2001 BMW X5 4.4I light

48n
For maximum safety when adjusting the
seat position, please observe the
following: Never try to adjust your seat while
driving the vehicle. The seat could
respond with unexpected movement,
and the ensuing loss of vehicle control
could lead to an accident.
Be sure that the safety belt remains
firmly against your body at all times. In
the event of a frontal impact, a loose lap
belt could slide over your hips, leading
to abdominal injury. In addition, the
safety belt's restraint effectiveness is
reduced if the belt is worn loosely.
Never ride with the backrest reclined to
an extreme angle (especially important
for the front passenger to remember).
If you do so, there is a risk that you will
slide under the safety belt in an acci-
dent, thus reducing the protection
provided by the safety belt. <
Correct sitting posture
To reduce strain on the spinal column,
sit all the way back in the seat and rest
your back fully against the backrest.
The ideal sitting posture is achieved
with your head extending from your
spine in a straight line.
For long-distance driving, you may
wish to angle the backrest slightly to
reduce muscular tension. You should
be able to reach the highest point on
the steering wheel without straight-
ening your arms. 1 Tilt angle (driver's seat only)
2 Backward/Forward adjustment
3 Cushion height
4 Backrest angle
Adjust the head restraint manually.
Comply with the adjustment
instructions in the preceding
column. Failure to do so could result in
diminished personal safety. <
Lumbar support*
Refer to the BMW comfort seat on
page 50.
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Seat adjustment Power seat(s*)

Index
Data
Technology
Repairs
Car care
Controls
Overview
49nMechanical seat Head restraints
1 Backward/Forward adjustment
Pull the lever and slide the seat to the
desired position.
After you release the lever, move the
seat forward or backward slightly so
that it engages fully
2 Cushion height Pull the lever and apply weight to or
remove weight from the seat as
required
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3 Backrest anglePull the lever and apply weight to or
remove weight from the backrest as
required
Comply with the adjustment
instructions on page 48. Failure to
do so could result in diminished
personal safety. <
530us152
Adjustments
To adjust the angle of the front head
restraints, tilt the head restraint to the
desired angle.
To adjust the height of the front or rear
head restraints, pull the head restraint
up or push it down.
Head restraints reduce the risk of
spinal injury in the event of an
accident. Adjust the head restraint so
that its center is approximately level
with your ears. <
530us027

Index
Data
Technology
Repairs
Car care
Controls
Overview
51nBMW comfort seat*BMW sports seat*
To obtain the optimal shoulder support
position, we recommend:
Driver and front passenger:
1 Adjust the upper backrest section to
its extreme rear position.
2 Adjust for the optimal sitting position as described on page 48.
3 Bring the upper backrest section forward until your shoulders enjoy
firm support.
Front passenger's seat adjusted for
relaxed traveling:
1 Adjust the upper backrest section to its extreme rear position.
2 Increase the seat cushion tilt.
3 Tilt the backrest slightly further.
4 Bring the upper backrest section forward.
Make corrections in the forward/
backward adjustment of the seat
to ensure that the safety belt still fits
firmly against your body. If you do not
do this, the protection provided by the
safety belt may be reduced. <
3 Head restraint height
Move the switch in the desired direc-
tion.
Thigh support
Pull the lever and adjust the position of
the thigh support for your personal
comfort.
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54nMirrors
Interior rearview mirror
To reduce glare from vehicles behind
you when you are driving at night, tilt
the mirror by turning the button.
Lighted vanity mirror
Fold down the sun visor and slide the
cover panel to the side as required.
The mirror lamps operate from ignition
key position 1 and up.
Sun visors
These can be folded down toward the
windshield or swiveled out against the
side windows.
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Interior and exterior rearview
mirror with automatic dimmer
*
By responding to the effects of ambient
light and the glare from following traffic,
these mirrors automatically dim through
an infinitely-variable range.
There are 2 photocells located in the
interior rearview mirror for this purpose.
One photocell (arrow) is in the mirror
glass, while the other is offset some-
what on the back of the mirror.
The mirrors automatically revert to their
clear, undimmed setting whenever you
select "Reverse."
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For trouble-free operation, keep the
photocells clean and do not cover the
area between the interior rearview
mirror and the windshield. Do not
attach any kind of stickers on the wind-
shield in front of the mirror, either.
For an explanation of the electro-
chromic technology used in these
mirrors, refer to page 199.

