start the engine: the engine cannot be started.
The remote control is not in the vehicle or has
a malfunction. Take the remote control with
you inside the vehicle or have it checked. If
necessary, insert another remote control into
the ignition switch.
The warning lamp in the instrumentcluster lights up while the engine is
running: the remote control is no lon‐
ger inside the vehicle.
After switching off the engine, the engine can
only be started again within approx. 10 sec‐
onds if no door has been opened.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on and a message ap‐
pears on the Control Display: replace
the remote control battery.
Replacing the battery
The remote control for Comfort Access con‐
tains a battery that will need to be replaced
from time to time.1.Take the integrated key out of the remote
control, refer to page 30.2.Remove the cover.3.Insert a new battery of the same type with
the positive side facing upwards.4.Press the cover closed.
Return used battery to a recycling collec‐
tion point or to your service center.
Alarm system
The conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds to:▷Opening of a door, the hood or the tailgate.▷Movements in the vehicle: interior motion
sensor, refer to page 43.▷Changes in the vehicle tilt, e.g., during at‐
tempts to steal a wheel or tow the car.▷Interruptions in battery voltage.
The alarm system briefly indicates tampering:
▷By sounding an acoustic alarm.▷By switching on the hazard warning sys‐
tem.▷By flashing the high beams.
Arming and disarming the alarm
system
General information
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either
with the remote control or at the door lock, the
alarm system is armed or disarmed at the
same time.
Door lock and armed alarm systemUnlocking via the door lock will trigger the
alarm on some market-specific versions.
To stop this alarm, unlock the vehicle with the
remote control or switch on the ignition.
Tailgate and armed alarm system
The tailgate can be opened using the remote
control, even if the alarm system is armed.
Press the button on the remote control.
After the tailgate is closed, it is locked and
monitored again by the alarm system. The haz‐
ard warning system flashes once.
In some market-specific versions, the tailgate
can only be opened using the remote control if
the vehicle was unlocked first.
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Switching off the alarm▷Unlock the vehicle using the remote con‐
trol, refer to page 32.▷Insert the remote control all the way into
the ignition lock.
Indicator lamp on the interior rearview
mirror
▷The indicator lamp flashes continuously:
The system is armed.▷The indicator lamp flashes after locking:
The doors, hood or tailgate is not closed
properly, but the rest of the vehicle is se‐
cured.
The indicator lamp flashes continuously af‐
ter approx. 10 seconds. The interior motion
sensor is not active.▷The indicator lamp goes out after unlock‐
ing:
The vehicle has not been tampered with.▷If the indicator lamp flashes after unlocking
until the remote control is inserted in the
ignition, but for no longer than approx.
5 minutes:
An alarm has been triggered.
Panic mode
In dangerous situations, trigger the alarm sys‐
tem:
Press the button on the remote control for
at least 3 seconds.
To switch off the alarm: press any button.
Tilt alarm sensor The tilt of the vehicle is monitored.
The alarm system responds in situations such
as attempts to steal a wheel or tow the car.
Interior motion sensor For the sensor to function properly, the win‐
dows and glass sunroof/panoramic glass sun‐
roof must be closed.
Avoiding unintentional alarms The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sen‐
sor can be switched off together, such as in
the following situations:▷In duplex garages.▷During transport on car-carrying trains, at
sea or on a trailer.▷When animals are to remain in the vehicle.
Switching off the tilt alarm sensor and
interior motion sensor
Press the remote control button again
within 10 seconds after the vehicle is locked.
The indicator lamp lights up for approx. 2 sec‐
onds and then flashes continuously.
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sen‐
sor remain switched off until the vehicle is
locked again.
Power windows General information Take the remote control with youTake the remote control with you when
leaving the vehicle so that children, for exam‐
ple, cannot operate the power windows and in‐
jure themselves.◀
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▷Increase or decrease curvature:
Press front or rear section of switch.▷Shift curvature up or down:
Press upper or lower section of switch.
BMW X5: rear seats
2nd row seats If the row of seats is divided, each side can be
adjusted separately.
Do not adjust the seat while driving
Never adjust the 2nd row seats while the
vehicle is moving, as otherwise the passengers
on the 3rd row seats could be injured.
Make sure that the locking devices of the 2nd
row seats engage properly. Otherwise the re‐
straining effect of the safety belts during an ac‐
cident could be reduced.◀
Longitudinal direction
1.Pull the lever and slide the seat into the de‐
sired position.2.Release the lever and move the seat
slightly forward or back so that it engages
properly.
Backrest
The backrests can be adjusted in four steps.
Pull the lever and apply weight to or remove
weight from the backrest as needed.
