
Adjusting
48 To prevent possible personal injury and 
property damage, always ensure that the 
area above the head restraints is clear and 
unobstructed before extending them upward.<
You can use the safety switch, refer to 
page40, to deactivate the height adjust-
ment of the head restraints.<
Removal and installation: the same as with the 
front head restraints.
Middle head restraint
Pull out the lowered head restraint until it 
engages before the center rear seat is 
occupied. Otherwise, the level of occupant pro-
tection can be reduced.<
Rear: side extension adjustment*
You can fold the side extensions on the head 
restraint forward for increased lateral support in 
the resting position.
Safety belts
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, 
please follow the adjustment instructions on 
page43.<
Fasten safety belts on all occupied seats before 
every trip. Although airbags enhance safety by 
providing added protection, they are not a sub-
stitute for safety belts.
Fastening
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage in 
the belt buckle.
Releasing
1.Hold the belt firmly.
2.Press the red button in the belt buckle.
3.Guide the belt back into its reel.
The shoulder strap's anchorage point will be in 
the correct position for adults of every build if 
the seat is correctly adjusted, refer to page43.
The two rear safety belt buckles integrated into 
the rear seat are for passengers sitting on the 
left and right. The belt buckle embossed with 
the word CENTER is intended exclusively for 
use by passengers riding in the center position.
Safety belt reminder for front seats
The indicator lamp flashes or lights up. 
In addition, a signal sounds. Please 
make sure that the safety belts are 
positioned correctly.
The safety belt reminder is active at speeds 
above approx. 5 mph/8 km/h. It can also be acti-
vated if objects are placed on the passenger's 
seat. 

Transporting children safely
54
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 in the back 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 be necessary to use a child 
restraint system on the front passenger 
seat, the front, knee and side airbag on the front 
passenger side must be deactivated. Other-
wise, there is an increased risk of injury for the 
child if the airbags are triggered, even with a 
child restraint system. <
More information on Automatic deactivation of 
front passenger airbags, refer to page95.
Installing child restraint 
systems
Follow the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions when selecting, 
installing and using child restraint systems. 
Otherwise the protective effect may be dimin-
ished.<
In the front passenger seat
Before installing a child restraint system 
in the front passenger seat, make sure 
that the front, knee, and side airbags on the 
passenger side are deactivated. Otherwise, 
there is an increased risk of injury when the air-
bags are triggered.<
Backrest width*
The passenger seat backrest width set-
ting must be open all the way. After 
installing the child's seat, no memory position 
may be called up; otherwise, the stability of the 
child's seat on the front passenger seat is 
reduced.<
1.Open backrest width completely, refer to 
Front comfort seat adjustment on page44.
2.Mount 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.
Locking safety belt
1.Secure the child restraint system with the 
belt.
2.Pull out the belt webbing completely.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in and 
pull taut against the child restraint system. 
The safety belt is locked. 

Controls
 95Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags in front and rear
*
4Knee airbags
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, 
please follow the adjustment instructions on 
page43.<
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 knee air-
bags help protect the legs against impact 
against the cockpit.
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 retention 
system from the vehicle. Never modify or 
tamper with either the wiring or the individual 
components in the airbag system. This cate-
gory includes the upholstery 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 dis-
mantle the steering wheel. 
Do not touch the individual components 
directly after the system has been triggered, 
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 airbag genera-
tors executed only by a BMW center or a work-
shop that works according to BMW repair 
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel and has the required explosives 
licenses. Unprofessional attempts to service 
the system could lead to failure in an emer-
gency or undesired airbag activation, either of 
which could result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information about 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 system 
appropriately activates or deactivates the front, 
knee, and side airbag on the front passenger 
side.
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, pay attention to the 
safety information and follow the handling 
instructions under Transporting children safely,  

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
96 refer to page54. 
In certain sitting positions, teenagers and adults 
can deactivate the front, knee and side airbag 
on the front passenger side; when this occurs, 
the indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags lights up. In these cases, change the sit-
ting position so that the front passenger airbags 
are activated and the indicator lamp goes out. 
If the desired status cannot be produced by 
changing the sitting position, have the person 
ride in the back. Do not place slip covers, seat 
cushions, beaded mats, or other objects on the 
passenger seat that are not specifically recom-
mended by BMW. Do not lay objects under the 
seat which could press against the seat from 
below. Otherwise, a correct evaluation of the 
occupied seat surface cannot be assured.<
Operating state of front passenger 
airbags
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operational status of the 
front, knee and side airbag on the front passen-
ger side depending on whether the seat is 
occupied. The indicator lamp shows whether 
the front passenger airbags are activated or 
deactivated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child 
properly seated in a child restraint system 
intended for the purpose is detected on the 
seat. 
Front, knee and side airbag on the front 
passenger side are deactivated.
Most child seats are detected by the 
system. It is particularly advisable to 
use child seats approved by NHTSA at the 
time that the vehicle was produced. After 
installing a child's seat, make sure that the indicator light for the front passenger air-
bags is illuminated. This indicates that the 
system has detected the child's seat and 
has deactivated the front passenger air-
bags.<
>The indicator lamp does not light up when, 
for example, a correctly seated person of 
sufficient height is detected on the seat.
Front, knee and side airbag on the front 
passenger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when 
the seat is empty. 
The front, knee, and side airbags on the 
front passenger side are not activated in 
this case either.
Operational readiness of the airbag 
system
Once the radio ready position is reached, the 
warning lamp lights up briefly, thus indicating 
the operational readiness of the entire airbag 
system and the safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up from radio 
ready state.
>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.<