Mercedes-Benz CL-Class 2006 Owner's Manual page 70

ESP ® (Electronic Stability Program)
ESP ® monitors the driving stability and
the traction, i.e. transfer of power from the
tyres to the road surface.
ESP ® detects when a wheel spins or the ve-
hicle enters a skid. ESP ® stabilises the ve-
hicle by braking individual wheels, limiting
the engine power output, and assists you
when pulling away on a wet or slippery
road surface. ESP ® also stabilises the vehi-
cle when braking.
When ESP intervenes, the v warning
®
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
G
Risk of accident
If the v warning lamp flashes in the in-
strument cluster, proceed as follows:
Under no circumstances should you de-
®
activate ESP .
Only depress the accelerator pedal as
far as necessary when pulling away.
Adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could begin to skid.
®
ESP cannot reduce the risk of an accident
®
if you drive too fast. ESP cannot override
the laws of physics.
!
The ignition must be switched off (key in po-
sition 0 or 1 in the ignition lock) if the vehicle is
to be towed with the front or rear axle raised. Ap-
®
plication of the brakes by ESP could otherwise
destroy the braking system on the front/rear ax-
le.
Driving safety systems
ETS (electronic traction control
system)
The traction control system is a compo-
nent of ESP ® .
The traction control system brakes the
drive wheels individually if they start to
spin. You can therefore pull away or accel-
erate on slippery surfaces, e.g. on roads
that are slippery on one side.
The traction control system is still active if
you deactivate ESP ® .
G
Risk of accident
The traction control system cannot reduce
the risk of an accident if you drive too fast.
The traction control system cannot override
the laws of physics.
Deactivating/activating ESP
ESP ® is activated automatically when the
ignition is switched on.
It may be best to deactivate ESP
following situations:
if snow chains are being used
in deep snow
on sand or gravel
Safety
®
in the
®
49