Rudy

I'd say that unless the warning happened at any time before the impact, then it's totatally normal and the car did exactly what it was supposed to do. In my opinion, here's what probably happened...

Prior to the accident, the car was operating perfectly as it moved along -- no warnings, etc. The impact occurred and the SRS impact sensors instantly sent data to computer about the crash. The computer determined, based on many factors, that there was no need to deploy the airbags since it determined the likelihood of injury was minimal (and it was correct). Immediately after the crash and the car's decision not to deploy the bags, the SRS diagnostics program (that's constantly running in the background) determined that the impact sensors in the bumper were now failing (after they'd done their job perfectly) so the car threw up the SRS Malfunction warning, exactly as it's supposed to do.

Does that make sense?

nicke60gre

SBT Crash safety (ACSM) E60, E61, E63, E64, E70, E85, E93 BMW AG - TIS

The crash safety module controls the following components:
- Triggering circuit for the airbags
With the maximum amount of equipment, the safety system consists of the following triggering circuits:
? Driver's airbag (stage 1)
? Front-passenger airbag (stage 1)
? Driver's airbag (stage 2)
? Front-passenger airbag (stage 2)
? Side airbag, front driver's side
? Side airbag, front-passenger side
? Side airbag, rear driver's side
? Side airbag, rear passenger side
? Head airbag, driver's side
? Head airbag, front-passenger side
? Seat belt tensioner, driver's seat belt
? Seat belt tensioner, front passenger's seat belt
? Seat belt tensioner, rear driver's side
? Seat belt tensioner, rear passenger side
? End fitting pretensioner, driver
? Knee airbag for driver or active head restraint for driver
? Knee airbag for front passenger or active head restraint for front passenger
? Adaptive belt force limiter, front left
? Adaptive belt force limiter, front right
? Safety battery terminal

Driver and front-passenger airbag
The driver and front-passenger airbag reduces the risk of injury to the occupants' head and chest area in the
event of a head-on collision.
The driver airbag is located under the centre pad on the steering wheel. The front-passenger airbag is
integrated into the instrument panel above the glove box.

Side airbag
Side airbags reduce the risk of injury to the occupants' pelvis and torso in the event of a side impact. The
side airbags are installed behind the respective door trim panels.

Head airbag
> E60, E61, E63, E70
The head-level airbag prevents the head making direct contact with the side structure or an object which
penetrates the vehicle. The head airbag extends continuously from the A-pillar to the C-pillar.
The shape and stability of the head airbag are retained for several seconds after triggering. The head airbag
deflates slower than the front and side airbags, thus providing longer protection for the head in lateral rollover
situations.
A head-level airbag is installed on the driver's side and on the front passenger's side.
Belt tensioners
As a rule, the seat belt will not be sitting completely tight around the body: This seat belt slack makes sure
that the occupants have adequate comfort of movement.
During a head-on or rear-end collision, the pyrotechnical seat belt tensioner pulls down the seat belt buckle
by several centimetres, thus pulling the seat belt tight into the occupant's shoulder and pelvis.

> E64, E70, E93
The seat belt tensioner also triggers in the event of imminent rollover.
End fitting pretensioner

> E60, E61, E70 Europe version
The end fitting pretensioner prevents the driver's pelvis moving too far forward in the event a head-on or
rear-end collision. The end fitting pretensioner is installed in addition to the seat belt tensioner on the driver's
seat. In principle, the end fitting pretensioner functions in the same way as a seat belt tensioner.
Active head restraint

> E60, E61, E70 from 09/2007
On triggering, the active head restraint locks the distance between the head restraint and head in order to
reduce the load on the cervical vertebrae during a rear-end collision.
(Reason: The distance between the head and head restraint can increase as the result of the individual
setting options of the comfort seat.)
The plunger extends when the inflator assembly in the backrest is triggered. The plunger operates the bolt of
the active head restraint. As a result, the head restraint is guided forward on a slide guide.

Safety battery terminal
Depending on the severity of the accident, the safety battery terminal disconnects the starter motor and the
alternator from the battery. This minimises the risk of electrical short-circuits in a serious accident.
- Airbag indicator lamp
The airbag indicator lamp indicates the operability of the crash safety system. The airbag indicator light in the
instrument cluster is actuated as follows by the crash safety module:

> E60, E61, E63, E64, E70, E93: via the K-CAN
> E85: via the K-bus
- Seat belt indicator lamp
The seat belt indicator lamp is the visual seat belt warning. The visual seat belt warning instructs the occupants of
the vehicle to fasten their seat belts. Terminal 15 ON activates the visual seat belt warning.

