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System limitations
Even with PDC, final responsibility for 
estimating the distance between the 
vehicle and any obstructions always remains 
with the driver. Even when sensors are pro-
vided, there is a blind spot in which objects can 
no longer be detected. The system is also sub-
ject to the physical limits that apply to all forms 
of ultrasonic measurement, such as those 
encountered with trailer towbars and hitches, 
t h i n  o r  w e d g e - s h a p e d  o b j e c t s ,  e t c .  L o w  o b j e c t s  
that have already been displayed, e.g. curbs, 
can disappear again from the detection area of 
the sensors before or after a continuous tone 
sounds. Higher, protruding objects, e.g. ledges, 
cannot be detected. Therefore, always drive 
cautiously; otherwise, there is a risk of personal 
injury or property damage.
Loud sound sources outside or inside the car 
can drown out the PDC signal. Therefore, 
always drive cautiously; otherwise, there is 
a risk of personal injury or property damage.<
Driving stability control 
systems
Your BMW has a number of systems that help 
to maintain the vehicle's stability even in 
adverse driving conditions.
Antilock Brake System ABS
ABS prevents locking of the wheels during 
braking. Safe steering response is maintained 
even during full braking. Active safety is thus 
increased.
The ABS is operational every time you start the 
engine. Braking safely, refer to page124.
Electronic brake-force distribution 
EBV
The system controls the brake pressure in the 
rear wheels to ensure stable braking behavior.
Dynamic Brake Control DBC
When you apply the brakes rapidly, this system 
automatically produces the maximum braking 
force boost and thus helps to achieve the short-
est possible braking distance during full brak-
ing. This system exploits all of the benefits pro-
vided by ABS.
Do not reduce the pressure on the brake for the 
duration of the full braking application.
Dynamic Stability Control DSC
DSC prevents the driving wheels from losing 
traction when you pull away from rest or accel-
erate. The system also recognizes unstable 
driving conditions, for example if the rear of the 
car is about to swerve or if momentum is acting 
at an angle past the front wheels. In these 
cases, DSC helps the vehicle maintain a safe 
course within physical limits by reducing engine 
output and through braking actions at the indi-
vidual wheels.
The laws of physics cannot be repealed, 
even with DSC. An appropriate driving 
style always remains the responsibility of the 
driver. Therefore, do not reduce the additional 
s a f e t y  m a r g i n  a g a i n  b y  t a k i n g  r i s k s ,  a s  t h i s  c o u l d  
result in an accident.< 

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Hill Descent Control HDC*
HDC is a downhill driving assistant that controls 
your speed on steep downhill gradients and 
makes it even easier to control your BMW's 
handling under these conditions. The vehicle 
then moves slightly faster than double walking 
speed without the driver needing to intervene.
HDC can be activated as long as you are driving 
under approx. 20 mph or 35 km/h. When driving 
downhill at a speed of under approx. 20 mph or 
35 km/h, the vehicle's speed is automatically 
reduced to slightly more than double walking 
speed and maintained.
Increasing or decreasing speed
By accelerating or braking you can change this 
speed within a range from approx. 3 to 15 mph, 
approx. 5 to 25 km/h.
You can specify a target speed within the same 
range using the cruise control
* lever on the 
steering column.
1To increase speed
2To decrease speed
Activating HDC
Press the button; the LED lights up.
When the vehicle is being braked automatically, 
the LED flashes.
Deactivating HDC
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
HDC is automatically deactivated at speeds 
greater than approx. 35 mph/60 km/h.
Using HDC
In cars with manual transmission:
Use HDC in lower gears and in reverse gear.
With automatic transmission:
You can use HDC in any drive position.
Displays in the instrument cluster*
1Display for target speed
2HDC display
Malfunction
The HDC display disappears during HDC oper-
ation, or does not appear:
HDC is temporarily unavailable due to exces-
sive brake temperature, or DSC has failed.
Drive-off assistant
The drive-off assistant enables you to drive off 
smoothly on uphill gradients. It is not necessary 
to use the parking brake for this.
1.Hold the car in place by depressing the 
brake.
2.Release the brake and drive off without 
delay.
The drive-off assistant holds the car in 
place for approx. 2 seconds after the 
brake is released. Drive off without delay after 
releasing the brake. Otherwise, the drive-off 
assistant will no longer hold the car in place 
after approx. 2 seconds and the car will start to 
roll backwards.< 