Access to 3rd row seats
Pull the lever and fold the seat forward.
The handle recess on the interior trim of the
door pillar makes climbing in easier.
Keep the footwell under the 2nd row
seats clear
When folding back the 2nd row seats, make
sure that the footwell under the 2nd row seats
is clear. Otherwise persons in the 3rd row
seats could be injured or objects damaged.◀
Warning lamp for the 2nd row seats:
lights up if the 2nd row seats are not
locked. A message also appears on
the Control Display.
3rd row seats
The 3rd row seats are divided and offer space
for two persons.
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Rain sensorIf the car is equipped with a rain sensor, the
time between wipes is controlled automatically
and depends on the intensity of the rainfall.
The rain sensor is mounted on the windshield,
directly in front of the interior rearview mirror.
Activating the rain sensor
Press the button, arrow 3.
The LED in the steering wheel stalk lights up
and a wiping cycle is started.
At temperatures below 32 ℉/0 ℃, a wiping cy‐
cle is not started before driving away. Release
frozen wipers before driving away.
Rain sensor sensitivity Turn thumbwheel 5 up or down.
Deactivating the rain sensor
Press the button again, arrow 3.
The LED goes out.
Deactivate the rain sensor in car washes
Deactivate the rain sensor when passing
through an automatic car wash; otherwise,
damage could be caused by undesired wiper
activation.◀
Cleaning the windshield and
headlamps
Pull the lever, arrow 4.
The system sprays washer fluid on the wind‐
shield and activates the wipers briefly.
When the vehicle lighting system is switched
on, the headlamps are cleaned at regular and
appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washer system at freezing
temperatures
Do not use the washers if there is any danger
that the fluid will freeze on the windshield; oth‐
erwise, your vision could be obscured. For this
reason, use antifreeze.
Avoid using the washer when the reservoir is
empty; otherwise, you could damage the
pump.◀
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are heated au‐
tomatically while the engine is running or the
ignition is switched on.
BMW X5: rear window wiper1Intermittent wipe
When reverse gear is engaged, the system
switches to continuous operation.2Cleaning the rear window
Do not use the washing mechanisms
when the washer fluid reservoir is empty
Do not use washing mechanisms when the
washer fluid reservoir is empty, otherwise you
will damage the washer pump.◀
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LampsVehicle equipment
This chapter describes all series equipment as
well as country-specific and special equipment
offered for this model series.Therefore, it also
describes equipment that may not be found in
your vehicle, for instance due to the selected
special equipment or the country version. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems.
At a glance0Lamps off and daytime running lights1Parking lamps and daytime running lights2Low-beam headlamps and welcome lamps3Automatic headlamp control, daytime run‐
ning lights, welcome lamps, adaptive light
control, and High-beam Assistant
Parking lamps/low beams,
headlamp control
General information If the driver's door is opened while the ignition
is switched off, the exterior lighting is switched
off automatically in the following switch set‐
tings:
0,
,
Parking lamps
Switch position
: the vehicle lamps light
up on all sides, e.g., for parking.
Do not use the parking lamps for extended pe‐
riods; otherwise, the battery may become dis‐
charged and it would then be impossible to
start the engine.
When parking, it is preferable to switch on the
one-sided roadside parking lamps, refer to
page 92.
Low beams Switch position
with the ignition switched
on: the low beams light up.
Welcome lamps When parking the vehicle, leave the switch in
position
or : the parking and interior
lamps light up briefly when the vehicle is un‐
locked.
Activating/deactivating the welcome
lamps
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Welcome light"
The setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
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Controls
Activating Switch position
with the ignition switched
on.
The turning lamps are automatically switched
on depending on the steering angle or the use
of turn signals.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adap‐
tive Light Control does not swivel to the driv‐
er's side when the vehicle is at a standstill.
When driving in reverse, both turning lamps
are active.
Malfunction
A message is displayed.
Adaptive Light Control is malfunctioning or has
failed. Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
High beams/roadside
parking lamps
1High beams2Headlamp flasher3Roadside parking lamps
Left and right roadside parking lamps
The vehicle can be illuminated on one side.
Switching onAfter parking the vehicle, press the lever up ordown beyond the resistance point for ap‐
prox. 2 seconds, arrow 3.
The roadside parking lamps drain the battery.
Therefore, do not leave them on for unduly
long periods of time; otherwise, the battery
might not have enough power to start the en‐
gine.
Switching off
Briefly press the lever in the opposite direction
to the pressure point, arrow 3.
