2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU instrument panel

Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
3-28 Seats and Restraints
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate
frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags
inflate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
The vehicle has seat-mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags. See
Airbag System
on page 3‑23.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended to
inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes. Seat-mounted side impact
and roof-rail airbags will inflate if
the crash severity is above the
system's designed threshold level. The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are not intended to
inflate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side of
the vehicle that is struck. A roof-rail
airbag is intended to deploy on the
side of the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag should
have inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat‐mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbags modules in the
side of the front seatbacks closest
to the door. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag
modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side windows that have
occupant seating positions.

Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-29
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body.But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When
Should an Airbag Inflate?on
page 3‑27for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see
What Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑28.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.

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 (36,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
3-36 Seats and Restraints
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing the
vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑13.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. 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 qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might addto or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, front sensors, side impact
sensors, or airbag wiring can
affect the operation of the airbag
system.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger
position, which includes sensors that are part of the passenger's
seat. The passenger sensing
system may not operate properly
if the original seat trim is
replaced with non-GM covers,
upholstery or trim, or with
GM covers, upholstery or trim
designed for a different vehicle.
Any object, such as an
aftermarket seat heater or a
comfort enhancing pad or
device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of
the passenger sensing system.
This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the
passenger sensing system from
properly turning off the
passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing System
on
page 3‑31.
If you have any questions, call
Customer Assistance. The
phone numbers and addresses
for Customer Assistance are in

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Storage 4-1
Storage
Storage Compartments
Instrument Panel Storage . . . . 4-1
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Front Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Center Console Storage . . . . . . 4-2
Additional Storage Features
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Storage
Compartments
Instrument Panel Storage
An instrument panel storage area,
with a removable liner, is located
above the radio. Slide the latch
toward the rear of the vehicle to
open the storage area.
Glove Box
Pull the handle up to open.
Cupholders
Removable cupholders are located
in front of the center console. See
“Center Console Storage Area”to
access them. Press and hold the
tab at the rear of the cupholders and
lift up and rearward to remove the
cupholders. This disengages the
two forward tabs.
To reinstall, place the two forward
tabs into the slots and push down
on the rear of the cupholder.
For vehicles with rear seat
cupholders, access them by
pulling down on the door at the
back of the center console.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
4-2 Storage
Front Storage
Storage is available in front of the
shift lever. Open it by pushing on
the bottom of the door.
A driver side storage compratment
is located near the steering column
on the bottom of the instrument
panel. Pull the cover down to open.
Pull out to remove for cleaning.
Center Console Storage
The center console storage has an
tray and a main storage area. Pull
up on the driver side latch to access
the tray. Pull up on the passenger
side latch to access the main
storage. It is equipped with a
removable divider and a storage
pocket may be at the rear of the
center console.
The armrest on top of the center
console can be adjusted to a
rearward, middle, and forward
position. Pull or push the front of
the armrest to adjust to the desired
position.
An additional storage area is in front
of the main storage. Push down and
then forward on the rear of the
cover to access. It has a storage
tray and removable cupholders.
Additional Storage
Features
Convenience Net
Use the rear convenience net, to
store small. The net should not be
used to store heavy loads.

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-13
The vehicle is operated under
normal driving conditions and the
temperature indicator light comes
on, pull off the road, stop the
vehicle, and turn off the engine as
soon as possible.
Safety Belt Reminders
Driver Safety Belt Reminder
Light
There is a driver safety belt
reminder light on the instrument
panel cluster.
When the vehicle is started this light
flashes and a chime may come on
to remind drivers to fasten theirsafety belts. Then the light stays on
solid until the belt is buckled. This
cycle may continue several times if
the driver remains or becomes
unbuckled while the vehicle is
moving.
If the driver safety belt is buckled,
neither the light nor chime come on.
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
For vehicles equipped with the
passenger safety belt reminder light,
several seconds after the engine
is started, a chime sounds for
several seconds to remind the front
passenger to buckle their safety
belt. The passenger safety belt light
flashes and then stays on solid until
the belt is buckled. This cycle
continues several times if the
passenger remains or becomes
unbuckled while the vehicle is
moving.
If the passenger safety belt is
buckled, neither the chime nor the
light comes on.
The front passenger safety belt
warning light and chime may turn on
if an object is put on the seat such
as a briefcase, handbag, grocery
bag, laptop or other electronic
device. To turn off the warning light
and or chime, remove the object
from the seat or buckle the
safety belt

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
5-14 Instruments and Controls
Airbag Readiness Light
The system checks the airbag's
electrical system for possible
malfunctions. If the light stays on it
indicates there is an electrical
problem. The system check
includes the airbag sensor, the
pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing
and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system,
seeAirbag System on page 3‑23.
The airbag readiness light flashes
for a few seconds when the engine
is started. If the light does not come
on then, have it fixed immediately.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, an airbag Driver Information
Center (DIC) message can also
come on. See Airbag System
Messages
on page 5‑30for more
information.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System
on page 3‑31for
important safety information. The
instrument panel has a passenger
airbag status indicator.
United States
Canada and Mexico
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off, for several seconds