2007 CHEVROLET MALIBU child restraint

Seats and Restraint Systems
....................... 7
Front Seats
.............................................. 8
Rear Seats
............................................. 17
Safety Belts
............................................ 20
Child Restraints
...................................... 42
Airbag System
........................................ 72
Restraint System Check
......................... 90
Features and Controls
................................ 93
Keys
....................................................... 95
Doors and Locks
.................................. 104
Windows
............................................... 110
Theft-Deterrent Systems
....................... 113
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
..... 117
Mirrors
.................................................. 138
OnStar
®System
................................... 144Universal Home Remote System
.......... 148
Storage Areas
...................................... 160
Sunroof
................................................ 164
Instrument Panel
....................................... 165
Instrument Panel Overview
................... 168
Climate Controls
................................... 188
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
.......................................... 198
Driver Information Center (DIC)
............ 218
Audio System(s)
................................... 228
Driving Your Vehicle
................................. 287
Your Driving, the Road, and Your
Vehicle
.............................................. 288
Towing
................................................. 330
2007 Chevrolet Malibu Owner ManualM
1

Front Seats..................................................... 8
Manual Seats................................................ 8
Power Seat................................................... 9
Manual Lumbar............................................. 9
Heated Seats.............................................. 10
Reclining Seatbacks.................................... 10
Head Restraints.......................................... 13
Passenger Folding Seatback (Maxx)............ 14
Power Lift Seat........................................... 16
Rear Seats.................................................... 17
Rear Seat Operation................................... 17
Safety Belts.................................................. 20
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone........... 20
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts.... 24
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly............. 25
Driver Position............................................. 26
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment................. 33
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy.............. 34
Right Front Passenger Position................... 34
Rear Seat Passengers................................ 34
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides................ 37
Safety Belt Pretensioners............................ 41
Safety Belt Extender................................... 41Child Restraints............................................ 42
Older Children............................................. 42
Infants and Young Children......................... 45
Child Restraint Systems.............................. 49
Where to Put the Restraint.......................... 54
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH).................................... 56
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position................................... 65
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position......................... 67
Airbag System.............................................. 72
Where Are the Airbags?.............................. 74
When Should an Airbag Inate?.................. 78
What Makes an Airbag Inate?................... 79
How Does an Airbag Restrain?................... 79
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates? ... 80
Passenger Sensing System......................... 82
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...... 88
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle.......................... 89
Restraint System Check............................... 90
Checking the Restraint Systems.................. 90
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash........................................... 91
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
7

Q:If I am a good driver, and I never drive far
from home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you are
in an accident — even one that is not your
fault — you and your passengers can be hurt.
Being a good driver does not protect you
from things beyond your control, such as
bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less
than 40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know
about safety belts and children. And there
are different rules for smaller children and babies.
If a child will be riding in your vehicle, seeOlder
Children on page 42orInfants and Young Children
on page 45. Follow those rules for everyone’s
protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint
systems your vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
25

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to
be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt,
and the lap portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding, throughout the
pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is
more likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash.For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to
making safety belts effective is wearing them
properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s
safety belt properly, seeDriver Position on page 26.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt — except
for one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion
of the belt out all the way, you will engage the
child restraint locking feature. If this happens,
let the belt go back all the way and start again.
Rear Seat Passengers
It is very important for rear seat passengers to
buckle up! Accident statistics show that unbelted
people in the rear seat are hurt more often in
crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who are not safety belted can be
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they
can strike others in the vehicle who are wearing
safety belts.
34

Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the
driver and right front passenger. Although you
cannot see them, they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They help tighten the safety belts during
the early stages of a moderate to severe frontal
and near frontal crash if the threshold conditions
for pretensioner activation are met. And, if your
vehicle has side impact airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten the safety belts
in a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in
a crash, you will need to get new ones, and
probably other new parts for your safety belt
system. SeeReplacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 91.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your
dealer/retailer will order you an extender. When
you go in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will
wear, so the extender will be long enough for
you. To help avoid personal injury, do not
let someone else use it, and use it only for the
seat it is made to t. The extender has been
designed for adults. Never use it for securing child
seats. To wear it, attach it to the regular safety
belt. For more information, see the instruction
sheet that comes with the extender.
41

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt
and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide. The shoulder belt should not
cross the face or neck. The lap belt should t
snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or
even fatal internal injuries in a crash.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can
strike other people who are buckled up, or can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need
to use safety belts properly.
42

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same
belt. The belt cannot properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children
can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A belt must be used by only one
person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder
belt, but the child is so small that the
shoulder belt is very close to the child’s
face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a
window, move the child toward the center
of the vehicle. Also seeRear Safety Belt
Comfort Guides on page 37. If the child is
sitting in the center rear seat passenger
position, move the child toward the safety
belt buckle. In either case, be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide.
43

Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection!
This includes infants and all other children.
Neither the distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the need, for
everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States
and in every Canadian province says children
up to some age must be restrained while
in a vehicle.{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck and the safety belt
continues to tighten. Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have the protection provided
by appropriate restraints. Young children should
not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone,
unless there is no other choice. Instead, they need
to use a child restraint.
45