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Safety feature
1.Driver's door closed and ignition
switched either on or off
2.Press memory button 1 or 2 and main-
tain pressure until the adjustment pro-
cess has been completed.
If you press the
MEMORY button acciden-
tally:
Press the button again; the indicator lamp
goes out.
Do not call up a position from the
memory while the vehicle is moving.
There is a risk of accident from unexpected
movement of the seat or steering wheel.<
You can have your vehicle pro-
grammed to automatically dial in your
own individual adjustment settings for the
seat, mirrors and steering wheel whenever
you use your personal remote control unit
to unlock the vehicle.<
When using the Key Memory feature
always make sure that the footwell
behind the driver's seat is empty and unob-
structed. If you fail to do so, any persons or
objects behind the seat could be injured or
damaged by a rearward movement of the
seat.<
Passenger-side exterior mirror tilt
function
Automatic curb monitor
1.Select the driver's door mirror with the
switch
2.When you select the transmission posi-
tion R, the door mirror on the front pas-
senger side tilts downward slightly. This
allows the driver to see the area imme-
diately adjacent to the vehicle Ð such as
a curb Ð when parking, etc.
You can deactivate this automatic feature:
Slide the mirror selection switch to the pas-
senger's side position.
Airbags
1Front airbags for driver and front pas-
senger
2Head airbags in front and rear
3Side airbags in front and rear
*
4Knee airbags for driver and front pas-
senger Airbags are located under the upholstery
covers on the steering wheel, in the instru-
ment panel, in the door trim panels in front
and rear*, on the roof pillars and the sides
of the headliner.
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56
Protective effect
The front airbags help protect the front
passengers by responding to frontal
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot
provide adequate restraint. When needed,
the head and side airbags help provide
protection in the event of side impact. The
side airbags help restrain the side of the
occupant's upper torso, and the head air-
bags help support the head while also
helping provide protection against any
objects penetrating into the passenger
compartment. The knee airbags help pro-
tect the legs against impact against the
cockpit.
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 information.<
For information on the correct sitting posi-
tion, refer to page 45.
The airbags do not deploy in
response to minor accidents or rear
collisions, nor do they respond to certain
kinds of vehicle rollover.<
Even when all safety guidelines are
observed, there is a small residual risk that
passengers will sustain facial, hand or arm
injuries in isolated instances. The ignition
and inflation noise may provoke a mild Ð
usually temporary Ð hearing loss in
extremely sensitive individuals.
Important safety notes
Do not apply adhesive materials to
the cover panels of the airbags, cover
them or modify them in any other way.
Do not attempt to remove the airbag
restraint system from the vehicle. If you
note any indication of system malfunction,
if you desire to have an airbag deactivated,
or if the airbags are triggered in response
to an accident, you should always entrust
all inspection, repair and dismantling oper-
ations to your BMW center.
Never modify or tamper with either the wiring or the individual components in the
airbag system. This category includes the
upholstery in the center of the steering
wheel, on the instrument panel, the side
trim panels on the front or rear doors, and
the roof pillars along with the sides of the
headliner. Do not attempt to remove or dis-
mantle the steering wheel.
To ensure compliance with official safety
regulations, entrust disposal of airbag gen-
erators only to a BMW center.
Unprofessional attempts to service the
system could lead to failure in an emer-
gency or undesired airbag activation, either
of which could result in personal injury.
Do not touch the individual components
directly after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of
burns.<
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained Ð
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 airbag's location.
Never install a rearward-facing child-
restraint system on the front passenger
seat. If you do so, the child could be
severely injured when the airbag is trig-
gered.
Children under 13 years of age and chil-
dren less than 5 ft (150 cm) tall should
always ride in the rear and the restraint sys-
tems should be secured with the vehicle's
safety belts.
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. However, a child sitting 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 Ñ even though belted
Ñ may fall asleep with his or her head
against the side airbag. It may be difficult
for a driver to ensure that children in the
rear seat will remain properly positioned at
all times and do not place their heads on or
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near the side airbag. Therefore, we recom-
mend that the rear side airbags, if provided,
be deactivated if you plan to transport chil-
dren 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
observed, there is still a small residual risk
of injuries to the face, hands and arms
occurring from airbag deployment in iso-
lated instances. The ignition and inflation
noise may provoke a mild temporary
hearing loss in extremely sensitive individ-
uals.
Airbag warning information is also provided
on the sun visors.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp shows the
airbag and belt-tensioner system's
operational status as soon as you
insert the remote control unit in the ignition.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on or
>it remains on continuously.
A system malfunction could prevent the
system from responding to an impact
occurring within its normal response range.
Please respond to any signs of malfunction
by having the airbag system inspected
immediately at a BMW center.
Transporting children safely
Commercially-available child-restraint sys-
tems are designed to be secured with a lap
belt or with the lap belt portion of a combi-
nation 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.
Child-restraint system with tether
strap
If you use a child-restraint system with a
tether strap, three additional tether
anchorage points have been provided Ð
refer to the arrows in the illustration.
