parking brake MERCEDES-BENZ GLS 2018 Service Manual

Problems with Parking Assist PARKTRONIC Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
Only the red segments in
the Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC warning
displays are lit. You also
hear a warning tone for
approximately two sec-
onds.
Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC is deacti-
vated after approx-
imately five seconds,
and the indicator lamp in
the Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC button
lights up. Parking Assist PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has been deacti-
vated. X
If problems persist, have Parking Assist PARKTRONIC checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
Only the red segments in
the Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC warning
displays are lit. Parking
Assist PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately five sec-
onds. The Parking Assist PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is inter-
ference. X
Clean the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC sensors ( Y
page 334).X
Switch the ignition back on.
The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or ultra-
sound waves. X
Check to see if Parking Assist PARKTRONIC works at a different
location.
Parking Pilot
General notes Parking Pilot is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasound. It measures the road on both sides
of the vehicle. A parking symbol indicates a suit-
able parking space. Active steering intervention
and brake application can assist you during
parking. Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is also
available ( Y
page 192).
Important safety notes
Parking Pilot is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate sur-
roundings. You are always responsible for safe
maneuvering, parking and exiting a parking
space. Make sure that no persons, animals or
objects are in the path of your vehicle.
When Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is deactiva-
ted, Parking Pilot is also unavailable. G WARNING
While parking or pulling out of a parking
space, the vehicle swings out and can drive
onto areas of the oncoming lane. This could
result in a collision with another road user.
There is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to other road users. Stop the
vehicle if necessary or cancel the Parking Pilot
parking procedure.
! If they cannot be avoided, drive over obsta-
cles such as curbs slowly and at an obtuse
angle. Otherwise, you may damage the
wheels or tires.
Parking Pilot may show parking spaces which
are not suitable for parking, e.g.: R
where parking or stopping is prohibited R
in front of driveways or entrances and exits R
on unsuitable surfacesDriving systems 195
Driving and parking Z

i Note that Parking Pilot PARKTRONIC cannot
measure the depth of parking spaces if they
are at right angles to the direction of travel.
You will need to judge whether your vehicle
will fit into the parking space.
When driving at speeds below 19 mph
(30 km/h), you will see parking symbol D as a
status indicator in the instrument cluster. When
a parking space has been detected, an arrow
towards the right or the left also appears. Park-
ing Pilot only displays parking spaces on the
front-passenger side as standard. Parking
spaces on the driver's side are displayed as
soon as the turn signal on the driver's side is
activated. When parking on the driver's side,
this must remain activated until you confirm the
use of Parking Pilot by pressing the v button
on the multifunction steering wheel. The system
automatically determines whether the parking
space is parallel or at right angles to the direc-
tion of travel.
A parking space is displayed while you are driv-
ing past it, and until you are approximately 50 ft
(15 m) away from it.
Parking
G WARNING
If you leave the vehicle when it is only being
braked by Active Parking Assist it could roll
away if: R
there is a malfunction in the system or in
the voltage supply. R
the electrical system in the engine com-
partment, the battery or the fuses have
been tampered with. R
the battery is disconnected. R
the accelerator pedal has been depressed,
e.g. by a vehicle occupant.
There is a risk of an accident.
Before leaving the vehicle, always secure it
against rolling away.
i If Parking Assist PARKTRONIC detects
obstacles, Parking Pilot brakes automatically
whilst the vehicle is being parked. You are
responsible for braking in good time. X
Stop the vehicle when the parking space sym-
bol shows the desired parking space in the
instrument cluster. X
Shift the transmission to position R .
The Start Parking Pilot? Yes: OK No:
8 message appears in the multifunction
display. X
To cancel the procedure: press the 8
button on the multifunction steering wheel or
pull away.
or X
To park using Parking Pilot: press the v
button on the multifunction steering wheel.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and Brake Observe Surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. X
Let go of the multifunction steering wheel. X
Back up the vehicle, being ready to brake at all
times. When backing up, drive at a speed
below approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). Oth-
erwise, Parking Pilot is canceled immediately.
Parking Pilot brakes the vehicle to a standstill
when the vehicle approaches the rear border
of the parking space.
