2010 BMW 535I SEDAN airbag

At a glance
15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for hands-free mode for tele-
phone
*
and for voice activation system*22
2Reading lamps104
3Initiating an Emergency Request call
*231
4Interior lamps104
5Glass sunroof
*, electric39
Panorama glass roof
*40
6Passenger airbag status lamp94
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Central locking system30
10Automatic climate control105
11CD/DVD drive152
12Programmable memory buttons20
13Switching entertainment sound output on/
off and adjusting volume152
14Changing
>radio station155
>track16015Ejecting CD/DVD152
17Controller16
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four
directions
18Buttons on the controller17
Selecting menus directly Temperature setting106
Automatic air distribution and
volume106
Cooling function107
Automatic recirculated-air control
AUC
*107
Maximum cooling
*107
Air volume107
Defrosting windows and removing
condensation106
Rear window defroster106
16
Heated seats*49
Active seat ventilation
*50
Adjusting active backrest
width
*45
Active seat
*50
PDC Park Distance Control
*84
DTC Dynamic Traction Control86
Opening luggage compartment lid/
tailgate
*31, 33

Controls
43Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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 sitting 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 page53.
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 should 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 passenger is sitting correctly
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the
front airbags are triggered.
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head
on the side or head airbags, 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 effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page93.
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 injury in the event of an
accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page46.
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.
Your vehicle is provided with five seats, which
are all equipped 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 must not lie across
the neck, rub against 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 possible. Otherwise the belt can slip
over the hips in the lap area in a frontal impact
and injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing
that prevents the belt from fitting properly and
pull the belt in the upper body area periodically
to readjust the tension, in order to avoid a
reduction in the restraint of the safety belt.
Sports Wagon: if the center safety belt in the
rear is used, the larger backrest half must be
locked, refer to page117, otherwise the middle
safety belt has no restraining action.<
Safety belts, refer to page48.

Controls
53Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
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 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 be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger must be deactivated. Otherwise, a child
traveling on that seat will face a significant risk
of injury if the airbags are deployed, even with a
child restraint system.
Before installing a child restraint system, move
the front passenger seat as far back and up as
possible to obtain the best possible position for
the belt. Do not change the seat position after
this.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page94.
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.<
On front passenger seat
After mounting a child restraint system on
the front passenger seat, make sure that
the front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side are deactivated, as otherwise there is
an increased risk of injury if the airbags are trig-
gered.<
Seat position
Before installing a child restraint system, move
the front passenger seat as far back and up as
possible to obtain the best possible position for
the belt. Do not change the seat position after
this.
Backrest width* on front passenger
seat
Open the backrest width setting of the
front passenger seat all the way. After
mounting the child seat, deactivate the active
backrest width adjustment and do not call up
any memory position. Otherwise this limits the
stability of the child seat on the front passenger
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 page44.
3.Deactivate active backrest width adjust-
ment, refer to page45.
4.Install child seat.

Transporting children safely
56 3.Sports Wagon: thread the retaining strap
between the backrest and the luggage
compartment roller cover. Make sure that
the rear backrest is locked in position.
4.Attach the retaining strap hook to the
mounting point.
5.Slide the head restraint into the bottom
position.
6.Pull the retaining strap taut.
Center rear seat
1.Fold the center armrest somewhat toward
the front.
2.Guide retaining strap through the opening.
3.Fold back the center armrest.
4.Sports Wagon: thread the retaining strap
between the backrest and the luggage
compartment roller cover. Make sure that
the rear backrest is locked in position.5.Attach the retaining strap hook to the
mounting point.
6.Pull the retaining strap taut.
On journeys
If the vehicle is equipped with rear side
airbags, make sure that children do not
lean out of the child seat towards the door pan-
els. Otherwise injuries can be caused if the side
airbags are triggered.<
Child-safety locks for rear doors
Slide down the safety lever on the rear doors:
the door can now be opened from the outside
only.
Safety switch for power windows
Always press the safety switch for the power
windows, refer to page39, when children are
riding in the rear of the vehicle.

