Page 52 of 162

52Passenger safety systems
Airbags1Front airbags on the driver and pas-
senger sides
2Head airbags for driver and front pas-
senger
3Side airbags on the driver and pas-
senger sides – front and rear*Protective effectThe front airbags supplement the three-
point safety belts by providing addi-
tional protection in the event of a
severe frontal collision in which the pro-
tection afforded by the belts alone may
no longer be sufficient. The Head Pro-
tection System and side airbags help
provide protection in the event of a col-
lision from the side. Each of the side
airbags is designed to help support the
upper body.
For information on the correct sitting
posture, refer to page 43.
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 BMW center for additional infor-
mation.<
The airbags do not deploy in
response to minor collisions, rear
impacts and certain kinds of vehicle
rollover.<
Do not apply adhesive materials to
the cover panels of the airbags,
cover them or modify them in any other
way. Do not remove the airbag restraint
system. In the event of a malfunction,
deactivation or triggered activation – as
a response to an accident – of the air-
bag restraint system, solely consult
your BMW center for inspection, repair
or disassembly. Do not modify or
tamper with either the wiring or the indi-
vidual components in the airbag sys-
tem. These include the upholstered
covers on the steering wheel, the
instrument panel, side panels on doors
and in the rear and the roof struts as
well as down the sides of the roof lin-
ers. Also, do not attempt to remove the
steering wheel. Unprofessional
attempts to service the system could
lead to failure in an emergency or
undesired airbag activation, either of
which could result in personal injury. Do
not touch the individual components
immediately after the system has been
activated, as this could result in per-
sonal injury.<
All vehicle occupants should
always sit upright and be properly
restrained – infants and small children
in appropriate child-restraint systems;
larger children 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 injury. Please
note that the word Airbag imprinted on
the door trim panel indicates the air-
bag'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
restrained may place his or her head on
or near the airbag, if so equipped. For
example, a child — even though belted
handbook.book Page 52 Tuesday, July 30, 2002 12:16 PM
Page 64 of 162

64
KickdownIn the kickdown mode, you achieve
maximum acceleration and top speed
in position D.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
increased resistance point at the full-
throttle position.
M/S manual operation and Sport
ProgramMove the selector lever from D to M/S
to activate the Sport Program; SD
appears in the display panel. The M/S
mode is recommended for
performance-oriented driving.
Once in the M/S mode you can tap the
selector lever to switch the automatic
transmission from the Sport Program to
its manual selection mode.
This mode allows you to execute
upshifts manually by tapping the lever
toward +, while downshifts are selected
by tapping in the – direction. The dis-
plays M1 through M5 appear in the dis-
play panel to indicate your current gear
selection.
The Adaptive Transmission Control
(ATC) executes upshifts and downshifts
only when the new gear will provide a
suitable combination of engine and
road speed, i.e., ATC will not execute
downshifts if the engine speed is too
high. The desired, then the actual gear,
briefly appear in the instrument cluster.
To accelerate quickly in the man-
ual mode for maneuvers such as
passing another vehicle, shift down
manually or employ the kickdown
mode.<
Shifting from M/S to the selector lever
positions P, R and N is possible only by
going through D.
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*
handbook.book Page 64 Tuesday, July 30, 2002 12:16 PM
Page 116 of 162
116In the engine compartment
HoodTo releasePull the lever located under the left-
hand side of the instrument panel.
Do not attempt to service your
vehicle if you do not have the
required technical background. Failure
to work in an informed, professional
manner when servicing components
and materials constitutes a safety haz-
ard for vehicle occupants and other
road users. If you are not familiar with
the guidelines, please have the opera-
tions performed by your BMW center.<
To openPull the release handle and open the
hood.
To closeAllow the hood to fall from a height of
about 1 ft/30 cm so that it audibly
engages.
To avoid injuries, be sure that the
travel path of the hood is clear
when it is closed, following the same
safety precautions used in all closing
procedures.
If you notice while driving that the hood
is not completely closed, stop immedi-
ately and close it securely.<
handbook.book Page 116 Tuesday, July 30, 2002 12:16 PM
Page 154 of 162

Everything from A to ZFuel tank
capacity 149
display 71
gauge 71
Fuel-injection system 146
Fuses, replacing 140
G
Gasoline 24
Gasoline gauge 71
Glove compartment 97
Grills 88, 92
Gross vehicle weight 148
H
Hands-free system 99
Harman Kardon premium
sound system 97
Hazard warning flashers 14
Hazard warning triangle 22
Head airbags 52
Head restraints 46
Headlamp flasher 86
Headlamp washer system
120, 149
Headlamps 85
automatic control 85
Heated seats 49
Heating and ventilation 92
Heavy loads 104
High beams 20, 66, 86
replacing bulb 131Holder for
beverages 98
litter bag 99
Hood release 116
Horn 14
Hydraulic brake assistant,
see DBC
Hydroplaning 109, 111
I
Ice warning 74
Icy roads 74
Ignition key 30
Ignition lock 59
Imprint 4
Indicator lamps 18
Inflation pressure 24, 111
monitoring 81
INSPECTION 72
Instrument cluster 16
Instrument lighting 86
Instrument panel 14, 16
Interface socket for onboard
diagnostics 126
Interior lamps 32, 87
remote control 32
Interior motion sensor 38
switching off 39
Interior rearview mirror 51
automatic dimming
feature 51
Interlock 59Intermittent mode 67
J
Jack 135
Jump-starting 141
K
Key Memory 58
Keys 30
with remote control 30
L
Lamps, replacing 131
LATCH child-restraint
mounting system 56
Length 147
License plate lamp
replacing bulb 135
Light switch 85
Lighter 100
LIGHTS ON warning 85
Litter bag holder 99
Load-securing devices 105
Lock, steering wheel 59
Low beams 85
automatic 85
replacing bulb 131
Lug wrench 135
Luggage compartment 35
capacity 148
floor mat 38
floor panel 37Luggage compartment lid 35
emergency operation 35
emergency release 37
remote control 32
securing separately 35
Luggage compartment light-
ing 35
Luggage rack 105
Lumbar support 45
M
M+S tires 114
Maintenance 72, 124
Malfunction displays 72
Manual transmission 62
MC operation, refer to the
Owner's Manual for Radio
MD operation, refer to the
Owner's Manual for Radio
Memory 48
Memory settings 58
Microfilter 91, 96
Microphone 99
Mirror
automatic curb monitor 49
Mirror defrosting 50
Mirror memory 48
Mirrors 50
Modifications, technical 5
Multifunction switch 66
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