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Attaching tether strap to the backrest
of the 2nd row seats
BMW X5:
On outer seats:
1.Slide the head restraint upward.
2.Guide the tether strap between the head
restraint brackets.
3.Hook in the tether strap on the mounting
point with the hook.
4.Slide the head restraint into the bottom
position.
5.Pull tether strap taut.
On the center seat when equipped with two
rows of seats:
1.Fold the center armrest somewhat toward
the front.
2.Guide the tether strap through the opening
in the center armrest.
3.Fold back and engage the center armrest.
4.Hook in tether strap on mounting point.
5.Pull tether strap taut.
On the center seat when equipped with three
rows of seats:1.Slide the head restraint upward.
2.Guide the tether strap between the head
restraint brackets.
3.Hook in the tether strap on the mounting
point with the hook.
4.Slide the head restraint into the bottom
position.
5.Pull tether strap taut.
BMW X6:
1.Route tether strap over the middle of the
head restraint.
2.Hook in the tether strap on the mounting
point with the hook.
3.Pull tether strap taut until it compresses the
cushion of the head restraint, thus prevent-
ing the tether strap from sliding off.
On trips
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 page38, when children are
riding in the rear of the vehicle.

Driving
72 1.Select the desired speed using the lever,
arrow 1 or arrow 2, or press button 4 to
retrieve a stored speed.
2.Release the brake pedal.
3.When the vehicle ahead of you drives away,
press on the accelerator briefly or press
button 4.
Deactivating the system
>When driving, press the lever up or down
twice.
>When stationary, do the same while
depressing the brake pedal.
>Switch off the ignition.
The displays go out, and the stored desired
speed and distance are deleted.
Displays in instrument cluster
1Stored desired speed
>Green: the system is active.
>Orange: the system is interrupted.
2Lights up yellow: vehicle detected ahead
Display also used for warnings, please read
all information on warnings.
3Selected distance to vehicle ahead
The indicator lights up as soon as the sys-
tem is activated
The bars roll: the vehicle in front of you has
driven off
4Brief display of stored desired speed
If the display --- mph/---km/h appears
briefly, the conditions necessary for oper-
ation may currently not be met.<
Warning lamps
Display 2 flashes red and a signal
sounds.
The system requests that the you
intervene by braking and carrying
out evasive maneuvers, if neces-
sary. The system cannot independently restore
the distance to the vehicle ahead.
This display does not relieve the driver of the
responsibility to adapt his or her desired driving
speed and style to the traffic conditions.
Display 2 flashes yellow.
The conditions necessary for
operation of the system are no
longer met, e. g. due to ABS or
DSC intervention. The system
applies the brakes until you actively assume
control.
Radar sensor
Position
The radar sensor is integrated in the bumper.
Dirty or covered sensor
A dirty or covered sensor may hinder the detec-
tion of vehicles.
>If necessary, clean the radar sensor.
Remove layers of snow and ice carefully.
>Do not cover the view field of the radar sen-
sor.
Malfunction
The system cannot be activated if the radar
sensor is not aligned correctly. This may be

Driving
74
Swerving vehicles
A vehicle driving in front of you is not detected
until it is completely within the same lane as
your vehicle.
If a vehicle driving ahead of you suddenly
swerves into your lane, the system may
not be able to automatically restore the
selected distance. This also applies to major
speed differences to vehicles driving ahead of
you, e.g. when rapidly approaching a truck.
When a vehicle driving ahead of you is reliably
detected, the system requests that the driver
intervene by braking and carrying out evasive
maneuvers, if necessary. Take action yourself,
otherwise there is a risk of an accident.<
Unexpected lane change
If a vehicle ahead of you unexpectedly moves
into another lane from behind a stopped vehi-
cle, you yourself must react, as the system does
not react to stopped vehicles.
Cornering
If the desired speed is too high for a curve, the
speed is reduced slightly in the curve, although
curves cannot be anticipated in advance.
Therefore, drive into a curve at an appropriate
speed.
In tight curves, situations may result due to the
restricted detection range of the system in
which a vehicle driving ahead of you may not be
detected at all, or not until after a considerable
delay.
When approaching a curve, the system may
react briefly to the vehicles in the next lane due
to the bend of the curve. Any deceleration of the
vehicle by the system can be compensated for
by briefly accelerating. After the accelerator
pedal is released, the system becomes active
again and independently controls the speed.
Driving away
In some situations, the vehicle cannot drive
away automatically, e.g. on steep inclines, with
a heavy trailer or behind bumps in the road.
Driver interventions and your
responsibility
Anytime the driver presses down on the
accelerator pedal, any braking action by

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the system is interrupted and the distance indi-
cator goes out until the pedal is fully released.
As soon as you fully release the accelerator, the
system will again control your cruising speed
and distance setting. While driving with the sys-
tem activated, resting your foot on the acceler-
ator pedal will cause the system not to brake
even if necessary. Be certain that floor mats or
other objects on the vehicle floor do not inter-
fere with movement of the accelerator pedal.<
While active cruise control is capable of
braking your vehicle automatically when
you approach a slower vehicle ahead, it is
important to be aware that the ability of the sys-
tem to apply the brakes is also limited, e. g.
when you reduce your desired speed sharply. It
uses only a portion of braking system capacity
and does not utilize the full capacity of the vehi-
cle braking system. Therefore, the system can-
not decrease your speed for large differences in
speed between your vehicle and the vehicle
ahead. Examples: when you approach a vehicle
traveling at a much lower speed than your own
speed such as approaching a toll booth or when
a much slower vehicle cuts in front of you at
close range.<

