warning light MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS CABRIOLET 2011 Owner's Manual

Problems with child seat recognition
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The
4 PASSENGER
AIRBAGO FF indicator
lamp on the centre con-
sole is lit. As
pecial Mercedes-Benz child seat with atransponder for auto-
matic child seat recognition has been fitted to the front-passenger
seat. The front-passenger airbag has therefore been disabled as
desired. G
Risk of injury
There is no child seat fitted to the front-passenger seat. Automatic
child seat recognition is malfunctioning.
It is also possible that the 6SRS warning lamp lights up and/
or the 4PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp does not light
up briefly when you switc hthe ignition on.
X Remove electronic equipment from the front-passenger seat,
e.g.
R
laptop
R mobile phone
R cards with transponders, such as ski passes or access cards
If the 4 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is still lit:
X Visit aqualified specialist workshop. Suitable positioning of the child restraint systems
Key to the letters used in the table:
XS
eat which is unsuitable for children in this weight category.
US uitable for child restraint systems in th eUniversal categor ytha ta re approve dfor use in
this weigh tcategory.
UF Suitable for forward-facing child restraint systems that belon gtothe"Universal" category
and are approved for use in this weigh tcategory.
LS uitable for child restraint systems as recommended, see th efollowin gtable of "Recom-
mended child restraint systems "(Ypage 59). Children in th
evehicle
57Safety Z

Child-proof locks
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Do no tleave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in achild
restraint system. They could injure them-
selves on parts of the vehicle. They could also
be seriously or even fatally injured by pro-
longed exposure to extreme heat or cold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. Parts of the child restraint sys-
tem could heat up and the child could burn
herself/himself on them.
If ac hild opens adoor, the child or other per-
sons could be injured as aresult. They could
get out and injure themselves or be injured by
ap assing vehicle.
Also observe the notes on HOLD .Relevant
information can be found in the index.
Override feature for the rear side win-
dows G
WARNING
Activate the override switch for the rear side
windows if children are travellin ginthe vehi-
cle. Otherwise, the children could open the
side windows while the vehicle is movin gand
injure themselves or others. X
To activate/deactivate: press button;.
If indicator lamp :is lit, operation of the
rear side windows is disabled. Operation is
only possible using the switches in the driv- er's door. If indicator lamp
:is off, oper-
ation is possible using the switches in the
rear compartment. Driving safety systems
Driving safety system
soverview
In this section, you will find information about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS (Anti-lock BrakingSystem)
R BAS (Brake AssistSystem)
R BAS PLUS ( BrakeAssist System Plus*)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
(Electronic StabilityProgram)
R EBD( electronic brake force distribution)
R ADAPTIV EBRAKE
R PRE-SAFE ®
Brake Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The risk of an acciden tissignificantly
increased by driving too fast. This is particu-
larly the case when cornering as well as on
wet or slippery roads or when driving too close
to the vehicle in front.
The driving safety systems described in this
section can neither reduce this risk nor over-
ride the laws of physics.
For this reason, always adapty our driving
style to the prevailing road and weather con-
ditions. Maintain sufficient distance from
other road users and object sonthe road.
i Please notet hat the driving safety sys-
tems described only work as effectively as
possible when there is adequate contact
between the tyres and the road surface.
Pay particular attention to the information
regarding tyres, recommended minimum
tyre tread depths etc. in the "Wheels and
tyres" section (Y page 318). Driving safety systems
61Safety Z

or BAS PLUS, the brake lamps flash rapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from aspeed of more
than 70 km/htoa standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically. If the
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
light up continuously. The hazard warning
lamps switch off automaticallyify ou travel
faster than 10 km/h .You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (Y page 117).ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes i
See the "Important safety notes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. If necessary, the engine output is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP ®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
If ESP ®
intervenes, the ÷ESP®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster. G
WARNING
If the ÷ warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivate ESP ®
under any circum-
stances.
R only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into askid.
ESP ®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override the
laws of physics. !
Switch the ignition off when:
R the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer
R the vehicle is being towed with the front/
rear axle raised
Application of the brakes by ESP ®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
i Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP ®
function
properly.
ETS (Electronic Traction Support) Traction control is part of ESP
®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
viduall yifthey spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP ®
. G
WARNING
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. Traction control
cannot override the laws of physics.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
ESP ®
is activated automatically when the
engine is started.
i Vehicles with ECO start/stop function:
the ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle
comes to astop. The engine startsa uto-
matically when the driver wants to pull
away again. ESP ®
remains in its previously
selected status. Example: if ESP ®
was
deactivated before the engine was
switched off, ESP ®
remains deactivated
when the engine is switched on again. 64
Driving safety systemsSafety

