
Opening and closing
42
Safety switch 
With the safety switch, you can prevent the 
rear windows from being opened or closed 
via the switches in the rear passenger area, 
by children, for example. The same applies 
to adjusting the electric rear seats, refer to 
page 46 and the electric rear head 
restraints, refer to page 48, as well as to 
the operation of the roller sun blinds from 
the rear, refer to page 112. The indicator 
lamp lights up when this safety feature is 
activated. 
Press the safety switch whenever 
children are riding in the rear of the 
vehicle. Careless use of the power win-
dows can lead to injury.< 
So that you can deactivate the func-
tion again, the remote control must 
be inserted in the ignition lock or, with 
Comfort Access, the radio position must 
be switched on.< 
After installing accessories 
After installing any accessory Ð such as a 
clamp-on antenna for a portable phone Ð 
within the window's travel range, you will 
need to have the system reinitialized for 
use under the new conditions. Please con-
tact your BMW center for assistance. 
Glass roof, electric* 
To prevent injuries, exercise care 
when closing the glass roof and keep 
it in your field of vision until it is shut. 
When leaving the vehicle, always disen-
gage the remote control in the ignition lock and close the doors to prevent children 
from operating the roof and injuring them-
selves, etc.< 
Raising, opening, closing 
From radio mode on, press the switch, or 
slide it in the desired direction up to the 
resistance point. 
After switching off the ignition
You can still operate the roof:
>For approx. 15 minutes with the remote 
control in the radio mode 
>For approx. 1 minute in position 0 or 
with the remote control disengaged.
The headliner insert slides back somewhat 
when you raise the roof. When the roof is 
opened the headliner retracts with it. 
Do not use force to close the head-
liner insert with the roof in its raised 
position, as damage to the mechanism 
could result.<
For information on using the convenience 
operation mode at the door lock or with the 
remote control, refer to page 34 or 36. 
Automatic* opening and closing
Briefly press the switch past the resistance 
point and then release it. 
In addition, the following response is also 
automatic: 
With the roof open, briefly press the switch 
in the Raise direction: the roof rises to its 
tilt-up end position. 
Press the switch again in any direction to 
stop the roof.  

Adjustments
44
Adjustments
Sitting safely 
The ideal sitting position can make a vital 
contribution to relaxed driving that is as 
fatigue-free as possible. The sitting posi-
tion plays an important role together with 
the safety belts and airbags in an accident. 
To ensure that the safety systems operate 
with optimized efficiency, we strongly urge 
you to observe the instructions contained 
in the following section.
For additional information on transporting 
children safely, refer to page 56. 
Sitting safely with airbags 
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and the air-
bags. Always hold the steering wheel by 
its rim with hands at the 9 o'clock and 
3 o'clock positions, to minimize the risk of 
injuries to your hands and arms in the event 
of airbag deployment. 
No one and nothing is to come between the 
airbags and the seat occupant. 
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on 
the front passenger side as a storage area. 
Make sure that the front passenger is cor-
rectly seated and does not rest feet or legs 
on the instrument panel, otherwise leg inju-
ries can occur if the knee and front airbag 
are triggered. 
Never let an occupantÔs head rest near or 
on a side airbag because the inflating air-
bag could cause a serious or fatal injury.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, 
injuries resulting from contact with airbags 
cannot be fully excluded, depending on the 
circumstances. The ignition and inflation 
noise may provoke a mild Ð usually tempo-
rary Ð hearing loss in extremely sensitive 
individuals.
For airbag locations and additional infor-
mation on airbags, refer to page 97.
Sitting safely with safety belts 
Fasten your safety belt before starting any 
trip. Although airbags enhance safety by 
providing added protection, they are not a 
substitute for safety belts.
Your vehicle has five seats that are all 
equipped with a safety belt.
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.
Expectant mothers should always wear 
their safety belts, taking care to position 
the lap belt against the lower hips, where it 
will not exert pressure against the abdomi-
nal area.
Never allow more than one person to wear 
a single safety belt. Never allow infants or 
small children to ride in a passenger's lap. 
Do not route the belt across your neck, or 
run it across sharp edges. Be sure that the 
belt does not become caught or jammed. 
Avoid twisting the belt while routing it firmly 
across the hips and shoulder. Do not allow 
the belt to rest against hard or fragile 
objects. Otherwise, in the event of a frontal 
impact, a loose lap belt could slide over 
your hips, leading to abdominal injury. 
Avoid wearing clothing that prevents the 
belt from fitting properly and pull the lap 
belt periodically to readjust the tension 
across your shoulder in order to avoid a 
reduction in the retention effect of the 
safety belt.<
For instructions on operating safety belts, 
refer to page 49. 
Seats 
Note before adjusting
Never attempt to adjust your seat 
while operating the vehicle. The seat 
could respond with unexpected move- 