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Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamps come on in yellow 
and red. A message appears on the 
Control Display. In addition, an 
acoustic signal sounds. There is a flat 
tire or substantial loss of tire pressure.
What to do in case of a flat tire
Run-flat tires
With a damaged tire, is possible to continue 
driving at speeds of up to 50 mph/80 km/h.
Do not continue driving if the vehicle is 
not equipped with run-flat tires, refer to 
page223; continued driving could result in a 
severe accident.<
When continuing to drive with a damaged tire:
1.Avoid sudden braking and steering maneu-
vers.
2.Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
3.At the next opportunity, check the air pres-
sure in all four tires.
If all four tires are inflated to the cor-
rect pressures, the Flat Tire Monitor 
might not have been initialized. The system 
must then be initialized.<
Possible travel distance with complete tire 
pressure loss:
>With a light load: 
1 to 2 persons without luggage: 
Approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With a medium load: 
2 persons, cargo area full, or 4 persons 
without luggage: 
Approx. 94 miles/150 km
>With a full load: 
4 or more persons, cargo area full: 
Approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive cautiously and do not exceed a 
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
When there is a tire pressure loss, the handling 
characteristics change, e.g. there will be 
reduced directional stability during braking, 
braking distances will be longer, and self-steer-
ing response will change.
Reduce your speed and bring the vehicle to a 
stop; otherwise, tire components may become 
detached, which could result in an accident. 
Do not continue driving; instead, contact your 
BMW center.<
Tire Pressure Monitor TPM*
The concept
Check the inflation pressure in the four installed 
tires. The system notifies you if there is a signif-
icant loss of pressure in one or more tires.
Functional requirement
The system has to have been reset at the cor-
rect inflation pressure; otherwise, a reliable 
reporting of a flat tire is not assured.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics to 
assure a trouble-free function of the system.
Each time a tire inflation pressure has 
been corrected or a wheel or tire has been 
changed, reset the system.<
System limitations
It is impossible to provide advance warn-
ing of sudden, severe tire damage caused 
by outside influences.<
The system does not function correctly if it has 
not been reset. For example, a flat tire may be 
indicated even though the tire inflation pres-
sures are correct.
The system is inactive and cannot indicate a flat 
tire:
>when a wheel without TPM electronics is 
installed.
>when other systems or devices that use the 
same radio frequency interfere with TPM. 

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Message for low tire inflation pressure
The warning lamps come on in yellow 
and red. A message appears on the 
Control Display. In addition, a signal 
sounds.
>There is a flat tire or substantial loss of tire 
pressure.
>The system was not reset after a wheel 
change and will thus issue warnings at the 
last initialized inflation pressures.
Cautiously reduce speed to below 50 mph/
80 km/h. Avoid sudden braking and steering 
maneuvers. Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph/
80 km/h.
Do not continue driving if the vehicle is 
not equipped with run-flat tires, refer to 
page223; continued driving could result in a 
severe accident.<
Continuing to drive with a flat tire
Possible travel distance with complete tire 
pressure loss:
>With a light load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
Approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With a medium load:
2 persons, cargo area full, or 4 persons 
without luggage:
Approx. 95 miles/150 km
>With a full load:
4 or more persons, cargo area full:
Approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive cautiously and do not exceed a 
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
When there is a tire pressure loss, the handling 
characteristics change, e.g. there will be 
reduced directional stability during braking, 
braking distances will be longer, and self-steer-
ing response will change.<
Vibrations or loud noises during driving 
may indicate the final failure of the tire. 
Reduce your speed and bring the vehicle to a 
stop; otherwise, tire components may become 
detached, which could result in an accident. Do 
not continue driving; instead, contact your 
BMW center.<
Message for unsuccessful 
system reset
Yellow warning lamp comes on. 
A message appears on the 
Control Display.
The system is not reset, e.g. after a wheel 
change.
Check the tire inflation pressure and reset the 
system, refer to page90.
Malfunction
The small warning lamp flashes in 
yellow and then lights up continu-
ously; the large warning lamp comes 
on in yellow. The tires appear in gray 
in the Control Display. No punctures can be 
detected.
Display in the following situations:
>Malfunction
Have the system checked.
>A wheel without TPM electronics has been 
installed:
Have it checked by your BMW center.
>Interference from systems or devices that 
use the same radio frequency: 
The system automatically becomes active 
again when the vehicle moves out of the 
interference zone.
Declaration according to NHTSA/
FMVSS 138
Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
Each tire should be checked monthly when cold 
and inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the 
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label. If 
your vehicle has tires of a different size than the 
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label, you should determine the 
proper tire inflation pressure for those tires. As 
an added safety feature, your vehicle has been 
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring sys-
tem, TPMS, that illuminates a low tire pressure 
telltale when one or more of your tires are signif-
icantly underinflated. Accordingly, when the 
low tire pressure telltale illuminates, you should  

