It may be best to deactivate ESP
®
in the follow-
ing situations:
R
when snow chains are used
R
in deep snow
R
on sand or gravel
R
off-road
Spinning the wheels results in a cutting action,
which enhances traction.
Activate ESP
®
as soon as the situations descri-
bed 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.
Deactivating/activating ESP
®
X
To deactivate: press button
:
until the
å
warning lamp lights up in the instrument
cluster.
X
To activate: press button
:
until the
å
warning lamp goes out in the instrument clus-
ter.
Characteristics when ESP
®
is deactivated
If ESP
®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the
÷
ESP
®
warning lamp on
the instrument cluster flashes. In such situa-
tions, ESP
®
will not stabilise the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R
ESP
®
no longer improves driving stability
R
engine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels may start to spin
R
traction control is still activated
R
ESP
®
still provides support when you brake
firmly
R
and are driving at a speed above 60 km/h,
ESP
®
still intervenes when one wheel reaches
its grip limit even though it is deactivated
Trailer stabilisation
General information
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
lurch, ESP
®
assists you in this situation. ESP
®
slows the vehicle down by braking and limiting
the engine output until the vehicle/trailer com-
bination has stabilised.
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilisation will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high centre 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/trailer combination begins to
lurch, you can stabilise the vehicle/trailer com-
bination only by depressing the brake firmly.
Trailer stabilisation is active above speeds of
about 60 km/h.
ESP
®
trailer stabilisation does not work if ESP
®
is deactivated or disabled because of a malfunc-
tion.
EBD (electronic brake force distribu-
tion)
General information
EBD monitors and controls the brake pressure
on the rear wheels to improve driving stability
while braking.
Important safety notes
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Y
page 52).
G
WARNING
If EBD is malfunctioning, the rear wheels can
lock, e.g. under full braking. This increases the
risk of skidding and an accident.
You should therefore adapt your driving style
to the different handling characteristics. Have
Driving safety systems
55
Sa
fe
ty
Z