58nAirbags
1 Front airbag for driver and front
passenger
2 Side Impact Head Protection System for driver and front passenger (front
and rear
*)
3 Side airbags for driver and front passenger (front and rear
*)
Protective effect
The front airbags supplement the safety
belts by providing additional protection
for the front-seat occupants in the event
of a severe frontal impact in which the
protection afforded by the safety belts
alone may no longer be sufficient. The
Side Impact Head Protection System
and the side airbags help provide
protection in the event of a side impact.
Each of the side airbags is designed to
help support the upper body.
530us035
The side airbags in the rear
passenger area
* of your vehicle
may already have been deactivated
either at the time of manufacture or by a
BMW center. You may have them acti-
vated if you desire to do so. Please
contact your BMW center for additional
information. <
The illustration depicts schematically
the primary directions of vehicle impact
that initiate an airbag deployment. The airbags will not be triggered in
the event of a minor accident, a
vehicle roll-over or a collision from the
rear. <
530us036
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment panel shows the opera-
tional status of the airbag
system from ignition key position 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 BMW center inspect
and repair the system as soon as
possible.

64n
0 Steering lock engaged
The key can only be inserted and
removed in this position.
After removing the key, turn the
steering wheel slightly to the left or right
until you hear the lock engage.
Once the ignition has been switched off
(ignition key in position 0 or pulled out),
the radio functions are still available for
approx. 20 minutes. Turn the radio back
on to use it.
An acoustic warning is sounded when
you fail to remove the ignition key after
opening the driver's door.
390de010
Vehicles with automatic trans-
mission:
Do not move the selector lever from the
"Park" position until the engine is
running (ignition key in position 2).
In order to turn the key to position 0 or
to remove it, first move the selector
lever to the "Park" position (Interlock). <
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.
Individual electrical devices are ready
for operation.
2 Ignition on
All electrical devices are ready for
operation.
3 Starting the engine
Vehicles with manual transmis-
sion: depress the clutch when
starting the engine. If you do not, a lock
prevents the engine from starting. <
Before starting
> Engage the parking brake.
> Be sure that the transmission
selector is in "Neutral" (or "Park" if
the vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic transmission).
> Depress the clutch pedal.
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. <
Steering/Ignition lock Starting the engine

66nParking brake
The parking brake is primarily designed
to prevent the vehicle from rolling while
parked. It operates against the rear
wheels.
To engage
The lever engages automatically and
the "PARKING BRAKE" or "BRAKE" (in
Canada "P") indicator lamp comes on in
the instrument cluster in ignition key
position 2. Refer to pages 22 and 23.
To release
Pull up slightly on the lever, press the
button and lower the lever.
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If, in exceptional circumstances, it
should be necessary to engage
the parking brake while the vehicle is in
motion, do not pull it with excessive
pressure. Keep your thumb pressed
against the release button while care-
fully pulling up the lever to apply
moderate pressure.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction (fishtailing)
at the rear axle.
The brake lamps do not come on when
the parking brake is applied.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always engage the parking brake when
parking on slopes and inclined
surfaces. Even placing the lever in
1st gear or reverse may not provide
adequate resistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in "Park." <
To avoid corrosion, apply the parking
brake lightly from time to time when
coasting to a standstill (at a traffic
signal, for instance), provided that it is
safe to do so.

72nWasher/Wiper system
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. It is then only necessary to
activate the rain sensor from ignition
key position 1 and up. To do this,
>turn rotary dial 7 briefly or
> clean the windshield 5 or use the
special wash program 6.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 7.
Deactivating the rain sensor:
Move lever to position 0.
Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes. If you do not,
damage may occur if the wipers switch
on unintentionally. <
530us044
2 Normal wiper speed
The system switches automatically to
intermittent operation when the vehicle
is not moving (not on vehicles with rain
sensor
*).
3 Fast wiper speed
The wipers operate at normal speed
when the vehicle is not moving (not on
vehicles with rain sensor
*).
5 Clean the windshield
The system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.
If you pull the lever only briefly, the
system sprays washer fluid onto the
windshield without activating the
wipers.
6 Special wash program*
As at 5; there are also several additional
wash cycles, and the headlamps are
cleaned
*.
This program is recommended after you
have driven on extremely dirty roads.
Clean the headlamps*
> With the special wash program 6.
> With every fifth actuation of clean the
windshield 5 when the vehicle's
lighting is switched on.
Do not use the washers if there is
any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield. If you do so,
your vision could be obscured. For this
reason, use an antifreeze agent. Refer
to page 156.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty. This could cause damage
to the washer pump. <
Windshield washer jets
The windshield washer jets are warmed
automatically when the ignition key is in
position 2.