52
Safety systems
Airbags
1 Front airbags on the driver and pas-
senger sides
2 Head airbags on the driver and pas-
senger sides, front
3 Side airbags on the driver and pas-
senger sides, front and rear*
Protective effect
The front airbags provide protection in
the event of a head-on collision, where
the restraining effect of the seat belts
alone would no longer be adequate.
The head and side airbags protect you
in the event of a side-on collision. The
airbag will protect the seat occupant's
body in the side chest (thorax) area.
See page 43 for information about cor-
rect seating position.
The airbags are not triggered off in
minor accidents, in certain roll-
over situations, or if the car is struck
from the rear.
<
Do not apply adhesive or any sur-
face material to the airbag covers
or modify them in any other way. Do not
remove the airbag occupant restraint
system. If the airbag occupant restraint
system develops a fault, is shut down
out of use or has been triggered off in
an accident, have it checked, repaired
and dismantled only by BMW Service.
Never make any modifications to the
individual components of the system or
its wiring. This includes the upholstered
covers on the steering wheel, dash-
board, side panels on front and rear
doors and roof struts as well as down
the sides of the roof liners. Do not
remove the steering wheel. In order to
comply with valid safety regulations,
have airbag generators scrapped only
by BMW Service. Any careless or
unskilled interference with the system
could lead to its failure or to accidental
triggering off with the risk of injury. Do
not touch the individual components
immediately after the system has been
triggered, as surfaces are hot and can
cause burns.
<
Even if all these instructions are com-
plied with, injury to the face, arms or
hands as a result of the airbag inflating
cannot be entirely ruled out, depending
on the circumstances in which an acci-
dent occurs. If the car's occupants are
unduly sensitive to the ignition and
inflation noise generated by the airbag
systems, their hearing may be tempo-
rarily affected.
Telltale light
The telltale light in the instru-
ment cluster confirms that the
airbag system is ready to oper-
ate (from ignition key position 1
onwards).
System operational:
>
The telltale light lights up when the
ignition key is turned to position 1 or
further.
System defective:
>
The telltale light does not go out after
the engine has been started or comes
on during the journey.
Have the system checked immediately
by BMW Service if it develops a fault,
because there is a risk of the airbags
not inflating although the accident
impact was in the relevant area and of
sufficient severity.
handbook.book Page 52 Thursday, December 19, 2002 4:29 PM
All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com
