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 (19,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-19
Cruise Control
The cruise control buttons are
located on the left side of the
steering wheel.
J:Press to turn the cruise control
system on and off.
RES+: Press briefly to make the
vehicle resume a previously set
speed or press and hold to
accelerate.
SET−: Press to set the speed and
activate cruise control or make the
vehicle decelerate.
For more information, see Cruise
Control on page 9‑33.
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located at the
bottom of the instrument panel
cluster. It shows the status of many
vehicle systems and enables
access to the personalization menu.
The DIC buttons are located on the
left side of the steering wheel.
INFO: Press to scroll through the
vehicle information displays.
r: Press to reset some vehicle
information displays, select a
personalization setting,
or acknowledge a warning
message.
For more information, see Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑24.
Vehicle Personalization
Some vehicle features can be
programmed by using the DIC
buttons on the left side of the
steering wheel. These features
include:
.Oil Life Reset
.Units
.RKE Lock and Unlock Feedback
.Door Lock and Unlock Settings
.Language
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑31.
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 (16,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
2-16 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Power Windows
Press the front of the switch to open
the window. Pull the switch up to
close it.
Express-Down Window
The driver window has an
express-down feature. This switch
is labeled AUTO. Press the front
all the way down and release,
to automatically lower.
To stop the window while it is
lowering, pull the front of the switch
momentarily. To raise the window,
pull and hold the front of the switch.
Express-Up Window
On windows with this feature, pull
the switch up to the second position
and release the switch to activate
the express-up feature. To stop the
window as it is going up, pull up or
press down briefly on the switch
again.
Programming the Power
Windows
If the battery on the vehicle has
been recharged or disconnected,
or is not working, the driver
power window will need to be
re-programmed for the express-up
feature to work. Replace or
recharge the vehicle battery before
reprogramming.
To program the driver window:
1. With the ignition in ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN,
or when Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) is active, close all
doors. 2. Press and hold the power
window switch until the window
is fully open.
3. Pull the power window switch up until the window is fully closed.
4. Continue holding the switch up for approximately two seconds
after the window is completely
closed.
The window is now reprogrammed.Express Window Anti-Pinch
Feature
If any object is in the path of the
window when the express‐up is
active, the window stops at the
obstruction and auto‐reverses to a
preset factory position. Weather
conditions such as severe icing
may also cause the window to
auto‐reverse. The window return
s to normal operation once the
obstruction or condition is removed.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
5-2 Instruments and Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
The lever is located on the left side
of the steering wheel column.
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel upor down. 3. Pull or push the steering wheel
closer or away from you.
4. Pull the lever up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Steering Wheel Controls
Vehicles with audio steering wheel
controls could differ depending on
the vehicle's options. Some audio
controls can be adjusted at the
steering wheel.
e+ /e− (Volume): Press to
increase or to decrease the radio
volume.
worx/c(Next/Previous):
Press to change radio stations,
select tracks on a CD, or to select
tracks and navigate folders on an
iPod
®or USB device.
To change radio stations:
.Press and releaseworx/c
to go to the next or previous
radio station stored as a preset.
.Press and holdworx/cto
go to the next or previous radio
station in the selected band with
a strong signal.
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-5
Compass
Compass Operation
PressOon the rearview mirror to
turn the compass display on or off.
When the ignition and the compass
feature are on, the compass
displays the current compass
direction after a few seconds.
Compass Calibration
If after a few seconds the display
does not show a compass direction,
(N for North for example), there
may be a strong magnetic field
interfering with the compass.
Interference can be caused
by a magnetic antenna mount,
note pad holder, or similar object. If the letter C appears in the
compass window, the compass
may need to be reset or calibrated.
The mirror can be calibrated by
driving the vehicle very slowly, in
circles, until the display reads a
direction.
Compass Variance
The mirror is set in zone eight.
It is necessary to adjust the
compass to compensate for
compass variance if the vehicle is
driven outside zone eight. Under
certain circumstances, such as a
long distance, cross-country trip,
it is necessary to adjust the
compass variance.
To adjust for compass variance:
1. Find your current location and
variance zone number on the
zone map that follows.
2. Press and holdOuntil a zone
number displays.
3. Once the zone number displays, press
Orepeatedly until the
correct zone number is reached.
If C appears in the compass
window, the compass may need
calibration. See “Compass
Calibration” listed previously.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
5-8 Instruments and Controls
Power Outlet 110 Volt
Alternating Current
The vehicle may have a power
outlet that can be used to plug in
electrical equipment that uses a
maximum limit of 150 watts.
The power outlet is located on the
rear of the center console.An indicator light on the outlet
comes on when in use. The ignition
must be in ON/RUN and equipment
requiring less than 150 watts is
plugged into the outlet, and no
system fault is detected.
If you try to connect equipment
using more than 150 watts or a
system fault is detected, a
protection circuit shuts off the power
supply and the indicator light turns
off. To reset the circuit, unplug the
item and plug it back in or turn the
Remote Accessory Power (RAP) off
and then back on. See
Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑21. The power restarts when
equipment that operates within the
limit is plugged into the outlet and a
system fault is not detected. The power outlet is not designed for
and may not work properly if the
following are plugged in:
.Equipment with high initial
peak wattage such as:
compressor-driven refrigerators
and electric power tools.
.Other equipment requiring
an extremely stable
power supply such as:
microcomputer-controlled
electric blankets, touch sensor
lamps, etc.
Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-11
Speedometer
The speedometer shows the
vehicle's speed in either kilometers
per hour (km/h) or miles per
hour (mph).
Odometer
The odometer shows how far the
vehicle has been driven, in either
kilometers or miles.
This vehicle has a tamper‐resistant
odometer. The digital odometer will
read 999,999 if it is turned back.
If the vehicle needs a new odometer
installed, it must be set to the
mileage total of the old odometer.If that is not possible, then it must
be set at zero and a label must be
put on the driver door to show the
old mileage reading when the new
odometer was installed.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can show how far
the vehicle has been driven since
the trip odometer was last reset.
The trip odometer is accessed
and reset through the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See
Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑24
for more information.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the
engine speed in revolutions per
minute (rpm).
Notice:If the engine is operated
with the tachometer in the shaded
warning area, the vehicle could
be damaged, and the damages
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Do not operate
the engine with the tachometer in
the shaded warning area.