The visual seat belt warning is issued as follows:
? Seat belt warning lamp in the instrument cluster
? Check control symbol in LCD display in instrument cluster
- Indicator lamp for front passenger's airbag deactivation
If the warning lamp for passenger-airbag deactivation (passenger airbag off lamp) is lit, the following airbags on
the passenger side have been deactivated: front-passenger airbag and side airbag.
The passenger airbag OFF lamp is constantly monitored by the crash safety module. A fault in the power supply
or a defective lamp is stored in the fault memory of the crash safety module. If this occurs, the airbag warning
lamp is switched on.

- Rollover protection controller and roll bar
> Only E64, E93
The rollover protection system triggers in the event of the vehicle rolling over or in situations that could lead to the
vehicle rolling over. The rollover system consists of the rollover protection controller and 2 extendable roll bars.
- Fuel pump
Depending on accident severity, the fuel supply may also be cut off.
- TCU: Telematics control unit
The emergency call is transmitted via the TCU. The TCU is connected to the crash safety module by the
instrumentation bus (I-bus).
Mechanical components of the safety system:
- Belt force limiters on seat belts
The seat belts are the primary restraint system for all occupants.
To minimise the load on the chest area of the front passengers in the event of a severe head-on collision, the
front seat belts are fitted with belt force limiters as standard. The belt force limiters ensure that the belt strap can
give by ay defined amount if the load exceeds a certain level. The risk of injury due to the belt force acting on the
body is therefore reduced.

System functions
The following safety system functions are described:
- Self-test
- Impact detection
- Triggering of safety system
- Data storage in the case of safety system triggering
- Message to other control units
- Visual and audible seat belt warning
- Emergency call
- Monitoring of battery cable

Self-test
In addition to all the inputs and outputs, the crash safety module also monitors the internal components (self-test).
Possible fault codes are stored in the crash safety module. In the event of a system fault or a component fault, the
airbag warning lamp lights up.
The crash safety module performs a self test after the ignition is switched on. During this time, the airbag indicator
lamp will light up (approximately 3 to 5 seconds). The airbag indicator lamp goes out when the safety system is
operational.
? The airbag indicator lamp come on if the crash safety module receives no CAN message from the instrument
cluster.
? The airbag warning lamp remains on if the crash safety module detects an existing fault or one that has been
stored during the self-test or while the vehicle is in motion.
? If the safety system detects a fault, operability of the safety system is partially maintained, subject to the
following preconditions:
- If a fault is detected in a power circuit of the safety system, only the affected circuit is deactivated. The
other airbags and belt tensioners remain operational.
- If there is a fault in the airbag warning lamp circuit, the lamp does not light up during the self-test. If
there is no other fault, the safety system remains fully operational.
? The entire safety system is deactivated if there is an internal fault in the crash safety module or in the power
supply. (The airbag and seat belt indicator lamps light up, check control symbol in the LCD)

Impact detection
The crash safety module can detect an impact from any angle (360 ?).
The direction and severity of an impact is detected by the acceleration sensors in the crash safety module and by
external acceleration sensors.
External acceleration sensors:
? Front airbag sensor, driver's side and front airbag sensor, passenger's side
? Airbag sensor on driver's door and airbag sensor on front passenger's door
? Airbag sensor on driver's side B-pillar and passenger's side B-pillar
The crash safety module processes all acceleration data. This is used to determine the accident severity.

Triggering of safety system
Extensive testing has allowed the triggering thresholds to be determined for all possible types of accidents.
The following triggering thresholds were set for activating the different restraint systems:
? Seat belt tensioners
? End fitting pretensioner
? Front airbags
? Knee airbags
? Side airbags
? Head airbags
? Active head restraint
? Adaptive belt force limiter
The restraint systems are triggered only when 2 independent sensors detect the corresponding threshold.
For example, a frontal collision is detected by the longitudinal acceleration sensor in the airbag sensor in the
driver's side B-pillar and by the longitudinal acceleration sensor in the crash safety module. The crash safety
module calculates the direction of the impact and the collision severity from the data sent by the sensors.
Depending on accident severity, the safety battery terminal is activated and the electric fuel pump switched off.
Triggering of the various restraint systems is illustrated based on two examples (frontal impact and side impact):

? Head-on collision
The restraint systems (seat belt tensioner, end fitting pretensioner, front airbag, knee airbag, adaptive belt
force limiter) are triggered when the force of the frontal impact is so strong that the triggering thresholds in
the crash sensor module are exceeded.
The belt tensioners have a lower triggering threshold than the front airbags. This means that depending on
accident severity, only the belt tensioner may be activated by the crash safety module.
If the seat belt buckle switch is faulty, the crash safety module will attempt to activate the belt tensioner in
spite of the error message.
If the seat-occupancy detector is faulty, the control unit assumes that the passenger seat is occupied. The
restraint systems are activated.
Depending on accident severity, the safety battery terminal is activated and the electric fuel pump switched
off.