Controls
93Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
When you are driving in the low speed range,
e. g. in a town or when parking, the steering
angle increases, i.e., the steering becomes very
direct. In the higher speed range, on the other
hand, the steering angle is reduced more and
more. This improves the handling capability of
your BMW over the entire speed range.
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 page85.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow and
a message is shown on the Control Dis-
play. Active steering is malfunctioning
or is temporarily deactivated. At low speeds,
greater steering wheel movements are
required, whereas at higher speeds, the vehicle
reacts more sensitively to steering wheel move-
ments. The stability-promoting intervention
can also be deactivated. Proceed cautiously
and drive defensively.
Deactivation
Active steering is deactivated to perform an ini-
tialization. A message indicates that the feature
is deactivated. Initialization may take several
minutes.
If the message does not go out during the cur-
rent trip, have the system checked.
Defect
A text message appears if there is a defect.
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 rearProtective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please observe the adjustment instructions on
page43.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
94 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
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 page53.
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

Controls
95Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
purpose is properly detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are not activated.
Most child seats are detected by the sys-
tem, especially the child seats required by
the NHTSA at the time the vehicle is manufac-
tured. 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 if, for
example, the system detects a person of
sufficient size seated correctly 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.
Operational readiness of airbag system
From radio readiness, refer to page57, 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 from 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.<
Head-up Display*
The concept
With the Head-up Display important informa-
tion is projected into the driver's field of view,
e.g., navigation instructions. This enables you
to take in this information without looking away
from the road.
Switching on/off
Press the button.
1Navigation instructions
2Display
>Cruise control
>Active cruise control
>Lane Departure Warning
3Speed

Everything from A to Z
250
Everything from A to Z
Index
A
ABS Antilock Brake
System85
– indicator lamp87
ACC, refer to Active cruise
control66
Accessories6
Accident, refer to Emergency
request231
Acoustic signal, refer to Check
Control79
Activated-charcoal filter for
automatic climate
control108
Activation times of parked car
ventilation, preselecting109
Active backrest width,
adjusting45
Active cruise control66
– indicator lamp70
– radar sensors70
– selecting distance68
– warning lamps70
Active front head restraints47
Active seat50
Active seat ventilation50
Active steering92
– warning lamp93
Adapter for spare key26
Adaptive brake assistant85
Adaptive brake lamps, refer to
Brake force display93
Adaptive Light Control101
Additional connection of
music player in mobile
phone172
Additives
– coolant214
– engine oil, refer to Approved
engine oils213
Address for navigation
– entering133Adjusting interior
temperature106
Adjusting the tone during
audio operation, refer to
Tone control152
Adjusting thigh support44
Airbags93
– indicator/warning lamp95
– indicator lamp for front
passenger airbags94
– sitting safely43
Air distribution
– automatic106
– manual107
Airing, refer to Ventilation108
Air recirculation
– AUC Automatic
recirculated-air control107
– recirculated-air mode107
Air recirculation, refer to
Recirculated-air mode107
Air supply, automatic climate
control105
Air volume107
AKI, refer to Fuel
specifications201
Alarm system35
– avoiding unintentional
alarms36
– interior motion sensor36
– switching off alarm35
– switching off tilt alarm
sensor and interior motion
sensor36
– tilt alarm sensor36
Albums of music
collection169
Alloy wheels218
All-season tires, refer to
Winter tires209
All-wheel drive, refer to
xDrive86Alterations, technical, refer to
For your own safety5
Altering stretch of road143
Antenna for mobile phone178
Antifreeze
– coolant214
– washer fluid65
Anti-theft alarm system, refer
to Alarm system35
Anti-theft system, refer to
Central lokking system27
Approved axle loads, refer to
Weights241
Approved engine oils213
Approved gross vehicle
weight, refer to Weights241
Armrest, refer to Center
armrest
– rear116
Around the center console14
Around the steering wheel10
Arrival time
– refer to Computer76
Ashtray
– front114
– rear115
Assistance systems, refer to
Driving stability control
systems85
AUC Automatic recirculated-
air control107
Audio152
– controls152
– switching on/off152
– tone control152
– volume152
Audio device, external113