Important safety notes

WARNING  
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in order to obtain braking action. This could result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle control. Your vehicle's ABS will not prevent this type of control loss.
Do not engage the transfer case in position LOW when driving on ice or packed snow. At speeds below 18 mph (30 km/h) vehicle steering is adversely affected by the Off-road ABS.

WARNING  
Make sure that you do not endanger other road users when you apply the brakes.

Downhill gradients

On long and steep gradients, you must reduce the load on the brakes by shifting early to a lower gear. This allows you to take advantage of the engine braking effect and helps avoid overheating and excessive wear of the brakes.

When you take advantage of the engine braking effect, a drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g. on a slippery road surface. This could cause damage to the drive train. This type of damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty.

Heavy and light loads

WARNING  
Depressing the brake pedal constantly results in excessive and premature wear to the brake pads.
It may also cause the brakes to overheat, seriously impairing their effectiveness. It may then not be possible to stop the vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an accident.

If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but drive on for a short while. This allows the airflow to cool the brakes more quickly.

Wet roads

WARNING  
After driving in heavy rain for some time without applying the brakes or through water deep enough to wet brake components, the first braking action may be somewhat reduced. You have to depress the brake pedal more firmly. Maintain a safe distance from vehicles in front.

After driving on a wet road or having the vehicle washed, brake firmly while paying attention to the traffic conditions. This will warm up the brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly and protecting them against corrosion.

Limited braking performance on salt treated roads

WARNING  
The layer of salt on the brake discs and the brake pads/linings may cause a delay in the braking effect, resulting in a significantly longer braking distance, which could lead to an accident.
To avoid this danger, you should:
• occasionally brake carefully, without putting other road users at risk, when you are driving on salted roads. This helps to remove any salt that may have started to build up on the brake discs and the brake pads/linings.
• maintain a greater distance to the vehicle ahead and drive with particular care.
• carefully apply the brakes at the end of a trip and immediately after commencing a new trip, so that salt residues are removed from the brake discs.

If the brake warning lamp lights up in the instrument cluster and you hear a warning tone even though the parking brake has been released, the brake fluid level may be too low. Observe additional warning messages in the multifunction display.

The brake fluid level may be too low due to brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.

Have the brake system checked immediately. Have this work carried out at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

All checks and maintenance work on the brake system must be carried out at a qualified specialist workshop. This work should be carried out at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Have the brake pads and brake fluid installed or replaced at a qualified specialist workshop, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

WARNING  
If other than recommended brake pads are installed, or other than recommended brake fluid is used, the braking properties of the vehicle can be degraded to an extent that safe braking is substantially impaired. This could result in an accident.

A function or performance test should only be carried out on a 2-axle dynamometer. If you are planning to have the vehicle tested on such a dynamometer, contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center to obtain further information first.

Otherwise, you could damage the drive train or the brake system.

As the ESP® system operates automatically, the engine and the ignition must be switched off (SmartKey in position 0 or 1 in the ignition lock or Start/Stop button in position 0 or 1) while the parking brake is being tested on a brake dynamometer (maximum 10 seconds).

Braking maneuvers triggered automatically by ESP® may seriously damage the brake system.

If your brake system is subject only to moderate loads, you should test the functionality of your brakes at regular intervals by pressing firmly on the brake pedal at high speeds. This improves the grip of the brake pads.

WARNING  
Make sure that you do not endanger other road users when you apply the brakes.

You can find a description of Brake Assist (BAS) on.

Parking brake

If you drive on wet roads or dirt-covered surfaces, road salt and/or dirt could get into the parking brake.

In order to prevent corrosion and a reduction in the braking power of the parking brake, observe the following:

• Gently depress the parking brake from time to time before beginning the journey.
• Drive a distance of approximately 110 yds (100 m) with a maximum speed of 12 mph (20 km/h).

WARNING  
While performing this procedure please assure that the vehicle is stopped before applying the parking brake. Otherwise the rear wheels could lock up. You could lose control of the vehicle and cause an accident.
In addition, the vehicle's brake lights do not light up when the parking brake is engaged.
Make sure not to endanger any other road users when you engage the parking brake.