Controls
 47Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
You can use the button to return the rear 
seats to their standard or default positions. 
Maintain pressure on the button until the 
system completes the adjustment. 
It will be necessary to return the rear 
seats to their standard position, for 
instance,  before using a child-restraint sys-
tem, refer to page 56.< 
Head restraints 
Adjustment information 
Head restraints reduce the risk of spi-
nal injury in the event of an accident. 
Adjust the head restraints so that they are 
centered roughly at the level of your ears.<
Adjusting the height
 Adjust the height of the head restraint.
Adjusting the tilt angle
Swivel the head restraint. 
With the comfort seat, adjust the dis-
tance to the back of the head via the 
shoulder support.< 
Adjusting the side extensions
You can fold the side extensions on the 
head restraint forward for increased lateral 
support. 
Front head restraints, active*
The front comfort seats are equipped with 
an active head restraint.
When necessary, the system will respond 
to a rear impact by automatically triggering 
the active head restraints. 
To ensure that the active head 
restraints afford maximum protection, 
and to avoid unnecessary risks to personal 
safety, we request that you read and com-
ply with the following. 
>Adjust the head restraints so that they 
are centered at roughly ear height 
>Do not install seat or head-restraint 
covers 
>Never use the head restraints as sup-
ports for suspending objects of any 
kind, such as clothes hangers. Refrain 
from mounting accessories on either 
the seat or the head restraint.<
Rear seats 
Adjusting manually 

Transporting children safely
56
Transporting children safely 
The right place for children
Children always in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest 
place for children in a vehicle is in the rear 
seat.
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.
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 posi-
tioned at all times and do not place their 
heads on or near the side airbags. There-
fore, we recommend that the rear side air-
bags, if provided, be deactivated if you plan 
to transport children in the rear seat.<
Child-restraint system in the rear
Child-restraint systems appropriate for 
every age group and weight are available 
at your BMW center.
Children under 13 years of age and 
children less than 5 ft/150 cm tall 
should always ride in the rear and the 
restraint systems should be secured with 
the vehicleÔs safety belts.<
Younger children should be secured in an 
appropriate forward-facing child-restraint 
system that has first been properly secured 
with a safety belt.
All rear sitting positions in your vehicle 
meet the recommendations of SAE J1819, 
an industry-recommended practice for 
securing child-restraint systems in motor 
vehicles. 
Exception for the front passenger 
seat
Should it become necessary to use 
a child-restraint system on the front 
passenger seat, the airbags on the passen-
ger's side must be deactivated. Your BMW 
center will be glad to advise you.<
Never install a rearward-facing child-
restraint system in the front passen-
ger seat of this vehicle if the passenger air-
bag is not deactivated. If you do so, the 
child could be severely injured when the 
airbag is triggered. 
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 air-
bag'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.< 
Installing child-restraint 
systems
Before installing any child-restraint system 
or child seat, read the following:
Observe the child-restraint system 
manufacturer's instructions for instal-
lation and use. Otherwise the degree of 
protection can be reduced.
After an accident, have all parts of the 
child-restraint system and of the relevant 
vehicle safety belt system checked by a 
BMW center and replaced if necessary.<
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.  

Controls
 57Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Always read and follow the instructions that 
come with the system. 
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.
To 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. 
To unlock the safety belt
Release the buckle, remove the child-
restraint system and allow the belt retractor 
to reel the belt completely in. 
Child-restraint system with tether 
strap 
If you use a child-restraint system with a 
tether strap, three additional tether anchor-
age points have been provided, refer to the arrows in the illustration. Depending on the 
location selected for sitting in the rear pas-
senger area, attach the tether strap to the 
corresponding anchorage point to secure 
the child-restraint system, as shown in the 
illustration below. 
Each sitting position is fitted with a head 
restraint. 
Outer sitting 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 sitting position: 
The head restraint must be adjusted into 
the lowest possible position. Pass the 
tether strap over the head restraint. 
Adjust the tether strap according to 
the child-restraint manufacturer's 
instructions.<
LATCH* child-restraint fixing
LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for 
CHildren. 
The rear outer sitting positions are pro-
vided with anchors for a LATCH child-
restraint fixing.
To fit the LATCH child-restraint fixing, 
follow the operating and safety 
instructions of the manufacturer.< 
If the vehicle is equipped with electric 
power seats in the rear, return these to their 
standard adjustment setting before using a 
LATCH child-restraint fixing, refer to 
page 46. 