Maneuvering may be required in tight parking
spaces.
The Parking Pilot Active Select D
Observe Surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display. X
Shift the transmission to position D while the
vehicle is stationary.
Parking Pilot immediately steers in the other
direction.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and Brake Observe Surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display.
i You will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away. X
Drive forwards and be ready to brake at all
times.
Parking Pilot brakes the vehicle to a standstill.
The Parking Pilot Active Select R
Observe Surroundings message appears in
the multifunction display.
As soon as the parking procedure is complete,
the Parking Pilot Finished message
appears and a warning tone sounds. The vehicle
is now parked. The vehicle is kept stationary
without the driver having to depress the brakeDriving systems 197
Driving and parking Z

pedal. The braking effect is canceled when you
depress the accelerator pedal.
Parking Pilot no longer supports you with steer-
ing interventions and brake applications. When
Parking Pilot is finished, you must steer and
brake again yourself. Parking Assist
PARKTRONIC is still available.
Parking tips: R
The way your vehicle is positioned in the park-
ing space after parking is dependent on vari-
ous factors. These include the position and
shape of the vehicles parked in front and
behind it and the conditions of the location. It
may be the case that Parking Pilot guides you
too far into a parking space, or not far enough
into it. In some cases, it may also lead you
across or onto the curb. Cancel the parking
procedure with Parking Pilot if necessary. R
You can also select preselect transmission
position D . The vehicle redirects and does not
drive as far into the parking space. Should the
transmission change take place too early, the
parking procedure will be canceled. A sensi-
ble parking position can no longer be ach-
ieved from this position.
Exiting a parking space In order for Parking Pilot to assist you: R
the border of the parking space must be high
enough at the front and the rear. A curb is too
small, for example. R
the border of the parking space must not be
too wide. Your vehicle can be maneuvered
into a position at a maximum of 45° to the
starting position in the parking space. R
a maneuvering distance of at least 3.3 ft
(1.0 m) must be available.
Parking Pilot can assist you with exiting a park-
ing space only if you have parked the vehicle
parallel to the direction of travel using the Park-
ing Pilot.
i If Parking Assist PARKTRONIC detects
obstacles, Parking Pilot brakes automatically
whilst the vehicle is exiting the parking space.
You are responsible for braking in good time. X
Start the engine. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Switch on the turn signal in the direction you
will drive out of the parking space. X
Shift the transmission to position D or R .
The Start Parking Pilot? Yes: OK No:
8 message appears in the multifunction
display. X
To cancel the procedure: press the 8
button on the multifunction steering wheel or
pull away.
or X
To exit a parking space using Parking
Pilot: press the v button on the multi-
function steering wheel.
The Parking Pilot Active Accelerate
and Brake Observe Surroundings mes-
sage appears in the multifunction display. X
Let go of the multifunction steering wheel. X
Pull away, being ready to brake at all times. Do
not exceed a maximum speed of approx-
imately 6 mph (10 km/h) when exiting a park-
ing space. Otherwise, Parking Pilot is can-
celed immediately. X
Shift the transmission to position D or R as
required or according to the message while
the vehicle is stationary.
Parking Pilot immediately steers in the other
direction. The Parking Pilot Active
Accelerate and Brake Observe Sur‐
roundings message appears in the multi-
function display.
i You will achieve the best results by waiting
for the steering procedure to complete before
pulling away.
If you back up after activation, the steering
wheel is moved to the straight-ahead posi-
tion. X
Drive forwards and back up as prompted by
the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC warning dis-
plays, several times if necessary.
Once you have exited the parking space com-
pletely, the steering wheel is moved to the
straight-ahead position. You hear a tone and the
Parking Pilot Finished message appears in
the multifunction display. You will then have to
steer and merge into traffic on your own. Park-
ing Assist PARKTRONIC is still available. You can
take over the steering before the vehicle has
exited the parking space completely. This is
useful, for example when you recognize that it is
already possible to pull out of the parking space.198
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Canceling Parking Pilot X
Stop the movement of the multifunction
steering wheel or steer yourself.