It may be best to deactivate ESP
®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using snow chains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
WARNING
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
describe dabove no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwis enot be abletos tabilise the vehicle
if the vehicle starts to skid or awhee lstarts
to spin.
When you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R the engine's torque is no longer limited and
the drive wheels can spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in acutting action, which
provide sbetter grip.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provide ssupport when you
brake.
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the ÷ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
willn ot stabilise the vehicle.
X To deactivate: (Ypage 223).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up. G
WARNING
ESP ®
is deactivated if the åwarning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ouslyw hen the engine is running.
If the ÷ warning lamp and åwarning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP ®
is not availa-
ble due to amalfunction.
There is an increased risk of yourv ehicle skid-
ding in certain situations.
You should alway sadapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions. X
To activate:(Y page 223).
The å ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
ESP ®
trailer stabilisation If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
In this situation ,ESP ®
assists you and can
detec tifthe vehicle/trailer combination
begins to lurch. ESP ®
slows the vehicle down
by braking and limiting the engine output until
the vehicle/trailer combination has stabi-
lised.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 65 km/h. G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent
the trailer from swerving and will thus be
unable to reduce the risk of an accident. Trail-
ers with ahigh centre of gravity can tip over
before ESP ®
can detect this.
Trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP ®
is
deactivated or disabled because of amal-
function. EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 61).
EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking. G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the braking system
remains available with full brake boosting
effect.H owever, the rear wheels can still lock,
e.g. under full braking. This could cause you
to lose control of your vehicle and cause an
accident .You should therefor eadapt your Driving safety systems
65Safety
Z

driving style to the differen
thandling charac-
teristics.
X Observ ethe note sonw arning and indicator
lamps (Y page 257) as well as display mes-
sages ( Ypage 234). ADAPTIV
EBRAKE
ADAPTIV EBRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tio ntot he brakin gfunction, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
alsoh as the HOLD function (Y page184) and
hills tart assist (Y page149). For further
information, see Driving tips (Y page167). PRE-SAFE
®
Brake
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is only available in vehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS.
i Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page61).
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can help you to minimise
the risk of afrontal collision with avehicle
ahead or reduce the effects of such acolli-
sion. If PRE-SAFE ®
Brake has detected arisk
of collision, you willbew arned visuallya nd
acoustically as wellasbya utomatic braking.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot prevent acollision
without youri ntervention.
Thi sfun ctio nwill issue awarnin gats peeds of
aroun d30k m/horm orei f:
R for aperiod of several seconds ,the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front is too shor tfor
the speed at which you are travelling. The
· distance warning lamp then lights up
in the instrument cluster.
R you are rapidly approaching the vehicle in
front.Ani ntermittent warning tonew ill
then sound and the ·distance warning
lamp will light up in the instrument cluster. X
Brake immediately in order to increase the
distance from the vehicle in front.
or
X Take evasive action provided it is safe to do
so.
If the driver and passengers have fastened
their seat belts, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can also
can also perform the following at speeds of
above approximately 30 km/h:
R brake the vehicle automatically from a
speed of up to approximately 200 km/h
R trigger preventative passenger protection
measures (PRE-SAFE ®
)( Ypage 45)
Due to the nature of the system, particularly
complicated driving conditions may cause
unnecessary warnings or the unnecessary
intervention of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake. To end this,
you can either depress the accelerator pedal
further, activate kickdown or release the
brake pedal.
The braking action of PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is
ended automatically if:
R you drive slower than approximately
15 km/h.
R you manoeuvre to avoid the obstacle.
R there is no longer any danger of arear-end
collision.
R there is no longer an obstacle detected in
front of your vehicle.
With the help of the radar sensor system,
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can detect obstacles that
are in front of your vehicle for an extended
period of time.
At speeds up to approximately 70 km/h,
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may also detect stationary
obstacles, for example stopped or parked
vehicles.
If you approach an obstacle and PRE-SAFE ®
Brake detect sarisk of acollision, the system
will initially alert you both visually and acous-
tically. If you do not brake or take evasive
action, the system will warn you by automat-
ically braking the vehicle gently. If there is an
increased risk of collision, preventative 66
Driving safety systemsSafety

