Technology for driving comfort and safety
86 vidual components of the system or its wiring in
any way. This includes the upholstered covers
of the steering wheel, the dashboard and the
seats. Do not attempt to remove or dismantle
the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components imme-
diately 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 air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center
or a workshop that works according to repair
procedures of BMW with correspondingly
trained personnel and that has the required
explosives licenses. Unprofessional attempts to
work on the system could lead to failure in an
emergency or to undesired airbag activation,
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warning notices and information about the air-
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the
passenger airbags
The system determines whether the passenger
seat is occupied by measuring the resistance of
the human body. Front, knee and side airbags
on the passenger side are activated or deacti-
vated accordingly.
Make sure that the passenger keeps his
or her feet in the footwell; otherwise, the
passenger airbags may not function properly.<
The indicator lamp above the interior rearview
mirror shows the current status of the passen-
ger airbags, deactivated or activated, refer to
Status of passenger airbags below.
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, read the safety precau-
tions and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, see page48.
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation system
The front, knee and side airbags can also be
deactivated by adolescents and adults sitting in
certain positions; the indicator lamp for the pas-
senger airbags comes on. In such cases, the
passenger should change his or her sitting
position so that the passenger airbags are acti-
vated and the indicator lamp goes out. If the
desired airbag status cannot be achieved by
changing the sitting position, do not transport
the passenger in the vehicle.
To make sure that occupation of the seat cush-
ion can be detected correctly:
>Do not attach seat covers, seat cushion
padding, ball mats or other items to the pas-
senger seat unless they are specifically rec-
ommended by BMW.
>Do not place any items under the seat which
could press against the seat from below.<
Status of passenger airbags
The indicator lamp for the passenger airbags
shows the functional status of the passenger's
front, knee and side airbags in accordance with
whether and how the passenger seat is occu-
pied. The indicator lamp shows whether the
passenger airbags are activated or deactivated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child
who is properly seated in a child restraint
system intended for that purpose is
detected on the seat or the seat is empty.
The front, knee and side airbags for the pas-
senger are not activated.
