate: activateor deacti -
vat ePRE-SAF E®Brake in th eon-board com-
puter (Ypage 247).
If th ePRE-SAF E®Brake is no tactivated, th e
æ symbol appear sin th emultifunction dis-
play.
Starting at aspee dof aroun d 4mph (7 km/h),
this function warn syou if you rapidly approac h a
vehicl ein front. An intermittent warning tone
will then soun dand th e· distanc ewarning
lamp will ligh tup in th einstrumen tcluster.
XBrake immediately to defuse th esituation .
or
XTak eevasive action provide dit is saf eto do
so.
PRE-SAF E
®Brake can also brak eth evehicl e
automatically under th efollowin gconditions:
Rth edriver and front-passenger hav etheir seat
belt sfastene d
and
Rth evehicl espee dis between approximately
4 mph (7 km/h) and 12 4mph (20 0km/h)
At speeds of up to approximately 44 mph
(70 km/h) PRE-SAF E
®Brake can also detect:
Rstationary objects in th epat hof your vehicle,
e.g. stoppe dor parked vehicles
Rpedestrian sin th epat hof your vehicl e
iIf there is an increased ris kof acollision ,
preventive passenger protection measures
(PRE-SAF E
®)are triggered (Ypage 60).
If th eris kof collision wit hth evehicl ein fron t
re

main sand you do no tbrake, tak eevasive
action or accelerate significantly, th evehicl e
may perfor mautomatic emergenc ybraking ,up
to th epoin tof full brak eapplication .Automatic
emergenc ybraking is no tperformed until imme-
diately prio rto an imminent accident.
You can preven tth eintervention of th ePRE -
SAFE
®Brake at any time by:
Rdepressing th eaccelerato rpedal further.
Ractivating kickdown .
Rreleasingth ebrak epedal .
The braking action of PRE-SAF E®Brake is ended
automatically if:
Ryou maneuve rto avoi dth eobstacle.
Rthere is no longer aris kof collision .
Rthere is no longer an obstacle detecte din
fron tof your vehicle.
STEER CONTROL
General information
STEE RCONTROL help syou by transmitting a
noticeable steering force to th esteering whee l
in th edirection require dfor vehicl estabilization .
78Driving safety systems
Safety

This steering assistance is provided in particular
if:
Rboth right wheels or both left wheels are on awet or slippery road surface when you brake.
Rthe vehicle starts to skid.
Important safety notes
iObserve the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Ypage 68).
No steering support is provided from STEER
CONTROL, if:
RESP®is deactivated
RESP®is malfunctioning.
Rthe lighting is faulty.
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 10 seconds.
XTo disarm: unlock the vehicle with the Smart-
Key or KEYLESS-GO.
or
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
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 turn the alarm off with the SmartKey:
press the %or& button on the Smart-
Key.
The alarm is switched off.
or
XVehicles with KEYLESS-GO start-function
or KEYLESS-GO: remove the Start/Stop but-
ton from the ignition lock (
Ypage 146).
XInsert the SmartKey into the ignition lock.
The alarm is switched off.
XTo stop the alarm using KEYLESS-GO:
grasp the outside door handle. The SmartKey
must be outside the vehicle.
The alarm is switched off.
or
XPress the Start/Stop button on the dash-
board. The SmartKey must be inside the vehi- cle.
The alarm is switched off.
The alarm is not switched off, even if you close
the open door that triggered it, for example.
Protection against theft79
Safety
Z

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 bodyand is routed across the center of your shoul-
der and across your hips in the pelvic area.
Further related subjects:
R
R
Electrical seat adjustment (Ypage 106)
RAdjusting the steering wheel mechanically
(Ypage 110) or electrically (Ypage 111).
RFastening the seat belt correctly (Ypage 50).
RAdjusting the rear-view mirror and exterior
mirrors (Ypage 113).
RYou can store the seat, steering wheel, exte-
rior mirror and head-up display settings with
the memory function (
Ypage 116).
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 51) and "Children in the Vehicle"
(Ypage 62).
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.
104Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

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
If the head restraints are not installed or not
adjusted correctly, they cannot provide pro-
tection as intended. There is an increased risk
of injury in the head and neck area, e.g. in the event 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.
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 dama
ged.
iThe rear-compartment head restraints can
be removed (Ypage 107).
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 311)
Seats105
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z

Adjusting the seats electrically
Electricallyadjustabl eseats wit hmem -
ory 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 116).
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 60).
Vehicles wit hAM GPerformance Seat: th e
height of th ehead restraints canno tbe adjus-
ted.
Electricall yadjustabl eseats withou t
memory function
:Backrest angle
;Seat height
=Seat cushion lengt h
?Seat cushion angle
ASeat fore-and-aftadjustmen 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 104).
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 .
106Seats
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 moveforwards :pull th ehead restrain t
forward sin th edirection of th earrow until it
engage sin th edesired position .
XTo movebackwards :press and hold release
butto n:.
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.
Adjusting the height ofthe head
restraints electri cally
XTo adjust thehea drestrain theight :slid e
th eswitch for head restrain tadjustmen t
(
Ypage 106) up or down in th edirection of th e
arrow.
Vehicles wit hAM GPerformance Seat: th e
height of th ehead restraints canno tbe adjus-
ted.
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 position .
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 s (Ypage 311).
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.
Seats107
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 narrow: press button:.
XTo broaden: press button;.
Adjusting th esid ebolsters of th esea tback -
res t
XTo narrow: press button=.
XTo broaden: press button?.
Seat heating and seat ventilati on
Switching the seat heating 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 excessivel yhigh tempera-
tures 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 1or 2in th e
ignition loc k (Ypage 146).
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 programE(Ypage 159) is selected,
th epowe rof th eseat heating is reduced.
108Seats
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors

Switching the seat ventilation on/off
The three blue indicator lamps in the buttons
indicate the ventilation level you have selected.
XTurn the SmartKey to position1or 2in the
ignition lock (Ypage 146).
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 96). 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.
Seats109
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors
Z