2003 Mercedes S-Class Owner's Manual - Page 208

Controls in detail Driving systems Activating Press switch 1. The indicator lamp on the switch lights up. A loudspeaker symbol appears in the multifunction display ( page 203). Deactivating Press switch 1. The indicator lamp on the switch goes out. Warning! Driving with Distronic This section describes a number of driving situations where special precaution is required on the part of the driver. Be prepared to brake in such situations which will deactivate the Distronic system. Warning! G If the Distronic warning lamp l in the instrument cluster lights up 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. Especially depending on road surface conditions and driver reaction, this will not always enable you to avoid a collision. G Distronic works to maintain the speed selected by the driver unless a moving obstacle proceeding directly ahead of it in the same travel direction is detected (e.g. following another vehicle ahead of you at a distance set by Distronic). This means that: Your vehicle can pass another vehicle after you change lanes. While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front of it, then your vehicle could accelerate to the previously selected speed. i Complex driving situations are not always fully recognized by Distronic. This could result in wrong or missing distance warnings. 208