2007 CHEVROLET MALIBU Owners Manual

{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be
dust in the air. This dust could cause
breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing
problems but cannot get out of the vehicle
after an airbag inates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door. If you
experience breathing problems following
an airbag deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on,
and turn the hazard warning ashers on when
the airbags inate. You can lock the doors,
turn the interior lamps off, and turn the hazard
warning ashers off again by using the controls
for those features.In many crashes severe enough to inate the
airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle
deformation. Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the right front passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to inate only once.
After an airbag inates, you will need some
new parts for the airbag system. If you do
not get them, the airbag system will not be
there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include airbag modules
and possibly other parts. The service manual
for your vehicle covers the need to replace
other parts.
Your vehicle has a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information
after a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection
and Event Data Recorders on page 486.
Let only qualied technicians work on the
airbag system. Improper service can mean
that the airbag system will not work properly.
See your dealer for service.
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Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger’s position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible when you start
your vehicle in the instrument panel.
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on
and off, will be visible during the system check.
If you are using remote start to start your vehicle
from a distance, if equipped, you may not see
the system check. When the system check
is complete, either the word ON or the word OFF,
or the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will
be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 203.The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver’s airbags are not part of
the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer
if they are restrained in the rear rather than
the front seat.
We recommend that children be secured in a
rear seat, including: an infant or a child riding in
a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat; an older child riding
in a booster seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.
United StatesCanada
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A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a
rear-facing child seat in the front.” This is because
the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if the
airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint
can be seriously injured or killed if the
right front passenger’s airbag inates.
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag
if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, no system is fail-safe, and
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
no one can guarantee that an airbag
will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off.
We recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be secured in the rear seat,
even if the airbag is off.
If you need to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front seat,
always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. It is better to secure
the child restraint in a rear seat.
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The passenger sensing system is designed to turn
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
The right front passenger seat is unoccupied.
The system determines that an infant is
present in a rear-facing infant seat.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a child restraint.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a booster seat.
A right front passenger takes his/her weight off
of the seat for a period of time.
The right front passenger seat is occupied by
a smaller person, such as a child who has
outgrown child restraints.
Or, if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.When the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator will light and stay lit to remind you that
the airbag is off. SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 203.
If a child restraint has been installed and the
on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove
the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall
the child restraint following the child restraint
manufacturer’s directions and refer toSecuring
a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position
on page 67.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to
make sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not
pressing the child restraint into the seat cushion.
If this happens, slightly recline the vehicle’s
seatback and adjust the seat cushion if possible.
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Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint. SeeHead Restraints
on page 13.
Remove any additional material from the seat
cushion before reinstalling or securing the
child restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in
the child restraint in a rear seat position in
the vehicle, and check with your dealer/retailer.
The passenger sensing system is designed
to enable (may inate) the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag anytime the system senses that
a person of adult size is sitting properly in the right
front passenger’s seat. When the passenger
sensing system has allowed the airbag to
be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit
to remind you that the airbag is active.For some children who have outgrown child
restraints and for very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag, depending
upon the person’s seating posture and body
build. Everyone in your vehicle who has
outgrown child restraints should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag
for that person.
If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it
could be because that person is not sitting properly
in the seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off
and ask the person to place the seatback in
the fully upright position, then sit upright in the
seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the
vehicle and have the person remain in this position
for two to three minutes. This will allow the
system to detect that person and then enable the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag.
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Safety belts help keep the passenger in position
on the seat during vehicle maneuvers and
braking, which helps the passenger sensing
system maintain the passenger airbag status.
See “Safety Belts” and “Child Restraints” in
the Index for additional information about the
importance of proper restraint use.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the
instrument panel cluster ever comes on
and stays on, it means that something
may be wrong with the airbag system.
If this ever happens, have the vehicle
serviced promptly, because an adult-size
person sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the
protection of the airbag(s). SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 202for more
on this, including important safety
information.
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A thick layer of additional material, such as a
blanket or cushion, or aftermarket equipment such
as seat covers, seat heaters, and seat massagers
can affect how well the passenger sensing
system operates. You may want to consider not
using seat covers or other aftermarket equipment.
SeeAdding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 89for more information about
modications that can affect how the system
operates.
The passenger sensing system may suppress the
airbag deployment when liquid soaks into the
seat. If this happens, the off indicator in the
passenger airbag status indicator and the airbag
readiness light on the instrument panel will be
lit. The system should resume normal operation
after the seat is allowed to dry. If the system
operates incorrectly after the seat has dried,
have your dealer/retailer check the system.
{CAUTION:
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s
seat or between the passenger’s seat
cushion and seatback may interfere with
the proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
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Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be
serviced. There are parts of the airbag system
in several places around your vehicle. You do not
want the system to inate while someone is
working on your vehicle. Your dealer and the
service manual have information about servicing
your vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase
a service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 492.
{CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds, after the ignition is
turned off and the battery is disconnected,
an airbag can still inate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are
close to an airbag when it inates. Avoid
yellow connectors. They are probably part
of the airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and make sure
the person performing work for you is
qualied to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular
maintenance.
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