Technology for driving comfort and safety
88
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags
3Side airbags in the seat backrests
4Convertible: knee airbags
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on 
page43 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
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 have been designed to not be trig-
gered in every collision situation, e.g. not in 
minor accidents 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.
Keep the dashboard and window on the front 
passenger side clear, i.e., do not cover with 
adhesive labels or coverings, and do not attach 
holders such as for navigation instruments and 
mobile phones.
Do not attach seat covers, cushions or other 
objects not specifically approved for seats with 
integral side airbags to the front seats. Do not 
hang items of clothing such as coats or jackets 
over the backrests. Do not attempt to remove the airbag retention system from the vehicle. Do 
not modify the individual components of the 
system or its wiring in any way. This includes 
the upholstered covers on the steering wheel, 
instrument panel, seats and roof posts, as well 
as the sides of the roof lining. 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 front 
passenger airbags
An analysis of the impression in the front pas-
senger seat cushion determines whether and 
how the seat is occupied. The front and side air-
bags for the front passenger are activated or 
deactivated by the system accordingly.
The indicator lamp above the interior 
rearview mirror shows the current status 
of the front passenger airbags, deactivated or 
activated, refer to Status of front passenger air-
bags below.< 
Controls
 99Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Switching the system on/off
Switching off
With the blower at its lowest set-
ting, press the left side of the but-
ton to switch off the automatic cli-
mate control.
All displays are cleared except for the rear win-
dow defroster if it is switched on.
The outside air supply is blocked when 
the automatic climate control is switched 
off. If the air quality deteriorates or the window 
fogs over, switch the system back on and 
increase the air volume.<
Switching on
Press any button except the ALL or the rear 
window defroster button to reactivate the auto-
matic climate control.
Ventilation
1Use the thumbwheels to smoothly open 
and close the air vents
2Use the lever to change the direction of the 
airflow
Ventilation for cooling
Adjust the vent outlets to direct the flow of cool 
air in your direction, for instance if it has become 
too hot in the car.
Draft-free ventilation
Set the vent outlets so that the air flows past 
you and not straight at you.
Microfilter/activated-charcoal filter
The microfilter traps dust and pollen in the 
incoming air. The activated-charcoal filter pro-
vides additional protection by filtering gaseous 
pollutants from the outside air. Your BMW cen-
ter replaces this combined filter during routine 
maintenance.
Parked car ventilation*
The concept
The parked car ventilation provides ventilation 
to the passenger compartment and lowers its 
temperature, if necessary.
The parked car ventilation system is operated 
via iDrive, refer to page16. Two different 
switch-on times can be preselected.
The parked car ventilation remains switched on 
for approx. 30 minutes. The system can also be 
switched on and off directly. Due to its high 
power consumption, it should not be switched 
on twice in a row without driving in between to 
allow the battery to recharge.
The parked car ventilation system comes on if 
the outside temperature is above 597/156 
when the switch-on time was preselected, but 
is ready for use at any temperature when the 
system is switched on directly.
The air emerges from the air vents for the upper 
body area in the instrument panel. The air vents 
must therefore be open.
Switching on and off directly
1."Settings"
2."Climate"
3."Activate parked-car vent."