ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
ESP
®
monitors driving stability and detects a
tendency of the vehicle to understeer or over-
steer (skidding) in good time. If ESP
®
detects
that the vehicle is deviating from the direction
desired by the driver, one or more wheels are
braked to stabilize the vehicle. The engine out-
put is also modified to keep the vehicle on the
desired course within physical limits. ESP
®
can
also stabilize the vehicle during braking.
ESP
®
also monitors traction, i.e. power trans-
mission between the tires and the road surface.
The integrated traction control supports you
when pulling away or accelerating on wet, slip-
pery or slick roads. Should the drive wheels spin,
traction control brakes them individually. In
addition, greater drive torque is transmitted to
the wheel or wheels with traction. If traction on
the road surface is not sufficient, even ESP
®
will
not allow you to pull away without difficulty. The
type of tires and total weight of the vehicle as
well as the gradient of the road also play a cru-
cial role. Traction control remains active if you
deactivate ESP
®
.
If the
h
warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter goes out before beginning the journey, ESP
®
is automatically active.
The
h
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes when ESP
®
intervenes:
X
Do not deactivate ESP
®
under any circum-
stances.
X
when driving off, apply as little throttle as
possible.
X
adapt your speed and driving style to the pre-
vailing road conditions.
Important safety notes
Observe the important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (
Y
page 63).
G
WARNING
If ESP
®
is malfunctioning it will not provide
any vehicle stabilization. There is an increased
risk of skidding or of an accident.
Exercise caution when continuing to drive.
Have ESP
®
checked at a qualified specialist
workshop.
!
Do not run the vehicle on a roller dynamom-
eter (e.g. for performance tests). If you must
operate the vehicle on a roller dynamometer,
please consult a qualified specialist workshop
in advance. You could otherwise damage the
drive train or the brake system.
If ESP
®
is malfunctioning, the
h
warning
lamp (
Y
page 222) lights up continuously while
the engine is running and the display shows a
message.
R
on vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(
Y
page 194)
R
on vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(
Y
page 208)
ESP
®
is deactivated if the
å
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster is lit when the engine is
running.
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP
®
function properly.
Deactivating or activating ESP
®
G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®
, ESP
®
no longer sta-
bilizes the vehicle. There is an increased risk
of skidding and an accident.
Only deactivate ESP
®
in the situations descri-
bed in the following.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
®
in the follow-
ing situations:
R
when using snow chains
R
in deep snow
R
on sand or gravel
Activate ESP
®
as soon as the situations descri-
bed above no longer apply. Otherwise, ESP
®
assistance for stabilizing the vehicle will remain
significantly reduced, even if the vehicle starts
to skid.
If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R
the
å
warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter lights up.
R
the
÷
warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter flashes if the wheels are spinning.
R
ESP
®
assistance for stabilizing the vehicle in
the lower speed range up to approximately
37 mph (60 km/h) is significantly reduced.
R
engine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin
Driving safety systems
65
Saf
ety
Z
