GER_545SMG

My 545 came with rear bags. I have a 16 month old and a 3 year old. They are both in car seats. Should I leave the bags on or turn them off? The owners manual only warns about kids that can lean their heads against the bag, nothing that I could find about kids in car seats. Has anyone researched this? If they provide additional protection I obviously want to use them.

Jimbo

I heard that as long as the kids were in a car seat, they should be fine.

530E60NL

There has been a discussion before about this and most people advised to put them off with kids in the back. I don't have kids yet and don't know what I will do with the rear airbags if there is a baby in the back of my car.

kigerka

There should not be a problem as long as the child is secured in the seat. That is one of the reasons it is reccomended for a child to be in the back and if you have t put them in the front you should face them towards the back. That way they are protected by the seat.

Rudy

Facing a child toward the rear is dependent ONLY on the age/size/weight of the child, not where the child is located in the car. You should NEVER use a rear-facing child seat in the front if there is an active airbag and you shouldn't change the way a kid faces in the seat to compensate for that. Here's a link to a chart describing the different ages, etc. for child restraints.

As mentioned above and in another thread a while ago, rear airbags can be harmful if an unrestrained child is sleeping against them, etc. so as long as a child is properly restrained, he/she shouldn't be able to do that. I chose to have my rears activated because there's a 0% chance my kids will be leaning/sleeping against the bags. This way, I have protection for adults who sit back there as well.

gmartin

I have been going back and forth on this one. First of all for MY 2005 the rear side air bags, if you order them, come activated from the factory. THey came deactivated for MY 2004 and had to be turned on by the dealer. I have a 7 and 10 year old child and chose to keep the bags activated. One thing I noticed the first time I put the kids in the back is that the seat specifically the seat back is quite tall. My seven year old is pretty tall for his age and hasn't used a booster seat in our minivan or my old car for quite some time. In my E60 he is back in a booster, otherwise his head would be too close to the side airbag. If your youngest child is in a car seat that is fixed to the seat and has a plastic side then your probably OK. If your 3 yo is in a booster that can shift around then I probably have that side deactivated.

gdavis

I've got them in my car, and my kids are 14 and 10. The very important thing it to make sure that the kids never fall asleep and have their heads facing toward the door. As they grow, there may be the time when the are not in the car seats and fall asleep in one direction or another. You just have to always monitor them so they don't lie down, or lean towards the doors. I got mine specifically for my kids, but then realized I have to make sure they don't end up with their heads facing a door. Probably a very safe device in an accident as long as the kids are monitored.

Rudy

Keep in mind that the reason for a booster seat is to properly align the lap/shoulder belt with the child's body and shoulder. It has nothing to do with how tall the seat is, the key is how tall the child is and how the belt lays on his shoulder. If the belt cuts across the child's neck, he needs to be boosted. If the belt falls over his arm and there is no way to adjust the belt, it's more than likely that he shouldn't be boosted. Here are some illustrations of correct and incorrect booster seat use.

drjochen

I had mine turned off. I am afraid my daughter will lean her head against the airbag when she is in her booster seat.

Jochen

GER_545SMG

Thanks to all for the feedback! I did a little further research and found this on the IIHS website, which seems to support your recommendation Rudy...

http://www.iihs.org/safety_facts/qanda/airbags.htm#13

The net of it is that side airbags deploy more minimally (with less force and reach) than do the fronts, which I guess makes sense given that engineers must assume that someone is in close proximity to the door.

I have an 04, so will ask my dealer to activate them...good call again Rudy. I would have never known this and would have assumed they were on. BMW should have had a sticker (whcih they are usually very good about leaving) to warn that they come de-activated. Maybe it is there somewhere and I just have not found it yet...