
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
2013 Chevrolet Malibu Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
eAssist Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Performance and
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-3
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-35
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-40
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-14
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-26
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-32
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-37
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-50
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12 Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-14
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-17
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-18
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-20
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Universal Remote System . . . 1-21
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
eAssist Features
eAssist®Overview . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
High Voltage Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Driver Efficiency Gauge . . . . . . 1-23
Automatic Engine Start/Stop Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Regenerative Braking . . . . . . . . 1-23
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 1-24
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-24
Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-25
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-26
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
In Brief 1-19
SET/−:Move the thumbwheel down
to set a speed and activate cruise
control or to make the vehicle
decelerate.
See Cruise Control on page 9‑34.
Infotainment System
See the infotainment manual for
information on the radio, audio
players, phone, navigation system,
and voice or speech recognition.
It also includes information on
settings and downloadable
applications (if equipped).
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC display is in the center of
the instrument cluster. It shows the
status of many vehicle systems. The
controls for the DIC are on the turn
signal lever.
1.SET/CLR: Press to set or clear
the menu item displayed.
2.
w/x: Use the thumbwheel to
scroll through the items in
each menu.
3. MENU: Press to display the Trip/
Fuel menu and the Vehicle
Information menu. This button is
also used to return to or exit the
last screen displayed on
the DIC.
See Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑24.
Forward Collision Alert
(FCA) System
For vehicles with FCA, this system
is intended to help avoid or reduce
the harm caused by front-end
crashes. FCA provides a flashing
visual alert and beeps when
approaching a vehicle directly
ahead too quickly. FCA also
provides a visual alert if following
another vehicle much too closely.
The forward-looking FCA camera
sensor is on the windshield ahead
of the rearview mirror. FCA detects
vehicles within a distance of
approximately 60 m (197 ft) and
operates at speeds above 40 km/h
(25 mph).
See Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System on page 9‑37 for more
information.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Seats and Restraints 3-7
To recall RKE Memory positions:
.On vehicles with RKE, pressK
on the RKE transmitter and open
the driver door.
.On vehicles with keyless access,
press the lock/unlock button on
the outside driver door handle
and open the door. The RKE
transmitter must be present for
the recall to activate.
.If the driver door is already
open, press
Kon the RKE
transmitter to activate the recall.
The driver seat and outside mirrors
will move to the previously saved
RKE Memory positions.
This feature is turned on or off using
the vehicle personalization menu.
See Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑35.
To stop recall movement, press one
of the memory, power mirror,
or power seat controls. If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction; then press
and hold the appropriate manual
control for the memory item that is
not recalling for two seconds. Try
recalling the memory position again
by opening the driver door and
pressing the RKE transmitter
K
button. If the memory position is still
not recalling, see your dealer for
service.
Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature moves the seat
rearward allowing the driver more
room to exit the vehicle.
To activate, place the ignition in
OFF and open the driver door. If the
driver door is already open, placing
the ignition in OFF will activate the
recall.
This feature is turned on or off using
the vehicle personalization menu.
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑35.
To stop recall movement, press
one of the memory or power seat
controls.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling the exit position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold the
power seat control rearward for
two seconds. Try recalling the exit
position again. If the exit position is
still not recalling, see your dealer for
service.

Black plate (36,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
5-36 Instruments and Controls
Auto Defog
Only vehicles with dual automatic
climate control will have this option.
This will allow you to turn the auto
defog on or off.
Press TUNE/MENU when Auto
Defog is highlighted to open the
menu. Turn the TUNE/MENU knob
to highlight On or Off. Press TUNE/
MENU to confirm the selection and
move back to the last menu.
Auto Rear Defog
This will allow you to turn the auto
rear defog on or off. This feature will
automatically turn on the rear
window defogger when it is cold
outside.
Press TUNE/MENU when Auto
Rear Defog is highlighted to open
the menu. Turn the TUNE/MENU
knob to highlight On or Off. Press
TUNE/MENU to confirm the
selection and move back to the
last menu.Comfort and Convenience
Select the Comfort and
Convenience menu and the
following may be displayed:
.Easy Exit Driver Seat
.Chime Volume
.Reverse Tilt Mirror
Easy Exit Driver Seat
When on, this feature will move the
driver seat rearward upon turning
the ignition off and opening the
driver door. This may be done to
make it easier to exit the vehicle.
See “Easy Exit Driver Seat” under
Memory Seats on page 3‑6.
This feature can be turned on or off.
Press TUNE/MENU when Easy Exit
Driver Seat is highlighted. Turn the
TUNE/MENU knob to select On or
Off. Press TUNE/MENU to confirm
and go back to the last menu. Chime Volume
This allows selection of the chime
volume level.
Press TUNE/MENU when Chime
Volume is highlighted. Turn the
TUNE/MENU knob to select Normal
or High. Press TUNE/MENU to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Reverse Tilt Mirror
When on, both the driver and
passenger mirrors will tilt downward
when the vehicle is shifted to
R (Reverse) to improve visibility of
the ground near the rear wheels.
They will return to their previous
driving position when the vehicle is
shifted out of R (Reverse), the
ignition is turned to OFF, or the
vehicle is left in R (Reverse). See
Reverse Tilt Mirrors on page 2‑16.
Press TUNE/MENU when Reverse
Tilt Mirror is highlighted. Turn the
TUNE/MENU knob to select On or
Off. Press TUNE/MENU to confirm
and go back to the last menu.

Black plate (39,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Instruments and Controls 5-39
Memory Remote Recall
This allows the Memory Remote
Recall feature to be turned on or off.
