
Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
80
Technology for comfort, convenience and 
safety
PDC Park Distance Control*
The concept
The PDC assists you when you are parking. 
Acoustic signals and an optical display
* alert 
you to the approach of an object from behind 
your vehicle. To measure the distance, there 
are four ultrasonic sensors in each bumper. 
The range of these sensors is approx. 7 ft/2 m. 
However, an acoustic warning first sounds for 
the sensors at the front and at the two rear cor-
ners at approx. 24 in/60 cm, and for the center 
rear sensors at approx. 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate the 
presence of objects when they are being 
approached slowly, as is usually the case when 
parking. Avoid approaching an object at high 
speed; otherwise, the physical circumstances 
could cause the system warning to be activated 
too late.<
Switching on automatically
The system starts to operate approx. 1 second 
after you shift into reverse gear or move the 
selector lever into position R with the engine 
running or the ignition switched on.
Wait this short period before driving.
Switching on manually
Press the button; the LED lights up.
Switching off manually
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
After driving approx. 165 ft/50 m or at over 
approx. 20 mph/30 km/h, the system is 
switched off and the LED goes out. You can 
reactivate the system manually as needed.
Signal tones
An intermittent signal indicates the distance of 
the vehicle from an object being approached. 
Thus, an object detected to the left rear of the 
vehicle will be indicated by a signal tone from 
the left rear speaker, etc.  As the distance 
between vehicle and object decreases, the 
intervals between the tones become shorter. If 
the distance to the nearest object falls to below 
roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a continuous tone 
sounds.
An intermittent tone is interrupted after approx. 
3seconds:
>if you remain in front of an object that was 
only detected by one of the corner sensors
>if you drive parallel to a wall
Malfunction
The LED in the button flashes and a message 
appears on the Control Display. PDC is mal-
functioning. Have the system checked.
As a preventive measure, keep the sensors 
clean and free of ice or snow in order to ensure 
that they will continue to operate effectively. Do 
not spray the sensors with high-pressure clean-
ers for long periods and maintain a distance of 
at least 4 in/10 cm to them.
Exhaust gases near the rear sensors can cause 
a signal tone to sound. 

Controls
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Mobility
Manual transmission:
You can also activate and deactivate the 
M Dynamic Mode with the MDM button.
Deactivating MDM again
Press the   button on the steering wheel or the 
MDM button
* again; the MDM indicator lamp 
goes out.
Deactivating DSC*
Press the DSC OFF button; the DSC indicator 
lamp lights up continuously. DSC and MDM are 
deactivated.
A message appears on the Control Display. 
Please note any supplementary information 
that appears there.When rocking free and starting off from deep 
snow or on loose road surfaces, it may be prac-
tical to briefly deactivate DSC.
To maintain vehicle stability, always drive 
with the system switched on when possi-
ble. With a manual transmission, DSC cannot 
be deactivated.<
Reactivating DSC
Press the DSC OFF button; the indicator lamp 
in the instrument cluster goes out.
You can also activate and deactivate DSC with 
the   button on the steering wheel, refer to 
MDrive on page54.
Malfunction in driving stability control 
systems
The warning lamp for the brake system 
lights up, together with the Indicator 
and warning lamps for ABS, DSC and 
Tire Pressure Monitor or Flat Tire Mon-
itor. A message appears on the Control 
Display. The driving stability control 
systems have failed. Conventional 
braking efficiency remains available 
without limitations. While you may con-
tinue, you should remember to proceed 
cautiously and drive defensively while avoiding 
full brake applications. In addition, the Tire 
Pressure Monitor or the Flat Tire Monitor has 
also failed. Have the system checked as soon as 
possible.
Display of the previously described 
malfunction on Canadian models.
The DSC warning lamp lights up. 
A malfunction has occurred in DSC 
including MDM. The stability mainte-
nance functions are no longer available.  

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
84 The vehicle remains operational. Have the sys-
tem checked as soon as possible.
The brake system warning lamp lights 
up yellow. A message appears on the 
Control Display. The brake assistant is 
defective. Have the system checked as soon as 
possible.
Display of the previously described 
malfunction on Canadian models.
EDC Electronic Damping 
Control
The concept
If the influencing variables such as road surface 
quality or operating conditions such as steer-
ing, braking etc. change, the damping automat-
ically adjusts to the new conditions within a 
fraction of a second.
You can choose from three programs.
"Comfort" program
Select the "Comfort" program if you want com-
fort-oriented coordination of shock absorbers 
and steering.
"Normal" program
The "Normal" program offers a balanced mix-
ture of the comfort and the sport program.
"Sport" program
Select the "Sport" program if you want a con-
sistently sporty coordination of shock absorb-
ers and steering.
Selecting program
Sequential Manual Transmission with Drive-
logic:
Manual transmission:
Press the EDC button repeatedly:
>"Comfort": LED off.
>"Normal": one LED lights up.
>"Sport": both LEDs light up.
The last selected program is active each time 
the engine is started.