Parking Pilot is canceled immediately. The
Parking Pilot Canceled message appears
in the multifunction display.
or X
Press the Parking Assist PARKTRONIC button
( Y
page 194).
Parking Assist PARKTRONIC is switched off
and Parking Pilot is immediately canceled.
The Parking Pilot Canceled message
appears in the multifunction display.
Parking Pilot is canceled automatically when: R
the electric parking brake is engaged R
transmission position P is selectedR
parking using Parking Pilot is no longer pos-
sible R
you are driving faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) R
a wheel spins, ESP ®
intervenes or fails. The

In such cases, Lane Keeping Assist can: R
give an unnecessary warning R
not give a warning
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Lane Keeping Assist alerts you.
G WARNING
The Lane Keeping Assist warning does not
return the vehicle to the original lane. There is
a risk of an accident.
You should always steer, brake or accelerate
yourself, in particular if warned by Lane Keep-
ing Assist.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lane Keep-
ing Assist can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Lane
Keeping Assist cannot take into account the
road, traffic and weather conditions. Lane Keep-
ing Assist is merely an aid. You are responsible
for the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehi-
cle speed, for braking in good time and for stay-
ing in your lane.
The Lane Keeping Assist does not keep the vehi-
cle in the lane.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if: R
there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or heavy spray R
there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet) R
the windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera R
there are no or several unclear lane markings
for one lane, e.g. roadworks R
the lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow R
the distance to the vehicle in front is too short
and thus the lane markings cannot be detec-
ted R
the lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge R
the road is narrow and winding R
there are strong shadows cast on the road Switching on Lane Keeping Assist X
Switch on Active Lane Keeping Assist using
the on-board computer; to do so, select
Standard or Adaptive ( Y
page 242).
If you drive at speeds above 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected,
the lines in the assistance graphic are shown
in green ( Y
page 241). Lane Keeping Assist is
ready for use.
Standard If Standard is selected, no warning vibration
occurs if: R
you switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time R
a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
Adaptive When Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if: R
you switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ABS,
BAS or ESP ®
R
you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown R
you brake hard R
you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lanes quickly R
you cut the corner on a sharp bend
To ensure that you are warned only when nec-
essary and in good time if you cross the lane
markings, the system detects certain conditions
and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if: R
you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend R
the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a freeway R
the system detects solid lane markings
The warning vibration occurs later if: R
the road has narrow lanes R
you cut the corner on a bend212
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Drivin g Assistance Plu s package
General notes The Driving Assistanc e Plus package consist s of
Distanc e Pilo t DISTRONIC ( Y
page 176), Active
Blin d Spot Assis t ( Y
page 213) and Active Lan e
Keepin g Assis t ( Y
page 215).
Active Blind Spot Assist General notes Active Blin d Spot Assis t monitors th e areas on
either sid e of th e vehicle that are no t directl y
visible to th e driver wit h tw o lateral, rear-facin g
radar sensors. A warnin g lamp lights up in th e
exterio r mirrors and draws your attention to
vehicles detecte d in th e monitored area. If you
then switch on th e correspondin g turn signal to
chang e lanes, you will also receiv e a visual and
audible collision warning. If a ris k of latera l col-
lision is detected, corrective braking may hel p
you avoid a collision . Before a course-correcting
brake application , Active Blin d Spot Assis t eval-
uates th e spac e in th e direction of trave l and at
th e sides of th e vehicle. Fo r this, Active Blin d
Spot Assis t uses th e forward-facin g radar sen -
sors.
Active Blin d Spot Assis t supports you from a
speed of approximately 20 mph (30 km/h).
Important safet y notesActive Blin d Spot Assis t is only an aid and is no t
a substitute fo r attentive driving.
G WARNING
Active Blin d Spot Assis t doe s no t react to :R
vehicles overtaken to o closely on th e side,
placin g them in th e blin d spo t are aR
vehicles whic h approac h wit h a larg e speed
differential and overtak e your vehicle
As a result , Active Blin d Spot Assis t may nei-
ther giv e warnings no r interven e in suc h sit -
uations. There is a ris k of an accident.
