2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU Owners Manual

Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
SeeGasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality
will cause your engine not to run as efficiently as
designed. You may notice this as stalling after start-up,
stalling when you put the vehicle into gear, misring,
hesitation on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration.
(These conditions may go away once the engine is
warmed up.) This will be detected by the system and
cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to x
any mechanical or electrical problems that may
have developed.Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the check
engine light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the
OBD (on-board diagnostic) system determines that
critical emission control systems have not been
completely diagnosed by the system. The vehicle
would be considered not ready for inspection. 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.
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Oil Pressure Light
If you have low engine
oil pressure, 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.
This light will come on briey when you turn on
the ignition as a check to show you it is working. If it
does not 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.
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Security Light
This light will come on
briey when you turn the
key toward start. The
light will stay on until the
engine starts.
If the light comes on continuously while driving
and stays on, there may be a problem with the
PASS-Key
®III + system. Your vehicle will not be
protected by PASS-Key®III +, and you should see
your dealer.
If your vehicle has the content theft-deterrent alarm
system, the security light will also turn on to indicate that
arming has been initiated. SeeContent Theft-Deterrent
on page 2-18for more information.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on
whenever you set your
cruise control.
The light will go out when the cruise control is turned off.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-11for more information.
Highbeam On Light
This light will come on
when the high-beam
headlamps are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-8.
Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will 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 3-56.If
this happens, see your GM dealer for necessary repairs
to maintain top vehicle performance.
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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. The arrow on the fuel gage points to
side of the vehicle with the fuel door.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.
United States
Canada
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Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) provides the
following:
A way to personalize your vehicle
Trip information
Warning messagesThe buttons used to activate the DIC are located on the
left side of the vehicle’s audio system.
INFO/
4(Information):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(Enter):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.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is ON. If your
vehicle has the uplevel audio system, the time
and outside temperature will be shown on the rst line
of the display and the DIC information will be on
the second line of the display.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the DIC buttons. The button functions are
detailed in the following. United States
Canada
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Information Mode (INFO Button)
Use the INFO button to scroll through the vehicle
information mode displays in the following order:
TRIP Odometer A
TRIP Odometer B
FUEL RANGE (Fuel Range Until Empty)
ECON (Average Fuel Economy)
AV SPEED (Average Vehicle Speed)
OIL LIFE (Engine Oil Life System)
TRIP A or TRIP B:Press the INFO button until
TRIP A or TRIP B is displayed. This shows the
current distance traveled since the last reset for
each trip odometer in either miles or kilometers.
Both odometers can be used at the same time.
Each trip odometer can be reset to zero separately
by pressing and holding the ENTER button for a
few seconds while the desired trip odometer is
displayed.
FUEL RANGE:Press the INFO button until FUEL
RANGE displays. This shows the remaining distance
you can drive without refueling. It is based on fuel
economy and the fuel remaining in the tank.The fuel economy data used to determine fuel range is
an average of recent driving conditions. As your driving
conditions change, this data is gradually updated. Fuel
range cannot be reset.
ECON (Economy):Press the INFO button until ECON
appears in the display. Average fuel economy is how
many miles per gallon or liters per 100 kilometers
your vehicle is getting based on current and past driving
conditions.
Press and hold the ENTER button while ECON is
displayed to reset the average fuel economy. Average
fuel economy will then be calculated starting from
that point. If the average fuel economy is not reset,
it will be continually updated each time you drive.
AV (Average) SPEED:Press the INFO button until AV
SPEED appears in the display. This is the vehicle’s
average speed in miles per hour or kilometers per hour.
Press and hold the ENTER button while AV SPEED
is displayed to reset the average vehicle speed.
OIL LIFE:Press the INFO button until OIL LIFE appears
in the display. The engine oil life system shows an
estimate of the oil’s remaining useful life. It will show
100% when the system is reset after an oil change. It will
alert you to change your oil on a schedule consistent with
your driving conditions.
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In addition to the engine oil life system monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is recommended in the
Maintenance Schedule in this manual. SeeEngine Oil
on page 5-15andScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4.
