trailer stability assist MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class 2015 W166 Owner's Manual

HOLD functio
n............................... 210
Lane Keeping Assist ...................... 239
Level control (vehicles with AIR-
MATIC package) ............................. 213
Level control (vehicles with the
ON&OFFROAD package) ................ 206
On-road programs .......................... 247
PARKTRONIC ................................. 217
Rear view camera .......................... 224
Driving tips
Automatic transmission ................. 171
Brakes ........................................... 188
Break-in period .............................. 156
DISTRONIC PLUS ........................... 205
Downhill gradient ........................... 188
Drinking and driving ....................... 186
Driving abroad ............................... 120
Driving in winter ............................. 190
Driving on flooded roads ................ 190
Driving on sand .............................. 193
Driving on wet roads ...................... 190
Driving over obstacles ................... 194
Exhaust check ............................... 186
Fuel ................................................ 186
General .......................................... 186
Hydroplaning ................................. 190
Icy road surfaces ........................... 190
Limited braking efficiency on sal-
ted roads ....................................... 188
Off-road driving .............................. 192
Off-road fording ............................. 190
Snow chains .................................. 403
Symmetrical low beam .................. 120
Tire ruts ......................................... 194
Towing a trailer .............................. 257
Traveling uphill ............................... 194
Wet road surface ........................... 188
DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
Display message ............................ 306
Function/note s............................. 250
DVD video
Operating (on-board computer) ..... 273 E
EASY-ENTRY feature Activating/deactivating ................. 279
Function/note s............................. 113
EASY-EXIT feature
Crash-responsive ........................... 114
Function/note s............................. 113
Switching on/of f........................... 279
EASY-PACK load-securing kit
Components and storage .............. 342
EBD (electronic brake force distri-
bution)
Display message ............................ 287
Function/note s................................ 75
ECO display
Function/note s............................. 187
On-board computer ....................... 270
ECO start/stop function (ML 250
BlueTEC 4MATIC)
Automatic engine start .................. 165
Automatic engine switch-off .......... 165
General notes ................................ 164
Important safety notes .................. 164
Introduction ................................... 164
Switching on/of f........................... 165
Electronic Stability Program
see ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Emergency
Automatic measures after an acci-
dent ................................................. 60
Emergency release
Driver's door .................................... 88
Vehicle ............................................. 88
Emergency spare wheel
General notes ................................ 441
Important safety notes .................. 440
Removing ....................................... 441
Storage location ............................ 441
Technical data ............................... 443
Emergency Tensioning Devices
Activation ......................................... 58
Emergency unlocking
Tailgate ............................................ 93
Emissions control
Service and warranty information .... 25 10
Index

Maximum load on a tire (defini-
tion) ............................................... 422
Maximum permissible tire pres-
sure (definition) ............................. 422
Maximum tire load .........................4 19
Maximum tire load (definition) ....... 422
MOExtended tires .......................... 402
Optional equipment weight (defi-
nition) ............................................ 422
PSI (pounds per square inch) (def-
inition) .......................................... .422
Replacing ....................................... 423
Service life ..................................... 402
Sidewall (definition) ....................... 422
Speed rating (definition) ................ 421
Storing .......................................... .424
Structure and characteristics
(definition) ..................................... 420
Temperature .................................. 416
TIN (Tire Identification Number)
(definition) ..................................... 422
Tire bead (definition) ..................... .422
Tire pressure (definition) ................ 422
Tire pressures (recommended) ...... 421
Tire size (data) ............................... 428
Tire size designation, load-bearing capacity, speed rating .................... 417
Tire tread ....................................... 401
Tire tread (definition) ..................... 422
Total load limit (definition) ............. 423
Traction ......................................... 416
Traction (definition) ....................... 422
Tread wea r..................................... 416
TWR (permissible trailer drawbar
noseweight) (definition) ................. 422
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards ...................................... 415
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (definition) .................... 421
Wear indicator (definition) ............. 423
Wheel and tire combination ........... 430
Wheel rim (definition) .................... 421
see Flat tire
Top Tether ............................................ 64
Towing a trailer Active Parking Assist ..................... 224
Axle load, permissibl e.................... 460
Cleaning the trailer tow hitch ......... 376 Coupling up a traile
r...................... 259
Decoupling a trailer ....................... 261
Driving tips .................................... 257
ESP ®
(Electronic Stability Pro-
gram) ............................................... 74
Important safety notes .................. 256
Installing the ball coupling ............. 258
Mounting dimensions .................... 459
Power supply ................................. 263
Pulling away with a traile r.............. 161
Removing the ball coupling ............ 262
Storing the ball coupling ................ 262
Trailer drive progra m..................... 249
Trailer load s................................... 460
Towing away
Important safety guidelines ........... 393
Installing the towing eye ................ 394
Removing the towing eye ............... 395
With both axles on the ground ....... 395
With the rear axle raised ................ 395
Tow-starting
Emergency engine starting ............ 396
Important safety notes .................. 393
Trailer coupling
see Towing a trailer
Trailer loads and drawbar nose-
weights ............................................... 262
Trailer towing Active Blind Spot Assist ................. 244
Active Lane Keeping Assist ............ 247
Blind Spot Assist ............................ 239
PARKTRONIC ................................. 219
Permissible trailer loads and
drawbar noseweights ..................... 262
Transfer case ..................................... 177
Transmission see Automatic transmission
Transmission position display ......... 168
Transmission position display
(DIRECT SELECT lever) ...................... 168
Transporting the vehicle .................. 395
Traveling uphill Brow of hill ..................................... 195
Driving downhill ............................. 195
Maximum gradient-climbing capa-
bility ............................................... 195 Index
21

