Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2011, Owner'S Manual

Page: 75 / 409

or BAS PLUS, 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 warn-
ing 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 travel
faster than 10 km/h. You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (
Y
page 125).
ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes
i
See the "Important safety notes" section
(
Y
page 69).
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. If necessary, the engine output is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP
®
assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP
®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
If ESP
®
intervenes, the ÷ ESP
®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
G WARNING
If the ÷ warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R
do not deactivate ESP
®
under any circum-
stances.
R
only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R
adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into a skid.
ESP
® cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP
®
cannot override the
laws of physics.
!
Switch the ignition off when:
R
the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer
R
the vehicle is being towed with the front/
rear axle raised
Application of the brakes by ESP
®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
!
Do not tow vehicles with 4MATIC with the
front or rear axle raised.
i
Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP
®
function
properly.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
Traction control is part of ESP ® .
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually 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. On vehicles with 4MATIC, more drive
torque is also transferred to the wheel or
wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP
®
.
G
WARNING
Traction control cannot reduce the risk of an
accident if you drive too fast. Traction control
cannot override the laws of physics.
Deactivating/activating ESP ® (except
AMG vehicles)
ESP
®
is activated automatically when the
engine is started.
i
Vehicles with ECO start/stop function:
the ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle
comes to a stop. The engine starts auto-
matically when the driver wants to pull
away again. ESP
®
remains in its previously
selected status. Example: if ESP ® was
deactivated before the engine was
72
Driving safety systems
Safety