High-beam Assistant
The concept When the lights are switched on, this systemautomatically switches the high beams on and
off. The procedure is controlled by a sensor on
the front of the interior rearview mirror. The as‐
sistant ensures that the high beams are
switched on whenever the traffic situation al‐
lows. The driver can intervene at any time and
switch the high beams on and off as usual.
Activating the High-beam Assistant1.Turn the light switch to .2.With the low beams switched on, briefly
push the turn indicator lever in the direc‐
tion of the high beam.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up. The high beams are
switched on and off automatically.
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The system responds to light from oncoming
traffic and traffic driving ahead of you, and to
adequate illumination, e.g., in towns and cities.
Switching the high beams on and offmanually▷High beams on, arrow 1.▷High beams off/headlamp flasher, arrow 2.
To reactivate the High-beam Assistant, briefly
push the turn indicator lever toward the high
beams.
Activating/deactivating via iDrive
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."High beam assistant"
The setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
System limits Personal responsibility
The High-beam Assistant cannot serve
as a substitute for the driver's personal judg‐
ment of when to use the high beams. There‐
fore, manually switch off the high beams in sit‐
uations where this is required to avoid a safety
risk.◀
The system is not fully functional in situations
such as the following, and driver intervention
may be necessary:▷In very unfavorable weather conditions,
such as fog or heavy precipitation.▷In detecting poorly-lit road users, such as
pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riders and
wagons; when driving close to train or ship
traffic; and at animal crossings.▷In tight curves, on hilltops or in depres‐
sions, in cross traffic or half-obscured on‐
coming traffic on freeways.▷In poorly-lit towns and cities and in the
presence of highly reflective signs.▷At low speeds.▷When the windshield in front of the interior
rearview mirror is fogged over, dirty or cov‐
ered with stickers, etc.▷If the sensor view field is dirty.
The view field of the sensor is located on
the front of the interior rearview mirror.
Do not cover this area with stickers, etc.
Clean the sensor view field with a cloth
moistened with a small amount of glass
cleaner.
Front fog lamps
The parking lamps or low beams must be
switched on.
Press the button. The green indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up.
If the automatic headlamp control, refer to
page 91, is activated, the low beams will come
on automatically when you switch on the fog
lamps.
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▷Make sure that the front passenger is sit‐
ting correctly, i.e., keeps his or her feet and
legs in the footwell; otherwise, leg injuries
can occur if the front airbag is triggered.▷Do not place slip covers, seat cushions or
other objects on the front passenger seat
that are not approved specifically for seats
with integrated side airbags.▷Do not hang pieces of clothing, such as
jackets, over the backrests.▷Make sure that occupants keep their heads
away from the side airbag and do not rest
against the head airbag; otherwise, injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.▷Do not remove the airbag restraint system.▷Do not remove the steering wheel.▷Do not apply adhesive materials to the air‐
bag cover panels, cover them or modify
them in any way.▷Never modify either the individual compo‐
nents or the wiring in the airbag system.
This also applies to steering wheel covers,
the dashboard, the seats, the roof pillars
and the sides of the headliner.◀
Even when all instructions are followed closely,
injury from contact with the airbags cannot be
ruled out in certain situations.
The ignition and inflation noise may lead to
short-term and, in most cases, temporary
hearing impairment in sensitive individuals.
In the case of a malfunction, deactivation
and after triggering of the airbags
Do not touch the individual components imme‐
diately after the system has been triggered;
otherwise, there is the danger of burns.
Only have the airbags checked, repaired or dis‐
mantled and the airbag generator scrapped by
your service center or a workshop that has the
necessary authorization for handling explo‐
sives.
Non-professional attempts to service the sys‐
tem could lead to failure in an emergency or
undesired triggering of the airbag, either of
which could result in injury.◀
Warnings and information on the airbags are
also found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the frontpassenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval‐
uating the impression on the occupied seat
surface of the front passenger seat.
The front and side airbags on the front passen‐
ger side are activated or deactivated accord‐
ingly by the system.
The indicator lamp above the interior rearview
mirror shows the current status of the front
passenger airbags, deactivated or activated,
refer to Front passenger airbag indicator lamp
below.
Leave feet in the footwell
Make sure that the front passenger
keeps his or her feet in the footwell; otherwise,
the front passenger airbags may not function
properly.◀
Child restraint fixing system in the front
passenger seat
Before transporting a child on the front pas‐
senger seat, refer to the safety notes and in‐
structions under Children on the front passen‐
ger seat, refer to page 61.◀
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation system
When transporting older children and adults,
the front passenger airbags may be deacti‐
vated in certain sitting positions. In this case,
the indicator lamp for the front passenger air‐ bags lights up.
In this case, change the sitting position so that
the front passenger airbags are activated and
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