2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU Owners Manual

Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-41
Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able
to access adjacent safety belt
assemblies or LATCH anchors for
additional passengers or child
restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to or
interferes with the routing of the
safety belt.
Wherever you install a child
restraint, be sure to secure the
child restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured
child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint in
your vehicle—even when no child
is in it. If you secure a child restraint in the
left or center rear seat using
LATCH, review the following
illustrations. Depending on where
you place the child restraint, you
may not be able to access certain
safety belt assemblies or LATCH
anchors for additional passengers or
child restraints.
Configurations for Use of
Child Restraints
A. Child restraint using LATCH
B. Child restraint or occupant
using safety belt
A. Occupant prohibited
B. Child restraint using LATCH
A. Child restraint using LATCH
B. Child restraint or occupantusing safety belt
C. Child restraint using safety belt or LATCH or occupant using
safety belt

Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
3-42 Seats and Restraints
A. Child restraint or occupantusing safety belt
A. Child restraint or occupantusing safety belt
B. Child restraint using LATCH
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH System)
The LATCH system holds a child
restraint during driving or in a crash.
This system is designed to make
installation of a child restraint easier.
The LATCH system uses anchors in
the vehicle and attachments on the
child restraint that are made for use
with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible
child restraint is properly installed
using the anchors, or use the
vehicle's safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions
that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual. When installing a child restraint with
a top tether, you must also use
either the lower anchors or the
safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top
tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system
in your vehicle, you need a
child restraint that has LATCH
attachments. The child restraint
manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the
child restraint and its attachments.
The following explains how to
attach a child restraint with these
attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or
child restraints have lower anchors
and attachments or top tether
anchors and attachments.

Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-43
Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (A) are metal bars
built into the vehicle. There are
two lower anchors for each
LATCH seating position that will
accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments (B).Top Tether AnchorA top tether (A, C) anchors the top
of the child restraint to the vehicle.
A top tether anchor is built into
the vehicle. The top tether
attachment (B) on the child restraint
connects to the top tether anchor in
the vehicle in order to reduce the
forward movement and rotation of
the child restraint during driving or in
a crash.Your child restraint may have a
single tether (A) or a dual
tether (C). Either will have a single
attachment (B) to secure the top
tether to the anchor.
Some child restraints with top
tethers are designed for use with
or without the top tether being
attached. Others require the top
tether always to be attached.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. Be sure to read and
follow the instructions for your
child restraint.

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
3-44 Seats and Restraints
Lower Anchor and Top Tether
Anchor Locations
Rear Seat
I(Top Tether Anchor): Seating
positions with top tether anchors.
H(Lower Anchor): Seating
positions with two lower anchors.
To assist in locating the lower
anchors, each rear anchor position
has a label, near the crease
between the seatback and the seat
cushion.
To assist in locating the top tether
anchors, the top tether anchor
symbol is on the cover.
The top tether anchors are under
the covers, behind the rear seat,
on the filler panel. Be sure to use
an anchor on the same side of the
vehicle as the seating position
where the child restraint will be
placed.
Do not secure a child restraint in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be attached, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached.

Black plate (45,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-45
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position. SeeWhere to Put the
Restraint on page 3‑40 for
additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or
killed. Install a LATCH-type child
restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle safety
belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and
the instructions in this manual.
{WARNING
Do not attach more than one
child restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Buckle any unused safety
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
belts behind the child restraint
so children cannot reach them.
Pull the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the lock,
if the vehicle has one, after the
child restraint has been installed.
Notice: Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’ s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments.
Do not fold the empty rear seat
with a safety belt buckled. This
could damage the safety belt or
the seat. Unbuckle and return the
safety belt to its stowed position,
before folding the seat.

Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
3-46 Seats and Restraints
If you need to secure more than
one child restraint in the rear seat,
seeWhere to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑40. Depending on where you
place the child restraint, you may
not be able to access certain safety
belt assemblies or LATCH anchors
for additional passengers or child
restraints.
You cannot secure three child
restraints using the LATCH anchors
in the rear seat at the same time,
but you can install two of them.
If you want to do this, install one
LATCH child restraint in the
passenger-side position, and
install the other one either in the
driver-side position or in the center
position. Refer to the following
illustration to learn which anchors
to use.
A. Passenger Side Rear Seat Lower Anchors
B. Center Rear Seat Lower Anchors
C. Driver Side Rear Seat Lower Anchors
Make sure to attach the child
restraint at the proper anchor
location.
This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do not
use the vehicle's safety belts. Instead use the vehicle's anchors
and child restraint attachments
to secure the restraints. Some
restraints also use another vehicle
anchor to secure a top tether.
1. Attach and tighten the lower
attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to your
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating
position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the
child restraint to the lower
anchors.

Black plate (47,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-47
2. If the child restraint manufacturerrecommends that the top tether
be attached, attach and tighten
the top tether to the top tether
anchor, if equipped. Refer to the
child restraint instructions and
the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
Open the cover to expose
the anchor.
2.2. If the position you are using has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint , raise it.
SeeHead Restraints on
page 3‑2. 2.3. Route, attach, and tighten
the top tether according
to the child restraint
instructions and the
following instructions:
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a dual tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.

Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
3-48 Seats and Restraints
If the position you are using
has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether under the
headrest or head restraint
and in between the
headrest or head restraint
posts. SeeHead Restraints
on page 3‑2.
If the position you are using
has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a dual tether
route the tether under the
headrest or head restraint
and in between the
headrest or head restraint
posts. See Head Restraints
on page 3‑2. 3. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it
is securely held in place.
To check, grasp the child
restraint at the LATCH path and
attempt to move it side‐to‐side
and back‐and‐forth. There
should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement for
proper installation.
Replacing LATCH System
Parts After a Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the LATCH
system in the vehicle. A damaged
LATCH system may not properly
secure the child restraint,
resulting in serious injury or even
(Continued)