2013 MINI Countryman child seat

CONTROLSAdjustments
38
Adjustments
Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all production, country, and
optional equipment that is offered in the model
range is described. Equipment is also described
that is not available because of, for example,
selected options or coun try version. This also
applies to safety relate d functions and systems.
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital contri-
bution to relaxed, fatigu e-free driving. In con-
junction with the safety belts, the head restraints
and the airbags, the seated position has a major
influence on your safety in the event of an acci-
dent. To ensure that th e safety systems operate
with optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to
observe the instructions contained in the follow-
ing section.
For additional informatio n on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page 46.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, to
minimize the risk of inju ry to the hands or arms
in the event of the airbag being deployed.
No one and nothing should come between the
airbags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Ensure
that the front passenger is correctly seated, e.g.
that no feet or legs are propped against the
dashboard. Otherwise, leg injury could result if
the front airbag suddenly deployed.
Make sure that passeng ers keep their heads
away from the side ai rbag and do not lean
against the cover of the head airbag; otherwise
injuries can occur when the airbags are
deployed. < Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries
resulting from contact with airbags cannot be
fully excluded, depending on the circumstances.
The ignition and inflation noise may provoke a
mild hearing loss in extremely sensitive individ-
uals. This effect is usually only temporary.
For airbag locations and
additional information
on airbags, refer to page 81.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way
that its center is at approx. ear level. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident. <
Head restraints, refer to page 41.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the
safety belt as an additional safety device, but
they do not represent a substitute.
Number of safety belts
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's
lap.
Make sure that the belt in the lap area sits low
across the hips and does not press against the
abdomen. The safety belt must not rest against
the throat, run across sh arp edges, pass over
hard or fragile objects or be pinched. Fasten the
safety belt so that it is pulled taut across the lap
and shoulder, fitting the body snugly without
any twists. Otherwise, the belt could slide over
the hips in the event of a frontal collision and
injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing bulky cloth-
ing and regularly pull the belt in the upper-body
area taut; otherwise, its restraining effect could
be impaired. <

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CONTROLSTransporting children safely
46
Transporting children safely
Vehicle equipment
In this chapter, all production, country, and
optional equipment that is offered in the model
range is described. Equipment is also described
that is not available because of, for example,
selected options or coun try version. This also
applies to safety relate d functions and systems.
The right place for
children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger
themselves and/or other persons by opening the
doors, for example. <
Children should always sit in the rear
Accident research has shown that the safest
place for children is on the rear seat.
Only transport children under the age of
13 or smaller than 5 ft/150 cm in the rear
in a child restraint system suitable for their age,
weight and size. Otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent. <
Children 13 years of age or older must be buck-
led in with a safety belt as soon as there no
longer is any child restraint system that is appro-
priate for their age, size and weight.
Exception for front passenger seat
Front passenger airbags
Should it be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags must be deacti-
vated. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of
injury to the child if th e airbags deploy, even if
the child is seated in a child restraint system.< For more information on
automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page 82.
Child restraint systems,
installation
Before installing a child restraint system on the
rear seats, move the seat as far back as possible.
5-seater: adjust the inclination of the center
backrest to the respective outer backrest.
After the child restr aint system has been
installed on the respecti ve rear seat, move the
backrest forward so that the it rests lightly
against the child restrain t system, refer to Rear
seat backrests on page 107.
Observe the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions when selecting,
installing and using child restraint systems. Oth-
erwise, the protective effect may be dimin-
ished. <
On the front passenger seat
After installing a chil d restraint system on
the front passenger se at, make sure that
the front, side, and knee airbags for the front
passenger are deactivated; otherwise, there is
an increased risk of inju ry if the airbags deploy.<
Seat position
Before installing a child restraint system, move
the front passenger seat as far back and up as
possible to obtain the be st possible position for
the belt. Do not change the seat position after
this.

