Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
%:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
g:First Responder
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
O:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control/StabiliTrak®
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-2
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-3
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Driver Efficiency Gauge . . . . . . 5-11
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-12
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-12 Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-14
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-19
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-20
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-22
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-22
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-23 Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Information Displays
Center Stack Display . . . . . . . . 5-24
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-28
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Cruise Control Messages . . . . 5-29
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-30
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-31
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-31
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Security Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Instruments and Controls 5-23
If the light stays on and the engine
does not start, there could be a
problem with the theft-deterrent
system. SeeImmobilizer Operation
(Key Access) on page 2‑13 or
Immobilizer Operation (Keyless
Access) on page 2‑14.
For vehicles with an uplevel or
eAssist cluster, this light displays in
the Driver Information Center (DIC)
screen.
High-Beam On Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer on page 6‑2.
Front Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light comes on when
the fog lamps are in use.
The light goes out when the fog
lamps are turned off. See Fog
Lamps on page 6‑4.
Lamps On Reminder
The lamps on reminder light comes
on when the exterior lamps are in
use. See Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
Cruise Control Light
This light is white whenever the
cruise control is set and turns green
when the cruise control is active.
The light goes out when the cruise
control is turned off. See Cruise
Control on page 9‑34.
For vehicles with the uplevel or
eAssist cluster, this telltale will be
shown in the Driver Information
Center (DIC) screen.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-4
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-7
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on the
instrument panel on the left side of
the steering wheel.
Turn the control to the following
positions:
O(Off): Turns off the exterior
lamps. The knob returns to the
AUTO position after it is released.
Turn to
Oagain to reactivate the
AUTO mode.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
6-2 Lighting
In Canada, the headlamps will
automatically reactivate when the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
AUTO (Automatic):Automatically
turns the exterior lamps on and off,
depending on outside lighting.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on the
parking lamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
2(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
.Parking Lamps
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
A warning chime sounds if the driver
door is opened while the ignition is
off and the exterior lamps are on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
(Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer): Push the turn signal
lever away from you and release, to
turn the high beams on. To return to
low beams, push the lever again or
pull it toward you and release.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument cluster when the
high-beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal lever toward you, and
release.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime running lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system turns on the
low-beam headlamps at a reduced
brightness. For vehicles with
High Intensity Discharge (HID)
headlamps, there is a dedicated
DRL. The DRL will come on when
all of the following conditions
are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamp control is
in AUTO.
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Lighting 6-7
Exit Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, parking
lamps, back-up lamps, and license
plate lamps come on at night, or in
areas with limited lighting, when the
key is removed from the ignition.
The dome lamps also come on
when the key is removed from the
ignition. The exterior lights and
dome lamps remain on after the
door is closed for a set amount of
time, then automatically turn off.
For vehicles with keyless access,
the exterior lamps and dome lamps
automatically turn on when a door is
opened after the ignition is turned
off. SeeIgnition Positions (Key
Access) on page 9‑14 orIgnition
Positions (Keyless Access) on
page 9‑16.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamps control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑35.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM), which
estimates the battery's temperature
and state of charge. It then adjusts
the voltage for best performance
and extended life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltage display on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), you may
see the voltage move up or down.
This is normal. If there is a problem,
an alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power that is needed for very high
electrical loads. A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a DIC message might
be displayed and it is recommended
that the driver reduce the electrical
loads as much as possible. See
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages on page 5‑28.
Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Vehicle Care 10-29
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting
{WARNING
The low beam high intensity
discharge lighting system
operates at a very high voltage.
If you try to service any of the
system components, you could be
seriously injured. Have your
dealer or a qualified technician
service them.
The vehicle may have HID
headlamps. After an HID headlamp
bulb has been replaced, you may
notice that the beam is a slightly
different shade than it was originally.
This is normal.
LED Lighting
This vehicle has several LED lamps.
For replacement of any LED lighting
assembly, contact your dealer.
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps
Base Headlamp Assembly
The base model vehicle has
halogen high-beam and low-beam
headlamps, a parking lamp, a
sidemarker lamp, and two turn
signal lamps on the headlamp
assembly.Passenger Side Shown, Driver
Side Similar
1. High-Beam Headlamp
2. Low-Beam Headlamp
3. Sidemarker Lamp
4. Parking/Turn Signal Lamp
To replace one of the headlamp
bulbs:
1. Open the hood. See Hood on
page 10‑5.
Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
10-30 Vehicle Care
2. For the driver side bulb, removethe windshield washer bottle
filler neck by firmly pulling it
straight up and out of the bottle.
3. Remove the cap from the back of the headlamp assembly by
turning it counterclockwise.
4. Disconnect the electrical connector.
5. Remove the bulb from the lamp assembly by turning
counterclockwise.
6. Install a new bulb in the lamp assembly.
7. Connect the electrical connector.
8. Replace the cap from the back of the headlamp assembly by
turning it clockwise.
9. For the driver side, reinstall the windshield washer bottle filler
neck by firmly pushing it straight
into the bottle. Ensure that the
filler neck clip engages into the
underhood electrical center
retainer.Uplevel Headlamp Assembly
The uplevel model vehicle has
halogen high-beam and low-beam
headlamps, a parking lamp, a
sidemarker lamp, and two turn
signal lamps on the headlamp
assembly.
Passenger Side Shown, Driver
Side Similar
1. High-Beam Headlamp
2. Turn Signal Lamps
3. Low-Beam Headlamp
4. Parking Lamp
5. Sidemarker Lamp To replace one of these bulbs:
High-Beam Headlamp
1. Open the hood. See
Hood on
page 10‑5.
2. For the driver side bulb, remove the windshield washer bottle
filler neck by firmly pulling it
straight up and out of the bottle.
3. Remove the cap from the back of the headlamp assembly by
turning it counterclockwise.
4. Disconnect the electricalconnector (1).