You can also activate your preferred program 
with the   button on the steering wheel, refer 
to MDrive on page54.
FTM Flat Tire Monitor*
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor keeps track of the infla-
tion pressures in the tires as you drive. The sys-
tem provides an alert whenever the inflation 
pressure drops significantly in relation to the 
pressure in another tire.
In the event of a pressure loss, the rolling radius 
and therefore the rotation speed of the wheels  

Controls
 85Reference
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Mobility
change. This change is detected and signaled 
as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
To ensure the reliable signaling of a flat tire, the 
system must be initialized at the correct tire 
inflation pressure.
The initialization must be repeated after 
every correction of the tire inflation pres-
sure and after every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot indicate 
sudden severe tire damage caused by 
outside factors and does not detect a natural, 
even pressure drop in all four tires.<
In the following situations, the system could be 
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snow-covered or slippery roads
>Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels, 
high lateral acceleration
>Driving with snow chains
*
Initializing system
The initialization finishes during driving, 
which can be interrupted at any time. 
When driving resumes, the initialization is auto-
matically continued. 
Do not initialize the system when driving with 
snow chains
*.<
With Sequential Manual Transmission via the 
button in the center console:
1.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
2.Press the button at least 4 seconds, how-
ever not longer than 2 minutes. After 
releasing the button, the warning lamp in 
the instrument cluster lights up yellow for a 
few seconds. Warning lamp, refer to Indica-
tion of a flat tire. The message "Initializing 
FTM..." appears on the Control Display for a 
few seconds.3.Start to drive. The initialization finishes dur-
ing driving without feedback.
Via iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to 
page16:
1.Press the   button. 
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is 
selected and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the 
controller until "FTM" is selected and press 
the controller.
6.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
7.Select "Reset" and press the controller. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
86 8.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
The message "resetting FTM …" is dis-
played for a few seconds. The warning lamp 
in the instrument cluster lights up yellow for 
a few seconds.
9.Start to drive.
The initialization finishes during driving 
without feedback.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamp lights up in red. A 
message appears on the Control Dis-
play. In addition, an acoustic signal 
sounds. There is a flat tire or extensive inflation 
pressure loss.
1.Reduce speed and stop the vehicle care-
fully. Avoid sudden braking and steering 
maneuvers.
2.Identify damaged tire. To do this, check the 
tire inflation pressure using the M Mobility 
System, refer to Producing tire inflation 
pressure on page214.
3.Repair flat tire with M Mobility System, refer 
to page212, or replace the damaged wheel, 
refer to Changing wheels on page215.
TPM Tire Pressure Monitor*
The concept
TPM checks the tire inflation pressure in the 
four mounted tires. The system reports when 
the tire inflation pressure has dropped consid-
erably in one or several tires.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat 
tire, the system must have been reset with the 
correct tire inflation pressure.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics, oth-
erwise fault-free operation of the system is not 
ensured.
Reset the system again after each correc-
tion of the tire inflation pressure and after 
every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
TPM cannot announce sudden serious 
tire damage caused by external influ-
ences.<
The system does not function properly if it has 
not been reset, e.g. a flat tire is reported despite 
correct tire inflation pressures.
The system is inactive and cannot display a flat 
tire if a wheel has been mounted without TPM 
electronics, or if TPM is temporarily interfered 
with by other systems or devices which use the 
same radio frequency.
Status display on Control Display
The tire and system status is indicated by the 
color of the tires.
TPM takes the fact that the tire pressure 
changes during driving into account. A correc-
tion is only required if requested by TPM with 
the color.
Green
The tire pressure matches the learned set state.
"TPM active" is displayed on the Control Dis-
play.
One wheel is yellow
Flat tire or a major drop in inflation pressure in 
the indicated tire. A message appears on the 
Control Display. 

Controls
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Mobility
All wheels are yellow
Flat tire or a major drop in inflation pressure in 
several tires. A message appears on the Control 
Display.
Gray
The system cannot detect a flat tire.
Reasons for this can be:
>TPM is being reset
>Temporary interference due to systems or 
devices which use the same radio fre-
quency
>Malfunction
Resetting system
Reset the system again after each correc-
tion of the tire inflation pressure and after 
every tire or wheel change.<
Resetting finishes during driving, which can be 
interrupted at any time. When driving resumes, 
resetting is continued automatically.
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to 
page16.
1.Press the   button. 
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the 
controller until "TPM" is selected and press 
the controller.
6.Start the engine, but do not start driving.7.Select "Reset" and press the controller.
8.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
9.Start to drive.
The tires are shown in gray and "Resetting 
TPM..." is displayed.
After a few minutes of driving, the set tire infla-
tion pressures in the tires are applied as the set 
values to be monitored. Resetting finishes dur-
ing driving. The tires are shown in green on the 
Control Display.