Technology for driving comfort and safety
92 stop and check your tires as soon as possible, 
and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving 
on a significantly underinflated tire causes the 
tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. 
Underinflation also reduces fuel efficiency and 
tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle’s han-
dling and stopping ability. Please note that the 
TPMS is not a substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver’s responsibility to 
maintain correct tire pressure, even if underin-
flation has not reached the level at which the 
TPMS low tire pressure telltale illuminates.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is combined 
with the low tire pressure telltale. When the sys-
tem detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash 
for approximately one minute and then remain 
continuously lit. This sequence will continue 
upon subsequent vehicle startups as long as 
the malfunction exists. When the malfunction 
indicator is illuminated, the system may not be 
able to detect or signal low tire pressure as 
intended. TPMS malfunctions may occur for a 
variety of reasons, including the installation of 
replacement or alternate tires or wheels on the 
vehicle that prevent the TPMS from functioning 
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunction 
telltale after replacing one or more tires or 
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the 
replacement or alternate tires and wheels allow 
the TPMS to continue to function properly.
Active steering*
The concept
Active steering varies the turning angle of the 
front wheels in relation to steering wheel move-
ments. It also varies the steering force required 
to turn the wheels depending on the speed at 
which you are driving.
When you are driving in the low road speed 
range, e.g. in a town or when parking, the steer-
ing angle is increased, i.e. steering becomes 
very direct and less effort is required to turn the 
wheels. In the higher speed range, on the other 
hand, the steering angle is reduced as the 
speed increases. This improves the handling 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 page86.
Malfunction
The warning lamps light up and a 
message is displayed on the Control 
Display. Active steering is malfunc-
tioning or is temporarily deactivated. 
At low speeds, greater steering wheel move-
ments are required, whereas at higher speeds 
the vehicle reacts more sensitively to steering 
wheel movements. The stability-enhancing 
feature may also be deactivated. Drive cau-
tiously and think well ahead.
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 disappear during the 
current trip, have the system checked.
Defect
If there is a defect, a corresponding text mes-
sage appears. Have the system checked. 

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Servotronic*
The concept
The Servotronic varies the steering force 
required to turn the wheels relative to the vehi-
cle speed.
At low speeds, the steering force is strongly 
assisted, i.e. less force is needed for steering. 
As the vehicle speed increases, the steering 
assisting power is reduced.
Malfunction
Malfunctions are displayed via Check Control, 
refer to page80.
Brake Force Display
On the left: normal braking.
On the right: sharp braking. 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
94
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags in the seat backrests
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on 
page42 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 windows 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 or 
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. 

Lamps
98
Activating/deactivating welcome 
lamps
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Welcome light"
 Welcome lamps are activated and are 
stored for the remote control currently in use.
Pathway lighting
If you activate the headlamp flasher after 
switching off the ignition with the lamps 
switched off, the low beams come on and 
remain on for a certain time.
Setting the duration or deactivating
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Pathway light.:"
4.Set a time of duration, or 0 s to deactivate 
the function.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Daytime running lights
The daytime running lights light up in switch 
positions 0, 1 and 3.
Activating/deactivating daytime 
running lights
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Daytime running lamps"
 Daytime running lights are activated and 
are stored for the remote control currently in 
use.
Adaptive light control*
The concept
Adaptive light control is a variable headlamp 
control system that enables better illumination 
of the road surface. Depending on the steering 
angle and other parameters, the light from the 
headlamp follows the course of the road.
Activating Adaptive Light Control
With the ignition switched on, turn the light 
switch to position 3, refer to page97. 
Standstill function
*: to avoid blinding oncoming 
traffic, the adaptive light control directs light 
towards the front passenger side when the 
vehicle is at a standstill.
Adaptive light control is not active when revers-
ing.
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. Adaptive light control is 
malfunctioning or has failed. Have the system 
checked as soon as possible.