2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU ignition

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑9.
B. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑4.
C. Instrument Cluster on
page 5‑10.
D. Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑4.
E. Instrument Panel Storage on
page 4‑1.
F. Infotainment on page 7‑1.
G. Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑5.
H. Driver Compartment Storage. See Front Storage on page 4‑2.
I. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑4. J.
Cruise Control on page 9‑33.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑24.
K. Data Link Connector (DLC) (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑16.
L. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2 (Out of View).
M. Horn on page 5‑3.
N. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2 (If Equipped).
O. Ignition Positions on page 9‑16.
P. Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1 (If Equipped).
Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑5
(If Equipped). Q.
Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑4.
R. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑24.
S. Front Storage on page 4‑2.
Power Outlets on page 5‑7.
T. Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑26.
U. Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑30.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-5
The doors will be locked and the
climate control system may
come on.
The engine will continue to run for
10 minutes. Repeat the steps for a
10-minute time extension. Remote
start can be extended only once.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle and press and hold
/
until the parking lamps turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5.
Door Locks
Manual Locks
From inside the vehicle, move the
manual lock control to unlock or lock
a door.
Power Door Locks
On vehicles with power door locks.
K: Press to unlock the doors.
Q:Press to lock the doors.
For more information, see:
.Door Locks on page 2‑7.
.Power Door Locks on page 2‑7.
Trunk Release
To open the trunk from the outside,
press the trunk release button on
the RKE transmitter.
Remote Trunk Release
Press the button located on the
driver door near the map pocket to
open the trunk.
Close the trunk by pulling on the
handle.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
1-10 In Brief
Press the top of the switch again
to go to the low heat setting.
The indicator light“1”will be lit.
Press the bottom of the switch to
turn the feature off.
The heated seats are canceled
when the ignition is turned off.
For more information, see Heated
Front Seats on page 3‑7.
Head Restraint
Adjustment
Do not drive until the head restraints
for all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
To achieve a comfortable seating
position, change the seatback
recline angle as little as necessary
while keeping the seat and the head
restraint height in the proper
position.
For more information see Head
Restraints on page 3‑2 andSeat
Adjustment on page 3‑3.
Safety Belts
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly:
.Safety Belts on page 3‑9.
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑10.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑12.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑42.
Passenger Sensing
System
The passenger sensing system
turns off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag
under certain conditions. No other
airbag is affected by this.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the
instrument panel when the vehicle
is started.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-11
United States
Canada and Mexico
See Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑26 for important information.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Controls for the outside power
mirrors are located on the
driver door.
1. Move the selector switch located
below the four-way control pad
to the left or right to choose
either the driver side or
passenger side mirror.
2. Press one of the four arrows located on the control pad to
move the mirror to the desired
direction. Keep the selector switch in the
center position when not adjusting
either outside mirror.
See
Power Mirrors on page 2‑14.
Interior Mirror
Vehicles with an automatic dimming
rearview mirror will automatically
reduce the glare from the
headlamps of the vehicle behind.
The dimming feature comes on and
the indicator light illuminates each
time the ignition is turned to start.
SeeManual Rearview Mirror on
page 2‑14.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-17
Storing a Favorite Station
Depending on which radio the
vehicle has, radio stations are
stored as either favorites or presets.
For radios with a FAV button, a
maximum of 36 stations can be
stored as favorites using the six
softkeys located below the radio
station frequency tabs and by using
the radio FAV button. Press FAV
to go through up to six pages of
favorites, each having six favorite
stations available per page.
Each page of favorites can contain
any combination of AM, FM,
or XM™stations.
For radios without a FAV button,
up to 18 stations (six FM1, six FM2,
and six AM), can be programmed
on the six numbered buttons.
See Operation on page 7‑2.
Setting the Clock
To set the time and date for the
Radio with CD (MP3) and USB port
or Radio with a Single CD (MP3)
player:
1. Turn the ignition key to
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN.
2. Press
Oto turn the radio on.
3. Press
Hand the HR, MIN, MM,
DD, YYYY (hour, minute, month,
day, and year) displays.
4. Press the softkey located below any one of the tabs that you
want to change.
5. Increase or decrease the time or date by turning
fclockwise or
counterclockwise.
For detailed instructions on setting
the clock for your specific audio
system, see Clock on page 5‑6.
Satellite Radio
XM is a satellite radio service based
in the 48 contiguous United States
and 10 Canadian provinces.
