2004 BMW X5 4.8IS child restraint

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
The ideal sitting position can make a
vital contribution to relaxed driving that
is as fatigue-free as possible. The sit-
ting position also plays an important
role together with the safety belts and
airbags in providing occupants with
maximum levels of passive safety in an
accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimized efficiency,
we strongly urge you to observe the
instructions contained in the following
section.
For additional information on transport-
ing children safely, refer to page 59.Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and the
airbags. 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 passen-
ger is correctly seated and does not
rest feet or legs on the instrument clus-
ter, otherwise leg injuries can occur if
the knee and front airbag are triggered.
Never let an occupant's head rest near
or on a side airbag because the inflating
airbag could cause a serious or fatal
injury.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions
injuries resulting from contact with air-
bags cannot be fully excluded, depend-
ing on the circumstances. The ignition
and inflation noise may provoke a mild –
usually temporary – hearing loss in
extremely sensitive individuals.
For airbag locations and additional
information on airbags, refer to
page 57.Sitting safely with safety belts Fasten your safety belt before starting
any trip. Airbags complement the safety
belt as an additional safety device, but
they do not represent a substitute.
Your vehicle has five seats that are all
equipped with a safety belt.
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.
Even pregnant women should also
always wear the safety belt and espe-
cially ensure that the lap belt is posi-
tioned low on the hip and does not
press on the lower body.
Only one person should ever wear a
safety belt, and infants and children
may not be seated on the lap of another
passenger.
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. Other-
wise, 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 the safety
belt, refer to page 49.
Sitting safely

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Safety beltsPut on the safety belt before each trip,
as the airbags supplement the safety
belts as an additional restraint device,
however do not replace them.Locking Make sure you hear the latch plate
engage in the belt buckle.
Lights up for a few seconds or
until driver's safety belt is fas-
tened. Depending on model,
together with an acoustic signal
* or a
message
* in the Check Control.
530us034
Unlocking1. Press the red button in the belt
buckle
2. Hold the belt firmly
3. Guide the belt back into its reel.
In the rear the center safety belt
buckle is intended exclusively for
the center passenger.
If it is not possible to extract the center
belt, this indicates that the larger back-
rest is not securely locked, refer to
page 124.<
Safety belt height adjustment You can adjust the safety belts to fit
your own physical dimensions by using
the safety belt height adjustment:
Slide the button up or down as
required.
Also observe the instructions on adjust-
ing the seats on page 43.
In the event of loads caused by
accidents or other damage: have
the belt system, including the belt ten-
sioners and any child restraint systems,
replaced by a BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle center and have the belt anchor
points checked.c530de259

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags1Front airbag for driver and front pas-
senger
2Side Impact Head Protection System
for front and rear
3Side airbags for front and rear
*
Protective effect The front airbags supplement the safety
belts by helping to provide 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 suf-
ficient. The Side Impact Head Protec-
tion 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. The respective head airbag sup-
ports the head.530us035
For information on the correct sitting
position, refer to page 43.
The airbags do not deploy in
response to minor accidents or
rear collisions, nor do they respond to
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 attempt to remove the air-
bag restraint system from the vehicle. If
you note any indication of system mal-
function, if you desire to have an airbag
deactivated, or if the airbag retention
system is triggered in response to an
accident, you should always entrust all
inspection, repair and dismantling oper-
ations to your BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle center. Do not modify or tamper
with either the wiring or the individual
components in the airbag system.
These include the padded steering
wheel hub, the instrument cluster, the
side trim panels of the front or rear
doors and the roof pillars or the sides of
the headliner. Do not remove or dis-
mantle the steering wheel yourself.
To ensure compliance with official
safety regulations, entrust disposal of
airbag generators to a BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle center. 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
directly after the system has been trig-
gered, 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 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 diffi-
cult for a driver to ensure that children
in the rear seat will remain properly

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Airbagspositioned at all times and do not place
their heads on or near the side airbag.
Therefore, we recommend that the rear
side airbags, if provided, be deacti-
vated if you plan to transport children in
the rear seat. The rear seat side airbags
may already have been deactivated by
a BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center.
Labels in the rear door opening should
indicate the status of your rear seat side
airbags. If you are uncertain of their sta-
tus, or wish to have the airbags acti-
vated or deactivated, please contact
your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter.<
Even if you adhere to all the instruc-
tions, injuries resulting from contact
with airbags cannot be fully excluded,
depending on the circumstances. The
ignition and inflation noise may provoke
a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually
only temporary.
Airbag warning information is also pro-
vided on both sun visors. This is the right way a child should sit in
a child-restraint device when rear side
airbags, refer to arrow, are provided.
530us026
This is the right way a larger child
should sit wearing the safety belt when
rear side airbags, refer to arrow, are
provided. 530us099

