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Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
୴ page 549) and (୴ page 582).
ETS
The Electronic Traction System is a compo-
nent of ESP
®
.
The Electronic Traction System (ETS) im-
proves the vehicle’s ability to utilize avail-
able traction, especially under slippery
road conditions. The brakes are applied to
the spinning wheel and power is trans-
ferred to the wheel(s) with traction.
The ESP
®
warning lamp v in the instru-
ment cluster starts to flash at any vehicle
speed, as soon as a tire loses traction and
the wheel begins to spin.
When you switch off the ESP
®
, the ETS is
still enabled.
Switching off the ESP
®
To improve the vehicle’s traction, turn off
the ESP
®
in driving situations where it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:
ț when driving with snow chains
ț in deep snow
ț in sand or gravel
i
The ESP
®
will only function properly if you
use wheels of the recommended tire size
(
୴ page 655).
!
Because of the ESP’s
®
automatic operation,
the engine and ignition must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position 0 or 1 or
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position 0
or 1) when
ț the parking brake is being tested on a brake
test dynamometer
ț the vehicle is being towed with the
front/rear axle raised
Active braking action through the ESP
®
may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
Warning! G
If you are driving too fast, the Electronic
Traction System cannot reduce the risk of
an accident.
The ETS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle.
i
If the yellow ESP
®
warning lamp v
comes on while driving, the ETS is being
switched off temporarily to prevent overheating
of the drive wheel brakes. In addition, the mes-
sage “ESP Currently unavailable See Oper. Man-
ual” appears in the multifunction display.
Warning! G
The ESP
®
should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.
!
Turn the ESP
®
on immediately if the afore-
mentioned circumstances do not apply anymore.
i
DISTRONIC Plus* cannot be activated when
the ESP
®
has been switched off.