If a flat tire is detected during resetting 
and applying the tire inflation pressures, 
all tires are shown in yellow on the Control Dis-
play. The message "Tire low!" is displayed.<
Message with low tire inflation 
pressure
The warning lamp lights up yellow. A 
message appears on the Control Dis-
play. In addition, an acoustic signal 
sounds. There is a flat tire or extensive inflation 
pressure loss.
1.Reduce speed and stop the vehicle care-
fully. Avoid sudden braking and steering 
maneuvers.
2.If all four wheels are shown in yellow, iden-
tify the damaged tire on the vehicle.
3.Repairing flat tire with M Mobility System, 
refer to page212, or replace the damaged 
wheel or wheels, refer to Changing wheels* 
on page215.
The spare tire
* is equipped with the necessary 
TPC electronics and is also monitored after 
mounting and after resetting the system. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
88 Have the tire replaced by a BMW center or a 
workshop informed on handling TPM which 
works according to BMW repair procedures 
with correspondingly trained personnel.
Malfunction
The yellow warning lamp flashes and 
then lights up continuously. The tires 
are shown in gray on the Control Dis-
play and a message is displayed. No flat tire can 
be detected.
A message like this is displayed in the following 
situations:
>In case of a malfunction;
have the system checked.
>If a wheels is mounted without TPM elec-
tronics.
>If TPM is temporarily interfered with by 
other systems or devices which use the 
same radio frequency.
Declaration according to NHTSA/
FMVSS 138 Tire Pressure Monitoring 
Systems
Each tire, including the spare*, should be 
checked monthly when cold and inflated to the 
inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle 
manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label. If your vehicle has tires of a 
different size than the size indicated on the 
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, 
you should determine the proper tire inflation 
pressure for those tires. As an added safety fea-
ture, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire 
pressure monitoring system, TPMS, that illumi-
nates a low tire pressure indicator when one or 
more of your tires are significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire pres-
sure indicator illuminates, you should stop and 
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate 
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a signif-
icantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to 
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-
inflation also reduces fuel efficiency and tire 
tread life, and may affect the vehicle's handling 
and stopping ability. Please note that the TPMS 
is not a substitute for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's responsibility to maintain 
correct tire pressure, even if under-inflation has 
not reached the level to trigger illumination of 
the TPMS low tire pressure indicator.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is combined 
with the low tire pressure indicator. When the 
system detects a malfunction, the indicator will 
flash for approximately one minute and then 
remain continuously illuminated. This 
sequence will continue upon subsequent vehi-
cle startups as long as the malfunction exists. 
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated, 
the system may not be able to detect or signal 
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunc-
tions may occur for a variety of reasons, includ-
ing the installation of replacement or alternate 
tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the 
TPMS from functioning properly. Always check 
the TPMS malfunction indicator after replacing 
one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to 
ensure that the replacement or alternate tires 
and wheels allow the TPMS to continue to func-
tion properly.Brake force display
>On the left: normal braking.
>On the right: heavy braking. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
90 The front, knee and side airbags on the front 
passenger side can be deactivated for teenag-
ers and adults in certain sitting positions; the 
indicator lamp for the front passenger airbags 
lights up when this occurs. In these cases, 
change the sitting position so that the front pas-
senger airbags are activated and the indicator 
lamp goes out. If the desired status cannot be 
produced by changing the sitting position, 
transport the corresponding person in the rear 
seat. 
Do not fit seat covers, seat cushion padding, 
beaded mats or other items onto the front pas-
senger seat unless they are specifically recom-
mended by BMW. Do not place objects under 
the seat which could press against the seat 
from below. Otherwise, a correct evaluation of 
the occupied seat surface cannot be ensured.<
Operating state of front passenger 
airbags
The illustration here shows a possible arrange-
ment in the Coupe. With some vehicle equip-
ment packages or in the Convertible, the 
arrangement of the switches and indicator 
lamps may differ somewhat.
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operating status of the front, 
knee and side airbags on the front passenger 
side depending on whether the seat is occu-
pied. The indicator lamp shows whether the 
front passenger airbags are activated or deacti-
vated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in 
a child restraint system intended for the 
purpose is properly detected on the seat.
The front, knee and side airbags on the front 
passenger side are deactivated.Most child seats are detected by the sys-
tem. Especially the child seats required 
by the NHTSA at the time the vehicle is manu-
factured. After installing a child seat, make sure 
that the indicator lamp for the front passenger 
airbags lights up. This indicates that the child 
seat has been detected and the front passenger 
airbags are not activated.<
>The indicator lamp does not light up when, 
for example, a correctly seated person of 
sufficient height is detected on the seat. 
The front, knee and side airbags on the front 
passenger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when 
the seat is empty.
But the front, knee and side airbags on the 
front passenger side are still deactivated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
From radio readiness, refer to page58, the 
warning lamp lights up briefly, indicating the 
operational readiness of the entire airbag sys-
tem and the safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up as of radio 
readiness.
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately in case of a malfunction; otherwise, 
there is a danger that the airbag system may not 
respond in the expected manner in an accident 
despite an impact of corresponding intensity.<