Always observ e th e traffic condition s care-
fully, and maintain a saf e latera l distance.
i US A only: Thi s devic e has bee n approved by
th e FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System". The
radar sensor is intended fo r use in an auto-
motive radar syste m only. Removal, tamper-
ing, or altering of th e devic e will void any war- ranties, and is no t permitte d by th e FCC. Do
no t tampe r with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
An y unauthorized modification to this devic e
could void th e user's authorit y to operat e th e
equipment.
i Canada only: Thi s devic e complies wit h
RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is
subjec t to th e followin g tw o conditions:
1. Thi s devic e may no t cause interference,
and
2. Thi s devic e mus t accept any interf erenc e
re c
eived, includin g interferenc e that may
cause undesired operation of th e device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of th e devic e
will void any warranties , and is no t permitted.
Do no t tampe r with, alter, or use in any non-
approved way.
An y unauthorized modification to this devic e
could void th e user's authorit y to operat e th e
equipment.
Rada r sensor sThe Active Blind Spot Assis t radar sensor s are
integrated into th e fron t and rea r bumper s and
behin d a cover in th e radiator trim. Mak e sur e
that th e bumper s and th e cover in th e radiator
grill are free of dirt, ic e or slush. The sensor s
mus t no t be covered, fo r example by cycle racks
or overhangin g loads. Followin g an acciden t or
in th e event of damage to th e bumpers, hav e th e
function of th e radar sensor s checke d at a quali-
fie d specialis t workshop . Active Blin d Spot
Assis t may otherwise no longer wor k properly.
Monitoring area
G WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assis t doe s no t detec t all
traffic situation s and road users. There is a
ris k of an accident.
Always mak e sur e that there is sufficien t dis -
tanc e on th e sid e fo r other traffic or obstacles.Driving systems 21 3
Driving an d parking Z

Course-correcting brake application If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a lat-
eral collision in the monitoring range, a course-
correcting brake application is carried out. This
is meant to assist you in avoiding a collision.
G WARNING
A course-correcting brake application cannot
always prevent a collision. There is a risk of an
accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Blind Spot Assist warns
you or makes a course-correcting brake appli-
cation. Always maintain a safe distance at the
sides.
If a course-correcting brake application occurs,
red warning lamp C flashes in the exterior mir-
ror and a double warning tone sounds. In addi-
tion, a display underlining the danger of a side
collision appears in the multifunction display.
In very rare cases, the system may make an
inappropriate brake application. A course-cor-
recting brake application may be interrupted at
any time by countersteering slightly or acceler-
ating.
The course-correcting brake application is avail-
able in the speed range between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 120 mph (20 0 km/ h) .
Either no braking application, or a course-cor-
recting brake application adapted to the driving
situation occurs if: R
there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, located on both sides of your vehicle. R
a vehicle approaches you too closely at the
side. R
you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds. R
you clearly brake or accelerate. R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ESP ®
or PRE-SAFE ®
Brake.R
ESP ®
is switched off.R
the offroad program is activated (vehicles
without the Offroad Engineering package). R
the Offroad or Offroad Plus drive program is
activated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engi-
neering package). R
the LOW RANGE offroad gear is activated
(vehicles with the Offroad Engineering pack-
age). R
a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire is
detected.
Switching on Active Blind Spot Assist X
Make sure that Active Blind Spot Assist
( Y
page 242) is activated in the on-board
computer. X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock.
Warning lamps C in the exterior mirrors light
up red for approximately 1.5 seconds an d
then turn yellow.
Towing a trailer When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. Active Blind Spot Assist is then deacti-
vated. The indicator lamp lights up yellow in the
exterior mirrors and the Active Blind Spot
Asst. Not Available When Towing a
Trailer See Operator's Manual message
appears in the multifunction display.
Active Lane Keeping Assist
General notes
Active Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of multifunction
camera C at the top of the windshield. Various
different areas to the front, rear and side of your
vehicle are also monitored with the aid of the
radar sensor system. Active Lane Keeping
Assist detects lane markings on the road and
can warn you before you leave your lane unin-
tentionally. If you do not react to the warning, aDriving system s 215
Dr ivi ng an d parking Z

lane-correcting application of the brakes can
bring the vehicle back into the original lane.
