Chevrolet Malibu Classic 2008 Owner's Manual

2008 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual M

Information Provided by:

Seats and Restraint Systems

Front Seats Rear Seats Safety Belts Child Restraints Airbag System

............................................... 1-2

............................................... 1-9

............................................. 1-11

....................................... 1-31

......................................... 1-56

Restraint System Check

Features and Controls

Keys

........................................................ 2-3

Doors and Locks Windows

................................................. 2-15

..................................... 2-1

...................................... 2-10

Theft-Deterrent Systems Starting and Operating Your Vehicle Mirrors OnStar

.................................................... 2-39

System

...................................... 2-42

Universal Home Remote System Storage Areas Sunroof

Instrument Panel

......................................... 2-52

.................................................. 2-53

............................................. 3-1

Instrument Panel Overview Climate Controls

...................................... 3-21

Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators Driver Information Center (DIC) Audio System(s)

....................................... 3-59

........................... 1-1

............................ 1-72

............................ 2-18

........... 2-22

................ 2-45

.......................... 3-4

........ 3-30

.................. 3-46

Driving Your Vehicle

....................................... 4-1

Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle Towing

Service and Appearance Care

Service Fuel Checking Things Under the Hood Headlamp Aiming Bulb Replacement

................................................... 4-26

.......................... 5-1

..................................................... 5-3

......................................................... 5-5

............... 5-12

..................................... 5-48

.................................... 5-48

Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement Tires Appearance Care Vehicle Identiﬁcation Electrical System Capacities and Speciﬁcations

Maintenance Schedule

Customer Assistance Information

...................................................... 5-52

..................................... 5-89

................................. 5-97

...................................... 5-98

................... 5-108

..................................... 6-1

................................ 6-2

.................... 7-1

Customer Assistance and Information Reporting Safety Defects

........................... 7-15

Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy

................................................................ 1

Index

....... 4-2

......... 5-51

........... 7-2

........... 7-18

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,

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CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem, the MALIBU Emblem, and the name MALIBU are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.

This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. GM reserves the right to make changes after that time without further notice. For vehicles ﬁrst sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for Chevrolet Motor Division wherever it appears in this manual.

This manual describes features that may or may not be on your speciﬁc vehicle.

Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.

Canadian Owners

A French language copy of this manual can be obtained from your dealer/retailer or from:

Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207

1-800-551-4123 helminc.com

Propriétaires Canadiens

On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français auprès de concessionnaire ou à l’adresse suivante:

Helm Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207

1-800-551-4123 helminc.com

Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 15864195 C Third Printing

Using this Manual

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Read this owner manual from beginning to end to learn about the vehicle’s features and controls. Pictures and words work together to explain things.

Index

To quickly locate information about the vehicle use the Index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the page number where it can be found.

Safety Warnings and Symbols

There are a number of safety cautions in this book. A box with the word CAUTION is used to tell about things that could hurt you or others if you were to ignore the warning.

{ CAUTION:

These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people.

Cautions tell what the hazard is and what to do to avoid or reduce the hazard. Read these cautions.

A circle with a slash through it is a safety symbol which means “Do Not,” “Do Not do this” or “Do Not let this happen.”

iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings

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Vehicle Symbols

Notices are also used in this manual.

Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle.

A notice tells about something that can damage the vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by the vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. The notice tells what to do to help avoid the damage.

When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words.

There are also warning labels on the vehicle which use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.

The vehicle has components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a speciﬁc component, control, message, gage, or indicator.

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

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Front Seats ..................................................... .1-2

Manual Seats ................................................1-2

Power Seats ..................................................1-3

Manual Lumbar ..............................................1-3

Heated Seats .................................................1-4

Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-4

Head Restraints .............................................1-7

Power Lift Seat ..............................................1-8

Rear Seats ...................................................... .1-9

Split Folding Rear Seat ...................................1-9

Safety Belts ...................................................1-11

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-11

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-16

Lap-Shoulder Belt .........................................1-25

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-30

Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-30

Child Restraints .............................................1-31

Older Children ..............................................1-31

Infants and Young Children ............................1-34

Child Restraint Systems .................................1-37

Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-40

Lower Anchors and Tethers for

Children (LATCH) ......................................1-42

Securing a Child Restraint in a

Rear Seat Position ....................................1-50

Securing a Child Restraint in the

Right Front Seat Position ............................1-52

Airbag System ...............................................1-56

Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-58

When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? .....................1-61

