2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU remove seats

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
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 (15,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-15
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear shoulder
belt comfort guides. If not, they are
available through your dealer.
The guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children
who have outgrown booster seats
and for some adults. When installed
and properly adjusted, the comfort
guide positions the belt away from
the neck and head.Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from
between 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.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
3-16 Seats and Restraints
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.
{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
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely to
be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts.

Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
3-28 Seats and Restraints
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
and seat‐mounted side impact
airbag anytime the system senses
that a person of adult size is sitting
properly in the front outboard
passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbags to
be enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit as a reminder 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 front outboard
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 5‑14 for 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.
3. Remove any additional items from 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 3‑49 or
Securing Child Restraints (Front
Passenger Seat) on page 3‑51.

Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-29
5. If, after reinstalling the childrestraint 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,
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 front outboard passenger
seat, but the off indicator is lit,
it could be because that person is
not sitting properly in the seat. Use the following steps to allow the
system to detect that person and
enable the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material
from 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.

Black plate (51,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-51
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 3‑42 for 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.
Securing Child Restraints
(Front Passenger Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint.
See Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑40.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag
under certain conditions. See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑26 andPassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 5‑15 for
more information, including
important safety information.

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
3-54 Seats and Restraints
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 3‑26 for
more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-21
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)
These vehicle accessories can be
used for up to 10 minutes after the
engine is turned off:
.Audio System
.Power Windows
.Heated Seats (if equipped)
.Sunroof (if equipped)
These features continue to work up
to 10 minutes after the ignition is
turned to LOCK/OFF.
The power windows, heated seats,
and sunroof will work until any door
is opened.
The radio continues to work until
the driver door is opened.
All these features operate when
the key is in the ON/RUN or
ACC/ACCESSORY.
Shifting Into Park
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when you are on
fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow. If you are pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑42. 1. Hold the brake pedal down
and set the parking brake.
See Parking Brake on page 9‑29
for more information.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by holding in the button on the
shift lever and pushing the shift
lever all the way toward the front
of the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can leave the vehicle
with the ignition key in your
hand, the vehicle is in P (Park).