ESP MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2012 W166 Owner's Guide

R
to cros sing traffic
R in cur ves
As ares ult, BAS PLUScann otinte rvenein
cri tica lsi tua tions. The reisaris ko fan
acc iden t.Always paycareful attent ion tothe
tr aff icsit uatio nand berea dytobra ke.
Fol lowi ng dama getothe front endofthe
veh icle, ha ve the confi guratio na nd opera tion
of the rada rs ensor schec kedataqualified
specialist workshop.This also applies to
collisions atlow speeds wherethereis no
visible damage tothe fron tofthe vehicle.
If BAS PLUS isnot availa bledue toa
malfunction inthe radar sensor system, the
brake system remains availablewith full
brake boosting effectandBAS. ESP
®
(Ele ctronic Stability Program)
Import antsafety notes i
See
the"Important safetynotes" section
(Y page 61).
If ESP ®
detect sthat thevehicle isdeviating
from thedirection desiredbythe driver, one
or more wheels arebraked tostabilize the
vehicle. Ifnecessary, theengine outputisalso
modified tokeep thevehicle onthe desired
course withinphysical limits.ESP®
assists
the driver whenpullingaway onwet or
slippery roads.ESP®
can also stabilize the
vehicle duringbraking.
If ESP ®
interven es,the ÷ ESP®
warning
lamp flashes inthe instrumen tcluster . G
WARN
ING Und
erno circums tances should you
deact ivateES P®
when the÷ ESP®
warnin glamp inthe instrumen tclust er
flashe s.Proc eedasfollows :
R when drivingoff ,apply aslittlethr ottleas
possible .
R while driving,ease upon the accelerat or
pedal.
R adapt yourspeed tosuit theprev ailing road
and weathe rconditions .
Failure toobserve theseguidelines could
cause thevehicle toskid. ESP®
cann ot
prevent accident sresulting fromexcessive
speed.
! Only operate thevehicle foramaximum
of ten seconds onabrake test
dynamometer. Switchoffthe ignition.
Application ofthe brakes byESP ®
may
otherwise destroythebrake system.
! Funct ionorperformanc etest smay only
be performed ona2-axle dynamometer. If
you wish tooperate thevehicle onsuch a
dynamometer, pleaseconsult an
authorized Mercedes-B enzCenter
beforehand. Youcould otherwise damage
the drive trainorthe brake system. i
Only
usewheels withtherecommen ded
tire sizes. OnlythenwillESP ®
funct ion
properly.
4ETS (Electronic Traction System) i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
Traction controlispart ofESP ®
.
Traction controlbrakes thedrive wheels
individuall yif they spin. Thisenables youto
pull away andaccelerate onslippery surfaces,
for example ifthe road surface isslippery on
one side. Inaddition, moredrivetorque is
trans ferred tothe wheel orwheels with
tract ion. Driving
safetysystems
63Safety Z

Traction
controlremains activeifyou
deactivate ESP®
. G
WARNIN
G Traction
controlcann otreduce therisk ofan
accident ifyou drive toofast. Traction control
cann otoverride thelaws ofphysics.
Deactivating/activat ingESP ® i
Observe
the"Importan tsafet yno tes"
sec tion(Ypage 61). G
WARN
ING ES
P®
should notbedeactiv atedduring
norm aldrivin gother thaninthe
circ umstan cesdescribed below.Disabling
the system willreduce vehicle stability in
drivin gmaneuver s.
Do not deactiv ateESP®
when theemergen cy
or spare wheel ismount ed.
ES P®
is activ ated automatic allywhen the
engin eis start ed.
It may bebest todeactiv ateESP®
in the
following situations:
R when usingsnowchains
R in deep snow
R on sand orgravel G
WARN
ING Switc
hon ESP®
immediately ifone ofthe
previously statedcon dition sis no longer met.
Other wise, ESP®
cann otstabilize thevehicle
if it begins tolurch orwhen awheel spins.
When youdeactiv ateESP®
:
R ES P®
no longer improves drivingstability.
R the engin e'storque isno longer limited and
the drive wheels canspin. Thespinn ingof
the wheels resultsinacutt ingaction ,which
provides bettergrip.
R trac tion controlis still activ ated.