What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? .......................1-63

How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-63

What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? .....1-64

Passenger Sensing System ............................1-65

Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-70

Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped

Vehicle ....................................................1-70

Restraint

Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-72

Replacing Restraint System Parts

System Check ..................................1-72

After a Crash ............................................1-73

1-1

Front Seats

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Manual Seats

{ CAUTION:

You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you do not want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when the vehicle is not moving.

Lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure the seat is locked in place.

1-2

Power Seats

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In vehicles with power seats, the controls used to operate them are located on the outboard side of the seat.

To adjust the seat:

• Move the seat forward or rearward by sliding the

control forward or rearward.

• Raise or lower the front part of the seat cushion by

moving the front of the control up or down.

• Raise or lower the rear part of the seat cushion by

moving the rear of the control up or down.

Manual Lumbar

On vehicles with this feature, the handle is located on the outboard side of the seat.

Move the handle up or down repeatedly to decrease or increase lumbar support.

1-3

Heated Seats

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Reclining Seatbacks

Your vehicle may have heated front seats.

The buttons are located on the outboard side of the driver’s and front passenger’s seats.

Press the top of the switch to turn the feature on. The seat will heat to the high setting. The indicator light above the switch will be lit next to the number 2.

Press the top of the switch again to go to the low heat setting. The indicator light will be lit next to the number 1.

Press the bottom of the switch to turn the feature off. The heated seat feature will turn off when the ignition is

turned off.

1-4

Manual Reclining Seatbacks

{ CAUTION:

If the seatback is not locked, it could move forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury to the person sitting there. Always push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked.

On seats with manual reclining seatbacks, the lever

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used to operate them is located on the outboard side of the seat.

To recline the seatback:

1. Lift the recline lever.

2. Move the seatback to the desired position, then release the lever to lock the seatback in place.

3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.

To return the seatback to an upright position:

1. Lift the lever fully without applying pressure to the seatback and the seatback returns to the upright position.

2. Release the lever to lock the seatback.

3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.

1-5

Power Reclining Seatbacks

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If the seats have power reclining seatbacks, the control used to recline them is located on the outboard side of the seat behind the power seat control.

• To recline the seatback, tilt the top of the control

rearward.

• To bring the seatback forward, tilt the top of the

control forward.

{ CAUTION:

Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their job when you are reclined like this.

The shoulder belt cannot do its job. In a crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries.

The lap belt cannot do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries.

For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.

1-6

Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is

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moving.

Head Restraints

Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the restraint is at the same height as the top of the occupant’s head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.

1-7

Pull the restraint up to

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raise it. To lower the head restraint, press the button, located on the top of the seatback, and push the restraint down.

The rear seat head rests are also adjustable.

Power Lift Seat

To adjust a power lift seat, press the top or bottom of the power lift seat switch to raise or lower the seat.

1-8

Rear Seats

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Split Folding Rear Seat

With this feature, you can fold either side of the seatback down for more cargo space. Make sure the front seat is not reclined. If it is, the rear seatback will not fold down all the way.

Notice: Folding a rear seat with the safety belts still fastened may cause damage to the seat or the safety belts. Always unbuckle the safety belts and return them to their normal stowed position before folding a rear seat.

To lower the rear seatback, pull up on the seatback strap while folding the seatback down. This allows access to the trunk.

1-9

To raise the rear seatback pull the seatback up and

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make sure it latches. Push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked in position. Make sure that the safety belts are properly stowed over the seatback in all three positions.

{ CAUTION:

A safety belt that is improperly routed, not properly attached, or twisted will not provide the protection needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt could be seriously injured. After raising the rear seatback, always check to be sure that the safety belts are properly routed and attached, and are not twisted.

{ CAUTION:

If the seatback is not locked, it could move forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury to the person sitting there. Always push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked.

When the seat is not in use, it should be kept in the upright locked position.