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags Transporting children safely Airbag system operational
The warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster indicates the oper-
ational readiness of the entire
airbag system and the safety belt ten-
sioners as of ignition key position 1.
The warning lamp goes out after a few
seconds.
Airbag system malfunction
Have the airbag system checked
immediately if a malfunction
occurs, as otherwise there is a danger
of the system failing to respond in the
expected manner to an impact occur-
ring within its normal response range.<
A fault has occurred in the air-
bag system:
>Warning lamp does not light up as of
ignition key position 1
>Warning lamp lights up continuously
>Warning lamp lights up while the
vehicle is being driven.
The right place for children Children always in the rear:
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in a vehicle is in
the rear seat.
Older children should be tightly secured
with a safety belt, after they have out-
grown a booster seat that is appropri-
ate 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 –
even though belted – may fall asleep
with his or her head against the side air-
bag. 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 near
the side airbag. Therefore, we recom-
mend that the rear side airbags, if pro-
vided, be deactivated if you plan to
transport children in the rear seat.<
Child-restraint systems in the rearChild-restraint systems appropriate for
every age group and weight are avail-
able at your BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle 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 vehicle's safety belts.<
No universal child-restraint sys-
tems facing the rear of the vehicle
may be mounted on the rear seats.
If you want to use a rearward-facing
child-restraint system in the rear, then
the BMW Baby Seat with or without the
LATCH child-restraint fixing is suitable
for this purpose.<
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 sys-
tems in motor vehicles.

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Transporting children safelyException for front passenger
seat
Should it become necessary to
use a child-restraint system on the
front passenger seat, the airbags on the
passenger's side must be deactivated.
Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter will be happy to advise you on this
subject.<
Never install a rearward-facing
child-restraint system in the front
passenger seat of this vehicle if the
passenger airbag is not deactivated. If
you do so, the child could be severely
injured or killed when the airbag is trig-
gered. Your vehicle is equipped with an
airbag supplemental restraint system
for the front passenger. Because the
backrest on any rearward-facing child-
restraint system – of the kind designed
for infants under 1 year and 20 Ibs./9 kg
– would be within the airbag's deploy-
ment 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 systemsBefore installing any child-restraint sys-
tem or child seat, read the following:
Observe the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions for
installation and use. Otherwise the
degree of protection can be reduced.
After an accident, have all parts of the
child-restraint system and of the rele-
vant vehicle safety belt system checked
by a BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter and replaced if necessary.<
Commercially-available child-restraint
systems are designed to be secured
with a lap belt or with the lap belt por-
tion of a combination 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 securityAll of the rear belt retractors and the
front passenger's safety belt can be
locked for mounting and securing child-
restraint systems.
Information regarding this is located
near the buckle latch of each safety
belt. Locking 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 retrac-
tion mechanism is now locked. 530us104

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyUnlocking safety belt Unlock the safety belt, remove the
child-restraint device and allow the belt
retractor to reel the belt completely in.
Child-restraint system with tether
strapIf you use a child-restraint system with
a tether strap, three additional tether
anchorage points have been provided,
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 corre-
sponding anchorage point to secure the
child-restraint system, as shown in the
illustration below. 530us037
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.530au003

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Transporting children safelyCenter 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 instruc-
tions.530au002
LATCH child-restraint fixing Remove cover panel by pulling it off
toward the front.
To remount, simply push on.
The illustration is an example showing
the mounts for the LATCH, Lower
Anchors and Tethers for CHildren,
child-restraint fixing at the left rear.
The system is also available at the right
rear position.
Canadian models only:
The anchorage points for the LATCH
are identified with buttons, refer to illus-
tration.
To fit the LATCH child-restraint
fixing, follow the manufacturer's
operating and safety instructions.<530ue229
Child-safety locks Slide the safety lever on the rear doors
downward:
The door can now be opened from the
outside only. 530de226