This function is available in a speed range
between 40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and
200 km/h).
For Active Lane Keeping Assist to assist you
when driving, the radar sensor system must be
operational.
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, Active Lane
Keeping Assist can neither reduce the risk of
accident nor override the laws of physics. Active
Lane Keeping Assist cannot take into account
road, weather or traffic conditions. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is only an aid. You are responsi-
ble for the distance to the vehicle in front, for
vehicle speed, for braking in good time and for
staying in your lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot continuously
keep your vehicle in its lane.
G WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot always
clearly detect lane markings.
In such cases, Active Lane Keeping Assist
can: R
give an unnecessary warning and then
make a course-correcting brake application
to the vehicle R
not give a warning or intervene
There is a risk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to the traffic
situation and keep within the lane, especially
if Active Lane Keeping Assist alerts you. Ter-
minate the intervention in a non-critical driv-
ing situation.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if: R
there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insufficient
illumination of the road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or heavy spray R
there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic, the
sun or reflection from other vehicles (e.g. if
the road surface is wet) R
the windshield is dirty, fogged up, damaged or
covered, for instance by a sticker, in the vicin-
ity of the camera R
there are no or several unclear lane markings
for one lane, e.g. roadworks R
the lane markings are worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g. by dirt or snow R
the distance to the vehicle in front is too short
and thus the lane markings cannot be detec-
ted R
the lane markings change quickly, e.g. lanes
branch off, cross one another or merge R
the road is narrow and winding R
there are highly variable shade conditions on
the roadway R
no vehicle is detected in the adjacent lane and
there are broken lane markings
Warning vibration in the steering wheel A warning may be given if a front wheel passes
over a lane marking. It will warn you by mean s of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel for
up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when neces-
sary and in good time if you cross the lane mark-
ing, the system detects certain conditions and
warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if: R
you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend R
the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a freeway R
the system detects solid lane markings
The warning vibration occurs later if: R
the road has narrow lanes R
you cut the corner on a bend
Lane-correcting brake application
G WARNING
A lane-correcting brake application cannot
always bring the vehicle back into the original
lane. There is a risk of an accident.
Always steer, brake or accelerate yourself,
especially if Active Lane Keeping Assist warns
you or makes a lane-correcting brake appli-
cation.
G WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
traffic conditions or road users. In very rare
cases, the system may make an inappropriate
brake application, e.g. after intentionally driv-216
Driving systems
Driving and parking

ing over a solid lane marking. There is a risk of
an accident.
An inappropriate brake application may be
interrupted at any time if you steer slightly in
the opposite direction. Always make sure that
there is sufficient distance on the side for
other traffic or obstacles.
If you leave your lane, under certain circumstan-
ces the vehicle will brake briefly on one side.
This is meant to assist you in bringing the vehicle
back to the original lane.
If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
display C appears in the multifunction display.
A lane-correcting brake application can be made
after driving over a solid or broken lane marking.
Before this, a warning must be given by means of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel. In
addition, a lane with lane markings on both sides
must have been detected.
In the case of a broken lane marking being
detected, a lane-correcting brake application
can only be made if a vehicle has been detected
in the adjacent lane. The following vehicles can
have an influence on brake application: oncom-
ing traffic, vehicles that are overtaking and vehi-
cles that are driving parallel to your vehicle.
i A further lane-correcting brake application
can only occur after your vehicle has returned
to the original lane.