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Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
observe the adjustment instructions on
page42.<
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 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.
Keep the instrument cluster and window in the
region of the passenger seat free of foreign
materials, i.e. do not cover them with adhesive
film or covers and do not attach mounts, e.g. for
a navigation device or mobile phone to them.
Do not install cosmetic covers, seat cushions,
or other items on the front seats that are not
especially approved for seats with integrated
side airbags. Do not hang articles of clothing
such as jackets over the backrests.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 airbag system. This includes
the upholstery in the center of the steering
wheel, on the instrument cluster, the doors, and
the roof pillars as well as the sides of the head-
liner. Do not attempt to remove or dismantle the
steering wheel. Do not touch the individual
components immediately 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 Sports
Activity Vehicle 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 undes-
ired 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

External devices
192
External devices
Overview
AUX-IN connection
You can connect an external audio device, e.g.
an MP3 player, and play the sound via the vehi-
cle speakers. The sound can be adjusted via
iDrive.
Connecting
Open the lid of the center armrest.
Connection for audio playback:
TRS connector 1/8"/3.5 mm
To play audio tracks through the vehicle's
speaker system, connect the headphone or
line-out port of the device with the AUX-IN con-
nection.
Starting audio playback
Connect the audio device, switch it on and
select a track. Operate the system on the audio
device.
Using iDrive
1."CD/Multimedia"
2.If you wish, "External devices"
3. "AUX front"
Adjusting volume
The volume of the sound output depends on
the audio device. If this volume differs markedly
from the volume of the other audio sources, it is
advisable to adjust the volumes.
1."CD/Multimedia"
2.If you wish, "External devices"
3. "AUX front"
4."Volume"
5.Turn the controller until the desired volume
is set and press the controller.
USB audio interface*/
extended connectivity of
music player in mobile
phone*
It is possible to connect external audio devices/
mobile phones. They can be operated using
iDrive. Sound is output on the vehicle loud-
speakers.
Options for connecting external
devices
>Connection via USB audio interface: Apple
iPod/iPhone, USB devices, e.g. MP3 play-
ers, USB memory sticks, or mobile phones
that are supported by the USB audio inter-
face.
>Connection via snap-in adapter
*, refer to
page212, when equipped with expanded
connection of the music player in the mobile
SymbolMeaning
AUX-IN connection
USB audio interface
*/mobile
phone audio interface
*

DVD system in rear
196
DVD system in rear
With the DVD system in the rear you can play
CDs and DVDs with audio, video and image
data. The DVD system can also play data from
attached external audio and video devices.
Audio output is possible both via headphones
and via the vehicle speakers.
You can control the DVD system using the but-
tons on the CD-/DVD player or using the remote
control.
Some functions are operated using the
remote control.<
Enabling DVD system
The DVD system can be enabled via iDrive.
1."Settings"
2."Allow rear control"
3."Rear DVD system active"
DVD-System is enabled.
Controls
1Display screen
2Infrared interface for headphones
3CD/DVD player
4Headphone connection:
TRS connector 1/8"/3.5 mm
512 V sockets, refer to page130
Folding in display screen
When using the ski bag or when transporting
bulky pieces of luggage, the display screen
should be folded in, as otherwise it may be dam-
aged.
When the screen is folded down, do not
open the lid of the center armrest or rest
your arm on the screen; otherwise, you may
damage the screen.<
*

Mobility
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it from extending to its full support height and
reduce its load-carrying capacity.
To avoid serious or fatal injury: never lie under
the vehicle, and never start the engine while it is
supported by the jack.<
What you will need
To avoid rattling noises later on, note the posi-
tions of the tools before removing them, then
return them to their initial positions after com-
pleting work.
The tools are located in the mount under the
floor panel flap.
1Vehicle jack
*
2Vehicle jack crank*
3Lug wrench*
Removing compact wheel
The compact wheel is located in the cargo area
under the floor panel.
1.Remove the tool mount.
2.Unscrew the wing nut 1.
3.Remove the washer 2 laterally.
4.Remove the compact wheel.
Preparing wheel change
1.Observe the safety precautions above.
2.Loosen the lug bolts a half turn.
Jacking up vehicle
1.Position the vehicle jack at the jacking point
closest to the wheel so that the entire sur-
face of the jack base rests on the ground
perpendicularly beneath the jacking point.
The vehicle jack is designed for
changing wheels only. Do not attempt
to raise another vehicle model with it or to
raise any load of any kind. To do so could
cause accidents and personal injury.<
2.Guide the jack head into the rectangular
recess of the jacking point when cranking
up, refer to illustration detail.
3.Jack the vehicle up until the wheel you are
changing is raised from the ground.
Mounting a wheel
1.Unscrew the lug bolts and remove the
wheel.
2.Remove accumulations of mud or dirt from
the mounting surfaces of the wheel and
hub. Also clean the lug bolts.