2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU power steering

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
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 (3,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
In Brief 1-3
1.Air Vents on page 8‑7.
2. Turn and Lane-Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑4.
Driver Information Center
Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑24.
3. Instrument Cluster on page 5‑8.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑24.
4. Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑3.
5. Storage Area. See Instrument
Panel Storage on page 4‑1.
6. Light Sensor. See Automatic
Headlamp System on page 6‑3.
7. Infotainment Display.
8. Infotainment on page 7‑1.
AM-FM Radio on page 7‑14.
9. CD Player on page 7‑22. 10.
Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
Fog Lamps on page 6‑4.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑5.
11. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑5.
12. Storage Compartment. See Instrument Panel Storage on
page 4‑1.
13. Data Link Connector (Out of View). See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 5‑14.
14. Cruise Control on page 9‑34.
Lane Departure Warning
(LDW) on page 9‑43 (If
Equipped).
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System on page 9‑37 (If
Equipped).
15. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2. 16.
Horn on page 5‑3.
Driver Airbag. See Where Are
the Airbags? on page 3‑21.
17. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2.
18. Ignition Positions (Key Access)
on page 9‑14 orIgnition
Positions (Keyless Access) on
page 9‑16.
19. Heated Front Seats on
page 3‑8 (If Equipped).
20. Power Door Locks on
page 2‑9.
Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑4.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑26.
21. Ultrasonic Parking Assist on
page 9‑39 (If Equipped).
Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑32.
StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑33.

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 (32,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
5-32 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE LANE DEPARTURE
WARNING
This message may appear to
indicate that LDW is not working
properly. If this message remains on
after continued driving, the system
needs service. Take your vehicle to
your dealer.
SERVICE PARK ASSIST
This message displays if there is a
problem with the Ultrasonic Rear
Parking Assist (URPA) system. Do
not use this system to help you
park. SeeUltrasonic Parking Assist
on page 9‑39 for more information.
See your dealer for service.
Ride Control System
Messages
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
This message displays when there
is a problem with the Traction
Control System (TCS). When this
message is displayed, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly. See your dealer
for service.
SERVICE STABILITRAK
This message displays if there is a
problem with the StabiliTrak system.
If this message appears, try to reset
the system. Stop; turn off the engine
for at least 15 seconds; then start
the engine again. If this message
still comes on, it means there is a
problem. See your dealer for
service. The vehicle is safe to drive;
however, you do not have the
benefit of StabiliTrak, so reduce
your speed and drive accordingly.
Security Messages
THEFT ATTEMPTED
This message displays if the vehicle
detects a tamper condition.
Service Vehicle Messages
SERVICE AC SYSTEM
This message displays if there is a
problem with the air conditioning
system. Take the vehicle to your
dealer for service.
SERVICE POWER STEERING
This message displays if there is a
problem with the power steering
system. Take the vehicle to your
dealer for service.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays if there is a
problem with the vehicle. Take the
vehicle to your dealer for service.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Infotainment System 7-9
Radio Settings
Press the Config button on the
Home Page or the CONFIG button
on the faceplate to enter the menu
options. Turn the TUNE/MENU knob
or press the scroll bar to scroll
through the available options. Press
the TUNE/MENU knob or press
Radio Settings to display the radio
settings menu. Press this feature to
make changes for radio information
displayed, preset pages, and Auto
Volume Control.
The Radio Settings are:
Speed Dependent Volume:Select
OFF, Low, Medium, or High
sensitivity to automatically adjust
the volume to minimize the effects
of unwanted background noise that
can result from changing road
surfaces, driving speeds, or open
windows. This feature works best at
lower volume settings where
background noise is typically louder
than the sound system volume. Startup Volume:
Press to set the
maximum volume level for startup
that will be used even if a higher
volume had been set when the radio
was turned off.
Radio Favorites: Press to select
the number of favorite pages to be
used in the system.
Phone Settings
See Bluetooth (Overview) on
page 7‑35 orBluetooth (Voice
Recognition) on page 7‑40 or
Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls) on
page 7‑36 in the“Phone” section.
Vehicle Settings
SeeVehicle Personalization on
page 5‑35.
Display Settings
Press the Config button on the
Home Page or the CONFIG button
on the faceplate, then select Display
Settings from the list. The following options may display:
Dimming Mode:
Press to change
the screen background. The
Automatic setting adjusts the screen
background automatically
depending on the exterior lighting
conditions.
To change the overall brightness
setting for the display, use the
vehicle interior lighting instrument
panel illumination control.
Operation
Controls (Radio with CD)
The infotainment system is operated
by using the pushbuttons,
multifunction knobs, menus shown
on the display, and steering wheel
controls, if equipped.
Turning the System On or Off
VOL/O(Volume/Power): Press to
turn the system on and off.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
7-16 Infotainment System
To cancel the station search, press
TUNE/MENU.
Storing a Station as a Favorite
Stations from all bands can be
stored in any order in the favorite
pages.
Up to six stations can be stored in
each favorite page and the number
of available favorite pages can
be set.
Storing Stations
To store the station to a position in
the list, press the corresponding
button 1 to 6 until a beep is heard.
Retrieving Stations
Press the FAV button to open a
favorite page or to switch to another
favorite page. Briefly press one of
the 1 to 6 buttons to retrieve the
station.
Playing the Radio (Radio with
CD and Touchscreen)
Audio Source
VOL/
O(Power/Volume):
.Press to turn the radio on or off.
.Turn to increase or decrease the
volume of the active source (i.e.,
current audio source, active
navigation voice guidance,
or traffic prompts).
The steering wheel controls can
also be used to adjust the volume.
See Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2.
To access the radio main page,
press the SOURCE button on the
faceplate, the Now Playing screen
button, or one of the audio screen
buttons on the Home Page.
While on the audio main page,
press the SOURCE button
repeatedly to display and cycle through the available sources (AM,
FM, SiriusXM if equipped, CD, USB/
iPod, and AUX).
Infotainment System Menus
Tone Settings
To access the tone settings, press
the Home Page Tone button or the
TONE button on the faceplate.
Use the tone settings to adjust the
following features:
.Setting the tone
.Adjusting the speakers
Setting the Tone
To adjust the tone:
.Treble: Press Treble, then press
+ or −to change the level.
.Middle (Midrange): Press
Middle, then press + or −to
change the level.
.Bass: Press Bass, then press +
or −to change the level.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-14
Ignition Positions (KeyAccess) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-26
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . 9-31
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Object Detection Systems
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-39
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-45
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-46
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 9-47
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50