four wheel drive MINI COOPER 2004 Owners Manual

31
OVERVIEW REPAIRS OPERATIONCONTROLS DATA INDEX
SAFE SEATING POSITIONThe ideal seating position can make a vital
contribution to relaxed, relatively fatigue-
free driving. Together with the safety belts
and airbags, the seating position also plays
an important role in providing occupants
with maximum levels of passive safety in
an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we
strongly urge you to observe the instruc-
tions contained in the following section.
For additional information about trans-
porting children safely, refer to page 38.Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and all of the
airbags. Always hold the steering wheel by
the rim with the hands at the 9 and
3 o'clock positions to keep any chance of
injury to hands or arms to an absolute min-
imum, should the airbag be deployed.
No one and nothing is to come between
the airbags and the seat occupant. Do not
use the front passenger airbag cover as a
storage surface for objects of any kind.
Ensure that the front passenger is correctly
seated, i.e. that no feet or legs are propped
against the dashboad. Otherwise, leg injury
could result if the front passenger airbag
suddenly deployed. Never let an occupant's
head rest near or on a side airbag because
the inflating airbag could cause a serious or
fatal injury.<
Even if all these instructions are followed, it
cannot entirely be ruled out that in some
circumstances injury may result from con-
tact with the airbags. In sensitive individu-
als, the ignition and inflation noise may
induce a mild hearing loss that is usually
temporary.
For airbag locations and additional infor-
mation on airbags, refer to page 65.Safe seating position with safety belt Fasten your safety belt before each drive.
Airbags are an additional safety device and
work in conjunction with the safety belts,
but do not replace them.
Your vehicle is equipped with four seats,
each of which is provided with a safety belt.
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained –
infants and small children in appropriate
child-restraint systems; larger children and
adults using the safety belts.
Expectant mothers should always wear
their safety belts, taking care to position
the lap belt against the lower hips, where it
will not exert pressure against the abdomi-
nal area.
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.
Do not route the belt across your neck, or
run it across sharp edges. Be sure that the
belt does not become caught or jammed.
Avoid twisting the belt while routing it
firmly across the hips and shoulder; wear it
as snugly against your body as possible and
do not allow it to rest against sharp or frag-
ile objects. Otherwise, the belt could slide
over your hips in the event of a frontal
impact and cause abdominal injury. Avoid
wearing bulky clothing and pull on the lap
belt periodically to retension it over your
shoulder. Otherwise, the safety belt's
restraint effectiveness could be reduced.<
For information on using the safety belts,
refer to page 35.
ProCarManuals.com

62
FLAT TIRE MONITOR The conceptAs you drive, the Flat Tire Monitor keeps
track of the tire inflation pressure in all four
tires. The system alerts you when there is a
substantial pressure loss in one of the tires
relative to another.
The tire inflation pressures are monitored
based on the speeds of the four wheels in
relation to one another. A flat tire is
detected as the result of differences in cer-
tain speed ratios, and a warning is gener-
ated.System requirementsSo that the system can 'familiarize' itself
with the correct inflation pressure, please
do the following:
1. Check the tire inflation pressure in all
tires
2. Compare them with the inflation pres-
sure table, refer to page 88, and adjust
the pressures if necessary
3. Initializing the system.
System limitations
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot alert you
to severe and sudden tire damage
caused by external factors, nor does it
detect the gradual and minor loss of pres-
sure in all four tires.<
On the other hand, the following situations
could lead to a delayed detection of pres-
sure loss or to the system not functioning:
>Driving on snow-covered or slippery
roads
>Performance-oriented driving: slip at the
drive wheels, high rates of lateral accel-
eration
>When driving with snow chains, false
warnings and undetected pressure loss
may occur
>When driving with a space-saver spare
tire, the Flat Tire Monitor cannot func-
tion.
Initializing the system
The system must be re-initialized
immediately after changing a tire
and wheel, or after correcting the pressure
in any tire. This requires a bit of driving.<
1. Before a journey, start the engine, but do
not start driving
2. Press the button long enough for the
indicator lamp in the display elements to
light up for a few seconds
3. Drive off.
It takes a few minutes before the Flat Tire
Monitor can detect a flat tire and issue an
alert.
Do not initialize the system if you are
driving with snow chains or a space-
saver spare tire.<
ProCarManuals.com