automatic transmission MERCEDES-BENZ S550 2007 W221 Service Manual

561 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
DISTRONIC PLUS
inoperative
DISTRONIC Plus* is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
DISTRONIC PLUS
passive
You have depressed the accelerator pedal,
DISTRONIC Plus* is no longer controlling
the speed of the vehicle.

Release the accelerator pedal.
USA only:
DISTRONIC PLUS
- - - mph
Canada only:
DISTRONIC PLUS
- - - km/h
You have attempted to activate DISTRONIC
Plus* at a speed below 20 mph (30 km / h)
without the vehicle in front being displayed
in the multifunction display (
page 385).

Drive faster than 20 mph (30 km / h) and activate DISTRONIC
Plus* again.
ESP
® is deactivated.

Activate ESP
® (page 72).
The automatic transmission is in position P,
R or N.

Shift the automatic transmission toD (
page 367).
The system is overheated.

Wait until the system cools down.
The vehicle is secured in place by the elec-
tric parking brake.

Release electric parking brake (
page 364).
The driver’s door is open and the drivers
seat belt is unbuckled.

Close the driver’s door and fasten your seat belt.
The hood is open.

Close the hood (
page 493).

562 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Door Open
Vehicle not in Park
You have opened the driver’s
door and the automatic trans-
mission is still in position D, R
orN.

Before you leave the vehicle, make sure that the automatic transmission
is shift to position P and that the parking brake is engaged.
Front passenger
airbag disabled
See Oper. Manual
Front passenger front air bag is
deactivated while driving even
though an adult or someone
larger than a small individual is
occupying the front passenger
seat. Forces acting on the seat
may make the system sense a
decrease in weight.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as possible and check the front
passenger seat for the following:
Switch off the ignition (
page 315).

Have the front passenger vacate the seat and exit the vehicle.

Adjust the seat in a height position (
page 318).

Make sure that no objects which apply forces to the seat are present (e.g.
objects such as books, briefcases etc. lodged underneath, behind or
around the seat). Such forces may cause the system to sense that an oc-
cupant of a lesser weight than actually present is on the front passenger
seat.

Keep the seat unoccupied, close the front passenger door and switch on
the ignition (
page 315).
Monitor the 59indicator lamp right of the instrument cluster
(
page 53) and the multifunction display in the instrument cluster
(page 241) for the following:
(Continued on next page)

567 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Park Assist
inoperative
Park Assist* is unavailable due to a mal-
function.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
PRE-SAFE
inoperative
See Owner's Manual
PRE-SAFE
® itself has failed. All other occu-
pant safety systems, such as the air bags,
are still available.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Check tires
then restart
Run Flat Indicator
There was a warning message about a loss
in tire inflation pressure and the Run Flat In-
dicator* has not been restarted yet.

Check and adjust tire inflation pressure as required
(page 514).

Then restart the Run Flat Indicator* (
page 515).
Radar sensor
deactivated
See Oper. Manual
You attempt to activate DISTRONIC Plus*
or Park Assist* even though you have
switched off the radar sensors* on the vehi-
cle.

Check if the radar sensors* may be switched on (
page 256).

Switch on the radar sensors* using the instrument cluster
control system.
Run Flat Indicator
inoperative
The Run Flat Indicator* is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Service X
due
Service X must be carried out (
page 532).

Have the maintenance service carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Service X exceeded
by X days
by XXX mls (km)
Service X must be carried within the next ...
or before you have driven ... miles (kilome-
ters) (
page 532).

Have the maintenance service carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Shift to P or N
to start engine
You have attempted to start the engine
while the automatic transmission was set to
position R or D.

Shift the automatic transmission to P or N (
page 367).

569 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Tire pressure monitor
currently unavailable
The Advanced TPMS* is unable to monitor
the tire inflation pressure due to:

a nearby radio interference source


the on-board voltage is too low


excessive wheel sensor temperatures
As soon as the causes for the malfunction are no longer present,
the Advanced TPMS* automatically becomes active again after
a few minutes driving.
Tire pressures
displayed after driving
a few minutes
Vehicles with Advanced TPMS*:
The tire inflation pressure is being checked.

Drive the vehicle for a few minutes.
Visit workshop
without shifting gears
The automatic transmission cannot be shift-
ed out of the set position because of a mal-
function.
If the automatic transmission is shift to positionD:
Without changing the automatic transmission from
positionD, drive to an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If the automatic transmission is shift to positionN, R or P:

Do not drive.

Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

580 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Parking brake
See Oper. Manual
If overheated:
Let vehicle cool down, and do not engage
electric parking brake during this time.
or

Switch ignition off and back on again, and en-
gage or release electric parking brake.
(USA only)(Canada only)
Parking brake
inoperative
When you engage or release the electric
parking brake, the red indicator lamp for
the electric parking brake flashes and goes
out after approx. 10 seconds. The yellow
warning lamp for the electric parking brake
lights up.
The electric parking brake is malfunction-
ing.

Switch ignition off and back on again, and en-
gage electric parking brake (
page 364).
If the electric parking brake cannot be engaged:

Shift the automatic transmission to P
(page 367).

Protect vehicle from rolling away while
parked by using a chock from the vehicle tool
kit (
page 613).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

601 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Night View Assist
inoperative
Night View Assist* is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Night View Assist
currently unavailable
The temperature of the camera* is too high
(page 420).

Wait until the message “Night View Assist
available again” appears.
In addition you can:

Swing the camera* cover down
(page 539).

Adjust the air distribution of the automatic
climate control so that air flows upward
(page 230).
Night View Assist
Lights must be on
or set to AUTO
You have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist*, but the light switch is not set to *
or B.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to * or
B (
page 342).
Night View Assist
Not in Reverse gear
You have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist* while the automatic transmission was
in position R.

Shift the automatic transmission to P, N or D
(page 367).

602 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Night View Assist
Lights ON or AUTO,
not in R gear
You have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist* but the light switch is not set to *
or B.
In addition, the automatic transmission is in
positionR.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to * or
B (
page 342).

Shift the automatic transmission to P, N or D
(page 367).
Night View Assist
only when
it is dark
You have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist* by daylight.
You can only switch on Night View Assist* when
it is dark.
Engine oil level
Stop vehicle!
Switch engine off
S 600 only:
There is no oil in the engine. There is a dan-
ger of engine damage.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as soon
as it is safe to do so in a safe location.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil (
page 494) and check the
engine oil level (page 494).

610 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Shift to 'P'
You have attempted to turn off the engine
with the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
and opened the driver’s door with the auto-
matic transmission not shift to positionP.

Shift the automatic transmission toP
(page 367).
or

Close the driver’s door.
You are driving with the trunk open.

Close the trunk (
page 437).
Washer fluid,
please refill
The water level has dropped to approx.
1.1 US qts (1.0 l).

Add washer fluid (
page 498).

616 Practical hintsUnlocking/locking in an emergencyMechanically releasing the electric parking brake
The mechanical release device for the
electric parking brake is underneath the
fuel filler flap next to the fuel cap.
1Fuel filler flap
2Release tool
3Protective cap

Shift the automatic transmission to P
(page 367).

Place chock from vehicle tool kit
(page 611) under a rear wheel.

Open fuel filler flap1.

Remove protective cap3.

Screw release tool2 from vehicle tool
kit clockwise 2 to 3 rotations onto re-
lease lever.

Pull release tool2 in direction of ar-
row.
The electric parking brake is released.
The red indicator lamp 0 (USA only)
or ! (Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster for the electric parking
brake flashes. The message “Parking
brake See Oper. Manual” appears on
the driver’s display.
After it has been unlocked, you can engage
the electric parking brake again from the
driver’s seat.

Press the electric parking brake handle
(page 364).
Warning!
G
If you mechanically release the electric
parking brake, the vehicle may start to move
on its own. Make sure that no one is in front
of or behind the vehicle. Otherwise, an acci-
dent could occur resulting in injury or fatali-
ty. Shift the automatic transmission to P and
secure your vehicle in place using the chock
from the vehicle tool kit.
i
You must pull the release tool with more
force if the electric parking brake cannot be re-
leased.
!
Reattach protective cap
3
after you have
mechanically released the electric parking
brake.

629 Practical hints
Flat tire
Flat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle in a safe distance from
moving traffic on a hard, flat surface
when possible.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight ahead
position.

Shift the automatic transmission toP.

Turn off the engine (
page 365).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Vehicles with SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:
Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button once
(page 366).

Open the driver’s door (this puts
the starter switch in position0,
same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch). The
driver’s door then can be closed
again.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Mounting the Minispare wheel
i
Open the door only when conditions are safe
to do so.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the Minispare wheel are
different from those of the road wheels. As
a result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a Minispare wheel
mounted. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly.
The Minispare wheel is for temporary use
only. When driving with Minispare wheel
mounted, ensure proper tire inflation
pressure and do not exceed a vehicle speed
of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Drive to the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible to have the Minispare
wheel replaced with a regular road wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one Minispare wheel mounted.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a Minis-
pare wheel is mounted.