R ES P®
still provides supportwhenyou
brake. If
ES P®
is deactiv atedandone ormore wheels
start tospin, the÷ ESP®
warning lampin
the instrument clusterflashes. Insuch
situation s,ES P®
will notstabilize thevehicle. X
To deact ivate:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clusterlightsup. G
WARN
ING When
theå ESP®
OFF warning lampislit,
ES P®
is deactiv ated.
If the ÷ ESP®
warning lampandthe
å ESP®
OFF warning lampremain lit,
ES P®
is not available duetoam alfun ction .
When ESP®
is deac tivate dor noto peration al,
vehicle stability instan dard driving
maneuver sis reduced.
Adapt yourspeed anddriving tothe prevailing
road condition sand tothe non-operat ing
stat usofthe ESP®
.
! Avoid spinningthe driven wheels foran
ext ended period withESP®
deactiv ated.
You could otherwisedamage thedrivet rain.
X To activa te:press button:.
The å ESP®
OFF warning lampinthe
inst rument clustergoesout.
ESP ®
trailer stabiliz ation If
your vehicle withtrailer (vehicle/ trailer
combin ation)begins tolurch, youcan only
stabilize thevehicle/ trailercombin ationby
depressin gthe brake firmly. 64
Driving
safetysystemsSafety

In
this situa tion, ESP®
assi stsyou and can
detect ifthe vehicle /trailer combination
begi nstolurch. ESP®
slow sthe vehicle down
by braking andlimiting theengine outputuntil
the vehicle/tra iler comb inationh as
st abiliz ed.
Trail erstabiliz ationisactive fromaspeed of
approximately 37mph(60 km/h). G
WARNING The
system willnotbeable toassist whenthe
trailer jackknifes
R ifthe ESP ®
has switched offdue toa
malfunction
R on wet oricy roads
R on roads withslippery surface
R in sand orgravel
Trailers withahigh centerofgravity maytip
over before thesystem recognizes swayingof
the trailer.
Traile rstab iliza tiond oes notwork ifESP ®
is
deactivated ordisabled becauseofa
malfunct ion. EBD
(elec tronic brake force
distr ibution) i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
EBD monit orsand cont rolsthebrake
pressure onthe rear wheels toimprove
driving stability whilebraking. G
WARNIN
G If
EBD hasmalfunct ioned,thebraking system
remains availablewith fullbrake boosting
effect .However, therear wheels canstilllock,
e.g. under fullbraking. Thiscould cause you
to lose controlofyour vehicle andcause an
accident .You should therefor eadapt your
driving styletothe different handling
character istics. X
Observe thenoteson warning andindicator
lamps (Ypage 272)aswell asdisplay
messages (Ypage 241). ADA
PTIVE BRAKE
AD APTIVE BRAKEenhancesbraking safety
and offers increased brakingcomfort.In
addition tothe braking function,ADAPTIVE
BRAKE alsohastheHOLD function
(Y page 179)andhillstart assist
(Y page 142). Forfurther informat ion,see
Drivin gtips (Ypage 159). PRE-SAFE
®
Br ake
PRE-S AFE®
Brake isonly availa bleinvehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS. i
Observe
the"Important safetynotes"
section (Ypage 61).
PRE-S AFE®
Brake canhelp youtominimize
the risk ofafront alcollision withavehicle
ahead orreduce theeffect sofsuch a
co llisio n.IfPRE -SAF E®
Br ake hasdetecteda
ris ko fcollision, youwillbewarned visually
and acoustically aswell asby automatic
braking. PRE-SAFE®
Brake cannotprevent a
collision withoutyourintervention.
At speeds aboveapproximately
20 mph (30km/ h),this funct ionwarns you
when youarerapidly approaching thevehicle
in front .An interm ittentwarning tonewill
then sound andthe· distance warning
lamp inthe instr ument cluster willlight up.
X Brake immediately inorder toincrease the
distance fromthevehicle infront .
or
X Take evasive actionprovided itis safe todo
so. Driving
safetysystems
65Safety Z

G
WARNING PRE-SAFE
®
Brake cannot alwaysdetect
comple xtraffic situations prope rly.
