2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU bulb

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
2012 Chevrolet Malibu Owner ManualM
Vehicle Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . 11-2
Special Application
Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Additional Maintenance
and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . 11-12
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-14 Technical Data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-2
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-19
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
OnStar Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-5
The lever returns to its starting
position when it is released.
If a turn signal arrow flashes rapidly
or does not come on, a signal bulb
may need to be replaced. See
Fuses on page 10‑34.
Fog Lamps
For vehicles with fog lamps, the
button for this feature is located on
the instrument panel, to the left of
the steering wheel.The ignition must be on for the fog
lamps to work.
#:
Press to turn the fog lamps on
or off. An indicator light comes on
when the fog lamps are on.
The parking lamps automatically
turn on and off when the fog lamps
are turned on and off.
The fog lamps turn off while the
high-beam headlamps are
turned on.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The knob for this control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering column.
D (Instrument Panel
Brightness): Turn the knob
clockwise or counterclockwise to
brighten or dim the lights. Turn the
knob completely clockwise to turn
on the interior lamps.

Black plate (44,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
9-44 Driving and Operating
Passing
More passing distance is needed
when towing a trailer. Because the
rig is longer, it is necessary to go
farther beyond the passed vehicle
before returning to the lane.
Backing Up
Hold the bottom of the steering
wheel with one hand. To move the
trailer to the left, move that hand to
the left. To move the trailer to the
right, move your hand to the right.
Always back up slowly and,
if possible, have someone
guide you.
Making Turns
Notice:Making very sharp turns
while trailering could cause the
trailer to come in contact with the
vehicle. The vehicle could be
damaged. Avoid making very
sharp turns while trailering. When turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal so the
trailer will not strike soft shoulders,
curbs, road signs, trees or other
objects. Use the turn signal well in
advance and avoid jerky or sudden
maneuvers.
Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
The turn signal indicators on the
instrument panel flash whenever
signaling a turn or lane change.
Properly hooked up, the trailer
lamps also flash, telling other
drivers the vehicle is turning,
changing lanes or stopping.
When towing a trailer, the arrows
on the instrument panel flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Check occasionally
to be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving on Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a
lower gear before starting down a
long or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down, the
brakes might have to be used so
much that they would get hot and
no longer work well.
The vehicle can tow in D (Drive).
Use a lower gear if the transmission
shifts too often.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, engine coolant
boils at a lower temperature than at
normal altitudes. If the engine is
turned off immediately after towing
at high altitude on steep uphill
grades, the vehicle could show
signs similar to engine overheating.
To avoid this, let the engine run
while parked, preferably on level
ground, with the transmission in
P (Park) for a few minutes before
turning the engine off. If the
overheat warning comes on, see
Engine Overheating on page 10‑20.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-14 Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-20
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-22
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-27
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-28
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Taillamps, Turn Signal, andStoplamps (LS and LT) . . . . 10-30
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-33
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Electrical System
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
10-30 Vehicle Care
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp aim has been preset at
the factory and should need no
further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged
in a crash, the headlamp aim may
be affected. Aim adjustment to the
low-beam headlamps may be
necessary if oncoming drivers flash
their high-beam headlamps at you
(for vertical aim).
If the headlamps need to be
re-aimed, it is recommended that
the vehicle be taken to a dealer for
service.
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, seeReplacement Bulbs on
page 10‑33.
For any bulb‐changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
Halogen Bulbs
{WARNING
Halogen bulbs have pressurized
gas inside and can burst if you
drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure
to read and follow the instructions
on the bulb package.
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
and Stoplamps
(LS and LT)
A. Back‐up Lamp
B. Stoplamp, Taillamp and Turn
Signal Lamp
1. Open the trunk. See Trunk on
page 2‑9 for more information.

Black plate (31,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-31
2. Remove the two rearconvenience net hooks holding
the trunk trim and move the trim
aside.3. Remove the three wing nuts (A),which hold the taillamp
assembly, from inside the trunk.
4. Remove the taillamp assembly.5. Turn the bulb socket (B) counterclockwise to remove it
from the lamp assembly (A).
6. Pull the bulb from the socket (B).
7. Install a new bulb.
8. Reverse Steps 2 through 5 to reinstall the taillamp
assembly (A).

Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
10-32 Vehicle Care
Back-Up Lamps
1. Open the trunk. SeeTrunk on
page 2‑9 for more information.
2. Remove the push pins holding
the trunk trim (B).
3. Move the trim aside far enough to gain access to the bulb
assembly (A).4. Turn the bulb socket (B)counterclockwise to remove it
from the lamp assembly.
5. Pull the bulb (A) from the socket (B).
6. Install the new bulb.
7. Reverse Steps 1 through 4 to reinstall.

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-33
License Plate Lamp
To replace the license plate
lamp bulb:
1. Remove the license plate bezelassembly by turning the two
screws counterclockwise.
2. Turn and pull the license plate lamp assembly forward through
the fascia opening. 3. Turn the bulb socket
counterclockwise and pull the
bulb straight out of the socket.
4. Push the new bulb in and turn it clockwise to install.
5. Reverse Steps 1 through 3 to reinstall.
Replacement Bulbs
Exterior Lamp Bulb
Number
Back-up Lamp 921
License Plate Lamp 168
Rear Turn Signal
Lamp/Taillamp
(LS and LT) 3157K LL
Rear LED Turn
Signal Lamp/
Taillamp (LTZ) GM P/N
25874489
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact the dealer.
Electrical System
Electrical System
Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit
breakers to protect against an
electrical system overload.
When the current electrical load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens
and closes, protecting the circuit
until the current load returns to
normal or the problem is fixed.
This greatly reduces the chance of
circuit overload and fire caused by
electrical problems.
Fuses and circuit breakers protect
power devices in the vehicle.
Replace a bad fuse with a new one
of the identical size and rating.