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
i Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP ®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehi-
cle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel
starts to spin.
! Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP ®
deactivated.
You could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP ®X
To switch off: press button0043.
The 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To switch on: press button0043.
The 00BB ESP®
OFF warning lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Characteristics when ESP ®
is deactivated
If ESP ®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the 00E5ESP®
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP ®
will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longer improves driving stability.
R engine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin. The spinning of the wheels results in a cut-
ting action for better traction on loose sur- faces.
R traction control is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provides support when you
brake.
Off-road ESP ®
(vehicles with Off-Road
Engineering package) An ESP
®
system specifically suited to off-road
terrain is activated automatically once the off-
road program is activated (Y page 251).
Off-road ESP ®
intervenes with a delay if there
is oversteering or understeering, thus improv-
ing traction.
ESP ®
trailer stabilization General information
ESP
®
trailer stabilization is not available in
AMG vehicles.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
swerve, ESP ®
assists you in this situation.
ESP ®
slows the vehicle down by braking and
limiting the engine output until the vehicle/
trailer combination has stabilized.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center of gravity can
tip over before ESP ®
can detect this. There is
a risk of an accident.
Always adapt your driving style to the prevail- ing road and weather conditions.
If your vehicle with trailer (vehicle/trailer
combination) begins to lurch, you can only
stabilize the vehicle/trailer combination by
depressing the brake firmly.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 37 mph (60 km/h). 74
Driving safety systemsSafety

ESP
®
trailer stabilization does not work if
ESP ®
is deactivated or disabled because of a
malfunction. EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribu-
tion)
General information EBD monitors and controls the brake pres-
sure on the rear wheels to improve driving
stability while braking.
Important safety notes i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion for driving safety systems (Y page 67).G
WARNING
If EBD has malfunctioned, the rear wheels can still lock, e.g. under full braking. This increa-
ses the risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have the brake system checked at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Observe information regarding indicator and
warning lamps (Y page 321) as well as dis-
play messages (Y page 287). ADAPTIVE BRAKE
ADAPTIVE BRAKE enhances braking safety
and offers increased braking comfort. In addi-
tion to the braking function, ADAPTIVE BRAKE
also has the HOLD function (Y page 210)and
hill start assist (Y page 161). PRE-SAFE
®
Brake
General information i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (Y page 67).
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake is only available in vehicles
with DISTRONIC PLUS. For PRE-SAFE
®
Brake to assist you when driv-
ing, the radar sensor system must be opera-
tional.
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.
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake can help you to minimize
the risk of a collision with a vehicle ahead, and reduce the effects of such a collision. If PRE-
SAFE ®
Brake has detected a risk of collision,
you will be warned visually and acoustically as
well as by automatic braking. PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot prevent a collision without your intervention.
Important safety notes G
WARNING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake will initially brake your vehi-
cle by a partial application of the brakes if a
danger of collision is detected. There may be
a collision unless you also brake. Automatic
emergency braking cannot prevent a colli-
sion. There is a risk of an accident.
Always apply the brakes yourself and try to
take evasive action. G
WARNING
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake cannot always clearly iden-
tify objects and complex traffic conditions.
In these cases, PRE-SAFE ®
Brake may:
R give an unnecessary warning and then
brake 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 be ready to brake, especially if
PRE-SAFE ®
Brake warns you. Terminate the
intervention in a non-critical driving situation.
In order to maintain the appropriate distance
to the vehicle in front and thus prevent a col- lision, you must apply the brakes yourself. Driving safety systems
75Safety Z

Safety systems
Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions 002500E5
Currently Unavail‐ Currently Unavail‐
able See Opera‐ able See Opera‐
tor's Manual tor's Manual ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Pro-
gram), BAS (Brake Assist), PRE-SAFE ®
, the HOLD function, hill
start assist and ESP ®
trailer stabilization are temporarily unavail-
able.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST, BAS PLUS and
PRE‑SAFE ®
Brake may also have failed.
In addition, the 00E5,00BBand0025 warning lamps light up in the
instrument cluster.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
Possible causes are:
R Self-diagnosis is not yet complete.
R The on-board voltage may be insufficient.
G WARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affec-ted. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can
increase.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
X Carefully drive a suitable distance, making slight steering move-
ments at a speed above 12 mph (20 km/h).
If the display message disappears, the functions mentioned
above are available again.
If the display message continues to be displayed: X Drive on carefully.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. 002500E5
Inoperative See Inoperative See
Operator's Manual Operator's Manual ABS, ESP
®
, BAS, PRE-SAFE ®
, the HOLD function, hill start assist
and ESP ®
trailer stabilization are unavailable due to a malfunction.
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST, BAS PLUS and
PRE‑SAFE ®
Brake may also have failed.
The 0027 (USA only)/004D (Canada only),00E5,00BBand0025
warning lamps in the instrument cluster also light up.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
G WARNING Display messages
285On-board computer and displays Z

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
0050
0050Solutions 0025
The yellow ABS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) is deactivated due to a malfunc-
tion. For this reason, BAS (Brake Assist), BAS PLUS, ESP ®
(Elec-
tronic Stability Program), PRE‑SAFE ®
, PRE‑SAFE ®
Brake, COLLI-
SION PREVENTION ASSIST, the HOLD function, hill start assist and
ESP ®
trailer stabilization are also deactivated, for example.
ATTENTION ASSIST is deactivated.
G WARNING
The brake system continues to function normally, but without the functions listed above. The wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard, for example.
The steerability and braking characteristics may be severely affec-ted. The braking distance in an emergency braking situation can
increase.
If ESP ®
is not operational, ESP ®
is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
X Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display.
X Drive on carefully.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop.
If the ABS control unit is faulty, there is also a possibility that other
systems, such as the navigation system or the automatic trans-
mission, will not be available. Warning and indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
321On-board computer and displays Z