Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-7
Remote Start Ready
If your vehicle does not have the
remote vehicle start feature, it may
have the remote start ready feature.
This feature allows your dealer to
add the manufacturer's remote
vehicle start feature.
See your dealer if you would like to
add the manufacturer's remote
vehicle start feature to your vehicle.
Door Locks
{WARNING
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
.Passengers, especially
children, can easily open the
doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not
open it. The chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child can
be overcome by extreme heat
and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from
heat stroke. Always lock the
vehicle whenever leaving it.
.Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
your vehicle. Locking your
doors can help prevent this
from happening.
There are several ways to lock and
unlock your vehicle.
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 (31,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. SeeVehicle Data
Recording and Privacy
on
page 13‑16and Event Data
Recorders on page 13‑16.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front
passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible
on the instrument panel when the
vehicle is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, are visible
during the system check. If you are using remote start, if equipped, to
start the vehicle from a distance,
you may not see the system check.
When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or
OFF, or the symbol for on or off, will
be visible. See
Passenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 5‑14.
The passenger sensing system
turns off the right front passenger
frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags and
the roof-rail airbags are not affected
by the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the right front passenger seat. The
sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the right
front passenger frontal airbag and
seat‐mounted side impact airbag
should be enabled (may inflate)
or not.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
5-8 Instruments and Controls
Certain electrical accessories
may not be compatible with the
accessory power outlet and could
overload vehicle or adapter fuses.
If a problem is experienced, see
your dealer.
When adding electrical equipment,
be sure to follow the proper
installation instructions included
with the equipment. SeeAdd-On
Electrical Equipment on page 9‑48.
Notice: Hanging heavy
equipment from the power outlet
can cause damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty. The
power outlets are designed for
accessory power plugs only, such
as cell phone charge cords.Power Outlet 115 Volt
Alternating Current
The vehicle may have a power
outlet that can be used to plug in
electrical equipment that uses a
maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is located on the
rear of the center console. An indicator light on the outlet
comes on when in use. The ignition
must be in ON/RUN and equipment
requiring less than 150 watts is
plugged into the outlet, and no
system fault is detected.
If you try to connect equipment
using more than 150 watts or a
system fault is detected, a
protection circuit shuts off the power
supply and the indicator light turns
off. To reset the circuit, unplug the
item and plug it back in or turn the
Remote Accessory Power (RAP) off
and then back on. See
Retained
Accessory Power (RAP)
on
page 9‑19. The power restarts
when equipment that operates
within the limit is plugged into the
outlet and a system fault is not
detected.
Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-15
as a system check. If you are using
remote start to start the vehicle from
a distance, if equipped, you may not
see the system check. Then, after
several more seconds, the status
indicator will light either ON or OFF,
or either the on or off symbol to let
you know the status of the right front
passenger frontal and seat-mounted
side impact airbags.
If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the right
front passenger frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag
are enabled (may inflate).
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger
frontal and seat-mounted side
impact airbag.If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See
Airbag Readiness
Light
on page 5‑14for more
information, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
This light comes on briefly when the
ignition key is turned to START, but
the engine is not running, as a
check to show it is working.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
The light should go out once the
engine starts. If it stays on,
or comes on while driving, there
could be a problem with the
charging system. This light could
indicate that there are problems with
a generator drive belt, or that there
is an electrical problem. Have it
checked right away. If the vehicle
must be driven a short distance with
the light on, turn off accessories,
such as the radio and air
conditioner.
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 (4,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
8-4 Climate Controls
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a
warming grid to remove fog or frost
from the rear window.
indicator light comes on to show
that the rear window defogger is on.
Be sure to clear as much snow from
the rear window as possible.
If driving below 80 km/h (50 mph),
the rear window defogger turns off
about 15 minutes after the button
is pressed. If turned on again, the
defogger only runs for about
seven minutes before turning off.
The defogger can also be turned
off by turning off the engine. If the vehicle's speed is maintained
above 80 km/h (50 mph), the rear
window defogger remains on once
the button is pressed.
If the vehicle has heated outside
mirrors, the surface of the outside
mirrors heat when the rear window
defogger is activated. See
Heated
Mirrors on page 2‑15.
Notice: Do not use anything
sharp on the inside of the rear
window. If you do, you could cut
or damage the warming grid, and
the repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Do not
attach a temporary vehicle
license, tape, a decal or anything
similar to the defogger grid. Remote Start Climate Control
Operation
For vehicles with the remote start
feature, when it is activated the
climate control system heats or
cools the inside of the vehicle using
the modes that were set before the
vehicle was turned off. The climate
control knobs will remain active
during a remote start. However, the
climate control buttons will be
inactive until the ignition is turned
on by the key. If the fan is off, the
climate control system will not
operate during remote start. See
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
8-8 Climate Controls
When the weather is cool or damp,
operating the system in recirculation
for extended periods of time can
cause fogging of the vehicle's
windows. To clear the fog, select
either defog or defrost. Make sure
the air conditioning is on. Allow the
air conditioning to run automatically
to help dehumidify the air.
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a
warming grid to remove fog from the
rear window.
<(Rear):Press to turn the rear
window defogger on or off. An
indicator light comes on to show
that the rear window defogger is on.
If driving below 80 km/h (50 mph),
the rear window defogger turns off
about 15 minutes after the button is
pressed. If additional warming time
is needed, press the button again. If the vehicle's speed is maintained
above 80 km/h (50 mph), the rear
window defogger remains on once
the button is pressed.
For vehicles with heated outside
mirrors, the surface of the outside
mirrors will also heat when the rear
window defogger is activated. See
Heated Mirrors on page 2‑15.
Notice:
Do not use a razor blade
or sharp object to clear the inside
rear window. Do not adhere
anything to the defogger grid
lines in the rear glass. These
actions may damage the rear
defogger. Repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Remote Start Climate Control
Operation
For vehicles with remote start, when
it is activated the climate control
system heats and cools the inside of
the vehicle using the previous
system settings before the vehicle
was turned off. The climate control
knobs will remain active during a
remote start. However, the climate
control buttons will be inactive until
the ignition is turned on by the key.
If the fan is off, the climate control
system will not operate during
remote start.
With the automatic climate control
system, the climate control displays
“RS”
in place of the temperature to
indicate that remote start is
activated. For best performance,
turn both the fan and mode knobs to
AUTO. If the temperature is cold
enough and the mode knob is set to
AUTO, the system begins in defrost
to clear the windows. See Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3.