When on, this feature will recall the
current driver's last seat and outside
mirror positions upon unlocking the
driver door with the RKE transmitter,
and opening that door. The current
driver is identified when the RKE
transmitter is used to unlock the
driver door. If keyless access
equipped, the recall will occur upon
opening the driver door. See
“Recalling RKE Memory Positions”
underMemory Seats on page 3‑6.
Press TUNE/MENU when Memory
Remote Recall is highlighted. Turn
the TUNE/MENU knob to select On
or Off. Press TUNE/MENU to
confirm and go back to the
last menu. Remote Left in Vehicle Reminder
This allows the Remote Left in
Vehicle Reminder feature to be
turned on or off. If on, the horn will
chirp if a remote is left in the
vehicle.
Press TUNE/MENU when Remote
Left in Vehicle Reminder is
highlighted. Turn the TUNE/MENU
knob to select On or Off. Press
TUNE/MENU to confirm and go
back to the last menu.
Relock Remote Door
When on, the doors will
automatically lock after a period of
time if the vehicle is not entered or
exited.
Press TUNE/MENU when Relock
Remote Door is highlighted. Turn
the TUNE/MENU knob to select
On or Off. Press TUNE/MENU
to confirm and go back to the
last menu.Passive Door Lock
This allows selection of which doors
are unlocked by pressing the button
on the outside door handle.
Press TUNE/MENU when Passive
Door Lock is highlighted. Turn the
TUNE/MENU knob to select Off, On,
or On with Active Horn Chirp. Press
TUNE/MENU to confirm and go
back to the last menu.
Passive Door Unlock
This allows selection of which doors
are locked by pressing the button on
the outside door handle.
Press TUNE/MENU when Passive
Door Unlock is highlighted. Turn the
TUNE/MENU knob to select All
Doors or Driver Door. Press TUNE/
MENU to confirm and go back to the
last menu.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
8-2 Climate Controls
Air Delivery Modes:PressY,\,
[, or-to change the direction of
the airflow. An indicator light comes
on in the selected mode button.
Y(Vent): Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
\(Bi-Level): Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets and the
floor outlets.
[(Floor): Air is directed to the
floor outlets.
-(Defog): Air is directed to the
windshield and floor outlets to clear
the windows of fog or moisture.
0(Defrost): Press to clear the
windshield of fog or frost more
quickly. Air is directed to the
windshield and side window outlets.
For best results, clear all snow and
ice from the windshield before
defrosting.
#(Air Conditioning): Press to
turn the air conditioning on or off.
If the fan is turned off or the outside temperature falls below freezing, the
air conditioner will not run and the
indicator light turns off.
h(Recirculation):
Press to turn
on recirculation. An indicator light
comes on. Air is recirculated to
quickly cool the inside of the vehicle
or prevent outside air and odors
from entering.
M/L(Heated Seats, If
Equipped): Press to turn the
heated seats on or off. See Heated
Front Seats on page 3‑8.
Rear Window Defogger
=(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off.
The rear window defogger turns off
automatically after about
10 minutes. If turned on again, it
runs for about five minutes before
turning off. At higher speeds, the
rear window defogger may stay on
continuously. For vehicles with heated outside
rearview mirrors, they turn on with
the rear window defogger and help
to clear fog or frost from the surface
of the mirror. See
Heated Mirrors on
page 2‑16.
Notice: Using a razor blade or
sharp object to clear the inside
rear window can damage the rear
window antenna and/or the rear
window defogger. Repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not clear the inside
rear window with sharp objects.Sensors
The solar sensor on top of the
instrument panel near the
windshield monitors the solar heat.
The climate control system uses the
sensor information to adjust the
temperature, fan speed,
recirculation, and air delivery mode
for best comfort.
If the sensor is covered, the
automatic climate control system
may not work properly.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
8-6 Climate Controls
h(Recirculation):Press to turn
on recirculation. An indicator light
comes on. Air is recirculated to
quickly cool the inside of the vehicle
or prevent outside air and odors
from entering.
Auto Defog: The climate control
system may have a sensor to
automatically detect high humidity
inside the vehicle. When high
humidity is detected, the climate
control system may adjust to
outside air supply and turn on the
air conditioner. The fan speed may
slightly increase to help prevent
fogging. If the climate control
system does not detect possible
window fogging, it returns to normal
operation. To turn Auto Defog off or
on, see “Climate and Air Quality”
under Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑35.M/L(Heated Seats, If
Equipped): Press to turn the
heated seats on or off. See Heated
Front Seats on page 3‑8.
Rear Window Defogger
=(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off.
The rear window defogger turns
off automatically after about
10 minutes. If turned on again, it
runs for about five minutes before
turning off. At higher speeds, the
rear window defogger may stay on
continuously.
For vehicles with heated outside
rearview mirrors, they turn on with
the rear window defogger and help
to clear fog or frost from the surface
of the mirror. See Heated Mirrors on
page 2‑16. Notice:
Using a razor blade or
sharp object to clear the inside
rear window can damage the rear
window antenna and/or the rear
window defogger. Repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Do not clear the inside
rear window with sharp objects.
Remote Start Climate Control
Operation (If Equipped): For
vehicles with the remote start
feature, the climate control system
may run when the vehicle is started
remotely. The system uses the
driver ’s previous settings to heat or
cool the inside of the vehicle. The
rear defog may come on during
remote start based on cold ambient
conditions. The rear defog indicator
light does not come on during a
remote start. The front heated seats
will turn on if it is cold outside. The
heated seat indicator lights do not
come on during a remote start.