Page 57 of 166
57 Passenger safety systems
Airbags1Front airbags on the driver and pas-
senger sides
2Side airbags on the driver and pas-
senger sides – front and rear*Protective effectThe front airbags protect the driver and
passenger in the event of a head-on
collision where the protection provided
by the safety belt alone would not be
adequate. The side airbags help pro-
vide protection in the event of a colli-
sion from the side. Each of the side air-
bags is designed to help support the
seat occupant's upper body.
For information on the correct sitting
position, refer to page 48.
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 will not be triggered in
the event of a minor accident, cer-
tain vehicle rollover situations or colli-
sions from the rear.<
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 air-
bag restraint system from the vehicle. In
the event of a malfunction, deactivation
or triggered activation – as a response
to an accident – of the airbag restraint
system, consult your BMW center for
inspection, repair or disassembly. Mod-
ifications may not be made on either
the wiring or the individual components
in the airbag system. This includes the
upholstered covers on the steering
wheel, the instrument panel, the side
trim panels of the doors and front roof
pillars and on the sides of the front
headliner. Do not attempt to remove or
dismantle the steering wheel. Unpro-
fessional attempts to service the sys-
tem 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 com-
ponents directly after the system has
been triggered, as otherwise there is a
danger of burns.<
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
injury. 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
restrained may place his or her head on
or near the side airbag, if so equipped.
For example, a child – even though
belted – may fall asleep with his or her
head against the side airbag. It may be
difficult for a driver to ensure that chil-
dren in the rear seat will remain prop-
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book Page 57 Tuesday, July 30, 2002 9:28 AM
Page 58 of 166
58
erly positioned at all times and not
place their heads on or near the side
airbag. Therefore, we recommend that
the rear seat side airbags, if provided,
be deactivated if you plan to transport
children in the rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated, either at the
time of manufacture or by a BMW cen-
ter. Labels in the 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 con-
tact 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 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.This is the right way a child should sit in
a child-restraint when rear side airbags,
see arrow, are provided.
This is the right way a larger child
should sit wearing the seat belt when
rear side airbags, see arrow, are pro-
vided.Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp indicates the
operational status of the airbag
system when the ignition key is
in position 1 or higher.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
when the ignition key is turned to
position 1 or higher.
System malfunction:
>Indicator lamp does not come on or
>indicator lamp lights up continuously.
Airbags
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Page 160 of 166
Everything from A to ZReading lamps
front 94
rear 95
Rear lamps 137
Rear window defroster 99
Rear-entry assist 51
Rearview mirror 55
Recirculated-air mode 99
Refueling 24
Remote control 31
Remote key 30
Replacement key 30, 31
Reporting safety defects 6
Reserve indicator lamp 81
Restraint system 59
Reverse 70
Rims 118
Rollover protection
system 63
indicator lamp 19
lowering 63
Roof load capacity 152
Roof-mounted luggage
rack 107
S
Safe seating position 48
Safety belts 52
seat-integrated belt sys-
tem (SGS) 51
Seat
rear-entry assist 51Seat adjustment 48, 49
lumbar support 49, 50
power seats 49
Seat heating 54
Seat memory 53
Securing cargo 106
Securing child-restraint sys-
tem 61
Securing devices 107
Sequential M gearbox
SMG II 71
indicator lamp 19, 75
Service and Warranty Infor-
mation Booklet 128
SERVICE ENGINE SOON
warning lamp 19
Service interval display
82, 128
Set clock 83
Side airbags 57
Side turn signals
bulb replacement 136
Size 151
Ski bag 104
SMG gearbox 71
Snow chains 119
Socket 103
Spare key 30
Speedometer 16
Sport mode 91
Standing lamps 93
bulb replacement 135Starting problems 67
Starting the engine 67
Steering wheel lock 66
Steering wheel with multi-
function buttons 22
Steering wheel, adjusting 55
Storage compartments 101
Stroke 150
Summer tires 118
Surface ice warning 84
Switching off the engine 69
Symbols used 4
T
Tachometer 16, 80
Tail lamp assembly
replacing bulb 137
Tail lamps 137
replacing bulb 137
Tank capacity 153
Technical data 150
Technical modifications 5
Telephone hookup 102
Telephone, refer to the sep-
arate Owner's Manual
Temperature adjustment 98
Temperature display
engine coolant 81
ice warning 84
interior temperature 98
outside temperature 84
Temperature gauge 80Temperature layering 99
Thigh support area, adjust-
ing 49
Third brake lamp 138
Tilt alarm
deactivate 32, 39
Tilt alarm sensor
remote control 32
Time 83
Tire code 118
Tire damage 115
Tire inflation pressure
25, 115
checking 25
Tire pressure monitor
(TPM) 88
Tire replacement 116
Tire tread 115
Tools 134
Torque 150
Towing eyelet 146
Towing the vehicle 146
Track 151
Transmission 70
Transporting children
safely 59
Tread depth, tires 115
Tread wear indicator 115
Trip odometer 80
Trunk, see Luggage com-
partment 35, 152
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