2010 Mercedes ML-Class Owner's Manual - Page 154

152 Driving systems G Warning! X X If the distance warning lamp · in the instrument cluster comes on while driving and/or an intermittent warning sounds, immediate attention on the part of the driver is required. As required by the traffic situation, apply the brakes and navigate around a possible obstacle. However, do not drive by relying on the distance warning function, as this will result in an emergency braking application. This will not always enable you to avoid a collision, especially when traveling on varying road surface conditions and with varying driver reaction. Complex driving situations are not always fully recognized by the distance warning function. This could result in wrong or missing distance warnings. X Release the brake pedal. Carefully depress the accelerator pedal. The hill-start assist system is inactive Rwhen starting off on a level road or downhill grades Rwith Rwith Rif Controls in detail the automatic transmission in neutral position N the parking brake engaged the ESP® has switched off due to a malfunction Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR) For information on off-road driving, see "Offroad driving" (Y page 248). The DSR is an aid for driving downhill. The DSR regulates your vehicle's speed when driving downhill to the value set in the control system (Y page 138). The steeper the downhill gradient is, the greater the brake application. On flat road surfaces, the DSR brakes only slightly or not at all. Activating/deactivating: Activate or deactivate the distance warning function in the control system (Y page 137). When activated, the distance warning function indicator Ä appears in the multifunction display. G Warning! Hill-start assist system G Warning! The hill-start assist system is not designed to function as a parking brake. It does not prevent the vehicle from moving when parked on an incline. Always engage the parking brake in addition to shifting the automatic transmission into park position P. On uphill grades, the hill-start assist system maintains the pressure in the brake system for approximately 1 second after you have released the brake pedal. Therefore, you can start off smoothly without the vehicle moving immediately after releasing the brake pedal. X Depress the brake pedal. X Shift the automatic transmission into drive position D or reverse gear R. The Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR) is a convenience system designed to assist the driver during vehicle operation. The system must be set to be appropriate for the topographical and weather conditions encountered which can change quickly. The driver is and must remain at all times responsible for the vehicle speed and for safe brake operation. Depending on the programmed speed, actual vehicle speed and gradient, switching on the DSR while driving can cause the vehicle to slow down rapidly and you may hear a sound which is caused by the activation of the vehicle's brake system through the DSR. Sudden and unexpected deceleration can result in loss of vehicle control, causing an accident and/or serious personal injury to you and others. Do not switch on the DSR in