Safety And Security Features; Safety Cage; Door Locks And Door Handles; Seat Belts - BMW 5251 Service Manual

Body-General
SAFETY
AND
SECURITY
FEATURES
A number of new or improved safety and security features are
incorporated in
E39
cars.
Safety cage
4
The body safety cage is a continuation of an established
BMW concept for passenger protection. Tubular impact
structures built into the body provide protection against pas-
senger injury during front or rear impacts.
Door locks and door handles
4
The door handles allow easy door opening, but are secure in
accidents.
Electrical components in the locks are fully encapsulated and
cannot be picked easily. The door handles, latches and loclc
assemblies offer reliability and security against theft.
Door position and loclc condition are detected by hall sensors.
Roof padding
In addition to the side and head protection airbags, there is
supplementary padding at the roof pillars and along the roof
above the doors. This is positioned to present energy absorb-
ing surlaces to passengers thrown around by side impact
forces.
Seat belts
Each front seat belt assembly has a height-adjustable anchor
at the 8-pillar.
An automatic pyrotechnic (explosive charge) tensioner tight-
ens the front belt at the buckle upon impact, snugging up lap
and shoulder segments of the belt. The tensioners are de-
signed to automatically tension the belts by about 2 inches
(55 mm) in the event o f a collision.
A force limiter puts an upper limit on the amount of iorce each
belt can exert on the passenger.