light MERCEDES-BENZ E350 4MATIC WAGON 2007 S211 Owner's Guide

97 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


Adaptive Brake


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


EBP (E
lectronic B
rake P
roportioning)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


4MATIC (Four Wheel Electronic
Traction System)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of
approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) indepen-
dent of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on when you switch on the
ignition. It goes out when the engine is run-
ning.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP
®, Adaptive Brake, and
4MATIC cannot reduce this risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
i
In winter operation, the maximum
effectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, the EBP, the
ESP®, and 4MATIC is only achieved with winter
tires (page 363), or snow chains as required.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

98 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsBraking
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is in
the regulating mode.
Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal while experiencing the
pulsation.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and the ability to
steer the vehicle.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and
functions as a reminder to take extra care
while driving.Emergency brake maneuver

Keep continuous full pressure on the
brake pedal.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 378).
Warning!
G
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the BAS
and the ESP
® are also switched off.
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the wheels
may lock during hard braking, reducing
steering capability and extending the brak-
ing distance.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency be-
yond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction af-
forded. The ABS cannot prevent accidents,
including those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, following another vehicle too
closely, or hydroplaning. Only a safe, atten-
tive, and skillful driver can prevent acci-
dents. The capabilities of an ABS equipped
vehicle must never be exploited in a reck-
less or dangerous manner which could jeop-
ardize the user’s safety or the safety of
others.

109 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Dual-zone automatic climate
control
4-zone automatic climate control
Power windows
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features

120 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingOpening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handleFront doors

Pull on door handle2 on the
respective front door to open door.
If door was locked, locking knob1 will
move up.Rear doors

Pull up locking knob1 on the
respective rear door to unlock door.

Pull on door handle2 on the
respective rear door to open door.
i
If the vehicle has previously been locked
with the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, opening a
door from the inside will trigger the anti-theft
alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:


Press button Œ or ‹ on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter switch.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 39).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
inside the vehicle.


Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message
Switch off lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.

125 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate from the outside
automatically*
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate
closing switch.
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*1Tailgate closing switch
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*1Tailgate closing switch
Press tailgate closing switch1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

press button Š on the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO


press or pull the tailgate opening switch
(on the driver’s door)


press the tailgate closing switch


press the KEYLESS-GO
locking/closing* switch


pull the tailgate handle
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle.
Children could open the tailgate from the in-
side, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i
If the tailgate lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has been
piled too high) in the upper motion sequence, the
closing procedure is stopped and the tailgate re-
opens slightly.

126 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing tailgate and locking vehicle
from outside (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* and KEYLESS-GO, you can close
the tailgate and lock the vehicle simulta-
neously from the outside using the
KEYLESS-GO locking/closing switch.
1KEYLESS-GO locking/closing switch
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.

Press switch1 briefly.
With all doors closed:

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.


The tailgate starts to close auto-
matically.


All turn signal lamps flash three
times to confirm locking once the
tailgate has closed completely.


An acoustic signal sounds three
times.


The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the tailgate automatically
lock when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km / h) or more.
The locking knobs in the doors move down.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system
(page 180).
i
If the tailgate lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has been
piled too high) in the upper motion sequence, the
closing procedure is stopped and the tailgate re-
opens slightly.
i
The doors are designed to unlock automati-
cally after an accident if the force of the impact
exceeds a preset threshold. The vehicle locks au-
tomatically when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You could
therefore lock yourself out when the vehicle


is pushed or towed


is on a test stand

136 Controls in detailSeatsInstalling
Insert seat cushion 2 (
page 135)
into seat guides 1 (
page 135) from
behind 3 at a slight angle.

Fold seat cushion 2 (
page 135)
back into original position 4 until it
engages.Folding back folding bench seat
1Tab
2Backrest

Pull seat cushion upward using tab 1
and fold it back into original position
until it engages.1Release knob

Press release knob 1 and fold head
restraints down.
!
To avoid damage, insert the head restraints
completely into their guides and engage the seat
belt buckles in their guides.

141 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 56)
and see “Turn signals” (
page 56).
Exterior lamp switchExterior lamp switch
i
If you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country
where the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
Vehicles equipped with active Bi-Xenon*
headlamps:
The active Bi-Xenon headlamps monitor your
steering angle and driving speed, then automati-
cally shift their beams to either side to better fol-
low the curvature of the road ahead, increasing
usable illumination over conventional head-
lamps.
1‚
Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆ
Standing lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3M
Off
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 143)
4U
Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 143)
5C
Parking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6B
Low beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps when the com-
bination switch is pushed for-
ward. The tail lamps, license
plate lamps, side marker lamps,
parking lamps and instrument
panel lamps also come on.
7‡
Front fog lamps
8†
Rear fog lamp

142 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch. 
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light:


Low beam headlamps


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps

Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off automati-
cally.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the licence plate lamps and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message
Switch off lights

appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch toB when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toB with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromU toB will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.i
USA only:
With the automatic headlamp mode activated
you can switch on the high beam headlamps in
low ambient lighting conditions.

143 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are automatically
switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lampsCanada only
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a 3 minute delay.When the engine is running, and you


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps and
the side marker lamps switch on addi-
tionally.


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 141).
i
With the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, you cannot switch off
the low beam headlamps manually.
i
With the exterior lamp switch in
positionM orU, you cannot switch on the
high beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving turn the exterior lamp
switch in positionB to permit activation of
the high beam headlamps.