In these cases, PRE-SAFE(R) Brakemay:
R give anunnecessa rywarni ngand then
brake thevehicl e
R neither giveawarni ngnor intervene
There isarisk ofan accide nt.Alwa yspay
particu larattention tothe traffic situationand
be read yto brake, especiallyif PRE-SAFE(R)
Brake warns you.Termina tethe intervention
in anon-critical drivingsitua tion.
In particu lar,the detection ofobstacl escan
be impa iredifthere is:
R dirt onthe sensors oranythi ngelse
covering thesensors
R snow orheavy rain
R interference byother radarsources
R the possibility ofstron gradar reflect ions,
for example inparking garages
R anarrow vehicle traveling infront ,e.g. a
motorbik e
R avehicle traveling infront onadifferent line G
WARNIN
G PRE-S
AFE®
Brake doesnotreact:
R to people oranimals
R to oncom ingvehicles
R to crossin gtraffic
R in curves
As aresult, PRE-SAFE®
Brake cannot
interv eneincritic alsituations. Thereisarisk
of an accident .Always paycaref ulatt ent ion
to the traffic situat ionand beready tobrak e.
In order tomaint ainthe appropr iatedistance
to the vehic lein fro ntand thus preventa
collisio n,you must apply thebrak esyourself .X
To act ivat e/deact ivate:act ivate or
deact ivatePRE-SAFE®
Brak ein the on-
board computer (Ypage 232).
The Ä symbol appears inthe
multif unction display aslong asthe HOL D
func tion isnot activate d(Ypage 179).
On vehicles withActive Parkin gAssist ,the
Ä symbol isdisplayed when
tran smission positionPis select edorifyou
drive faster than22mph(35 km/h).
For PRE-S AFE®
Brak eto assist youwhen
drivin g,the radar senso rsyst em mus tbe
switched on(Ypage 236)andoperational.
Following damagetothe front endofthe
vehicle, havetheconfiguration andoperation
of the radar sensors checked ataqual ified
speciali stworkshop. Thisalso appli esto
collisions atlow speeds wherethereisno
visible damage tothe front ofthe vehicle. STEER
CONTROL
The steering assistant STEERCONTROL helps
you bytransmitt inganoticeable steering
force tothe steering wheelinthe direction
required forvehicle stabilization.
This steering assistance isprovided in
particular if:
R both right wheels orboth leftwheels areon
a wet orslippe ryroad surface whenyou
brake
R the vehicle startstoskid
You have controlover thesteering atall
times. G
WARNING If
the ESP ®
is malfunctioning, youwillnot
receive steering assistance fromtheSTEE R
CONTROL. Thepower steering function,
however, remainsavailable. Driving
safetysystems
67Safety Z

2.
this devicemust accep tany inte rference
rece ived,incl uding inte rference thatm ay
caus eunde sired oper ation.
An yunaut horizedmod ificatio ntothis
device couldvoidtheuser’s authority to
operate theequipment.
The Product labelwithFCCIDand IC
cert ification numbercanbefound inthe
battery caseofthe Smart Key.
Import antnotes onthe use ofKEY LESS-
GO R
The KEYLE SS-GO key can beused likea
conv ention alkey.
R You cancombine KEYLESS-GO funct ions
with those ofaconv ention alkey, e.g.
unlock withKEYLE SS-GO and lock with the
& button .
R Always carryyourKEYLE SS-GO key onyour
person.
R Do not keep theKEYLE SS-GO key toget her
with:
- electron icdevices, e.g.amobile phone
or another key
- metallic objects,e.g. coins ormetal foil.
This canaffect thefunct ionality of
KEYLE SS-GO.
R When lockingand unlockin gusing
KEYLE SS-GO, thedistance between the
Smart Keyand thecorrespon dingdoor
handle mustnotexceed 3ft (1 m).
R Ifthe KEYLE SS-GO key isremoved fromthe
vehicle, itis possible thatthesystem may
not recogn izethe Smart Key.Thevehicle
can then notbelocked orstart edusing
KEYLE SS-GO.
R Ifthe KEYLE SS-GO key has been removed
from thevehicle, e.g.ifapassenger leaves
the vehicle withaKEYL ESS-G Okey : X
To unl ockt he vehi cle:touch theinner
surfa ceofthe door handl e.