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The key cannot be
turned in the ignition
lock. The key has been in position
0for aconsiderable time.
X Remove the key and reinsert it into the ignition lock.
X Check the starter battery and charge it if necessary
(Y page 305).
X Start the engine. The on-board voltage is too low.
X
Switch off non-essential consumers, e.g. seat heating or interior
lighting, and try to turn the key again.
If this does not work:
X Check the starter battery and charge it if necessary
(Y page 305).
or
X Jump-start the vehicle (Y page 309).
or
X Consult aqualified specialist workshop. Doors
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Only for the United Kingdom: if the vehicle
has been locked with the key, the double lock
function is activated as standard. It is then not
possible to open the doors from inside the
vehicle.
Therefore, do not leave any people behind in
the vehicle, particularly children, elderly peo-
ple or people in need of special assistance if
the vehicle has been locked with the key. As
ar esult, they may not be able to free them-
selves in the event of an emergency. As a
result, they could be seriously or even fatally
injured by prolonged exposure to extremely
high or low temperatures, for example. In this
case, rescuing people from outside the vehi-
cle is difficult.
Deactivat ethe interior motion sensor before
you lock the vehicle with the key. The doors
can then be opened from the inside after the vehicle has been locked from the outside with
the key.
G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open adoor from inside the vehicle at any
time, even if it has been locked
R start the vehicle using akey which has been
left in the vehicle
R release the parking brake
They could thereby endanger themselves and
others. Never leave children unsupervised in
the vehicle. Always take the key with you
when leaving the vehicle, even if you are only
leaving it for ashort time. Unlocking and opening the doors
from the inside
For all countries except the United King-
dom: you can open adoor from inside the
vehicle even if it has been locked. Doors
77Opening and closing Z

If the side window opens again slightly:
X Immediately pullt he corresponding switch
on the door control panel until the side win-
dow is completel yclosed (Y page 82).
X Hold the switch for an additional second.
X If the corresponding side window remains
closed after the button has been released,
the side window has been reset correctly.
If this is not the case, repeatt he steps
above again. Problems with the side windows
Problem: aside window cannot be closed
because it is blocked by objects, e.g.
leaves in th ewindow guide.
X Remove the objects.
X Close the side window.
Problem :aside window cannot be closed
and you cannot see th ecause. G
WARNING
Closing the side windows with increased force
or without the anti-entrapmen tfeature could
lead to serious or even fatal injury. Make sure
that nobody can becom etrapped when clos-
ing the side windows.
If as ide window is obstructed during closing
and reopen sagain slightly:
X Immediately afte rthe window blocks, pull
the corresponding switch again until the
side window has closed.
The side window is closed with increased
force.
If as ide window is obstructed again during
closing and reopens again slightly:
X Immediately after the window blocks, pull
the corresponding switch again until the
side window has closed.
The side window is closed without the anti-
entrapment feature. Soft top (Cabriolet)
Important safety notes
You can open or close the soft top:
R when the vehicle is stationary or
R when driving up to aspeed of 40 km/h.
If there is astrongh ead wind, it may not be
possible to close the soft top fully.Int his
case, reduce speed or stop in order to close
the soft top fully.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Ben zrecom-
mends that you only open or close the soft
top when the vehicle is stationary. G
WARNING
Only drive with the soft top fully open or
closed.
If the soft top does not open or close fully, the
soft-top hydraulics are depressurised and the
soft top is lowered:
R after about seven minutes if the ignition is
switched on
R immediately if the ignition is switched off
Aw arning tone sounds shortly beforehand.
The Top being opened message appear
sin
th em ultifunction display.
Loc kthe soft top again before driving on. Oth-
erwise, the unlocked soft top could open dur-
ing the journey and cause you to lose control
of your vehicle. You or other persons could be
injured as aresult.
! Never sit on the soft-top compartment
cover and do not store any heavy objects
on it. You will otherwise damage the soft
top and soft-top compartmentc over of the
vehicle.
! When opening and closing the soft top,
make sure that:
R there is sufficient clearance above it, as
the soft top swings upwards
R the boot separator is closed.
R the boot is only loaded to below the boot
separator. Soft top (Cabriolet)
85Opening and closing Z

stationary or when driving up to
aspeed of
160 km/h.
AIRCAP has the following components:
R aw ind deflector between the windscreen
and the soft top
R an AIRCAP draught stop between the two
head restraints on the rear bench seat G
WARNING
When extending and retractingA IRCAP, make
sure that no one can become trapped. If there
is ar isk of entrapment,p ress the button again
to retract AIRCAP again.
The AIRCAP button is located under the cover
in the lower centre console. :
AIRCAP button
Extending AIRCAP X
Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Open the cover on the lower centre con-
sole.
X Press AIRCAP button :.
The two indicator lamps on the AIRCAP but-
ton light up. Wind deflector
;extends. The head
restraints on the rear bench seats and AIR-
CAP draught stop =move to the centre posi-
tion simultaneously.
If one or two passengers in the rear compart-
ment then fasten their seat belts, the head
restraints in the rear bench seats and AIRCAP
draught stop =move to the upper position.
i If, when AIRCAP is extended, you park
your vehicle with the soft top down and
remove the key, the wind deflector and the
head restraints in the rear compartment
retract automatically. When you return to
your vehicle and start the engine again, the
wind deflector and the head restraints in
the rear compartment are extended again.
i AIRCAP cannot be extended or retracted
if the vehicle speed exceeds 160 km/h. Soft top (Cabriolet)
93Opening and closing Z

