2008 BMW 535I deactivate passenger airbag

Transporting children safely
56
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, otherwise they could endanger
themselves and other persons, e.g. by opening
the doors.<
Children always in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest place
for children is on the rear seat.
Children younger than 13 years of age or
with a height under 5 ft/150 cm may only
be transported in the rear in child restraint sys-
tems which correspond to the age, weight and
height of the child. Otherwise there is an
increased danger of injury in an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must wear a
safety belt as soon as a suitable child restraint
system can no longer be used due to their age,
size and weight.
Exception for front passenger seat
Should it ever be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags on the passen-
ger side must first be deactivated. Otherwise,
there is an increased risk of injury for the child if
the airbags are triggered, even with a child
restraint system.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to
page101.
Installing child restraint
systems
Observe the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions for selection,
installation and use of the child restraint sys-
tems. Otherwise the degree of protection may
be reduced.<
Backrest width* on front passenger
seat
Open the backrest width setting of the
front passenger seat all the way. After
mounting the child's seat, deactivate the active
backrest width adjustment and do not call up
any memory position. Otherwise this limits the
stability of the child's seat on the front passen-
ger seat.<
1.After unlocking the vehicle, sit on the front
passenger seat and close the door to call up
the memory position.
2.Completely open the backrest width adjust-
ment, refer to page46.
3.Deactivate active backrest width adjust-
ment, refer to page47.
4.Install child's seat.
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the
front passenger can be locked against pulling
out to secure child restraint systems.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
100 In critical situations, the system can make tar-
geted corrections to the steering angle pro-
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehicle
before the driver intervenes. This stabilizing
intervention is simultaneously deactivated
when DSC is switched off, refer to page92.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow and
a message is shown on the Control
Display. The active steering is no
longer operational. At low speeds, greater
steering wheel movements are required,
whereas at higher speeds, the vehicle reacts
more sensitively to steering wheel movements.
The stability-promoting intervention can also
be deactivated. Proceed cautiously and drive
defensively. Have the system checked.
Brake force display
On the left: normal braking.
On the right: heavy braking.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags in front and rear
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please observe the adjustment instructions on
page45.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e. g. less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
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. Do not modify or tamper with either the
wiring or the individual components in the air-
bag system. This category includes the uphol-
stery in the center of the steering wheel, on the
instrument panel, the doors and the roof pillars
along with the sides of the headliner. Do not
attempt to remove or dismantle the steering

Controls
101Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
wheel. Do not touch the individual components
immediately after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center
or a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with correspondingly trained
personnel and has the required explosives
licenses. Otherwise unprofessional attempts to
service the system could lead to failure in an
emergency or undesired airbag triggering,
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and
side airbags on the front passenger side are
activated or deactivated accordingly by the sys-
tem.
The current status of the front passenger
airbag, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front
passenger airbags in the following.<
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, observe the safety infor-
mation and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely refer to page56.
The front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side can be deactivated for teenagers and
adults in certain sitting positions; then the indi-
cator lamp for the front passenger airbags lights
up. In these cases, change the sitting position
so that the front passenger airbags are acti-
vated and the indicator lamp goes out. If the
desired status cannot be produced by changing
the sitting position, transport the correspond-
ing person on the rear seat. Do not fit seat cov-
ers, seat cushion padding, ball mats or other
items onto the front passenger seat unless they
are specifically recommended by BMW. Do not
lay objects under the seat which could press against the seat from below. Otherwise a cor-
rect evaluation of the occupied seat surface
cannot be ensured.<
Operating state of front passenger
airbags
Depending on the vehicle's equipment, 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
and side airbags on the front passenger side
depending on the seat occupation. The indica-
tor lamp shows whether the front passenger
airbags are activated or deactivated.
>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 and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are not activated.
Most child's seats are detected by the
system. Especially the child's seats
required by the NHTSA at the time the vehicle is
manufactured. After installing a child's seat,
make sure that the indicator lamp for the front
passenger airbags lights up. This indicates that
the child's 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 and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when
the seat is empty.
However, the front and side airbags on the
front passenger side are not activated.