Driving safety systems
Overview of driving safety systems
In this section, you will find information about the following driving safety systems:
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ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
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BAS (Brake Assist System)
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Adaptive brake lamps
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ESP® (Electronic Stability Program)
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EBV (electronic brake-power distribution)
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In wintry road conditions, always use winter tyres (M+S tyres) and, where necessary, snow chains. Only in this way will the driving safety systems described in this section work as effectively as possible.
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 | Risk of accident |
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The risk of an accident is significantly increased by driving too fast. This is particularly the case when cornering on wet and slippery roads and when driving too close to the vehicle in front.
The driving safety systems described in this section cannot reduce this risk nor override the laws of physics.
For this reason, always adapt your driving style to suit prevailing road and weather conditions. Maintain sufficient distance from other road users and objects on the road.
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ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
ABS regulates brake pressure in such a way that the wheels do not lock when you brake. This allows you to continue steering the vehicle when braking.
ABS works from a speed of about 8 km/h upwards, regardless of road surface conditions. ABS works on slippery surfaces, even when you only brake gently.
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Do not depress the brake pedal several times in quick succession (pumping). Depress the brake firmly and evenly. Pumping the brake pedal reduces the braking effect.
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Braking
If ABS intervenes when braking, you will feel a pulsing in the brake pedal.
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If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the brake pedal with force until the braking situation is over.
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To make a full brake application: depress the brake pedal with full force.
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| Risk of accident |
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If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when braking. This limits the steerability of the vehicle when braking and the braking distance may increase.
If ABS is deactivated due to a malfunction, then BAS and ESP are also deactivated. There is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing road and weather conditions.
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BAS (Brake Assist)
BAS operates in emergency braking situations. If you depress the brake pedal quickly, BAS automatically boosts the braking force, thus shortening the stopping distance.
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Keep the brake pedal firmly depressed until the emergency braking situation is over.
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ABS prevents the wheels from locking.
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The brakes will function as usual once you release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated.
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If BAS has malfunctioned, the braking system remains available with full brake boosting effect. However, braking force is not automatically increased in emergency braking situations and the stopping distance may increase.
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Adaptive brake lamps
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Adaptive brake lamps are only available in certain countries.
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If you brake sharply from a speed of more than 50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS, the brake lamps flash rapidly. In this way, traffic travelling behind you is warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more than 70 km/h to a standstill, the hazard warning lamps are activated automatically. If the brakes are applied again, the brake lamps light up continuously. The hazard warning lamps switch off automatically if you drive faster than 10 km/h again. You can also switch off the hazard warning lamps using the hazard warning switch button more.
ESP® (Electronic Stability Program)
ESP® monitors driving
stability and traction, i.e. power transmission between the tyres and the road
surface.
If ESP® detects
that the vehicle is deviating from the direction desired by the driver, one or
more wheels are braked to stabilise the vehicle. The engine output is also
modified, if necessary, to keep the vehicle on the desired course within
physical limits. ESP® assists the driver when pulling away on wet or
slippery roads. ESP® can also stabilise the vehicle during braking.
When ESP®
intervenes, the 
warning lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
| Risk of accident |
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If the
warning lamp in the instrument cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
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Do not deactivate ESP® under any circumstances.
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Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as necessary when pulling away.
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Adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing road and weather conditions.
The vehicle could otherwise go into a skid.
ESP® cannot reduce the risk of an accident if you drive too fast. ESP® cannot override the laws of physics.
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If:
the ignition must be switched off (key in position 0 or 1 in the ignition lock). Application of the brakes by ESP® could otherwise destroy the brake system on the front or rear axle.
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Vehicles with 4MATIC* may not be towed with the front or rear axle raised.
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Only use wheels with the
recommended tyre sizes. Only then will ESP® function properly.
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ESP® trailer stabilisation
If your trailer begins to lurch,
you can only stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination by depressing the brake
firmly.
In this situation,
ESP® assists you and detects if the trailer begins to lurch. ESP® slows
the vehicle down by braking and limiting the engine output so the
vehicle/trailer combination can stabilise.
Trailer stabilising is active
from about 65 km/h.
| Risk of accident |
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If the road and weather conditions are bad, trailer stabilising will not be able to prevent the trailer from lurching and thereby reduce the risk of accident. Trailers with a high centre of gravity can tip over before ESP® can detect this.
