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96
On the road
Startin g and automatically releasing the
parking brake
.. When you start to drive as usual, the park-
ing brake is automatically released and your
vehicle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signa l or stopping
in city traffic on vehicles with an automatic
transmission, the park ing brake can be ap-
plied. The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake. The park ing brake elimi-
nates the tendency to creep with a drive range
engaged. As soon as you dr ive off as usual,
the park ing brake is released automatically
and the vehicle starts to move.
Starting on slopes
When starting on inclines, the start ing assist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll-
ing back. The braking force of the parking
brake is not released until sufficient dr iving
fo rce has been built up at the whee ls.
(D
Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re-
leased automatically only when the dr iv-
er's saf ety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
.. Keep the switch pulled and depress the ac-
celerator. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from rolling back-
ward.
.. You can release the switch once yo u are sure
t hat you are developing enough driving
force at the wheels by depressing the accel-
erator.
Depending on the weight of the rig (vehicle
and trai ler) and the severity of the incline, you
may roll backwards as you start . You can pre-
vent roll ing backwards by holding the parking
brake switch pulled out and accelerat ing - just
as you would when starting on a hill with a
conventional hand brake.
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys-
tem fails or locks.
.. In an emergency, pull the switc h and contin-
ue to pull it to slow your vehicle down with
the parking brake.
.. As soon as you release the switch or acceler-
ate, the braking process stops.
If you pull the switch and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the emergen-
cy brak ing f unct ion is init iated. The vehicle is
braked at all fou r whee ls by activating the hy-
draulic brake syst em. The brake performance
is similar to making an emergency stop~ &. .
In order not to act ivate the emergency brak-
ing by mistake, an audib le warni ng tone (buz-
zer) sounds whe n the swit ch is pulled. As soon
as the switch is released, or the accelerato r
pedal is depressed, emergency braking stops.
A
WARNING
Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the norma l foot brake
has fa iled or the brake pedal is obstructed.
Using the park ing brake to perform emer-
gency braking will slow your vehicle down
as if you had made a full brake application.
The laws of physics cannot be suspended
even with ESP and it s associated com po-
nents (ABS, ASR, EDS). In corners and
when road or weather cond itions are bad,
a full brake application can cause the vehi-
cle to skid or the rear end to break away -
risking an accident .
Driver messages in the instrument
cluster
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
This message appears when the parking brake
is appli ed on an incline that exceeds about
30% .
In this case the braking power of the park ing
brake may not be adequate to prevent the ve-
hicle from rolling un intent ionally.
...
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