56nAirbags
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained
– infants and small children in appro-
priate child-restraint systems; larger
children and adults using the safety
belts.
Never let an occupant's head rest near
or on a side airbag because the inflating
airbag could cause a serious or fatal
injury. Please note that the word Airbag
imprinted on the door trim panel indi-
cates the airbag's location.
Accident research shows that the
safest place for children in an auto-
mobile is in the rear seat. However, a
child sitting in the rear seat and not
properly restrained may place his or her
head on or near the airbag, if so
equipped.
For example, a child — even though
belted — may fall asleep with his or her
head against the side airbag. It may be
difficult for a driver to ensure that chil-
dren in the rear seat will remain prop-
erly positioned at all times and do not
place their heads on or near the side
airbag. Therefore, we recommend that
the rear side airbags, if provided, be
deactivated if you plan to transport
children in the rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated, either at the
time of manufacture or by a BMW
Sports Activity Vehicle center. Labels in
the rear door opening should indicate
the status of your rear seat side
airbags. If you are uncertain of their
status, or wish to have the airbags acti-
vated or deactivated, please contact
your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle
center.<
Even when all these guidelines are
observed, there is still a small residual
risk of injuries to the face, hands and
arms occurring from airbag deployment
in isolated instances. The ignition and
inflation noise may provoke a mild
temporary hearing loss in extremely
sensitive individuals.
Airbag warning information is also pro-
vided on both sun visors.
This is the right way a child should sit in
a child-restraint device when rear side
airbags, refer to arrow, are provided.
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Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 098 - © 08/02 BMW AG