2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU brake light

Passlockž
Your vehicle has the Passlockžtheft-deterrent system.
Passlock
žis a passive theft-deterrent system.
Passlockženables fuel if the ignition lock cylinder is
turned with a valid key. If a correct key is not used or the
ignition lock cylinder is tampered with, the fuel system
is disabled and the vehicle will not start.
During normal operation, the THEFT SYSTEM light will
turn off approximately ®ve seconds after the ignition
key is turned to ON and the engine is started.
After attempting to start the engine, if the THEFT
SYSTEM light ¯ashes or stays on, wait ten minutes with
the key in ON until the light goes off. Then turn the
ignition to OFF before attempting to start the engine
again.
Starting and Operating Your
Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:Your vehicle doesn't need an elaborate
ªbreak-in.º But it will perform better in the long run
if you follow these guidelines:
·Don't drive at any one speed Ð fast or
slow Ð for the ®rst 500 miles (805 km).
Don't make full-throttle starts.
·Avoid making hard stops for the ®rst 200 miles
(322 km) or so. During this time your new
brake linings aren't yet broken in. Hard stops
with new linings can mean premature wear and
earlier replacement. Follow this breaking-in
guideline every time you get new brake linings.
·Don't tow a trailer during break-in. See ªTowing
a Trailerº in the Index for more information.
2-16

Parking Brake
To set the parking brake,
push down the parking
brake pedal with your left
foot. If the ignition is
on, the brake system
warning light will come on.
See
Brake System
Warning Light on
page 3-27
.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot. Push down on the
parking brake pedal with your left foot. If the parking
brake is not released when you begin to drive, the brake
system warning light will come on and a chime will
sound warning you that the parking brake is still on.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on a hill, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-34.
Shifting Into Park (P)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake ®rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
If you have left the engine running, the vehicle
can move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle will not move,
even when you are on fairly level ground, use
the steps that follow. If you are pulling a trailer,
see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2-23

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-2
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-4
Other Warning Devices...................................3-4
Horn.............................................................3-5
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-5
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-5
Exterior Lamps.............................................3-12
Interior Lamps..............................................3-15
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-16
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter........................3-17
Climate Controls............................................3-17
Climate Control System.................................3-17
Outlet Adjustment.........................................3-21
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators.............3-22
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-23
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-24
Tachometer.................................................3-25
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-25
Air Bag Readiness Light................................3-26
Charging System Light..................................3-27
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-27
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-28
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-29
Low Coolant Warning Light............................3-29
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-30Oil Pressure Light.........................................3-32
Check Oil Level Light....................................3-33
Passlock
žWarning Light................................3-34
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light.....................3-34
Door Ajar Light.............................................3-34
Service Vehicle Soon Light............................3-35
Fuel Gage...................................................3-35
Audio System(s).............................................3-36
Setting the Time for Radios without
Radio Data Systems (RDS)........................3-36
Setting the Time for Radios with
Radio Data Systems (RDS)........................3-37
Radio with CD (Base Level)...........................3-37
Radio with CD (Up Level)..............................3-41
Radio with Cassette and CD..........................3-48
Theft-Deterrent Feature
(Non-RDS Radios).....................................3-57
Theft-Deterrent Feature
(RDS Radios)...........................................3-57
Understanding Radio Reception......................3-57
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player.................3-58
Care of Your CDs.........................................3-59
Care of Your CD Player................................3-59
Fixed Mast Antenna......................................3-59
Chime Level Adjustment................................3-59
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

The main components of your instrument panel are the
following:
A. Side Window Defogger Vents. See ªDefogging and
Defrostingº in
Climate Control System on
page 3-17.
B. Vent Outlets. See
Outlet Adjustment on page 3-21.
C. Instrument Panel Brightness Thumbwheel. See
Interior Lamps on page 3-15.
D. Fog Lamp Button (If Equipped). See ªFog Lampsº in
Exterior Lamps on page 3-12.
E. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever. See
Turn
Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-5.
F. Cruise Control Buttons (If Equipped). See ªCruise
Controlº in
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on
page 3-5.
G. Instrument Panel Cluster. See
Instrument Panel
Cluster on page 3-23.
H. Windshield Wiper/Washer Lever. See ªWindshield
Wipersº in
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on
page 3-5.
I. Ignition Switch. See
Ignition Positions on
page 2-17.J. Hazard Warning Flashers Button. See
Hazard
Warning Flashers on page 3-4.
K. Instrument Panel Fuse Blocks. See
Fuses and
Circuit Breakers on page 5-77.
L. Instrument Panel Cupholder. See
Cupholder(s) on
page 2-30.
M. Remote Trunk Release Button. See ªRemote Trunk
Releaseº in
Trunk on page 2-11.
N. Hood Release. See
Hood Release on page 5-10.
O. Tilt Wheel Lever. See
Tilt Wheel on page 3-5.
P. Parking Brake. See
Parking Brake on page 2-23.
Q. Horn. See
Horn on page 3-5.
R. Audio System. See
Audio System(s) on page 3-36.
S. Cigarette Lighter. See
Ashtrays and Cigarette
Lighter on page 3-17.
T. Ashtray. See
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter on
page 3-17.
U. Accessory Power Outlet. See
Accessory Power
Outlets on page 3-16.
V. Climate Control System. See
Climate Control
System on page 3-17.
3-3

Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you're
not using cruise, you might hit a button and go
into cruise when you don't want to. You could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
The cruise control buttons are located on the steering
wheel for your convenience.1. Press OFF/ON to turn cruise control on.
The indicator light on the button will come on.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press the SET DECEL (Decelerate) button and
release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts
off the cruise control. But you don't need to reset
it. Once you're going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can press the cruise control ACCEL (Accelerate)
RESUME button brie¯y. You'll go right back up to your
chosen speed and stay there.
If you press the ACCEL RESUME button brie¯y, the
vehicle will keep going faster until you release the switch
or apply the brake. So unless you want to go faster,
don't hold down the ACCEL RESUME button.
3-10

Increasing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed.
·Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the SET DECEL button, then release
the button and the accelerator pedal. You'll now
cruise at the higher speed.
·Press the ACCEL RESUME button. Hold it there until
you get up to the speed you want, and then release
the button. To increase your speed in very small
amounts, press the ACCEL RESUME button brie¯y
and then release it. Each time you do this, your
vehicle will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
The accelerate feature will only work after you turn on
the cruise control by pressing the SET DECEL button.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
·Press the SET DECEL button until you reach the
lower speed you want, then release it.
·To slow down in very small amounts, press the
SET DECEL button brie¯y. Each time you do
this, you'll go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers ®nd this to be too much trouble and don't use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
·Step lightly on the brake pedal;
·Press OFF/ON.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
3-11

Exterior Lamps
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.
The exterior lamp switch has three positions:
<(Parking Lamps):Turn the switch to this position
to turn on the parking lamps, together with the
following:
·Sidemarker Lamps
·Taillamps
·License Plate Lamps
·Instrument Panel Lights
3(Headlamps):Turn the switch to this position to
turn on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
AUTO:Turn the exterior lamps control to AUTO to
provide for automatic operation of the headlamps,
taillamps and parking lamps. For more information see
ªAutomatic Headlamp Systemº later in this section.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
®rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make your low-beam headlamps
come on at a reduced brightness when the following
conditions are met:
·The ignition is on,
·the exterior lamp control is turned to AUTO or you
have turned on your parking lamps,
·the light sensor detects daytime light,
·the parking brake is released, and
·the shift lever is not in PARK (P).
3-12

When the DRL system is on, the taillamps, sidemarker
lamps, parking lamps and instrument panel lights
will not be illuminated unless you have turned the
exterior lamps control to the parking lamp or headlamp
position.
The DRL system will remain off any time your vehicle is
in PARK (P) or the parking brake is engaged and the
vehicle speed is less than 8 mph (13 km/h), for
United States vehicles only.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your Automatic
Headlamp System will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the
top of the instrument panel under the defroster grill,
so be sure it is not covered which will cause the system
to be on whenever the ignition is on.
The system may also be on when driving through a
parking garage, heavy overcast weather or a tunnel.
This is normal.There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the DRL and the Automatic
Headlamp System so that driving under bridges or bright
overhead street lights does not affect the system. The
DRL and Automatic Headlamp System will only be
affected when the light sensor sees a change in lighting
lasting longer than this delay.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system will come on immediately. Once
you leave the garage, it will take approximately
one minute for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is light outside. During that delay,
your instrument panel cluster may not be as bright
as usual. Make sure your instrument panel brightness
control is in the full bright position. See ªInstrument
Panel Brightness Controlº under
Interior Lamps
on page 3-15.
To idle your vehicle with the system off, set the park
brake while the ignition is off. Then start the vehicle.
The system will stay off until you release the park brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps when you need them.
3-13