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area, attach
the tether strap to the corresponding
anchorage point to secure the child-
restraint system, as shown in the illustra-
tion below.
Each seating position is fitted with a head
restraint.
Outer seating positions:
Lift the head restraint and pass the tether
strap between the head restraint and the
seat back. It is recommended to readjust
the head restraint into the lowest possible
position.
Center seating position:
The head restraint must be adjusted into
the lowest possible position. Pass the
tether strap over the head restraint.
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Adjustments
58 Adjust the tether strap according to the
child-restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Before installing any child-restraint
system or child seat, please read the
following:
Never install a rearward-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
rearward-facing child-restraint system Ð of
the kind designed for infants under 1 year
and 20 Ibs. (9 kg) Ð would be within the
airbag's deployment range, you should
never mount such a system in the front
passenger seat, since the impact of the
airbag against the child restraint's backrest
could lead to serious or fatal injuries.
If it is necessary for a child Ð not an infant Ð
to ride in the front seat, certain precautions
should be taken. First, move the passenger
seat as far away from the instrument panel
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, after they have outgrown a
booster seat that is appropriate for their
age, height and weight. Younger children
should be secured in an appropriate for-
ward-facing child-restraint system that has
first been properly secured with a safety
belt. Never install a rearward-facing child-
restraint system in the front passenger
seat.
We strongly urge you to carefully read and
comply with the instructions for installation
and use provided by the child-restraint's
manufacturer whenever you use such a
system.
Be sure that all occupants Ð of all ages Ð
remain properly and securely restrained at
all times. If your vehicle is equipped with
electric power seats at the rear, these will
need to be returned to their standard
adjustment setting position before a child-
restraint system is used, refer to page 47.
Always press the safety switch for the
power windows before transporting chil-
dren in the rear seats, refer to page 43. This switch also disables the power rear seat
adjustment. Incorrect or unsupervised
adjustment of the electric power seats
could lead to injuries or damage to the
child-restraint system(s) installed in the
rear.<
All rear seating positions in your vehicle
meet the recommendations of SAE J1819,
an industry-recommended practice for
securing child-restraint systems in motor
vehicles.
Child seat security
All of the rear belt retractors and the front
passenger's safety belt can be locked for
mounting and securing child-restraint sys-
tems.
Information regarding this is located near
the buckle latch of each safety belt.
Lock the safety belt
Pull the entire length of the belt from the
belt retractor. Allow the reel to retract the
belt somewhat and engage the buckle,
then tighten the belt against the child-
restraint system. The retraction mechanism
is now locked.
Unlock the safety belt
Release the buckle, remove the child-
restraint system and allow the belt retractor
to reel the belt completely in.
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LATCH* child-restraint
system
LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for
CHildren.
If the vehicle is equipped with electric
power seats, these must be returned
to their standard adjustment setting before
a LATCH child-restraint system can be
used, refer to page 47.<
Access to anchorage points
The rear outer seating positions are pro-
vided with anchors for a LATCH child-
restraint system. The illustrations show the
left rear seat as an example.
The outer anchorage points for the LATCH
child-restraint system are identified by
flags.
Canadian models only:
The anchorage points for the LATCH child-
restraint system are identified by buttons.You can obtain an installation guide
for mounting LATCH child-restraint
systems at your BMW center. The guide,
although not necessary for installation of a
LATCH child-restraint system, will facilitate
the installation and also help protect the
vehicle's seating surfaces. Always observe
all instructions for installation and use pro-
vided by the child-restraint's manufac-
turer.<
Engage the buckle on the center belt and
then pull the belt away from the child-
restraint's anchorage point.
Firmly press the installation guide into the
gap between the upholstery on seat and
backrest, continuing until the two funnel-
shaped guides snap into place in the
LATCH support braces in the seat.
Pull the installation guides to remove.
Child-safety locks
Slide down the safety levers on the rear
doors:
The door can now be opened from the out-
side only.
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Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory
How the system functions
Doubtless you have often reflected on how
great it would be if you could configure
your vehicle's various adjustment settings
to meet your own personal requirements. In
developing your vehicle, BMW has incor-
porated a number of options for personal
adjustment which you can set in the Con-
trol Center. You can have these pro-
grammed at your BMW center.
The available configuration settings fall into
two categories, according to whether their
primary orientation is the vehicle Ð Vehicle
Memory Ð or the individual Ð Key Memory.
You can have up to four different basic set-
tings adjusted for four different persons.
The only requirement is that each person
uses his or her own remote control.
When your vehicle is unlocked with the
remote control, the vehicle recognizes the
individual user by means of a data
exchange with the key, and makes adjust-
ments accordingly.
Color-coded decals are provided to help
you distinguish the individual remote con-
trol units with their different settings.
What the system can do
Please contact your BMW center for more
information on the range of options avail-
able with Vehicle Memory and Key
Memory.