? Side impact
If the triggering threshold in the crash safety module is exceeded, the side airbag and the head-level airbag
on the side affected by the impact are activated.
Depending on accident severity, the safety battery terminal is activated and the electric fuel pump switched
off.

Data storage in the case of safety system triggering
When the restraint systems trigger, certain data are written to a read only memory in the crash safety module.
The data are used for accident research purposes (no access for service purposes).
Message to other control units
The crash safety module sends a message to other control units when the restraint systems are triggered. The
following functions are performed by the relevant control units depending on the severity of the accident:
? Switching off the electric fuel pump:
- via the EKP control unit
(on vehicles with electronic fuel pump control)
- via the DME control unit
(on vehicles with no electronic fuel pump control)
? Switching off the alternator (via DME control unit)
? Opening central locking:
> E60, E61, E63, E64
- at the front via the body-gateway module (KGM)
- at the rear via the basic body module (KBM)
> E85
via the general module (GM)
> E70, E93
via the junction box electronics (JBE)
? Switching on interior lights
> E60, E61, E63, E64
via the body basic module
> E85
via the general module
> E70, E93
via the footwell module (FRM)
? Switching on the hazard warning lights
> E60, E61, E63, E64
via the light module
> E85
via the light switch cluster
> E70, E93
via the footwell module (FRM)
? Sending emergency call (via telematics control unit)
Visual and audible seat belt warning
For the seat belt warning, the signals of the 2 seat belt buckle switches (driver's belt/front-passenger belt) are
monitored separately.
If the seat occupancy detector detects that the passenger seat is occupied, the front passenger's belt must be
inserted into the seat belt buckle. This switches off the seat belt warning.

The following situations are taken into account in respect of the issuing of a seat belt warning:
? Front seat belt not fastened and distance driven less than 200 m
If less than 200 m has been driven, only a visual seat belt warning is issued (the seat belt indicator lamp
lights up). The vehicle may for example be driven out of a garage without triggering an audible seat belt
warning.
? Front seat belt not fastened and distance driven more than 200 m
The seat belt indicator lamp and the check control symbol in the LCD light up (visual seat belt warning). The
audible seat belt warning is activated for approximately 90 seconds.
Once the seat belt has been fastened, the visual seat belt warning disappears. The audible seat belt warning
is deactivated.
If the seat belt has not been fastened by the end of the audible seat belt warning, the seat belt indicator lamp
lights up.
? Unfastening the front seat belt when the vehicle is in motion
If a seat belt is unfastened when the vehicle is in motion, the seat belt warning lamp will light up immediately.
The check control symbol also lights up in the LCD after approx. 15 seconds. An audible seat belt warning
sounds for approximately 90 seconds.
Once the seat belt has been fastened, the visual seat belt warning disappears. The audible seat belt warning
is deactivated.
If the seat belt has not been fastened by the end of the audible seat belt warning, the seat belt indicator lamp
lights up.

Emergency call
? Manual emergency call
A manual emergency call is initiated by the emergency call button. The emergency call button is directly
connected to the telephone. A voice connection is established with the service provider by pressing the
emergency button (press button for at least 2 seconds).
The manual emergency call function is not standard.
> E60, E61, E63, E64, E70, E93
The emergency call button is integrated into the roof control panel (FZD).
> E85
The emergency call switch is installed in the centre console.
? Automatic emergency call:
A further function is connected to the safety system on vehicles equipped with BMW Assist: the automatic
emergency call In the event of an accident exceeding a certain level of severity, BMW Assist automatically
initiates an emergency call. Some of the vehicle data and its exact location, which is determined by the
navigation system, are transmitted to the emergency call centre.
Monitoring of battery cable
Petrol engine vehicles:
The battery cable must be monitored on vehicles where the battery cable is installed on the underbody parallel to
the fuel line. The battery cable is monitored by the crash safety module.
Depending on the type of vehicle, the battery cable is made from copper or aluminium and insulated with plastic.
The plastic insulation is covered by a low impedance metal braiding which serves as the monitoring wire. The
battery cable is then covered with a second insulation layer made from plastic. This is the external insulation
layer.
A connection wire is provided at both ends of the monitoring wire. Both connection lines are connected to the
crash safety module.
The crash safety module triggers the safety battery terminal if the monitoring wire is damaged or there is a short
to positive or negative. The battery cable is consequently separated from the battery.

Rudy

In addition to all the information Nick posted above, I wanted to add that on US cars, there are two additional airbag sensors mounted in the front bumper. This would support my theory that the SRS Malfunction warning was caused by the bumper sensors getting damaged after the impact.

Take a look at this post to learn more about the sensor locations:
https://5series.net/forums/index.php?s=&amp...st&p=988721

bubajay

ok....but can somebody assist me on the M Aero bumper info???

Rudy

Glad to see you've come to your senses...