2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU keyless

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
2-10 Keys, Doors and Windows
Doors
Trunk
Press the trunk release button on
the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter for one second to open
the trunk from the outside.
{WARNING
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate, trunk/hatch open, or with
any objects that pass through the
seal between the body and the
trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains Carbon
Monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate, or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.
.Adjust the Climate Control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See Climate
Control System in the Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑24.
Remote Trunk Release
Press the button located on the
driver door near the map pocket to
open the trunk.
The trunk can only be opened while
the vehicle is in P (Park) or when
the ignition is off.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
2-12 Keys, Doors and Windows
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent
features; however, they do not make
it impossible to steal.
Anti-Theft Alarm System
Your vehicle may have an anti-theft
alarm system.
Arming the System
With the ignition off, press the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter lock button to arm the
system.
The system will arm 30 seconds
after all the doors are closed,
or 60 seconds with any door open.
If you press the lock button on the
transmitter a second time while all
the doors are closed, the system will
arm immediately. The system will
still arm in 60 seconds if a door is
open. When the open door is
closed, the system will arm.
The security light, located on the
instrument panel cluster, comes on
to indicate that arming has been
initiated. Once the system is armed,
the security light flashes once every
three seconds.
If the security light is flashing twice
per second, this means that a door
is open.
If the system is armed and the key
is used to unlock the vehicle, the
alarm will be activated.
If you do not want to arm the
system, lock the vehicle with the
manual lock knob on the doors or
with the inside power door lock
switches.
The alarm will sound and the
exterior lights will flash if any door
is opened while armed.
Disarming the System
To disarm the system:
.Press the RKE transmitter
unlock button.
.Turn the ignition to ON/RUN.
Once the system is disarmed, the
security light will stop flashing.
How the System Alarm is
Activated
To activate the system if it is armed:
.Open the driver's door or trunk.
A ten second pre-alarm chirp will
sound followed by a thirty
second full alarm of horn and
lights.
.Open any other door. A full
alarm of horn and lights will
immediately sound for thirty
seconds.
.Open the hood. If the vehicle
has the remote start feature, it
will activate the full alarm.

Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
5-28 Instruments and Controls
Fuel System Messages
CHECK GAS CAP
This message displays if the fuel
cap has not been fully tightened.
Recheck the fuel cap to make sure
that it is on properly. A few driving
trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the message off.
LOW FUEL
This message displays when your
vehicle is low on fuel. Refill the fuel
tank as soon as possible. SeeFuel
Gauge
on page 5‑11, Fuelon
page 9‑37, and Filling the Tankon
page 9‑41for more information.
Key and Lock Messages
KEY FOB BATT (Battery) LOW
This message displays if the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter battery is low. Replace
the battery in the transmitter. See
“Battery Replacement” under
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
Lamp Messages
AUTO (Automatic)
LIGHTS OFF
This message displays if the
automatic headlamp system is
disabled with the headlamp switch.
See Automatic Headlamp System
on page 6‑3for more information.
AUTO (Automatic) LIGHTS ON
This message displays if the
automatic headlamp system is
enabled with the headlamp switch.
SeeAutomatic Headlamp System
on page 6‑3for more information.
Ride Control System
Messages
ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) ACTIVE
If your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), this
message displays and the ESC/TCS
light on the instrument panel cluster
flashes when ESC is assisting you with directional control of the
vehicle. You may feel or hear the
system working and see this
message displayed in the DIC.
Slippery road conditions may exist
when this message is displayed, so
adjust your driving accordingly. This
message may stay on for a few
seconds after ESC stops assisting
you with directional control of the
vehicle. This is normal when the
system is operating. See
Electronic
Stability Control (ESC)
on
page 9‑32and Electronic Stability
Control (ESC)/Traction Control
System (TCS) Indicator/Warning
Light
on page 5‑20for more
information.
ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) OFF
If your vehicle has Electronic
Stability Control (ESC), this
message displays and the ESC/TCS
light on the instrument panel cluster
comes on solid when ESC is turned
off. Adjust your driving accordingly.

Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
5-32 Instruments and Controls
3. Press the information button toscroll through the available
personalization menu modes.
Press the reset button to scroll
through the available settings for
each mode.
If you do not make a selection
within ten seconds, the display
will go back to the previous
information displayed.
Personalization Menu Modes
OIL LIFE RESET
When this feature is displayed, you
can reset the engine oil life system.
To reset the system, see Engine Oil
Life System
on page 10‑12. See
“OIL LIFE” underDriver Information
Center (DIC)
on page 5‑23for
more information. UNITS
This feature allows you to select the
units of measurement in which the
DIC will display the vehicle
information. When UNITS appears
on the display, press and hold the
reset button for at least one second
to scroll through the available
settings:
ENGLISH (default in United
States):
All information will be
displayed in English units.
METRIC (default in Canada): All
information will be displayed in
metric units.
To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
REMOTE START
If the vehicle has remote start, this
feature allows it to be turned on or
off. When REMOTE START
displays, press and hold the reset
button, then select ON or OFF. OFF disables the remote start feature.
See
Remote Vehicle Start
on
page 2‑5for more information.
LOCK HORN
This feature, which allows the
vehicle's horn to chirp every time
the lock button on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is
pressed, can be enabled or
disabled. When LOCK HORN
appears on the display, press and
hold the reset button for at least
one second to scroll through the
available settings:
OFF (default): The horn will not
chirp on the first press of the lock
button on the RKE transmitter. The
horn will still chirp on the second
press.
ON: The horn will chirp on the first
press of the lock button on the RKE
transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation
on page 2‑3for
more information.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-33
To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
UNLOCK HORN
This feature, which allows the
vehicle's horn to chirp on the first
press of the unlock button on the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter, can be enabled or
disabled. When UNLOCK HORN
appears on the display, press and
hold the reset button for at least
one second to scroll through the
available settings:
OFF (default):The horn will not
chirp when the unlock button on the
RKE transmitter is pressed.
ON: The horn will chirp on the first
press of the unlock button on the
RKE transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation
on page 2‑3for
more information. To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
LIGHT FLASH
This feature, which allows the
vehicle's exterior hazard/turn signal
lighting to flash every time the lock,
unlock, or trunk release buttons on
the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter are pressed, can be
enabled or disabled. When LIGHT
FLASH appears on the display,
press and hold the reset button for
at least one second to scroll through
the available settings:
OFF:
The exterior hazard/turn
signal lighting will not flash when
the lock, unlock, or trunk release
buttons on the RKE transmitter are
pressed. ON (default):
The exterior hazard/
turn signal lighting will flash when
the lock, unlock, or trunk release
buttons on the RKE transmitter are
pressed.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation
on page 2‑3for
more information.
To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
DELAY LOCK
This feature, which delays the
actual locking of the vehicle, can be
enabled or disabled. When DELAY
LOCK appears on the display, press
and hold the reset button for at least
one second to scroll through the
available settings:
ON (default): The doors will not
lock until five seconds after the last
door is closed. You can temporarily
override delayed locking by

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
5-34 Instruments and Controls
pressing the power lock switch or
the lock button on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter a
second time.
OFF:The doors will lock
immediately when pressing the
power lock switch or the lock button
on the RKE transmitter.
See Power Door Locks
on
page 2‑8, Delayed Lockingon
page 2‑8, and Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operationon
page 2‑3for more information.
To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC. AUTO UNLK (Unlock)
This feature, which allows the
vehicle to automatically unlock
certain doors, can be enabled or
disabled. When AUTO UNLK
appears on the display, press and
hold the reset button for at least
one second to scroll through the
available settings:
ALL (default):
All of the doors will
automatically unlock.
DRIVER: The driver's door will
automatically unlock.
NONE: None of the doors will
automatically unlock. You will need
to manually unlock the doors.
See Automatic Door Locks
on
page 2‑9for more information.
To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC. UNLK (Unlock)
This screen displays only if DRIVER
or ALL is selected for the AUTO
UNLK feature. This feature
determines when the automatic door
unlocking will occur. When UNLK
appears on the display, press and
hold the reset button for at least
one second to scroll through the
available settings:
KEY OFF:
The door(s) will unlock
when the key is turned off.
SHIFT TO P (Park) (default): The
door(s) will unlock when the vehicle
is shifted into P (Park).
See Automatic Door Locks
on
page 2‑9for more information.
To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.

Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-35
EXT (Exterior) LIGHTS
This feature, which allows the
vehicle's exterior perimeter lighting
to turn on each time the unlock
button on the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter is pressed, can be
enabled or disabled. When EXT
LIGHTS appears on the display,
press and hold the reset button for
at least one second to scroll through
the available settings:
OFF:The exterior perimeter
lighting will not turn on when the
unlock button on the RKE
transmitter is pressed.
ON (default): The exterior
perimeter lighting will turn on when
the unlock button on the RKE
transmitter is pressed.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation
on page 2‑3for
more information. To select a setting and move on to
the next feature, press the
information button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
LANGUAGE
This feature allows you to select the
language in which the DIC will
display. When LANGUAGE appears
on the display, press and hold the
reset button for at least one second
to scroll through the available
settings:
ENGLISH (default):
All messages
will appear in English.
FRENCH: All messages will appear
in French.
SPANISH: All messages will
appear in Spanish.
GERMAN: All messages will
appear in German. To select a setting and exit out of
the personalization menu mode,
press the information button while
the desired setting is displayed on
the DIC.
Exiting Personalization Menu
The personalization menu will be
exited when any of the following
conditions occur:
.A ten second time period has
elapsed.
.The ignition is turned off.
.The end of the personalization
menu list is reached.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
6-6 Lighting
Lighting Features
Entry/Exit Lighting
The lamps inside the vehicle come
on when any door is opened. These
lamps fade out about 20 seconds
after all of the doors have been
closed or when the ignition is turned
to ON/RUN. They also come on
when the unlock symbol button or
the horn symbol is pressed on the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
system transmitter.
The lamps inside the vehicle stay on
for about 20 seconds after the key is
removed from the ignition to provide
light as you exit.
Parade Dimming
Parade dimming is a separate
lighting mode that comes on while
the parking lamps are turned on
during the day. It prevents the
display lights and indicator lights
from being dim, while the parking
lamps are used during the day.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see the
voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.