X To loc kthe vehi cle:touch sensor
surfa ce:.
X Co nven ienceclo singfeature: touch
recesse dsensor surface; for an
extended period(Ypag e87).
If you pullon the handl eofthe tailgate, only
the cargo compartmen tof the vehicle is
unlocked. Changing
thesettings ofthe lockin g
system
You canchange thesettin gofthe locking
system insuch away that only thedriver's
door andthefuel filler flapareunlocked. This
is useful ifyou frequently travelonyour own.
X To change thesetting: pressandhold
down the% and& buttons
simultaneously forapproximately six
seconds untilthebattery checklamp
(Y page 76)flashes twice. i
If
the settin gof the locking systemis
changed withinthesignal rangeofthe
vehicle, pressing the& or% button
locks orunlocks thevehicle.
The SmartK eynow funct ionsasfollows:
X To unlock thedriver's door:pressthe
% button once.
X To unlock centrally: pressthe%
button twice.
X To lock centrally: pressthe& button. 74
Smar
tKeyOpening/closing

Opening/closing
fromoutsid e
Opening X
Press the% button onthe Smart Key. X
Pull handle :.
X Raise thetailgate.
Vehicles withtheEASY-PACK tailgate:if
you pull handle :and then release it,the
tailgate opensautomatic ally.
Closing G
WARN
ING To
preven tpossible personal injury,always
keep hands andfingers awayfromthecargo
compartm entopening whenclosing the
tailgate. Beespecially carefulwhensmall
children arearound. X
Pull thetailgate downusingrecess :.
X Push thetailgate closedfromoutside the
vehicle.
X Ifnecessary, lockthevehicle with
the & button onthe Smart Key (Y
page 72)orwith KEYLE SS-GO
(Y page 73). i
If
aKEYLE SS-GO key isdetect edinthe
cargo compartm ent,thetailgate willnot
lock. Opening/cl
osingautomat ically from
outside
Import antsafety notes G
WARNING Make
surethetailgate isclosed whenthe
engine isrunnin gand while driving. Among
other dangers, deadlycarbon monoxide(CO)
gases mayenter vehicle interior resulting in
uncons ciousness anddeath.
! The tailgate swingsupwards andtothe
rear when opened. Therefore, makesure
that there issufficient clearance aboveand
behind thetailgate.
To open thetailgate completely, aminimum
clearance of7.20 ft(2.20 m)above the
gro und isneces sary.
Ope ning Yo
ucan openthe tailgate automatically using
the SmartK eyorthe handle inthe tailgate.
X Press andhold theF button onthe
SmartK eyuntil thetailgate opens.
or
X When thetailgate isunlocked, pullthe
handle andletitgo again immediately.
Closi ng G
WARNING Monitor
theclosing procedure carefullyto
make surenoone isin danger ofbeing
injured. Toprevent possible personal injury,
alwa yskeep hands andfingers awayfromthe
cargo compartmen topenin gwhen closing the
tailgate. Beespecially carefulwhensmall 82
Cargo
compar tmentOpening/closing

G
WARNING To
prevent possibleperso nalinjury ,alw ays
keep hands andfingers awayfrom thecargo
compartment openingwhenclosing the
tail gate. Beespeci allycarefu lwhen small
child renarearou nd. G
WARNING Make
surethetailgate isclosed whenthe
engine isrunning andwhiledrivi ng.Among
other dange rs,dea dlycarbon monoxide (CO)
gase smay enter vehicleinterior resultingin
unconsciou snessanddeath.
You canopen andclose thetailgate from the
driver' sseat when thevehicl eis stationary
and unlocked . X
To open :pul lremote operatingswitch :
for the tailgate untilthetailgate opens.
X To clo se: turn theSmartKey toposi tion 1
or 2in the ignitio nlock.
X Press remote operatingswitch for
tail gate :until thetailgate isclosed .
If the tailgate comes intocontact withan
object, theclosi ngprocedu reisinterrupted
and thetailgate reope ns.
X To interrupt theclosing procedure: push
or pul lremote operatingswitch forthe
tail gate :. Limiti
ngthe open ingangle ofthe
tailgate
Important safetynotes You
canlimitthe opening angleofthe
tailgate. Thisispossible inthe top half ofits
opening range,uptoapproximately
4 in (10 cm) before thestop.
