deactivate passenger airbag MINI COOPER CONVERTIBLE 2011 Owners Manual

41
AT A GLANCE REFERENCE MOBILITYCONTROLS DRIVING TIPS COMMUNICATIONS
Transporting children safely
The right place for
children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger
themselves and/or other persons by opening the
doors, for example.<
Children should always sit in the rear
Accident research has shown that the safest
place for children is on the rear seat.
Only transport children under the age of
13 or smaller than 5 ft/150 cm in the rear
in a child restraint system suitable for their age,
weight and size. Otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent.<
Children 13 years of age or older must be buck-
led in with a safety belt as soon as there no
longer is any child restraint system that is appro-
priate for their age, size and weight.
Only install child seats in the rear when the
rear seat backrest is folded all the way
back and engaged. Otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent.<
Exception for front passenger seat
Front passenger airbags
Should it be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags must be deacti-
vated. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of
injury to the child if the airbags deploy, even if
the child is seated in a child restraint system.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page71.
Child restraint systems,
installation
Observe the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions when selecting,
installing and using child restraint systems. Oth-
erwise, the protective effect may be dimin-
ished.<
On the front passenger seat
After installing a child restraint system on
the front passenger seat, make sure that
the front and side airbags for the front passen-
ger are deactivated; otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury if the airbags deploy.<
Seat position
Before installing a child restraint system, move
the front passenger seat as far back and up
* as
possible to obtain the best possible position for
the belt. Do not change the seat position after
this.
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the
front passenger can be prevented from being
pulled out in order to secure child restraint sys-
tems.

71
AT A GLANCE REFERENCE MOBILITYCONTROLS DRIVING TIPS COMMUNICATIONS
integral side airbags to the front seats. Do not
hang items of clothing such as coats or jackets
over the backrests. Do not attempt to remove
the airbag retention system from the vehicle. Do
not modify the individual components of the
system or its wiring in any way. This includes the
upholstery in the center of the steering wheel,
on the instrument cluster, the doors, and the
roof pillars as well as the sides of the headliner.
Do not attempt to remove or dismantle the
steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components imme-
diately after the system has been triggered,
because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a MINI dealer
or a workshop that works according to repair
procedures of the manufacturer of your MINI
with correspondingly trained personnel and has
the required explosives licenses. Otherwise,
unprofessional attempts to service the system
could lead to failure in an emergency or undes-
ired airbag activation, either of which could
result in personal injury.<
Warning notices and information about the air-
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the front
passenger airbags
An analysis of the impression in the front pas-
senger seat cushion determines whether and
how the seat is occupied. The front and side air-
bags for the front passenger are activated or
deactivated by the system accordingly.
The indicator lamp above the interior rear-
view mirror shows the current status of
the front passenger airbags, deactivated or acti-
vated, refer to Status of front passenger airbags
below.<
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, read the safety precau-
tions and handling instructions under Transport-
ing children safely, page41.
The front and side airbags can also be deacti-
vated by adolescents and adults sitting in certain
positions; the indicator lamp for the front pas-senger airbags comes on. In such cases, the pas-
senger should change his or her sitting position
so that the front passenger airbags are activated
and the indicator lamp goes out. If the desired
airbag status cannot be achieved by changing
the sitting position, transport the relevant pas-
senger on a rear seat. Do not attach covers,
cushions, ball mats or other items to the front
passenger seat unless they are specifically rec-
ommended by the manufacturer of your MINI.
Do not place any items under the seat which
could press against the seat from below. Other-
wise, a correct analysis of the seat cushion is not
ensured.<
Status of front passenger airbags
MINI:
MINI Convertible:
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags shows the functional status of the front
passenger's front and side airbags in accordance
with whether and how the front passenger seat
is occupied. The indicator lamp shows whether
the front passenger airbags are activated or
deactivated.
>The indicator lamp comes on as intended
when a child in a specially designated child
restraint system is detected on the seat.

Technology for driving comfort and safety
72
The front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger are not activated.
Most child seats are detected by the
system. This particularly applies to
child seats that were required by NHTSA at
the time of manufacture of the vehicle. After
installing a child seat, check that the indica-
tor lamp for the front passenger airbags
comes on. It indicates that the child seat has
been detected and that the front passenger
airbags are deactivated.<
>T h e i n d i c a t o r l a m p d o e s n o t c o m e o n a s l o n g
as a person of sufficient size and in a correct
sitting position is detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not come on if the
seat is empty.
The front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger are not activated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
As of radio readiness, page44, the warning
lamp comes on briefly to indicate that the entire
airbag system and the belt tensioners are oper-
ational.
Airbag system malfunction
>The warning lamp does not come on when
radio readiness or the ignition is switched
on.
>The warning lamp stays lit continuously.
In the event of a fault in the airbag system,
have it checked without delay; otherwise,
there is the risk that the system will not function
as intended even if a severe accident occurs.<
MINI Convertible: Roll-
over protection system
The rollover system is automatically activated
during an accident or dangerous driving situa-
tion, during extreme tilt of the longitudinal axis,
or during loss of ground contact. The roll bar
located behind the rear seat headrest is pro-
jected within a fraction of a second.
In addition to the reinforced windshield frame,
the rollover protection system ensures the nec-
essary head clearance for all occupants of the
vehicle.
Never block the travel path of the rollover
protection system with any objects.
Alwa ys wea r your safe ty belt , it protects you in a
minor car accident and, depending on the
severity of the accident, the seat belt tensioner
and the multilevel airbag system will protect
you.<
Lowering
If the rollover protection system releases acci-
dentally, have your MINI Service check it.
If the rollover protective system is
extended, do not operate the convertible
top.
Never attempt to modify the individual compo-
nents or the electrical wiring of the rollover pro-
tective system.
Have the necessary work on the rollover protec-
tion system of your MINI only carried out by an
authorized MINI dealer.
Faulty repair may lead to the failure of the sys-
tem or malfunctions.
Check the system regularly and in order to
ensure a long service life of all functions, it is
mandatory to maintain the service intervals,
refer to page58.<