XM satellite radio has a wide
variety of programming and
commercial-free music, coast to
coast, and in digital-quality sound.
A fee is required to receive the
XM service.
For more information, refer to:
.www.xmradio.com or call
1-800-929-2100 (U.S.)
.www.xmradio.ca or call
1-877-438-9677 (Canada)
See Satellite Radio on page 7‑9.

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
1-22 In Brief
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates
engine oil life based on vehicle use
and displays the“Change Oil Soon”
DIC message when it is necessary
to change the engine oil and filter.
The oil life system should be reset
to 100% only following an oil
change.
Resetting the Oil Life System
1. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN, with the engine off.
2. Press and hold the DIC INFO and reset buttons, on the left
side of the steering wheel,
at the same time to enter the
personalization menu. The “Oil
Life Reset” message displays.
3. Press and hold the reset button until the DIC display shows
“Acknowledged.”
4. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑12.
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol)
Vehicles that have a FlexFuel badge
and a yellow fuel cap can use either
unleaded gasoline or ethanol fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
See Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) on
page 9‑39. For all other vehicles,
use only the unleaded gasoline
described under Recommended
Fuel on page 9‑36.
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy
Driving habits can affect fuel
mileage. Here are some driving tips
to get the best fuel economy
possible.
.Avoid fast starts and accelerate
smoothly.
.Brake gradually and avoid
abrupt stops.
.Avoid idling the engine for long
periods of time.
.When road and weather
conditions are appropriate,
use cruise control.
.Always follow posted speed
limits or drive more slowly when
conditions require.
.Keep vehicle tires properly
inflated.
.Combine several trips into a
single trip.
.Replace the vehicle's tires with
the same TPC Spec number
molded into the tire's sidewall
near the size.
.Follow recommended scheduled
maintenance.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
2-2 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the ignition key is dangerous for
many reasons. Children or others
could be badly injured or even
killed. They could operate the
power windows or other controls
or even make the vehicle move.
The windows will function with the
keys in the ignition and children
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave the keys in
a vehicle with children.
The key can be used for the ignition
and all locks.
The key has a bar-coded key tag
that the dealer or qualified locksmith
can use to make new keys. Store
this information in a safe place, not
in your vehicle.
Notice:If the keys get locked in
the vehicle, it may have to be
damaged to get them out. Always
carry a spare key.
If locked out of your vehicle, contact
Roadside Assistance. See Roadside
Assistance Program (U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑10
or
Roadside Assistance Program
(Mexico) on page 13‑10.
With an active OnStar subscription,
an OnStar Advisor may remotely
unlock the vehicle. See OnStar
Overview on page 14‑1.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
See Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑22 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
If there is a decrease in the RKE
operating range:
.Check the distance.
The transmitter may be
too far from the vehicle.
.Check the location. Other
vehicles or objects may be
blocking the signal.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-3
.Check the transmitter's battery.
See“Battery Replacement” later
in this section.
.If the transmitter is still not
working correctly, see your
dealer or a qualified technician
for service.
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation
The Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter functions work up to
60 m (195 feet) away from the
vehicle.
Keep in mind that other conditions,
such as those previously stated, can
impact the performance of the
transmitter.
With Remote Start Shown,
Without Remote Start Similar
/(Remote Vehicle Start): For
vehicles with this feature, press to
operate the remote start feature.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5 for additional information.
Q(Lock):Press to lock all the
doors. The interior lamps turn off
after all of the doors are closed.
If enabled through the Driver
Information Center (DIC), the
remote lock feedback can be
programmed to have the horn chirp
and/or the turn signals flash to confirm locking. See
“LOCK HORN”
and “LIGHT FLASH” underVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑31 for
more information.
Pressing
Qmay also arm
the anti-theft alarm system.
See Anti-theft Alarm System on
page 2‑11.
K(Unlock): Press once to unlock
the driver door. Press
Kagain
within five seconds to unlock all
remaining doors. The interior lamps
turn on and stay on for 20 seconds
or until the ignition is turned on.
If enabled through the DIC, the
remote unlock feedback can be
programmed to have the horn chirp
and/or the turn signals flash to
confirm unlocking. See “UNLOCK
HORN” and“LIGHT FLASH” under
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑31 for more information.
The high‐beam headlamps, parking
lamps, and back‐up lamps may
come on each time
Kis pressed.