1-10

Safety Belts

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Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone

This section of the manual describes how to use safety belts properly. It also describes some things not to do with safety belts.

{ CAUTION:

Do not let anyone ride where he or she cannot wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you are not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle harder or be ejected from it and be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be, if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passenger(s) are restrained properly too.

{ CAUTION:

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly.

This vehicle has indicators as a reminder to buckle the safety belts. See Safety Belt Reminders on page 3-33 for additional information.

1-11

In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law

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requires wearing safety belts. Here is why: You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have

a crash, you do not know if it will be a serious one. A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so

serious that even buckled up, a person would not survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without safety belts, they could have been badly hurt or killed.

After more than 40 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter... a lot!

Why Safety Belts Work

When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on wheels.

1-12

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider

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does not stop.

1-13

The person keeps going until stopped by something.

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In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...

1-14

or the instrument panel...

or the safety belts!

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With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why safety belts make such good sense.

Questions and Answers About Safety Belts

Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after a crash if I

am wearing a safety belt?

A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety

belt or not. But your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted. And you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are upside down.

Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to

wear safety belts?

A: Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they

work with safety belts — not instead of them. Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions.

1-15

Q: If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from

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home, why should I wear safety belts?

A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in a

crash — even one that is not your fault — you and your passenger(s) can be hurt. Being a good driver does not protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers.

Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h).

Safety belts are for everyone.

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

This section is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about

safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and infants. If a child will be riding in the vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-31 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-34. Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.

It is very important for all occupants to buckle up. Statistics show that unbelted people are hurt more often in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.

Occupants who are not buckled up can be thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.

First, before you or your passenger(s) wear a safety belt, there is important information you should know.

1-16

Sit up straight and always keep your feet on the ﬂoor in

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front of you. The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash,

this applies force to the strong pelvic bones and you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force on your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The shoulder belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash.

1-17

Q: What is wrong with this?

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A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It will not give as

much protection this way.

{ CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt snugly against your body.

1-18

Q: What is wrong with this?

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A: The lap belt is too loose. It will not give nearly as

much protection this way.

{ CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your lap belt is too loose. In a crash, you could slide under the lap belt and apply force on your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The lap belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs.

1-19

Q: What is wrong with this?

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A: The belt is buckled in the buckle.

{ CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not on the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.

1-20

Q: What is wrong with this?

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A: The belt is over an armrest.

{ CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt goes over an armrest like this. The belt would be much too high. In a crash, you can slide under the belt. The belt force would then be applied on the abdomen, not on the pelvic bones, and that could cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.

1-21

Q: What is wrong with this?

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A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should

be worn over the shoulder at all times.

{ CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your body would move too far forward, which would increase the chance of head and neck injury. Also, the belt would apply too much force to the ribs, which are not as strong as shoulder bones. You could also severely injure internal organs like your liver or spleen. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

1-22

Q: What is wrong with this?

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A: The belt is behind the body.

{ CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by not wearing the lap-shoulder belt properly. In a crash, you would not be restrained by the shoulder belt. Your body could move too far forward increasing the chance of head and neck injury. You might also slide under the lap belt. The belt force would then be applied right on the abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

1-23

Q: What is wrong with this?

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A: The belt is twisted across the body.

{ CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you would not have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your dealer/retailer to ﬁx it.

1-24

Lap-Shoulder Belt

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All seating positions in your vehicle have a lap-shoulder belt.

Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.

1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.

2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.

The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly.

If you ever pull the shoulder portion of a passenger belt out all the way, you may engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and start again.

3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-30.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if necessary.

4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster, move it to the height that is right for you. Improper shoulder belt height adjustment could reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash. See “Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment” later in this section.

1-25

5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the

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shoulder belt. It may be necessary to pull stitching on the safety

belt through the latch plate to fully tighten the lap belt on smaller occupants.

1-26

To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle. The belt should go back out of the way. When the safety belt is not in use, slide the latch plate up the safety belt webbing. The latch plate should rest on the stitching on the safety belt, near the guide loop on the side wall.

Before you close a door, be sure the belt is out of the way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the belt and your vehicle.

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