2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU remove seats

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
3-2 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
The vehicle's front and rear seats
have adjustable head restraints in
the outboard seating positions.
{WARNING
With head restraints that are not
installed and adjusted properly,
there is a greater chance
that occupants will suffer a
neck/spinal injury in a crash.
Do not drive until the head
restraints for all occupants are
installed and adjusted properly.
Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of the restraint is at the same
height as the top of the occupant's
head. This position reduces the
chance of a neck injury in a crash.
The height of the head restraint can
be adjusted. Pull the head restraint
up to raise it. Try to move the head
restraint to make sure that it is
locked in place.To lower the head restraint, press
the button located on top of the
seatback, and push the head
restraint down. Try to move the
head restraint after the button is
released to make sure that it is
locked in place.
The vehicle's front and rear seat
outboard head restraints are not
designed to be removed.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
3-20 Seats and Restraints
Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out frombetween the edge of the
seatback and the interior body
to remove the guide from its
storage clip.
2. Place the guide over the belt
and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.3. Be sure that the belt is nottwisted and it lies flat. The
elastic cord must be under the
belt and the guide on top.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-21
{WARNING
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash.
The person wearing the belt could
be seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
4. Buckle, position, and releasethe safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure the shoulder portion of the
belt is on the shoulder and not
falling off of it. The belt should
be close to, but not contacting,
the neck. To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt can
be removed from the guide. Pull the
guide upward to expose its storage
clip, and then slide the guide onto
the clip. Turn the guide and clip
inward and slide them in between
the seatback and the interior body,
leaving only the loop of the elastic
cord exposed.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-33
.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 frontal airbag and
seat‐mounted side impact airbag,
the off indicator will light and stay lit
to remind you that the airbags are
off. See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑14. The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on (may inflate) the
right front passenger frontal airbag
and seat‐mounted side impact
airbag anytime the system senses
that a person of adult size is sitting
properly in the right front
passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbags to
be enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the
airbags are 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 frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side
impact airbag, depending upon
the person’
s seating posture and
body build. Everyone in the vehicle
who has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt properly
— whether or not there is an airbag
for that person.
{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.
If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
3-34 Seats and Restraints
3. Remove any additional itemsfrom the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions
provided by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing Child Restraints (Rear
Seat)
on page 3‑54orSecuring
Child Restraints (Front
Passenger Seat) on page 3‑57.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still
lit, turn the vehicle off. Then
slightly recline the vehicle
seatback and adjust the seat
cushion, if adjustable, to make
sure that the vehicle seatback is
not pushing the child restraint
into the seat cushion. Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under
the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head
restraint. See
Head Restraints
on page 3‑2.
6. Restart the vehicle. If the on indicator is still lit with
an infant present in a child
restraint, secure the child
restraint in a rear seat position in
the vehicle and see your dealer.
If the Off Indicator is Lit for an
Adult-Size Occupant
If a person of adult-size is sitting in
the right front passenger seat, but
the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting
properly in the seat. If this happens,
use the following steps to allow the

Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
system to detect that person and
enable the right front passenger
frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional materialfrom the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the on
indicator is lit.Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
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.
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. We recommend that
you not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. See
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicleon
page 3‑36for more information
about modifications that can affect
how the system operates.
{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are parts
of the airbag system in several
places around the vehicle.

Black plate (56,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
3-56 Seats and Restraints
5. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt. Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5.
6. If the child restraint has a top tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System)on page 3‑47for more
information. 7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt
to move it side‐to‐side and
back‐and‐forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.

Black plate (59,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-59
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt
to move it side‐to‐side and
back‐and‐forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
If the airbags are off, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator will come on and
stay on when the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit, see “If
the On Indicator is Lit for a Child
Restraint ”under Passenger
Sensing System
on page 3‑31for
more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.