2009 BMW X6 XDRIVE 50I seats

Adjusting
48
Adjusting
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the
interaction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the seat position
plays an important role in an accident. To
ensure that the safety systems operate with
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to
observe the instructions contained in the fol-
lowing section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page 61.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
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 mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms
in the event of airbag deployment.
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags 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 passeng er is sitting correctly
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument
cluster, otherwise leg in juries can occur if the
front airbag is triggered.
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head
on the side or head airbag, otherwise injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered. <
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This e ffect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page 105.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is
increased danger of inju ry in the event of an
accident. <
BMW X5: push the head restraints of the 3rd
row seats
* into the top position.
Head restraints, refer to page 52.
Safety belts
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.
BMW X5: depending on its equipment, your
vehicle has either five or seven seats, which are
all provided with a safety belt.
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. Make sure that the belt lies low around the
hips in the lap area and does not press on the
abdomen. The safety belt may not lie across the
neck, rub on sharp edges, be routed over solid
or breakable objects or be pinched. Wear the
safety belt without twisting, snugly across the
lap and shoulders, as close to the body as pos-
sible. Otherwise the belt can slip over the hips
in the lap area in a fronta l impact and injure the
abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing that prevents
the belt from fitting prop erly and pull the belt in
the upper body area period ically to readjust the
tension, in order to avoid a reduction in the
restraint of the safety belt.
If the center safety belt in the rear is used, the
larger backrest half mu st be locked, refer to
page 132, otherwise the center safety belt has
no restraining action. <
Safety belts, refer to page 54.

Controls
49Reference
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Seats
Note before adjusting
Never attempt to adjust or calibrate your
seat while the vehicle is moving. The seat
could respond with unexpected movement, and
the ensuing loss of vehicl e control could lead to
an accident.
Never adjust manually adjustable seats while
the vehicle is moving, as otherwise the restrain-
ing effect of these seats during accidents could
be reduced.
Also on the passenger side, do not incline the
backrest too far to the re ar while the vehicle is
being driven, otherwise there is a danger in the
event of an accident of sliding under the safety
belt, eliminating the protection normally pro-
vided by the belt. <
Also observe the information on damage to
safety belts on page 55 and on the height of the
head restraints on page 52.
Adjusting manually*
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
observe the adjustment instructions on
page 48.<
Pull the lever and slide th e seat to the desired
position. After you releas e the lever, move the
seat forward or backward slightly so that it
engages fully.
Thigh support*
Pull the lever and adjust the thigh support in the
longitudinal direction.
Adjusting electrically
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
observe the adjustment instructions on
page 48.<
1 Longitudinal direction
2 Height
3 Seat tilt
4 Backrest

Adjusting
52
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.Adjust the head restraint so that its center
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is
increased danger of inju ry in the event of an
accident. Only remove the head restraints if the
respective seat is not occupied. Reinstall the
head restraints before transporting passen-
gers, as otherwise the head restraint cannot
provide its protective function. <
Active front head restraints
In the event of a rear-end collision of sufficient
severity, the active head restraint reduces the
distance to the head.
Do not use seat covers or head restraint
covers that could impede the proper
functioning of the active head restraint. Other-
wise, there is no assuranc e that the active head
restraint will perform its protective function and
it is not possible to take advantage of its injury-
reducing potential in th e event of a rear-end
collision.
Have the active head rest raints reset after they
are triggered in a rear-end collision. Have this
work carried out only at a BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle Center or at a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel. Otherwise,
correct operation of this safety equipment is not
guaranteed. <
Removal and installation of the front head
restraints should be performed by a BMW
Sports Activity Vehicle Center. <
Front seats: height adjustment
You can adjust the height of the head restraints
electrically.
Front seats: adjust ing distance from
back of head
> Forward: pull up.
> Back: press the button and slide the head-
rest cushion toward the rear.
Do not place any objects behind the
headrest cushion. Otherwise, you can
impair the proper function of the head
restraint. <
Comfort seat*
You can adjust the distance from the back of the
seat occupant's head using the shoulder sup-
port, refer to page 50.

Controls
53Reference
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Mobility
Adjusting side extensions
You can fold the side extensions on the head
restraint forward for increased lateral support in
the resting position.
BMW X5: rear seats and 3rd row seats*,
adjusting height
> To raise: pull up.
> To lower: press the button, arrow 1, and
push the head restraint downward.
In vehicles equipped with 3rd row seats, the
height of the middle head restraint is not adjust-
able.
Removing
1. Pull the head restraint upward to the stop.
2. Press the button, arro w 1, and pull the head
restraint all the way out.
BMW X5: rear seats
2nd row seats
With a divided* row of seats you can adjust
both sides individually.
Never adjust the 2nd row seats while the
vehicle is moving, as otherwise the pas-
sengers on the 3rd row seats could be injured.
Make sure that the locking devices of the 2nd
row seats engage properly. Otherwise the
restraining effect of the safety belts during an
accident could be reduced. <
Longitudinal direction*
1.Pull the lever and slide the seat into the
desired position.
2. Release the lever and move the seat slightly
forward or back so that it engages properly.
Backrest*
The backrests can be adjusted in four steps.
Pull the lever and apply weight to or remove
weight from the backrest as needed.

