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
Spinning the wheels results in a cutting action
which provides better grip.
i
Activate ESP
®
as soon as the situations
described above no longer apply. ESP
®
will
otherwise not be able to stabilize the vehicle if
the vehicle starts to skid or a wheel starts to
spin.
!
Avoid spinning the driven wheels for an
extended period with ESP
®
deactivated. You
could otherwise damage the drivetrain.
Deactivating/activating ESP
®
You can deactivate or activate ESP
®
via the on-
board computer (
Y
page 221).
ESP
®
deactivated:
The
å
ESP
®
OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
ESP
®
activated:
The
å
ESP
®
OFF warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
Characteristics when ESP
®
is deactivated
If ESP
®
is deactivated and one or more wheels
start to spin, the
÷
ESP
®
warning lamp in the
instrument cluster flashes. In such situations,
ESP
®
will not stabilize the vehicle.
If you deactivate ESP
®
:
R
ESP
®
no longer improves driving stability.
R
Engine torque is no longer limited and the
drive wheels are able to spin.
R
Traction control is still activated.
R
COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST is no longer
available; nor is it activated if you brake firmly
with assistance from ESP
®
.
R
PRE-SAFE
®
is no longer available, nor is it
activated if you brake firmly and ESP
®
inter-
venes.
R
PRE-SAFE
®
Brake is no longer available, it is
also not activated if you brake firmly and ESP
®
intervenes.
R
ESP
®
still provides support when you brake
firmly.
ESP
®
trailer stabilization
General information
ESP
®
trailer stabilization is not available in
Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
If your vehicle/trailer combination begins to
swerve, 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 stabilized.
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If road and weather conditions are poor,
trailer stabilization will not be able to prevent
the vehicle/trailer combination from swerv-
ing. Trailers with a high center 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 with trailer (vehicle/trailer com-
bination) begins to lurch, you can only stabilize
the vehicle/trailer combination by depressing
the brake firmly.
ESP
®
trailer stabilization is active above speeds
of approximately 40 mph (65 km/h).
ESP
®
trailer stabilization does not work if ESP
®
is deactivated or malfunctioning.
Crosswind Assist (vehicles without
MAGIC BODY CONTROL)
General information
Vehicles with MAGIC BODY CONTROL: informa-
tion on stabilizing the vehicle in the event of
crosswind (
Y
page 180).
Strong crosswind gusts can impair the ability of
your vehicle to drive straight ahead. The cross-
wind driving assistance function integrated in
ESP
®
noticeably reduces these impairments.
ESP
®
intervenes automatically according to the
direction and intensity of the crosswinds affect-
ing your vehicle.
ESP
®
intervenes with stabilizing braking to
assist you in keeping the vehicle in the lane.
Crosswind Assist is active at vehicle speeds
above 50 mph (80 km/h) when driving straight
ahead or cornering gently.
72
Driving safety systems
Safety