The
h
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
flashes when ESP
®
intervenes:
X
Do not deactivate ESP
®
under any circum-
stances.
X
when pulling away, only depress the acceler-
ator pedal as far as required
X
Adapt your driving style to suit the prevailing
road and weather conditions.
Important safety notes
Observe the important safety guidelines for the
driving safety system (
Y
page 70).
G
WARNING
If ESP
®
is malfunctioning it will not provide
any vehicle stabilisation. 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 operate the vehicle on a roller dyna-
mometer (e.g. for performance testing). If you
have to operate the vehicle on a roller dyna-
mometer, please consult a specialist work-
shop beforehand. You could otherwise dam-
age the drivetrain or the brake system.
If ESP
®
is malfunctioning, the
h
warning
lamp (
Y
page 282) lights up continuously while
the engine is running and the display shows a
message:
R
on vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(
Y
page 248)
R
on vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(
Y
page 264)
ESP
®
is deactivated if the
å
warning lamp in
the instrument cluster is lit when the engine is
running.
Use only wheels with the recommended tyre
sizes. Only then will ESP
®
function properly.
Deactivating or activating ESP
®
G
WARNING
If you deactivate ESP
®
, ESP
®
no longer sta-
bilises 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
if snow chains are being used
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 stabilising 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 stabilising the vehicle in
the lower speed range up to approximately
60 km/h is significantly reduced
R
engine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin. The spinning of
the wheels results in a cutting action for bet-
ter traction on loose surfaces
R
traction control is still activated
R
ESP
®
still provides support when you brake.
Depending on the equipment in the vehicle, you
can activate or deactivate ESP
®
when the
engine is running by using the
å
button or by
using the on-board computer:
R
on vehicles without steering wheel buttons
(
Y
page 226)
R
on vehicles with steering wheel buttons
(
Y
page 237)
å
button (equipment-dependent)
72
Driving safety systems
Safety