Adjusting
54
Access to 3rd row seats*
Pull the lever and fold the seat forward.The handle recess on th e interior trim of
the door pillar makes climbing in easier. <
When folding back the 2nd row seats,
make sure that the footwell under the
2nd row seats is clear. Otherwise persons in the
3rd row seats could be injured or objects dam-
aged.<
Warning lamp for 2nd row seats:
Lights up when the 2nd row seats are
not locked. A message also appears
on the Control Display.
3rd row seats*
The 3rd row seats are divided and offer space
for two persons.
Folding up backrest
Before folding the seats up, remove the roll-up
cover, refer to page 130, and if need be, slide
the 2nd row seats slightly forward.
1. Pull the lever, refer to arrow. The backrest is
unlocked.
2. Fold up and engage the backrest. Make sure that the catch engages
securely. If it is no
t properly engaged,
transported cargo could enter the passen-
ger compartment during braking or evasive
maneuvers and endanger the vehicle occu-
pants. <
3. Push the head restraints into the top posi-
tion.
Folding backrest down
1.Push down the head restraint, refer to
page 53.
2. Pull the lever, refer to arrows. The backrests
are released.
3. Fold the backrest down.
Safety belts
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
observe the adjustment instructions on
page 48.<
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.

Controls
57Reference
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Mobility
4.Turn the controller to adjust the distribu-
tion.
The setting is applied.
Heated rear seats
Operation similar to front seat heating; without
temperature distribu tion, refer to page55.
Active seat*
The seat cushion is acti vely varied by alter-
nately raising and lowering the right and left half
of the seat cushion. This reduces muscular ten-
sion and fatigue to he lp prevent lower back
pain.
Press the button to switch on; the LED lights
up.
The action of the system is reduced and if need
be, switched off in order to reduce the load on
the battery. The LED remains lit.
If you switch off the acti ve seat, it can take up
to 1 minute before the two halves of the seat
cushion have returned to their initial position.
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The mirror on the passenger's side is
more curved than the driver's mirror.
Objects reflected in the mirror are closer than
they appear. Do not estimate the distance of
following traffic based on what you see in the
mirrors; otherwise, there is an increased risk of
accident. <
1 Adjusting
2 Switching to the other mi rror or to the auto-
matic curb monitor
3 Folding mirrors in and out
*
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat, mir-
ror and steering wheel memory on page 50.
Adjusting manually
The mirrors can also be adjusted manually:
press the edge of the glass.
Folding mirrors in and out*
Pressing button 3 allows you to fold the mirrors
in and out again up to a speed of approx.
12 mph/20 km/h. This is advantageous, for
example, in car washes, narrow streets or for
bringing mirrors that have been manually folded
in back into the correct position.
Folded in mirrors fold out again at a speed of
approx. 25 mph/40 km/h.
Before going through a car wash, fold the
mirrors in manually, or with button 3, oth-
erwise they could be damaged, depending on
the width of the car wash system. <

Controls
61Reference
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Mobility
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 alwa ys in 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 on the 2nd row seats in child
restraint devices 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
device can no longer be used due to their age,
weight and size.
Exception for front passenger seat
Should it be necessa ry to use a child
restraint device on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags on the passen-
ger side must be deactivated. Otherwise, there
is an increased risk of in jury for the child if the
airbags are triggered, even with a child restraint
device. <
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to
page 106.
Installing child restraint
devices
Follow the child restraint device manufac-
turer's instructions fo r selection, installa-
tion, and use of child restraint devices. Other-
wise, the degree of protection may be
reduced. <
BMW X5: for equipment with 3rd row
seats
*, make sure that the seat of the 2nd row seats on which the ch
ild restraint device is
mounted is properly locked. Otherwise there is
an increased risk of inju ry for the child in an
accident.
Do not mount child rest raint devices on the
3rd row seats, as otherwise the protection pro-
vided by these child restraint devices may be
reduced. <
On front passenger seat
After mounting a child restraint device on
the front passenger seat, make sure that
the front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side are deactivated; otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury if the airbags are trig-
gered. <
Backrest width*
The backrest width adjustment of the
front passenger seat must be completely
open. After installing th e child's seat, no mem-
ory position may be called up; otherwise, the
stability of the child's se at on the front passen-
ger seat is reduced.<
1. Open backrest width adjustment com-
pletely, refer to page 50.
2. Install child's seat.
Child seat security
The rear safety belts, in the BMW X5 all of the
safety belts of the 2nd and 3rd
* row seats and
the passenger safety belt can be locked to pre-
vent them from being pulled out in order to
secure child restraint devices.

Transporting children safely
62
Locking safety belt
1.Secure the child restra int device with the
belt.
2. Pull out the belt we bbing completely.
3. Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in and
pull taut against the child restraint device.
The safety belt is locked.
Unlocking safety belt
1.Open the belt buckle.
2. Remove the child restraint device.
3. Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in com-
pletely.
LATCH child restraint fixing
system
LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for CHil-
dren.
Follow the system manufacturer's
instructions on inst allation and use of
LATCH child restraint devi ces; otherwise, their
protective function may be reduced. <
Before attaching the child 's seat, pull the belt
away from the region of the child restraint fixing
system.
BMW X5: before installing the child's
seat, remove the covers
* from the
mounts for the LATCH anch or fittings, as other-
wise the LATCH anchor fittings have no
restraining effect. < Make sure that the
LATCH mounts have
properly clicked into place and that the
child restraint device is resting snugly against
the backrest. Otherwise, the protective action
may be reduced. <
The mounts for the LATC H anchors are located
at the points indicated by the arrows.
Child restraint device with tether strap
Only use the top tether mounting points
to secure child restraint devices, other-
wise the mounting poin ts could be damaged.
Do not mount child restraint devices on the
3rd row seats in the BMW X5; otherwise the
protection provided by these child restraint
devices may be reduced. <
BMW X5
There are three additional mounting points for
child restraint devices with a tether strap on the
2nd row seats, refer to arrows. Fold out before
using the center mounting point.