Always reset the engine oil life system after an oil
change. See “How to Reset the Engine Oil Life System”
underEngine Oil Life System on page 5-18.
Personalization
The following options can be accessed in order by
pressing the MENU button anytime while the vehicle
is in on. Press this button to scroll through each option.
All of the personalization options may not be available
on your vehicle. Only the options available will be
displayed on your DIC.
Oil Life Reset
Units Selection (English/Metric)
Remote Start Capability
Horn Chirp During Remote Keyless Entry Locking
Horn Chirp During Remote Keyless Entry Unlocking
Exterior Light Flash During Remote Keyless
Entry Locking or Unlocking
Delayed Locking
Automatic Vehicle Unlocking: Specic Doors
Automatic Vehicle Unlocking: When Key is Off or
When Shift To Park
Exterior Perimeter Lighting During Remote Keyless
Entry Unlock
Security System Passive or Remote Keyless Entry
Arming
Select Language: (English, French, Spanish or
German)
When the desired option is reached, use the ENTER
button to toggle between the modes of that option.
To make a selection, press the MENU button again.
If no selection is made within ten seconds, the display
will revert back to the previous information displayed.
The MENU mode is exited when the INFO button is
pressed, a ten second time period has elapsed, the
ignition is turned to off or the end of the MENU list is
reached.
The following display messages may appear on your
vehicle’s audio display by pressing the MENU button:
OIL LIFE RESET:When this option is displayed, you
can reset the engine oil life system. To reset the system
to 100%, press and hold the ENTER button for at least
one second. An ACKNOWLEDGED display message
will appear for three seconds or until the next button is
pressed. This will tell you the system has been reset.
SeeEngine Oil Life System on page 5-18for more
information.
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UNITS:When UNITS appears on the display, press the
ENTER button to move between METRIC or ENGLISH.
When you have made your choice, press the MENU
button to record your selection. The initial setting from
the factory is English.
If you choose English, all information will be displayed
in English units. For example, distance in miles and fuel
economy in miles per gallon is displayed.
If you choose metric, all information will be displayed in
metric units. For example, distance in kilometers and
fuel economy in liters per 100 kilometers is displayed.
The unit measurement will also change the trip
odometer, temperature and average fuel economy
displays.
REMOTE START:The remote start feature, if
equipped, can be enabled or disabled. When REMOTE
START appears on the display, press the ENTER
button to move between OFF and ON. When you have
made your choice, press the MENU button to record
your selection. The initial setting from the factory is ON.
LOCK HORN:If your vehicle has remote keyless
entry, this feature which allows the vehicle’s horn to
chirp every time the lock button on the remote keyless
entry transmitter is pressed, can be enabled or
disabled. When LOCK HORN appears on the display,
press the ENTER button to move between ON and OFF.When you have made your choice, press the MENU
button to record your selection. The initial setting from
the factory is OFF.
UNLOCK HORN:If your vehicle has remote keyless
entry, this feature which allows the vehicle’s horn
to chirp every time the unlock button on the remote
keyless entry transmitter is pressed, can be enabled or
disabled. When UNLOCK HORN appears on the
display, press the ENTER button to move between ON
and OFF. When you have made your choice, press
the MENU button to record your selection. The initial
setting from the factory is OFF.
LIGHT FLASH:If your vehicle has remote keyless
entry, this feature which allows the vehicle’s exterior
perimeter lighting to ash every time the lock or unlock
button on the remote keyless entry transmitter is
pressed, can be enabled or disabled. When LIGHT
FLASH appears on the display, press the ENTER button
to move between OFF and ON. When you have
made your choice, press the MENU button to record
your selection. The initial setting from the factory is ON.
DELAY LOCK:The delayed locking feature, which
delays the actual locking of the vehicle, can be enabled
or disabled. When DELAY LOCK appears on the
display, use the ENTER button to move between OFF
and ON. When you have made your choice, press
the MENU button to record your selection. The initial
setting from the factory is ON.
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