No lane-correcting brake application occurs if: R
you clearly and actively steer, brake or accel-
erate. R
you cut the corner on a sharp bend R
you have switched on the turn signal R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ESP ®
,
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind Spot Assist R
you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds or high rates of accel-
eration R
ESP ®
is switched off R
the transmission is not in position [R
on vehicles with a trailer tow hitch, the elec-
trical connection to the trailer has been cor-
rec tly est ablished R
the Off-road program is activated (vehicles
without the Off-Road Engineering package) R
the Off-road or Off-road Plus drive program is
activated (vehicles with the Off-Road Engi-
neering package) R
the LOW RANGE off-road gear is activated
(vehicles with the Off-Road Engineering pack-
age) R
an obstacle has been detected in the lane in
which you are driving R
when a loss of tire pressure or a defective tire
has been detected and displayed
There is a possibility that the Active Lane Keep-
ing Assist could misjudge the given traffic sit-
uation. An inappropriate brake application may
be interrupted at any time if you: R
steer slightly in the opposite direction R
switch on the turn signal R
clearly brake or accelerate
A lane-correcting brake application is interrup-
ted automatically if: R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g. ESP ®
,
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake or Active Blind Spot Assist R
lane markings are no longer detected
Switching on Active Lane Keeping Assist X
Switch on Active Lane Keeping Assist using
the on-board computer; to do so, select
Standard or Adaptive ( Y
page 242).
If you drive at speeds above 40 mph
(60 km/h) and lane markings are detected,
the lines in the assistance graphic are shown
in green ( Y
page 241). Active Lane Keeping
Assist is ready for use.
If Standard is selected, no warning vibration
occurs if: R
you switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time R
a driving safety system intervenes, such as
ABS, BAS or ESP ®Driving systems 217
Driving and parking Z

When Adaptive is selected, no warning vibra-
tion occurs if: R
you switch on the turn signals. In this event,
the warnings are suppressed for a certain
period of time R
a driving safety system intervenes, e.g.
ABS, BAS or ESP ®
R
you accelerate hard, e.g. kickdown R
you brake hard R
you steer actively, e.g. swerve to avoid an
obstacle or change lanes quickly R
you cut the corner on a sharp bend
Towing a trailer When you attach a trailer, make sure you have
correctly established the electrical connection.
This can be accomplished by checking the trailer
lighting. Lane-correcting brake application does
not take place when towing a trailer. Active Lane
Keeping Assist is not activated and the lines in
the assistance graphic are gray.
Off-road driving systems
4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive) 4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are perma-
nently driven. Together with ESP ®
and 4ETS, it
improves the traction of your vehicle whenever
a drive wheel spins due to insufficient grip.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, 4MATIC can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor override
the laws of physics. 4MATIC cannot take
account of road, weather and traffic conditions.
4MATIC is only an aid. You are responsible for
the distance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle
speed, for braking in good time and for staying in
your lane.
! Never tow the vehicle with one axle raised.
This may damage the transfer case. Damage
of this sort is not covered by the Mercedes-
Benz Limited Warranty. All wheels must
remain either on the ground or be fully raised.
Observe the instructions for towing the vehi-
cle with all wheels in full contact with the
ground.
! A function or performance test should only
be carried out on a two-axle dynamometer.
Before you operate the vehicle on such a
dynamometer, please consult a qualified workshop. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if you
use winter tires (M+S tires), with snow chains
if necessary.
Further information about "Driving off-road"
( Y
page 170).
DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation) General notes DSR is an aid to assist you when driving down-
hill. It keeps the speed of travel at the speed
selected on the on-board computer. The steeper
the downhill gradient, the greater the DSR brak-
ing effect on the vehicle. When driving on flat
stretches of road or on an uphill gradient, the
DSR braking effect is minimal or nonexistent.
DSR controls the vehicle’s speed when it is acti-
vated and the transmission is in position D , R or
N . You can drive at a higher or a lower speed
than that set on the on-board computer at any
time by accelerating or braking.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If the speed driven and the set speed deviate
and you activate DSR on a slippery road sur-
face, the wheels may lose traction. There is an
increased danger of skidding and accidents.
Before switching DSR on, please take into
consideration the road surface and the differ-
ence between driving speed and the set
speed.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, DSR can
neither reduce the risk of accident nor override
the laws of physics. DSR cannot take account of
road, weather and traffic conditions. DSR is only
an aid. You are responsible for the distance to
the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, for brak-
ing in good time and for staying in your lane.
You are always responsible for keeping control
of the vehicle and for assessing whether the
downhill gradient can be managed. DSR may not
always be able to keep to the set speed, depend-
ing on road surface and tire conditions. Select a
set speed suitable for the prevailing conditions
and when necessary, apply the brakes manually.218
Driving systems
Driving and parking