! Make surethere issufficient clearance to
open thetailgate fullywhen settingthe
opening angle.Thetailgate couldotherwise
be damaged. Ideally,set the opening angle
outside.
Activating X
To open thetailgate: pullthehandle on
the tailgate.
X To stop theopening procedure atthe
desired position: presstheclosing button
(Y page 82)inthe tailgate orpull thehandle
on the outside ofthe tailgate again.
X To store theposition: pressandhold the
closing buttoninthe tailgate untilyouhear
a short tone.
The opening anglelimiter isactivated. The
tailgate willnow stop inthe stored position
when opening.
Deactivating X
Press andhold theclosing button
(Y page 82)inthe tailgate untilyouhear
two short tones. Tailgate
emergency release
If the tailgate cannolonger beopened from
outside thevehicle, usetheemergency
release oninside ofthe tailgate.
X Take themechanical keyoutofthe
SmartK ey(Ypage 75).
To open thetailgate completely, aminimum
clearance of7.20 ft(2.20 m)above the
gro und isneces sary. 84
Carg
oco mpartmentOpening/closing

!
The tailgate swingsupwardsand tothe
rear when opened. Therefore, makesure
that there issufficient clearance aboveand
behind thetailgate.
X Insert mechanical key;into opening in
trim :.
X Turn mechanical key;90° clockwise.
X Push mechanical key;inthe direction of
the arrow andopen thetailgate. Side
window s Importa
ntsafety notes G
WARNING When
opening orclosing thedoor windows,
make surethatthere isno danger ofanyone
being harmed bythe opening/closing
procedure.
The door windows areequip pedwith
automatic operationandtheanti-ent rapment
feature. Ifin automatic modeadoor window
encounters anobstruction thatblocks its
path, theanti-ent rapment featurewillstop the
door window andopen itslightly.
The door windows operatedifferently when
the switch ispull ed. See the"Proble mswith
door windows" sectionfordetails.
The closing ofthe door windows canbe
immediately haltedbyreleasi ngthe switch or,
if the switch waspulledpast theresistance
point andreleased ,by either pressing or
pull ing the respective switch. If
adoor window encounters anobstruction
that blocks itspath inacircumstance where
you areclosing thewindows bypressing and
holding the& button onthe SmartKey or
by pressing andholding thelock button
(vehicles withKEYLES S-GO)onanoutside
door handle, theanti-ent rapment featurewill
not operate.
Act ivate theoverride switchwhenchildren
are riding inthe back seats ofthe vehicle. The
children mayotherwise injurethemselves,
e.g. bybecoming trappedinthe door window
opening. G
WARNING Do
not keep anypart ofyour body upagai nst
the window panewhen opening awindow. The
downward motionofthe pane maypullthat
part ofyour body down between thewindow
pane andthedoor frame andtrap itthere. If
there isarisk ofentrapment ,release the
switch andpullitto close thewindow. Opening
andclosing theside
window s :
Front left
; Front right
= Rear right
? Rear left
The switches forallside windows arelocated
on the driver's door.There isalso aswitch on
each doorforthe corresponding sidewindow. Side
windows
85Opening/closing Z

The
switches onthe driver's doortake
precedenc e. i
The
side windows cannotbe operated
from therear when theoverride featurefor
the side windows isactivat ed(Ypage 59).
X Turn theSmart Keytoposition 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
X To open: pressthecorrespon dingswitch.
X To close: pullthecorrespon dingswitch. i
If
you press theswitch beyond thepoint
of resistanc e,an automatic opening/
closing process isstart edinthe
correspon dingdirection .You can stop
automatic operationbyoperating the
switch again. i
You
cancont inue tooperate theside
windows afteryouswitch offthe engine or
remove theSmart Key.Thisfunct ionis
availa bleforuptofive minutes oruntil the
driver's orfront -passenger doorisopened. Conveni
enceopening feature
You canvent ilate thevehicle beforeyoustart
driving. Todo this, thekey isused tocarry out
the following functionssimultaneously:
R unlock thevehicle
R open theside windows
R open thesliding sunroof orthe panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panelandthe
roller sunblinds
R switch onthe seat ventilation forthe
driver's seat i
The
conv enienc eopening featurecan
only beoperated usingtheSmart Key.The
Smart Keymust beclose tothe driver's
door handle.