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Transporting children safelyCONTROLS
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Child seat security
The illustration shows the MINI Countryman as
an example.
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the
front passenger can be prevented from being
pulled out in order to secure child restraint sys-
tems.
Locking the safety belt
1. Secure the child restraint system with the
belt.
2. Pull the belt strap all the way out.
3. Allow the belt strap to retract and pull it taut
against the child restraint system.
The safety belt is locked.
Unlocking the safety belt
1. Open the belt buckle.
2. Remove the child restraint system.
3. Allow the safety belt strap to retract all the
way.
Center belt: unlocking additional belt
buckle 3, see page 43.
Guide safety belt to the take-up on the
headliner.
LATCH child restraint
fixing system
LATCH: Lower Anchors an d Tethers for Children.
To install and use the LATCH child restraint
system, follow the op erating and safety
instructions provided by the manufacturer of the system; otherwise, the protective function of the
seat may be compromised.
<
Anchor points for LATCH anchors
When the child is restrained by the internal har-
nesses, the lower anchors may be used to attach
the CRS to the vehicle seat up to a combined
child and CRS weight of 65 lb/30 kg.
Before installing the child seat, pull the belt out
of the area for the child restraint fixing system.
MINI Countryman:
MINI Paceman:
The mounts for the lower LATCH anchors are
located at the points indicated by the arrows.
Make sure that both lower LATCH anchors
are properly engaged and that the child
restraint system rests fi rmly against the seat
backrest; otherwise, the protective function of
the seat may be compromised. <
Child restraint system with tether strap
Use the tether strap anchors to secure
child restraint systems only; otherwise, the
anchors could be damaged. <

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CONTROLSTransporting children safely
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MINI Countryman
4-seater:
The child restraint anchor fittings, see arrows,
are located behind the back of the rear seats.
5-seater:
The child restraint anchor fittings for the two
outer seats, see arrows, are located behind the
back of the rear seats.
The child restraint anchor fitting for the center
seat is located under the luggage-compartment
sill, position4 in picture center seat.
MINI Paceman
The child restraint anchor fittings, see arrows,
are located behind the back of the rear seats.
Placement of the tether strap
Make sure the upper tether strap does not
run over sharp edges and is not twisted as
it passes to the top anchor. Otherwise, the strap
will not properly secure the child restraint sys-
tem in the event of an accident. <
Outer seats:
1 Direction of travel
2 Head restraint
3 Rear cargo well
4 Tether strap hook
5 Anchor
6 Seat backrest
7 Tether strap of the child restraint system
MINI Countryman, center seat:
1 Forward driving direction
2 Head rest
3 Attaching clip
4 Child restraint anchor fitting
5 Load area floor
6 Seat back
7 Strap of the chil d restraint system

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Transporting children safelyCONTROLS
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Attaching upper tether strap to the
attachment point
1.Slide the head restraint upward.
2. Center seat: fold the load area floor back-
wards
3. Guide the tether strap between the head
restraint holders.
4. Attach the tether strap to the anchor using
the hook.
5. Push the head restraint into its lowermost
position.
6. Pull the tether strap tight.
MINI Countryman:
Securing doors and
windows
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
The rear power windows are blocked and can-
not be operated from the rear. Press safety
switch, refe r to page37.

