Mini COUNTRYMAN Owner's Manual page 162

CONTROLS
Head airbag
In the event of a side collision, the head air-
bag protects the head.
Ejection Mitigation
The head airbag system is designed as an
ejection mitigation countermeasure to re-
duce the likelihood of ejections of vehicle
occupants through side windows during
rollovers or side collision events.
Knee airbag
Depending on the national-market version:
The knee airbag protects the legs in the
event of a frontal impact.
Protective effect
Airbags are not deployed in every impact
situation, for instance in less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
Information on optimum protective
effect of the airbags
Warning
If the seat position is incorrect or the de-
ployment area of the airbags is impaired,
the airbag system cannot provide protec-
tion as intended and may cause additional
injuries due to deployment. There is a risk
of injury or danger to life. Follow the infor-
mation on achieving the optimum protec-
tive effect of the airbag system.
– Keep a distance from the airbags.
– Always grasp the steering wheel on the
steering wheel rim. Hold your hands at
the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, to
keep the risk of injury to your hands or
arms as low as possible when the airbag
is deployed.
– Adjust seat and steering wheel so that
hands can be crossed over the steering
162
Safety
Online Edition for Part no. 01405A541E1 - II/22
wheel. Select the settings so that the
shoulder rests against the backrest
when crossing the hands and the upper
body is as far back as possible while still
maintaining a comfortable grip on the
steering wheel.
– Make sure that the front passenger is
sitting correctly, i.e., keeps his or her
feet and legs in the footwell and does
not support them on the dashboard.
– Make sure that occupants keep their
heads away from the side airbag.
– There should be no additional persons,
animals or objects between an airbag
and a person.
– Dashboard and windshield on the pas-
senger's side must stay clear - do not at-
tach adhesive film or coverings and do
not attach brackets or cables, for in-
stance for navigation devices or mobile
phones.
– Do not bond the airbag cover panels
with adhesive, do not cover them or
modify them in any way.
– Do not use the cover of the front airbag
on the passenger's side as a storage
area.
– Do not attach slip covers, seat cushions
or other objects to the front seats that
are not specifically suited for seats with
integrated side airbags.
– Do not hang pieces of clothing, such as
jackets, over the backrests.
– Never modify either the individual com-
ponents or the wiring in the airbag sys-
tem. This also applies to steering wheel
covers, the dashboard, and the seats.
– Do not disassemble the airbag system.
Even when you follow all instructions very
closely, injury from contact with the airbags
cannot be fully ruled out in certain situa-
tions.