X Point thetipofthe Smart Keyatthe driver's
door handle.
X Press andhold the% button untilthe
side windows andthesliding sunroof orthe
panorama roofwith power tilt/sliding
panel areinthe desired position. If
the roller sunblinds ofthe panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panelareclosed, the
roller sunblinds areopened first.
X Press andhold the% button againuntil
the panorama roofwith power tilt/sliding
panel isin the desired position.
X To interr uptconvenie nceopening:
release the% button . Conveni
enceclosin g
General notes When
youlock thevehicle, youcan
simultaneously:
R close theside windows
R close thesliding sunroof orthe panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel
On vehicles withapanorama roofwith power
tilt/ sliding panel,youcan then close the
roller sunblinds. G
WARNIN
G When
closing thedoor windows andthe
sliding sunroof orpanorama roofwith power
tilt/ sliding panel,makesurethatthere isno
danger ofanyone beingharmed bythe closing
procedure.
If potent ialdanger exists,proceed asfollows:
R Release the& button tostop theclosing
procedure. Toopen, pressandhold the
% button .To cont inue theclosing
procedure aftermaking surethatthere is
no danger ofanyone beingharmed bythe
closing procedure, pressandhold the
& button .
Vehicles withKEYLE SS-GO:
R Release thesensor surface onthe outside
door handle tostop theclosing procedure.
R Immediately pullonthe same outside door
handle andhold firmly. Thedoor windows
and thesliding sunroof orpanorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panelwillopen for
as long asthe door handle isheld butthe
door isnot opened. 86
Side
window sOpening/closing

Using
theSma rtKey i
The
Smar tKeymust beclose tothe
driver' sdoor handle.
X Point thetipofthe Smar tKeyatthe driver' s
door handle.
X Press andhold the& buttonunt ilthe
side windows andthesliding sunrooforthe
panorama roofwith power tilt/sliding
panel arefully closed.
X Make surethatallthe side windows andthe
sliding sunroof orpanorama roofwith
power tilt/sliding panelareclosed.
On vehicles withapanorama roofwith power
tilt/sliding panel:
X Press andhold the& button againuntil
the roller sunblinds ofthe panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panelclose.
X To interru ptconve nienceclosi ng:
release the& button.
Using KEYLESS-GO The
KEYLE SS-GO key must beoutside the
vehicle. Allthe doors mustbeclosed. X
Touch recessed sensorsurface :onthe
door handle untiltheside windows andthe
sliding sunroof orthe panorama roofwith
power tilt/sliding panelarefully closed. i
Make
sureyouonly touch recessed
sensor surface :.
X Make surethatallthe side windows andthe
sliding sunroof orpanorama roofwith
power tilt/sliding panelareclosed. On
vehicles withapanorama roofwith power
tilt/sliding panel:
X Touch recessed sensorsurface :onthe
door handle againuntiltheroller sunblinds
of the panorama roofwith power tilt/
sliding panelclose.
X To interru ptconve nienceclosi ng:
release recessed sensorsurface :onthe
door handle. Resetting
theside window s
If aside window cannolonger beclosed fully,
you must reset it.
X Close allthe doors.
X Turn theSmartK eytoposition 1or 2in the
ignition lock.
X Pull thecorresponding switchonthe door
cont rolpanel untiltheside window is
completely closed(Ypage 85).
X Hold theswitch foranadditional second.
If the side window opensagainslightly:
X Immediately pullthecorresponding switch
on the door controlpanel untiltheside
window iscompletely closed(Ypage 85).
X Hold theswitch foranadditional second.
X Ifthe corresponding sidewindow remains
closed afterthebutton hasbeen released,
the side window hasbeen reset correct ly.
If this isnot thecase, repeat thesteps
above again. Problems
withtheside window s
Problem: aside window cannotbeclosed
because itis blocked byobject s,e.g.
leaves inthewindow guide.
X Remove theobje cts.
X Close theside window.
Problem :asidewindow cannotbeclosed
and youcannot seethecause. Side
windows
87Opening/closing Z