2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU brake light

Charging System Light
The charging system light
will come on when you
turn on the ignition, but the
engine is not running, as
a check to show you it
is working.
When the engine is running, the light should go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving and
you hear a chime, you may have a problem with
the electrical charging system. It could indicate that you
have a loose generator drive belt or another electrical
problem. Have it checked right away. Driving while
this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on,
be certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the
radio and air conditioner.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on brie¯y when you turn the
ignition key to ON. If it doesn't come on then, have it
®xed so it will be ready to warn you if there's a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning
light will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake doesn't
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
United StatesCanada
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If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
¯oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. See
Towing
Your Vehicle on page 4-28.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you've pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
If your vehicle has the
anti-lock brake system, the
light will come on when
your engine is started and
may stay on for several
seconds. That's normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on and the chime sounds when you're
driving, stop as soon as possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or comes on again while you're
driving, your vehicle needs service. If the regular
brake system warning light isn't on, you still have
brakes, but you don't have anti-lock brakes. If the
regular brake system warning light is also on, you don't
have anti-lock brakes and there's a problem with
your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light
on page 3-27earlier in this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
brie¯y when you turn the ignition key to ON. This is
normal. If the light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
3-28

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That'sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That'sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But
that's only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to coolbetween hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake
normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on brie¯y when
you start your vehicle.
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Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won't have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you don't have anti-lock,
your ®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can't
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it inwhatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very
thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don't have anti-lock, use a ªsqueezeº braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or feel
the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This will help
you retain steering control. If you
dohave anti-lock, it's
different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
4-8

The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy
rain can make it harder to see road signs and
traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road
and even people walking.
It's wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank ®lled
with washer ¯uid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to
separate from the inserts.Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems,
too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But if you can't, try to slow down before you
hit them.
{CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won't
work as well in a quick stop and may cause
pulling to one side. You could lose control of
the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water
or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly
until your brakes work normally.
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If it is, you should have your brake system ®xed,
since a leak means that sooner or later your brakes
won't work well, or won't work at all.
So, it isn't a good idea to ªtop offº your brake ¯uid.
Adding brake ¯uid won't correct a leak. If you add ¯uid
when your linings are worn, then you'll have too
much ¯uid when you get new brake linings. You should
add (or remove) brake ¯uid, as necessary, only when
work is done on the brake hydraulic system.
{CAUTION:
If you have too much brake ¯uid, it can spill on
the engine. The ¯uid will burn if the engine is
hot enough. You or others could be burned,
and your vehicle could be damaged. Add brake
¯uid only when work is done on the brake
hydraulic system.When your brake ¯uid falls to a low level, your brake
warning light will come on. See
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-27.
What to Add
When you do need brake ¯uid, use only DOT-3 brake
¯uid. Use new brake ¯uid from a sealed container
only. See
Part D: Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
on page 6-21.
Always clean the brake ¯uid reservoir cap and the area
around the cap before removing it. This will help
keep dirt from entering the reservoir.United States
Canada
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{CAUTION:
With the wrong kind of ¯uid in your brake
system, your brakes may not work well, or they
may not even work at all. This could cause a
crash. Always use the proper brake ¯uid.
Notice:
·Using the wrong ¯uid can badly damage brake
system parts. For example, just a few drops of
mineral-based oil, such as engine oil, in your
brake system can damage brake system
parts so badly that they'll have to be replaced.
Don't let someone put in the wrong kind of ¯uid.
·If you spill brake ¯uid on your vehicle's painted
surfaces, the paint ®nish can be damaged. Be
careful not to spill brake ¯uid on your vehicle.
If you do, wash it off immediately. See
ªAppearance Careº in the Index.
Brake Wear
Your vehicle has front disc brakes and rear drum
brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make
a high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads
are worn and new pads are needed. The sound
may come and go or be heard all the time your vehicle
is moving (except when you are pushing on the
brake pedal ®rmly).
{CAUTION:
The brake wear warning sound means that
soon your brakes won't work well. That could
lead to an accident. When you hear the brake
wear warning sound, have your vehicle
serviced.
Notice:Continuing to drive with worn-out brake
pads could result in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are ®rst applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
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Notice:Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to your vehicle that wouldn't be covered
by your warranty.
Trying to start your vehicle by pushing or pulling it
won't work, and it could damage your vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt
battery with a negative ground system.
Notice:If the other system isn't a 12-volt system
with a negative ground, both vehicles can be
damaged.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables
can reach, but be sure the vehicles aren't touching
each other. If they are, it could cause a ground
connection you don't want. You wouldn't be able to
start your vehicle, and the bad grounding could
damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake ®rmly on both vehicles involved in
the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transaxle in PARK (P) or a manual transaxle in
NEUTRAL before setting the parking brake.
Notice:If you leave your radio on, it could be badly
damaged. The repairs wouldn't be covered by
your warranty.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug
unnecessary accessories plugged into the cigarette
lighter or in the accessory power outlet. Turn off
the radio and all lamps that aren't needed. This will
avoid sparks and help save both batteries. And it
could save your radio!
4. Open the hoods and locate the batteries. Find the
positive (+) and negative (-) terminal locations on
each vehicle. See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 5-12for more information on location.
{CAUTION:
An electric fan can start up even when the
engine is not running and can injure you.
Keep hands, clothing and tools away from
any underhood electric fan.
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