G
WARNING
The glass in the panorama sunroof could
brea kinana ccident. If yo uare not wearing a
sea tbelt, there is arisk that you could be
thrown through the opening in the event of the
vehicle overturning .Therefore, always wear a
seat belt to reduce the risk of injuries.
! Only open the panorama sliding sunroof
if it is free of snow and ice. Otherwise, mal-
functions may occur.
Do not allow anything to protrude from the
sliding sunroof. Otherwise, the seals could
be damaged.
i Resonance noises can occur in addition
to the usuala irflow noises when the sliding
sunroof is open. They are caused by minor
pressure fluctuations in the vehicle interior.
Change the position of the sliding sunroof
or open aside window slightly to reduce or
eliminate these noises. Operating the panoramas
liding sun-
roof
Opening and closing Overhead control panel
:
To raise
; Opening
= To close/lower
X Turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
X Push or pull the 3switch in the corre-
sponding direction. i
If you press the 3switch beyond the
point of resistance, an automatic opening/
closing process is started in the corre-
sponding direction. You can stop automatic
operation by pressing again.
Rain closing feature When the key is in position
0in the ignition
lock or is removed, the panorama sliding sun-
roof closes automatically:
R if it starts to rain
R at extreme outside temperatures
R after six hours
R if there is amalfunction in the power supply
The panorama sliding sunroof remains raised
at the rear in order to allow ventilation of the
vehicle interior.
i If the panorama sliding sunroof is obstruc-
ted when being closed by the rain closing
feature, it opens again slightly. The rain
closing feature is then deactivated.
The panorama sliding sunroof does not close
if:
R it is raised at the rear.
R it is blocked.
R no rain is falling on the area of the wind-
screen being monitored by the rain sensor
(e.g. because the vehicle is under abridge
or in acarport). Operating the roller sunblind for the
panoramas
liding sunroof
General notes The roller sunblin
dshields the vehicle interior
from sunlight. The roller sunblin dcan only be
opened and close dwhen the panorama slid-
ing sunroof is closed. G
WARNING
Make sure that nobody can becom etrapped
as you open or close the roller sunblind. Sliding sunroof
97Opening and closing Z

Opening and closing
Overhead control panel
:
To open
; To open
= To close
X Turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
X Press or pull the 3switch in the corre-
spondin gdirection.
i If you press the 3switch beyond the
point of resistance, an automatic opening/
closing process is started in the corre-
spondin gdirection. You can stop automatic
operation by pressing again.
Resetting the panorama sliding sunroof
and the roller sunblind Reset the panorama sliding sunroof and the
roller sunblind if the panorama sliding sunroof
or the roller sunblind does not move
smoothly.
X Turn the key to position 1or 2in the ignition
lock.
X Pull the 3switch repeatedly to the point
of resistance in the direction of arrow =
until the panorama sliding sunroof is fully
closed.
X Keep the 3switch pulled for an addi-
tional second.
X Pull the 3switch repeatedly to the point
of resistance in the direction of arrow =
until the roller sunblind is fully closed. X
Keep the 3switch pulled for an addi-
tional second.
X Make sure that the panorama sliding sun-
roof (Y page 97) and the roller sunblind
(Y page 98) can be fully opened again.
X If this is not the case, repeat the steps
above again.
! If the panorama sliding sunroof and the
roller sunblind cannot be fully opened or
closed after resetting, contact aqualified
specialist workshop. Problems with the sliding sunroof
In the following section, the term "sliding sun-
roof" refers to the panorama sliding sunroof.
Problem: the sunroof cannot be closed
and you cannot see the cause. G
WARNING
You could be severely or even fatally injured
when closing the sliding sunroof with
increased closing forc eorifthe anti-entrap-
ment feature is deactivated. Make sure that
nobody can become trapped when closing the
sliding sunroof.
If the sliding sunroof is obstructed during
closing and reopens again slightly:
X Immediately after the sliding sunroof
blocks ,pull the 3switch in the over-
head control panel down to the point of
resistance and hold it until the sliding sun-
roof is closed.
The sliding sunroof is closed with increased
force.
If the sliding sunroof is obstructed again dur-
ing closing and reopens again slightly:
X Immediately after the sliding sunroof
blocks ,pull the 3switch in the over-
head control panel down to the point of
resistance and hold it until the sliding sun-
roof is closed.
The sliding sunroof is closed without the
anti-entrapment feature. 98
Sliding sunroofOpening and closing