2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU belt

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................1-10
Child Restraints
.......................................1-31
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-52
Restraint System Check
............................1-60
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-16
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-22
Mirrors
....................................................2-35
OnStar
®System
......................................2-38
HomeLink®Transmitter
.............................2-40
Storage Areas
.........................................2-44
Sunroof
..................................................2-48
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-21
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-31Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-45
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-52
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-31
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-45
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-49
Tires
......................................................5-50
Appearance Care
.....................................5-78
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-86
Electrical System
......................................5-87
Capacities and Specications
.....................5-96
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-11
Index................................................................ 1
2004 Chevrolet Malibu Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Six-Way Power Driver Seat..............................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-3
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-6
Passenger Folding Seatback............................1-6
Rear Seats.......................................................1-7
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-7
Safety Belts...................................................1-10
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-10
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-15
Driver Position..............................................1-16
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-23
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-24
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-24
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-28
Safety Belt Pretensioners...............................1-30
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-30
Child Restraints.............................................1-31
Older Children..............................................1-31
Infants and Young Children............................1-34Child Restraint Systems.................................1-38
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-41
Top Strap....................................................1-42
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-43
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System.........................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position...................................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position............................................1-49
Air Bag Systems............................................1-52
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-54
When Should an Air Bag Inate?....................1-57
What Makes an Air Bag Inate?.....................1-58
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-58
What Will You See After an Air Bag Inates?.......1-58
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-60
Restraint System Check..................................1-60
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-60
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-61
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t 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.
1-5

3. Fold the seatback down.
To raise the seatback, do the following:
1. Push down on one of the levers and pull the
seatback up to lock it into place. Make sure
the safety belt is not twisted or caught in the
seatback.
2. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it
is locked into position.
3. Use the reclining front seatback lever to adjust the
seatback to a comfortable position.
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Folding the Seatback
Your vehicle may have a split folding rear seatback.
To fold down the rear seatback on the sedan, do
the following:
1. Open the trunk and pull one or both of the gray
handles located on the upper part of the trunk
opening. The left handle will open the larger side of
the seatback. The right handle will open the
smaller side of the seatback.
2. Once a handle is pulled, the seatback can be
pushed open through the trunk, or pulled open from
inside the vehicle.
1-7

{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted won’t 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.
To return the seatback to the upright position, push the
seatback up until you hear a click. Then pull on the
seatback to make sure it is secure.
Rear Sliding Seat (MAXX Only)
If your vehicle is the MAXX model your rear seat will
slide forward or rearward to allow more cargo space in
the rear.
Lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock
the seat. Slide the seat to where you want it and
release the bar. Try to move the seat back and forth to
be sure the seat is locked in place.
If your vehicle has the rear seat entertainment system,
the rear seat should only be moved forward to a
certain point in order to use the DVD player properly.
Slide the rear seat up so the front edge of the seat
cushion is lined up with the mark on the carpet retainer
trim on the oor of the driver’s side rear seat. If the
rear seat is up past the mark, you will not be able
to open the DVD screen.
1-9

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can 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 passengers’ belts are
fastened 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.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-34.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why:They work.
1-10

You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 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’s just a seat on
wheels.
1-11

or the safety belts!
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’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe – whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so youcanunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they workwith
safety belts – not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-14