You will see this symbol throughout
the Owner's Manual. It is to remind
you at appropriate places of the settings that are available to you. These positions
can be looked up in the index under the
respective keyword.<
Following configuration of the
memory functions, vehicle operation
may differ from the description in the
Owner's Manual. Should you want to sell
your BMW some day, please remember to
have the memory functions reset to the
default state.<
Examples of Vehicle Memory
functions
>Central locking system: set different
signals as an acknowledgment
>Follow-me-home lamps: activate/deac-
tivate function
>Daytime driving lamps: activate/deacti-
vate function
>Alarm system: set different acknowl-
edgment signals to confirm arming/dis-
arming
>Alarm system: activate/deactivate inte-
rior motion sensor and tilt alarm sensor
>Automatic headlamp control: adjust
sensitivity
Examples of Key Memory functions
>Seat memory: activate/deactivate func-
tion
>Central locking system: vehicle is
locked as soon as you drive off or if you
have not opened a door or the luggage
compartment lid after unlocking. Acti-
vate/deactivate function
>Automatic climate control: key-specific
storage of the temperature, blower and
air conditioner setting. Activate/deacti-
vate function
>Check Control: set languages and units
>Seat heating: recall personal tempera-
ture distribution.
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Driving
Ignition lock
Insert the remote control unit all the way
into the ignition lock. This also activates the
radio mode.
When the remote control unit is in the
ignition lock you can start the engine
without first switching on the ignition.<
Switching the ignition on and off
Continue to press the start/stop button to
switch the radio mode on and off or switch
the ignition on and off.
Do not depress the brake pedal until
you are ready to start the engine. If
you push the start/stop button while the
brake pedal is depressed the engine will
start immediately.<
Radio mode
Several systems, such as the Control
Center, parked-car ventilation, etc., are
available for use. The time and outside
temperature appear in the Info Display.
The radio mode is automatically
deactivated:
>After approx. 16 minutes, when a door
is closed and the system does not reg-
ister the presence of any individuals in
the vehicle
>Immediately if the remote control is
removed from the ignition lock.<
Ignition switched on
All vehicle systems are ready for operation.
Ignition off
The indicator lamps in the Info Display go
out. Only the automatic transmission's
range display remains visible for a brief
period.
Removing the remote control unit
from the ignition lock
Press the remote control unit in briefly; it is
ejected and now protrudes slightly from the
lock. This procedure will also switch off the
ignition if it is on.
Switch off the engine before removing
the remote control unit from the igni-
tion lock.
The transmission automatically shifts to
position P Ð Interlock.<
If the remote control is still in the ignition
lock when the driver's door is opened, a
gong will sound and a message will appear
in the Info Display.
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Starting the engine
Do not run the engine in closed
rooms, as otherwise the inhaling of
toxic exhaust gases can cause uncon-
sciousness and death. The exhaust gases
contain carbon monoxide, an odorless and
colorless, but highly toxic gas.
Never leave an unattended vehicle with the
engine running, as such a vehicle repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<
1.Insert the remote control unit all the way
into the ignition lock
2.Depress the brake pedal
3.Briefly press the start/stop button.
Your BMW is equipped with the con-
venience starting feature. After
depressing the brake pedal, all you need to
do is briefly press the start/stop button.
The system responds by automatically
engaging the starter and allowing it to run
until the engine starts, after which it then
disengages automatically.
The automatic starting mode will not
operate or will be canceled if the battery
voltage is low. The engine can be started
by jump-starting, refer to page 202.<
Do not allow the engine to warm up by
leaving it running while the vehicle remains
stationary. Instead, begin to drive immedi-
ately at a moderate engine speed.
If you have accidentally switched off
the engine while driving, it can be
restarted from a speed of approx. 3 mph/
5 km/h by pressing the button. It is not
necessary to depress the brake pedal.< Under the following conditions you should
press the accelerator pedal halfway down
when starting:
>If the engine fails to start on the first
attempt, for instance, if it is very hot or
cold
>During a cold start at high altitudes,
from approx. 3,281 ft/1,000 m, at very
low temperatures, from approx. + 5 7/
Ð 15 6.
Refrain from starting the vehicle
repeatedly at brief intervals, and
avoid an excessive number of starting
attempts if the vehicle fails to start;
repeated activation of the starter over an
extended period would allow unburned or
only partially combusted fuel to enter the
catalytic converter, where it can cause
overheating and damage to the unit.<
Switching off the engine
With the vehicle stationary, briefly press the
start/stop button. This also activates the
radio mode.
Should exceptional circumstances
render it necessary for you to switch
off the engine while the vehicle is moving,
press the start/stop button for approxi-
mately 1 second.
If you maintain pressure on the start/stop
button for longer than two seconds while
switching off the ignition, the remote con-
trol unit will be ejected.<
Always remove the remote control
unit from the ignition lock before
leaving the vehicle.<
Parking brake
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with an electrome-
chanical parking brake.
The parking brake is primarily intended to
prevent the vehicle from rolling while
parked.