BMW X3 Owners Manual: Automatic deactivation of the front-seat passenger airbags

The system reads if the front passenger seat is occupied by measuring the human body's resistance.

Front, knee and side airbag on the front passenger's side are either activated or deactivated.

Leave feet in the footwell

Make sure that the front passenger keeps his or her feet in the footwell; otherwise, proper functioning of the front passenger airbag might not be assured.

Child restraint fixing system in the front passenger seat

Before transporting a child on the front passenger seat, refer to the safety notes and instructions for children on the front passenger seat, see Children.

Malfunction of the automatic deactivation system When transporting older children and adults, the front-seat passenger airbags may be deactivated in certain sitting positions. In this case, the indicator lamp for the front-seat passenger airbags lights up.

In this case, change the sitting position so that the front-seat passenger airbags are activated and the indicator lamp goes out.

If it is not possible to activate the airbags, have the person sit in the rear.

To enable correct recognition of the occupied seat cushion

• Do not attach covers, cushions, ball mats or other items to the front passenger seat unless they are specifically recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer.
• Do not place any electronic devices on the passenger seat if a child restraint system is to be installed on it.
• Do not place objects under the seat that could press against the seat from below.
• No moisture in or on the seat.

Indicator lamp for the front-seat passenger airbags

The indicator lamp for the front-seat passenger airbags indicates the operating state of the front-seat passenger airbags.

The lamp indicates whether the airbags are either activated or deactivated.

• The indicator lamp lights up when a child is properly seated in a child restraint fixing system or when the seat is empty. The airbags on the front passenger side are not activated.
• The indicator lamp does not light up when, e.g., a correctly seated person of sufficient size is detected on the seat. The airbags on the front passenger side are activated.

Detected child seats The system generally detects children seated in a child seat, particularly in child seats required by NHTSA when the vehicle was manufactured. After installing a child seat, make sure that the indicator lamp for the front-seat passenger airbags lights up. This indicates that the child seat has been detected and the front-seat passenger airbags are not activated.