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CONTROLSTechnology for driving comfort and safety
82
upholstery in the center of the steering wheel,
on the instrument panel, the doors, and the roof
pillars as well as the sides of the headliner. 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.
Have the testing, repair, removal, and disposal
o f a i r b a g g e n e r a t o r s e x e c u t e d o n l y b y y o u r M I N I
dealer or a workshop that has the required
explosives licenses.
Otherwise, unprofessiona l attempts to service
the system could lead to failure in an emergency
or 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
The presence of a passenger in the front passen-
ger seat is detected by measuring the resistance
of the human body. The system correspondingly
activates or deactivates the front, side, and knee
airbags for the front passenger.
Make sure that the front passenger's feet
remain in the footwell; otherwise, it is not
possible to guarantee the function of the front
passenger airbags.<
The indicator lamp above the interior rearview
mirror shows the current st atus of the front pas-
senger airbags, deactivated or activated, refer to
Status of front passe nger airbags below.
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, read the safety informa-
tion and follow the instru ctions under Transport-
ing children safely, page 46.<
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation
When teenagers and adults assume certain sit-
ting positions, this can cause the front, side, and
knee airbags to deactivate. The indicator lamp for the front passenger airbags lights up when
this occurs. In such case
s, the passenger should
change his or her sitting position so that the
front passenger airbags are activated and the
indicator lamp goes out. If the desired airbag
status cannot be achieved by changing the sit-
ting position, transport the relevant passenger
on a rear seat.
> Do not attach covers, cushions, ball mats or
other items to the front passenger seat
unless they are specif ically recommended
by the manufacturer of your MINI.
> Do not place items on the front passenger
seat.
> Do not place items under the seat which
could press against the seat from below.
Status of front passenger airbags
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags shows the functional status of the front
passenger's front, side, and knee airbags in
accordance with whet her and how the front
passenger seat is occupied. The indicator lamp
shows whether the front passenger airbags are
activated or deactivated.
> The indicator lamp lights up when a child in
a specially designated child restraint system
is properly detected on the seat or the seat is
unoccupied.
The front, side, and knee airbags for the
front passenger are not activated.
Most child seats are detected by the
system. This particularly applies to
child seats that were required by NHTSA at
the time of manufacture of the vehicle. After

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Technology for driving comfort and safetyCONTROLS
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installing a child seat, check that the indica-
tor lamp for the front passenger airbags
lights up. It indicates that the child seat has
been detected and that the front passenger
airbags are deactivated.<
> The indicator lamp does not come on as long
as a person of sufficient size and in a correct
sitting position is detected on the seat.
The front, side, and knee airbags for the
front passenger are activated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
As of radio readiness, page 50, the warning
lamp lights up briefly to indicate that the entire
airbag system and the belt tensioners are oper-
ational.
Airbag system malfunction
> The warning lamp does not come on when
radio readiness is switched on.
> The warning lamp stays lit continuously.
In the event of a fault in the airbag system,
have it checked without delay; otherwise,
there is the risk that the system will not function
as intended even if a severe accident occurs. <

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Things to remember when drivingDRIVING TIPS
107
MINI Paceman:
MINI Countryman: rear seat backrest
Before folding down the rear seat back-
rests, make sure that the range of motion
for the backrests is unobstructed. Particularly
with a folded down midd le section, make sure
that there is no one within the range of motion
of the backrest and that no one reaches into that
region. Otherwise, injury or damage can
result. <
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
observe the safety belt information on
page 42.<
5-seater: the rear seat ba ck is divided in the fol-
lowing proportions: 40-20-40.
When the outer rear seat backs are folded
down, no one may sit in the middle posi-
tion. <
If necessary, remove the third head restraint,
refer to Removing head restraints, page 41.
Open the center belt and insert in the take-up
on the headliner, see page 43.
Expand the cargo area by raising the rear seat
backrests to a steeper angle.
The backrests can be adjusted as needed in
10 stages between a comfort position and a
transport position or can be folded down.
In the comfort position, the backrests are as far
back as possible; in the transport position, they
are in an approximatel y vertical position.
Before installing a ch ild restraint system,
observe the instructio ns starting on page46. 1.
Hold on to the backrest near the top, for
example on the headrest, and pull on the
loop, arrow.
2. Lock backrest in the de sired position or fold
down.
Folding the backrests back into position
When folding the backre st, make sure that
the lock properly engages. Otherwise, for
example during braking and avoidance maneu-
vers, cargo can be thrown into the interior and
endanger the occupants. <
If the rear seat backrests are positioned at
a steeper angle, do not install child
restraint systems in the rear of the vehicle as
their protective featur es may be ineffective.<
When backrests are folded back from the
folded-down position, they lock in the transport
position.
To set the desired backrest angle or a comfort-
able position, pull the lo op forward and adjust
the backrest.
MINI Paceman: rear seat backrest
Before folding down the rear seat back-
rests, make sure that the range of motion
for the backrests is unobstructed; otherwise,
injury or dama ge can result.<

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