ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
General notes
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Y
page 66).
ESP
®
monitors driving stability and traction, i.e.
power transmission between the tires 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 stabilize the vehicle. The
engine output is also modified to keep the vehi-
cle on the desired course within physical limits.
ESP
®
assists the driver when pulling away on
wet or slippery roads. ESP
®
can also stabilize
the vehicle during braking.
ETS/4ETS (Electronic Traction System)
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Y
page 66).
ETS traction control is part of ESP
®
. On vehicles
with 4MATIC, 4ETS 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. In addition, more drive torque is transfer-
red to the wheel or wheels with traction.
Traction control remains active, even if you
deactivate ESP
®
.
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If ESP
®
is malfunctioning, ESP
®
is unable to
stabilize the vehicle. Additionally, further driv-
ing safety systems are deactivated. This
increases the risk of skidding and an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have ESP
®
checked at a
qualified specialist workshop.
If the
å
ESP
®
OFF warning lamp lights up
continuously, then ESP
®
is deactivated.
If the
÷
ESP
®
warning lamp lights up contin-
uously, ESP
®
is not available due to a malfunc-
tion.
Observe the information on warning lamps
(
Y
page 261) and display messages which may
be shown in the instrument cluster
(
Y
page 228).
Only use wheels with the recommended tire
sizes. Only then will ESP
®
function properly.
Characteristics of ESP
®
General information
If the
÷
ESP warning lamp goes out before
beginning the journey, ESP
®
is automatically
active.
If ESP
®
intervenes, the
÷
ESP
®
warning lamp
flashes in the instrument cluster.
If ESP
®
intervenes:
X
Do not deactivate ESP
®
under any circum-
stances.
X
Only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
X
Adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions.
ECO start/stop function
The ECO start/stop function switches the
engine off automatically when the vehicle stops
moving. The engine starts automatically when
the driver wants to pull away again. ESP
®
remains in its previously selected status, e.g. if
ESP
®
was deactivated before the engine was
automatically switched off.
Deactivating/activating ESP
®
Important safety notes
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Y
page 66).
You can select between the following states of
ESP
®
:
R
ESP
®
is activated.
R
ESP
®
is deactivated.
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.
Driving safety systems
71
Safet
y
Z
