2000 BMW X5 4.4I Owners Manual

IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
57n
Safety belts Airbags For cleaning and care instructions, refer
to "Car care" on page 146.
If the center safety belt cannot be
pulled out, the larger rear backrest
section is not engaged. Refer to
page 107.<
If the safety belt system has been
subjected to the stresses in-
volved in an accident or otherwise
damaged: have the entire safety belt
system replaced by your BMW center,
including the safety belt tensioner and
the child restraint system
*. Have the
safety belt anchors checked also.c
Child restraint systems
*
Never install a rear-facing child re-
straint system in the front passen-
ger seat. If you do so, the child could
be injured in an accident when the air-
bag is triggered. Do not modify the
child restraint system in any way. If you
do so, it will not provide your child with
maximum protection.<
1 Front airbag for driver and front
passenger
2 Side Impact Head Protection System
(front and rear side
*)
3 Side airbags (front and rear side
*)
Protective effect The front airbags supplement the three-
point safety belts by providing addi-
tional protection for the front-seat
occupants in the event of a severe
frontal collision in which the protection
afforded by the belts alone may no
longer be sufficient. The head protec-
tion and side airbags help provide pro-
tection in the event of a collision from
the side. Each of the side airbags is de-
signed to help support the upper body. 380de647
The side airbags in the rear pas-
senger area
* of your vehicle may
already have been deactivated either at
the time of manufacture or by a BMW
center. You may have them activated if
you desire to do so. Please contact
your authorized BMW center for addi-
tional information.<
The illustration depicts schematically
the primary directions of vehicle impact
that initiate an airbag deployment.
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Airbags Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp displays the
operational status of the airbag
system from ignition key posi-
tion 1 and up.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
then goes out.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on.
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
before going out and then lighting up
again.
A system malfunction could prevent the
system from responding to an impact
occurring within its normal response
range.
Please have your authorized BMW cen-
ter inspect and repair the system as
soon as possible.
Sitting correctly with airbags
For your safety, comply with the
following instructions for the air-
bags. If you do not, the airbags may not
be able to provide their maximum pro-
tection. All passengers in the vehicle
should be aware of and comply with
this information:
The airbags are supplemental restraint
devices designed to provide extra pro-
tection; they are not a substitute for
safety belts. Wear your safety belt at all
times. The airbags will not be triggered
in the event of a minor accident, a vehi-
cle roll-over, or collisions from the rear.
In these instances, the safety belt pro-
vides optimal protection.
Airbags are located under cover panels
in the steering wheel, in the dashboard,
in the side trim panels in the front and
rear*, and in the windshield pillars and
the sides of the headliner.
Adjust your seat to a position that pro-
vides maximum distance between you
and the steering wheel, the instrument
panel and the door while still allowing
comfortable and safe access to all
vehicle controls.
To avoid sustaining hand and arm inju-
ries, always grasp the steering wheel
on
the rim with the hands at the 9 and
3 o'clock positions. Do not place your
hands on the center pad.
Never allow any objects to obstruct the
area between the airbag and an occu-
pant.
Do not use the cover panel above the
passenger-side airbag as a storage
area.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them
or modify them in any other way.
Do not install a rear-facing child re-
straint system in the front passenger
seat of this vehicle.
Children under 13 years of age and
children less than 5 feet (150 cm) tall
should ride only in the rear seat.
Infants or small children should never
be held on the lap of a passenger.
If your vehicle is equipped with side air-
bags in the rear passenger area, be
sure that child restraints are mounted
correctly and provided with the great-
est-possible distance between the air-
bags in the side trim panels. Do not al-
low children to lean out of the child's
seat in the direction of the side trim
panels. If they do so, serious injuries
can occur if the airbag is triggered.<

IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
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Airbags
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained
(infants and small children in appropri-
ate child restraint systems; larger chil-
dren and adults using the safety belts).
Never let an occupant's head rest near
or on a side airbag because the inflating
airbag could cause a serious or fatal in-
jury. Please note that the word "Airbag"
imprinted on the door trim panel indi-
cates the airbag's location.
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in an automobile
is in the rear seat. However, a child sit-
ting in the rear seat and not properly re-
strained may place his or her head on
or near the airbag, if so equipped. For
example, a child Ñ even though belted
Ñ may fall asleep with his or her head
against the side airbag. It may be diffi-
cult for a driver to ensure that children
in the rear seat will remain properly po-
sitioned at all times and not place their
heads on or near the side airbag.
Therefore, we recommend that the rear
seat side airbags, if so equipped, be
deactivated if children will travel in the
rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated, either at the
time of manufacture or by a
BMW center. Labels in the rear door
opening should indicate the status of
your rear seat side airbags. If you are
uncertain of their status, or wish to have
the airbags activated or deactivated,
please contact your BMW center.<
Even when all these guidelines are ob-
served, there is still a small residual risk
of injuries to the face, hands and arms
occurring from airbag deployment in
isolated instances. The ignition and
inflation noise may provoke a mild
temporary hearing loss in extremely
sensitive individuals.
Airbag warning information is also pro-
vided on the sun visors.
For additional information concerning
the airbag system, refer to page 148
and 176. This is the right way for a child to sit in a
child restraint when rear side airbags
(arrow) are provided.
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60n
Airbags Child restraints
*
This is the right way for a larger child to
sit wearing the safety belt when rear
side airbags (arrow) are provided. 380de638
Commercially-available child restraint
systems are designed to be secured
with a lap belt or with the lap belt por-
tion of a combination lap/shoulder belt.
Improperly or inadequately installed
restraint systems can increase the risk
of injury to children. Always read and
follow the instructions that come with
the system.
If you use a child restraint system with a
tether strap, three additional tether an-
chorage points (refer to the arrows in
the illustration) have been provided.
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area, at-
tach the tether strap to the correspond-
ing anchorage point to secure the child
restraint system. Remove the cover first
on the middle location.
If the respective seating position is fit-
ted with a headrest lift the headrest and
pass the tether strap between the
headrest and the seat back.
Adjust the tether strap according to the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
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61n
Child restraints
*
Child seat security
Before installing any child restraint
device or child seat, please read
the following:
Never install a rear-facing child restraint
system in the front passenger seat of
this vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with an airbag
supplemental restraint system for the
front passenger. Because the backrest
on any rear-facing child restraint sys-
tem (of the kind designed for infants
under 1 year and 20 Ibs./9 kg) would be
within the airbag's deployment range,
you should never mount such a device
in the front passenger seat, since the
impact of the airbag against the child
restraint's backrest could lead to seri-
ous or fatal injuries.
If it is necessary for a child (not an in-
fant) to ride in the front seat, certain
precautions should be taken. First,
move the passenger seat as far away
from the dashboard as possible. This
important precaution is intended to
maximize the distance between the
airbag and the child. Older children
should be tightly secured with a safety
belt. Younger children should be se-
cured in an appropriate forward-facing
child restraint system that has first been
properly secured with a safety belt.
Never install a rear-facing child restraint
system in the front passenger seat.
We strongly urge you to carefully read
and comply with the instructions for in-
stallation and use provided by the child
restraint's manufacturer whenever you
use such a device.
Be sure that all occupants (of all ages)
remain properly and securely restrained
at all times.<
All rear seating positions in your vehicle
meet the recommendations of SAE
J1819, an industry-recommended prac-
tice for securing child restraint systems
in motor vehicles. All of the rear belt retractors and the
front passenger's safety belt can be
locked for mounting and securing child
restraint systems.
Information regarding this is located
near the buckle latch of each safety
belt.
To lock the belt Pull the entire length of the belt from
the belt retractor. Allow the reel to re-
tract the belt somewhat and engage the
buckle, then tighten the belt against the
child restraint system. The retraction
mechanism is now locked. 365us146

62n
Child seat security Child-safety locks To release the belt Release the buckle, remove the child-
restraint device and allow the belt
retractor to reel the belt completely in.
Slide the safety lever on the rear doors
downward:
The door can now be opened from the
outside only.
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63n
0 Steering lock engaged The key can only be inserted and
removed in this position.
After removing the key, turn the steer-
ing wheel slightly to the left or right until
you hear the lock engage.
An acoustic warning is sounded when
you fail to remove the ignition key after
opening the driver's door.
Do not move the selector lever
from the "Park" position until the
engine is running (ignition key in posi-
tion 2).
In order to turn the key to position 0 or
to remove it, first move the selector
lever to the "Park" position (Interlock).< 390de010
1 Steering lock disengaged You will find that it is often easier to turn
the ignition key from position 0 to posi-
tion 1 when you move the steering
wheel slightly to help disengage the
lock.2 Ignition on All electrical equipment and accesso-
ries are available for use. 3 Starting the engine
Steering/Ignition lock

64n
Starting the engine Before starting >Engage the parking brake.
>Be sure that the selector lever is in
"Park" position.
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed spaces. The exhaust
gases contain carbon monoxide, an
odorless and colorless, but highly toxic
gas. Breathing the exhaust gases poses
an extreme health risk, and can lead to
unconsciousness and death.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<
Do not press the accelerator pedal
while starting the engine.
Your BMW is equipped with the
convenience starting feature. Sim-
ply turn the key to position 3 (starter)
and then release it immediately. The
starter continues to operate automati-
cally.
The automatic starting mode will not
operate if the battery voltage is low.
The engine can be started by means of
jump-starting (refer to page 170).<
Do not allow the engine to warm up by
leaving it running while the vehicle re-
mains stationary. Instead, begin to drive
immediately at a moderate engine
speed.
Should the engine fail to start on the
first attempt (if it is very hot or cold, for
instance):
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while the starter is engaged.
Engine idle speed is controlled by the
engine computer system. Increased
speeds at startup are normal and
should decrease as the engine warms
up. If engine speed does not decrease,
service is required.
To prevent the battery from discharg-
ing, always deactivate electrical de-
vices that are not in use. Switch the ig-
nition off when the vehicle is not being
driven.