Transporting children safely
58
Access to anchorage points 
The illustrations show the left rear seat as 
an example. The outer anchorage points 
for the LATCH child-restraint fixing are 
identified by small flags.
Canadian models only: 
The anchorage points for the LATCH child-
restraint fixing are identified by buttons.
Installation guide
The installation guide makes it easier to fit 
the LATCH child-restraint fixing and at the 
same time protects the surface of the 
seats.
The installation guide is available at 
your BMW center. Always observe all 
instructions for installation and use pro-
vided by the child-restraint's manufac-
turer.< 
1.Engage the center safety belt into the 
belt buckle
2.Pull the belt away from the area of the 
child-restraint fixing3.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. 
On journeys
Make sure that children do not lean 
out of the child's seat towards the 
door panels. Otherwise severe injuries can 
be caused if the side airbags are trig-
gered.< 
Child safety locks for the rear doors
Slide down the safety levers on the rear 
doors: 
The relevant door can now be opened from 
the outside only.  

Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Safety switch for power windows and 
rear seats
If the vehicle is equipped with electric 
power seats in the rear, return these to their 
standard adjustment setting before using a 
child-restraint system, refer to page 46. 
Always press the safety switch for the 
electric power windows, refer to page 42, 
when children are in the rear of the vehicle. 
This switch also disables the power rear 
seat adjustment. 
Incorrect or unsupervised adjustment 
of the electric power seats in the rear 
could lead to injuries or damage to the 
child-restraint system.< 

Driving
64 Provided that the remote control is 
inserted in the ignition lock, you can 
also release the parking brake manually 
after the engine has been switched off, 
refer to page 62. This function is useful in 
automatic car washes, etc.
Automatic Hold is deactivated.< 
When leaving the vehicle, always 
release the remote control from the 
detent in the ignition lock; this precaution 
prevents children from disengaging the 
parking brake, etc.<
For your safety 
Automatic Hold is automatically deacti-
vated when 
>the engine is switched off 
>the system detects that the driver's seat 
is not occupied while the engine is run-
ning 
>the hood is opened while the engine is 
running 
>the luggage compartment lid is opened 
with the transmission in reverse while 
the engine is running, and 
>when the parking brake is used to bring 
the vehicle to a stop. 
The indicator lamp changes from 
green to red, and the AUTO  P letters in the 
Info Display disappear. 
Before starting off again, briefly press the 
button to disengage the parking brake 
manually, refer to page 62, or reactivate 
Automatic Hold, refer to page 63. 
Before leaving the vehicle with the 
engine running, always move the 
automatic transmission's selector lever to 
position P and ensure that the parking 
brake is engaged. The vehicle could start 
to roll if you fail to observe these precau-
tions. 
Never leave an unattended vehicle with the 
engine running, as such a vehicle repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.< 
Automatic Hold is automatically 
deactivated whenever the system 
detects any tendency for the wheels to spin 
in response to slippery road surfaces. Note the status reports in the Check Control. 
You can find additional information on the 
Check Control on page 82.< 
Malfunctions 
If a malfunction occurs, the indicator 
lamp lights up yellow in the Info Dis-
play and a status report will appear in the 
Check Control. Please note any supple-
mentary information that appears on the 
Control Display. 
Releasing the parking brake 
manually 
You can respond to any interruptions in the 
supply of electrical power, for instance, if 
the battery is discharged or disconnected, 
by releasing the parking brake manually. 
Before proceeding to release the 
parking brake manually, and each 
time you park the vehicle without engaging 
the parking brake, always ensure that the 
automatic transmission's selector lever is 
in position P, refer to page 66. Note the 
range indicated in the Info Display. 
If the wheel must be changed on a surface 
with a more severe slope, take additional 
precautions to secure the vehicle from roll-
ing e.g. with a chock, refer to page 203. 
Otherwise there is a danger that the vehicle 
could start to roll if parked on a steep 
slope.< 
Should it also be necessary to release the 
automatic transmission's lockout manually, 
for instance, if the battery is discharged, 
always adhere to the following sequence: 
1.If necessary, start by manually releasing 
the parking brake 
2.Then release the automatic transmis-
sion's lockout manually, refer to 
page 68. 
Jump-starting and towing, refer to 
pages 207 and 208.