2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU winter tires

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Driving and Operating 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through
mountains is different than driving
on flat or rolling terrain. Tips for
driving in these conditions include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in
good shape.
.Check all fluid levels and brakes,
tires, cooling system, and
transmission.
.Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep or long hills.
{WARNING
If you do not shift down, the
brakes could get so hot that they
would not work well. You would
then have poor braking or even
none going down a hill. You could
crash. Shift down to let the engine
assist the brakes on a steep
downhill slope.
{WARNING
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. The brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down
and they could get so hot that
they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking or
even none going down a hill. You
could crash. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle in
gear when going downhill.
.Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
.Be alert on top of hills;
something could be in your lane
(stalled car, accident).
.Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 0°C
(32°F) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-13
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-15
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-20
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23 Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-26
Automatic Transmission Shift
Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-27
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
High Intensity Discharge(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps (LS and LT) . . . . . . . . 10-33 Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-Up
Lamps (LTZ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-35
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Summer Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-46
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Tire Pressure for High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53

Black plate (45,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Vehicle Care 10-45
WARNING (CONTINUED)
.Improperly repaired tires can
cause a crash. Only the
dealer or an authorized tire
service center should repair,
replace, dismount, and mount
the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 56 km/h (35 mph)
on slippery surfaces such as
snow, mud, ice, etc.
Excessive spinning may
cause the tires to explode.
SeeTire Pressure for
High-Speed Operation on
page 10‑53 for inflation pressure
adjustment for high-speed
driving.
All-Season Tires
This vehicle may come with
all-season tires. These tires are
designed to provide good overall
performance on most road surfaces
and weather conditions. Original
equipment tires designed to GM's
specific tire performance criteria
have a TPC specification code
molded onto the sidewall. Original
equipment all-season tires can be
identified by the last two characters
of this TPC code, which will
be “MS.”
Consider installing winter tires on
the vehicle if frequent driving on
snow or ice-covered roads is
expected. All-season tires provide
adequate performance for most
winter driving conditions, but they
may not offer the same level of
traction or performance as winter
tires on snow or ice-covered roads.
See Winter Tires on page 10‑45.
Winter Tires
This vehicle was not, originally,
equipped with winter tires. Winter
tires are designed for increased
traction on snow and ice-covered
roads. Consider installing winter
tires on the vehicle if frequent
driving on snow or ice-covered
roads is expected. See your dealer
for details regarding winter tire
availability and proper tire selection.
Also, see Buying New Tires on
page 10‑61.
With winter tires, there may be
decreased dry road traction,
increased road noise, and shorter
tread life. After changing to winter
tires, be alert for changes in vehicle
handling and braking.
If using winter tires:
.Use tires of the same brand and
tread type on all four wheel
positions.

Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
10-46 Vehicle Care
.Use only radial ply tires of the
same size, load range, and
speed rating as the original
equipment tires.
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment tires
may not be available for H, V, W, Y,
and ZR speed rated tires. If winter
tires with a lower speed rating are
chosen, never exceed the tire's
maximum speed capability.
Summer Tires
This vehicle may come with high
performance summer tires. These
tires have a special tread and
compound that are optimized for
maximum dry and wet road
performance. This special tread
and compound will decrease
performance in cold climates, and
on ice and snow. We recommend
installing winter tires on the vehicle
if frequent driving in cold
temperatures or on snow or ice
covered roads is expected. See
Winter Tires on page 10‑45.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire is
molded into its sidewall. The
examples show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a
compact spare tire sidewall.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
(1) Tire Size:The tire size is a
combination of letters and
numbers used to define a
particular tire's width, height,
aspect ratio, construction type, and service description. See the
“Tire Size”
illustration later in this
section.
(2) TPC Spec (Tire
Performance Criteria
Specification)
:Original
equipment tires designed to
GM's specific tire performance
criteria have a TPC specification
code molded onto the sidewall.
GM's TPC specifications meet or
exceed all federal safety
guidelines.
(3) DOT (Department of
Transportation)
:The
Department of Transportation
(DOT) code indicates that
the tire is in compliance
with the U.S. Department of
Transportation Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards.

Black plate (62,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
10-62 Vehicle Care
Winter tires with the same speed
rating as the original equipment
tires may not be available for H,
V, W, Y and ZR speed rated
tires. Never exceed the winter
tire's maximum speed capability
when using winter tires with a
lower speed rating.
{WARNING
Tires could explode during
improper service. Attempting
to mount or dismount a tire
could cause injury or death.
Only your dealer or authorized
tire service center should
mount or dismount the tires.
{WARNING
Mixing tires of different sizes,
brands, or types may cause
loss of control of the vehicle,
resulting in a crash or other
vehicle damage. Use the
correct size, brand, and type
of tires on all wheels.
{WARNING
Using bias-ply tires on the
vehicle may cause the wheel
rim flanges to develop cracks
after many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could fail
suddenly and cause a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If the vehicle tires must be
replaced with a tire that does not
have a TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating, and
construction (radial) as the
original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire
pressure monitoring system
could give an inaccurate
low-pressure warning if non-TPC
Spec rated tires are installed.
See
Tire Pressure Monitor
System on page 10‑54.
The Tire and Loading
Information label indicates the
original equipment tires on the
vehicle. See Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑10.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover

Black plate (63,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
Vehicle Care 10-63
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can also be affected.
{WARNING
If different sized wheels are used,
there may not be an acceptable
level of performance and safety if
tires not recommended for those
wheels are selected. This
increases the chance of a crash
and serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for the vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires on
page 10‑61 andAccessories and
Modifications on page 10‑3.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires by
treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls
of most passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality
Grading (UTQG) system does
not apply to deep tread, winter
tires, compact spare tires, tires
with nominal rim diameters of
10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm),
or to some limited-production
tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary with
respect to these grades, they
must also conform to federal
safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
All Passenger Car Tires Must
Conform to Federal Safety
Requirements In Addition To
These Grades.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25Jump Starting . . . . . . . . 10-90, 10-92
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-27
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . 7-35, 7-36, 7-40
Brake
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-17
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36 Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32, 6-4
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamps, Front TurnSignal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29 Bulb Replacement (cont'd)
High Intensity Discharge
(HID) Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-35
Taillamps, Turn
Signal,
Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . 10-33, 10-34
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
California
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7 Cargo
Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-3
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-14
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-26
Child Restraints Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47, 3-50
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Cleaning
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-97
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-100

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual - 2013 - CRC - 6/6/12
INDEX i-11
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Sunglass Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
SystemForward CollisionAlert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-21, 7-1
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Taillamps Bulb Replacement . . . 10-33, 10-34
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13, 2-14
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Tires
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-48
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-66 Tires (cont'd)
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-55
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-54
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Sealant and
Compressor Kit . . . . 10-68, 10-75
Sealant and Compressor Kit, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-65
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Towing General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-95
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95 Traction
Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-32
Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Turn Signal
Bulb Replacement . . . 10-33, 10-34
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-39
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Universal Remote System . . . . . 5-40
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv