2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU brake

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 briey 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.The Driver Information Center (DIC) may display a
Low Brake Fluid or Push Park Pedal message. These
messages might help to determine why the brake
system warning light is on. SeeDIC Warnings and
Messages on page 3-50.
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. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-31.
{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
have pulled off the road and stopped carefully,
have the vehicle towed for service. United StatesCanada
3-36

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 3-36earlier in
this section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briey 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.
Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
If your vehicle has the
Enhanced Traction
System (ETS), this light
may come on for the
following reasons:
If you turn the system off by pressing the TC
(traction control) button located on the center
console, the light will come on and stay on.
To turn the system back on, press the button
again and the warning light should go out.
If there’s a brake system problem that is
specically related to traction control, the ETS
will turn off and the warning light will come on.
If your brakes begin to overheat, the ETS; will
turn off and the warning light will come on until
the brakes cool down.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
3-37

LANGUAGE:To select your choice of language,
use the ENTER button to move between the optional
languages.
The languages are English, French, German and
Spanish.
Choosing a language will display all of the information
on the DIC in the desired language.
When you have made your choice, press the MENU
button for at least one second to record your selection.
The initial setting from the factory is ENGLISH.
ENTER:The ENTER button is used to reset certain
functions and turn off or acknowledge messages on the
DIC display. The ENTER button also toggles through
the options available in each personalization menu.
DIC Warnings and Messages
These messages will appear if there is a problem
sensed in one of your vehicle’s systems.
Any message will clear when the vehicle’s condition is no
longer present. The warning message will come back on
the next time the vehicle is turned off and back on if the
condition is still present. With most messages, a warning
chime will sound when the message is displayed.
Your vehicle may have other warning messages.AUTO LIGHTS OFF:This message is displayed if
the automatic headlamp system is disabled with
the headlamp switch.
AUTO LIGHTS ON:This message is displayed if
the automatic headlamp system is enabled with the
headlamp switch.
BRAKE FLUID:This message will display if the ignition
is in ON to inform the driver that the brake uid level
is low. Have the brake system serviced by a technician
as soon as possible.
CHANGE OIL SOON:This message is displayed when
the life of the engine oil has expired and it should be
changed within 200 miles.
When you acknowledge the Change Engine Oil message
by clearing it from the display, you still must reset the
engine oil life monitor separately. SeeEngine Oil on
page 5-17andScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4
for more information.
CHECK GAS CAP:This message will appear if the
gas cap has not been fully tightened. You should
recheck your gas cap to ensure that it’s on properly.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed should
turn the display off.
3-50

DOOR AJAR:This message is displayed if one or
more of the vehicle’s doors are not closed properly.
When this message appears, you should make sure
that the door is closed completely.
ENGINE DISABLED:This message is displayed if the
starting of the engine is disabled. Have y our vehicle
serviced by your dealership immediately.
ENG PWR REDUCED:This message informs you that
the vehicle has reduced engine power to avoid
damaging the engine.
ICE POSSIBLE:This message appears when the
outside air temperature is cold enough to create icy
road conditions.
KEY FOB BATT LOW:This message is displayed if
the remote keyless entry transmitter battery is low.
LOW COOLANT:This message is displayed when
there is a low level of engine coolant. Have the cooling
system serviced by a technician as soon as possible.
LOW FUEL:This message is displayed when your
vehicle is low on fuel. You should rell the tank as soon
as possible. You will also see a low fuel warning light
on the instrument panel cluster.LOW WASHER FLUID:This message is displayed
when your vehicle is low on windshield washer uid.
You should rell the tank as soon as possible.
POWER STEERING:This message is displayed if a
problem has been detected with the electric power
steering. Have your vehicle serviced immediately.
PUSH PARK PEDAL:This message is displayed if
the parking brake is left engaged and you try to
drive away.
SERVICE AIR BAG:There is a problem with the air
bag system when this message appears. Let only
a qualied technician work on your vehicle. Have your
vehicle serviced by your dealership immediately.
TRUNK OR GATE AJAR:This message is displayed
when the trunk lid or liftgate of your vehicle is not closed
completely. You should make sure that the trunk lid or
liftgate is closed completely.
3-51

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-10.
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It is the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when the
vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving
task — such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call,
reading, or reaching for something on the oor — makes
proper defensive driving more difficult and can even
cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to
help do things like this, or pull off the road in a safe place
to do them yourself. These simple defensive driving
techniques could save your life.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
Judgment
Muscular Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
4-2

{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.
Please do not drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or if you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at
the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it
is easy to ask more of those control systems than
the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle.
4-5

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that is
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 is 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−heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between 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 are driving, brake
normally but do not 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.
4-6

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 briey when
you start your vehicle.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each wheel.
The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
4-7