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Trailer stabilising does not work if
ESP® is deactivated or disabled because of a malfunction.
ETS
(Electronic Traction Support)
Traction control is part of
ESP®.
Traction control
brakes the drive wheels individually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for example if the road surface is
slippery on one side.
Traction
control remains active when you deactivate ESP®.
| Risk of accident |
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Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an accident if you drive too fast. Traction control cannot override the laws of physics.
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Activating/deactivating ESP®
(except C 63 AMG)
ESP® is activated
automatically when the engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate
ESP® in the following situations:
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when using snow chains
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in deep snow
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on sand or gravel
| Risk of accident |
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Activate ESP® as soon as the situations described above no longer apply. ESP® will otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to spin.
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If you deactivate ESP®:
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ESP® no longer improves
driving stability.
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engine torque is not limited and
the drive wheels are able to spin. The spinning wheels produce a cutting effect
for better traction.
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traction control is still
activated.
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ESP® still provides support
when you brake.
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If ESP® is deactivated and
one or more wheels start to spin, the
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. ESP® will then not stabilise the
vehicle.
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 | To deactivate/activate
ESP® |
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To deactivate: press
button .
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The
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up.
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| Risk of accident |
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If the warning lamp in the instrument cluster is continuously lit when the engine is running, ESP® is deactivated or not available due to a malfunction. There is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing road and weather conditions.
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To activate: press
button .
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The
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster goes out.
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C 63 AMG
Activating/deactivating
ESP® Sport
ESP® is activated
automatically when the engine is running.
It may be best to activate
ESP® Sport in the following situations:
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when using snow chains
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in deep snow
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on sand or gravel
Otherwise, you should only use
ESP® Sport on designated race circuits.
| Risk of accident |
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Deactivate ESP® Sport and activate ESP® as soon as the situations described above no longer apply. ESP® Sport will otherwise only be able to stabilise the vehicle to a limited degree if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to spin.
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If you activate ESP®
Sport:
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ESP® only improves driving
stability to a limited degree.
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engine torque is only restricted
to a limited degree and the drive wheels are able to spin. The spinning wheels
produce a cutting effect for better traction.
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traction control is still
activated.
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ESP® still provides support
when you brake firmly.
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If ESP® Sport is activated
and one or more wheels start to spin, the
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster flashes. ESP® only stabilise the vehicle to a
limited degree.
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| To activate/deactivate ESP®
Sport |
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To activate: briefly
press button .
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The
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up. The message
ESP
Sport appears in the multi-function display.
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To deactivate: briefly
press button .
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The
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster goes out. The message
ESP
On appears in the multi-function display.
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Deactivating/activating
ESP®
ESP® is activated
automatically when the engine is running.
It may be best to deactivate
ESP® in the following situations:
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when using snow chains
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in deep snow
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on sand or gravel
| Risk of accident |
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Activate ESP® as soon as the situations described above no longer apply. ESP® will otherwise not be able to stabilise the vehicle if the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to spin.
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If you deactivate ESP®:
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ESP® no longer improves
driving stability.
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engine torque is no longer
limited and the drive wheels are able to spin. The spinning wheels produce a
cutting effect for better traction.
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traction control is still
activated.
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ESP® still provides support
when you brake firmly.
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PRE-SAFE® is not available.
It is not even activated if you brake firmly with the assistance of
ESP®.
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If ESP® is deactivated and
one or more wheels start to spin, the
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster does not flash. ESP® will then not stabilise the
vehicle.
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| To deactivate/activate
ESP® |
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| Risk of accident |
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ESP® is deactivated if the and  warning lamps in the instrument cluster are lit continuously when the engine is running. There is an increased risk of your vehicle skidding in certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style to suit prevailing road and weather conditions.
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EBV (electronic brake-power distribution)
EBV monitors and controls the brake pressure on the rear wheels to improve driving stability under braking.
| Risk of accident |
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If EBV is malfunctioning, the brake system is still available with full brake boosting effect. However, the rear wheels can still lock, e.g. under full braking. This could cause you to lose control of your vehicle and cause an accident. You should therefore adapt your driving style to the different handling characteristics.
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