BMW X5 - Manual (Page 58)

56 n Airbags Transporting children safely
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster shows the opera-
tional status of the airbag sys-
tem from ignition key position 1 and up.
System operational:
> The indicator lamp comes on briefly
then goes out.
System malfunction:
> The indicator lamp fails to come on
> The indicator lamp comes on briefly
before going out and then lighting up
again.
If there is a system malfunction, have
your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter inspect the system immediately. If
you do not, there is a risk that the air-
bags will not be triggered within their
normal response range, even if the level
of impact would normally have trig-
gered them.
The right place for children
Children always in the rear:
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in a vehicle is in
the rear seat.
Older children should be tightly secured
with a safety belt, after they have out-
grown a booster seat that is appropri-
ate for their age, height and weight.
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 air-
bag. It may be difficult for a driver to
ensure that children in the rear seat will
remain properly positioned at all times
and do not place their heads on or near
the side airbag. Therefore, we recom-
mend that the rear side airbags, if pro-
vided, be deactivated if you plan to
transport children in the rear seat.
<
Child-restraint systems in the rear
Child-restraint systems appropriate for
every age group and weight are avail-
able at your BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle center.
Children under 13 years of age
and children less than 5 ft/150 cm
tall should always ride in the rear and
the restraint systems should be secured
with the vehicle's safety belts.
<
No universal rearward-facing
child-restraint systems may be
mounted on the rear seats. if you want
to use a rearward-facing child-restraint
system in the rear, then the BMW Baby
Seat with or without the LATCH child-
restraint fixing for child seat is suitable
for this purpose.
<
Younger children should be secured in
an appropriate forward-facing child-
restraint system that has first been
properly secured with a safety belt.
All rear seating positions in your
vehicle meet the recommendations of
SAE J1819, an industry-recommended
practice for securing child-restraint sys-
tems in motor vehicles.
Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 897 - © 08/03 BMW AG