2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU service

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
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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.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red area, the light
comes on and you hear a chime, your engine is too hot!
It means that your engine coolant has overheated.
If you have been operating your vehicle under normal
driving conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-27.
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Check Engine Light
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for
the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The Check Engine light comes on
to indicate that there is a problem and service is
required. Malfunctions often will be indicated by the
system before any problem is apparent. This may
prevent more serious damage to your vehicle.
This system is also designed to assist your service
technician in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls may
not work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty. United States
Canada
3-39

Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you
it is working, when the ignition is on and the engine
is not running. If the light does not come on, have
it repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing— A misre condition has been
detected. A misre increases vehicle emissions
and may damage the emission control system
on your vehicle. Diagnosis and service may
be required.
Light On Steady— An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service may be required.
If the Light is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
Avoiding hard accelerations.
Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady,
see “If the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle.Find a safe place to park your
vehicle. Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds
and restart the engine. If the light remains on steady,
see “If the Light Is On Steady” following. If the light
is still ashing, follow the previous steps, and see your
dealer for service as soon as possible.
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This can happen if you have recently replaced your
battery or if your battery has run down. The diagnostic
system is designed to evaluate critical emission
control systems during normal driving. This may take
several days of routine driving. If you have done this and
your vehicle still does not pass the inspection for lack
of OBD system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare
the vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Light
If you have a low engine
oil pressure problem,
this light will stay on after
you start your engine,
or come on and you will
hear a chime when you
are driving.
This indicates that your engine is not receiving enough
oil. The engine could be low on oil, or could have
some other oil problem. Have it xed immediately.When the ignition is on but the engine is not running,
the light will come on as a test to show you it is working,
but the light will go out when the engine is running.
If it doesn’t come on with the ignition on, you may have
a problem with the bulb. Have it xed right away.
{CAUTION:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low.
If you do, your engine can become so hot that
it catches re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance
may damage the engine. The repairs would not
be covered by your warranty. Always follow
the maintenance schedule in this manual for
changing engine oil.
3-42

Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will come on
briey when you turn
the ignition to ON.
It will stay on, or come on and a chime will sound if it
detects a problem on the vehicle. The Driver Information
Center (DIC) may display a message such as Low
Coolant, Power Steering, Engine Reduced Power, etc.
These messages may help you determine why the
service vehicle soon indicator is on. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-50. If this happens, see
your dealer as soon as possible.
Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left, when the ignition is on. When the indicator nears
empty, the amber light located left of the pump symbol
will come on and you will hear a chime. You still
have a little fuel left, but you should get more soon.
United StatesCanada
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Here are four things that some owners ask about.
These are normal and do not indicate a problem with
your fuel gage:
At the service station, the gas pump shuts off
before the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took
a little more or less than half the tank’s capacity
to ll the tank.
The indicator moves a little when you turn a corner
or speed up.
The gage goes back to empty when you turn off
the ignition.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) provides the
following:
A way to personalize your vehicle
Trip information and
Warning messagesThe buttons used to
activate the DIC are
located on the left side
of the vehicle’s audio
controls.
The buttons used to activate the DIC are located on
the left side of the vehicle’s audio controls.
INFO (
4):Press this button to scroll through the
vehicle information mode displays.
MENU:Press this button to enter and scroll through
the menu mode.
ENTER (
r):Press this button to select a menu
option or to acknowledge a warning message.
The DIC messages will be read through your audio
system display.Unites States version
shown, Canada similar
3-45

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.
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