Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-11
Door Locks
{Warning
Unlocked doors can be
dangerous.
.Passengers, especially
children, can easily open the
doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not
open it. The chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash is increased if the
doors are not locked. So, all
passengers should wear
safety belts properly and the
doors should be locked
whenever the vehicle is
driven.
.Young children who get into
unlocked vehicles may be
unable to get out. A child can
be overcome by extreme heat
and can suffer permanent(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
injuries or even death from
heat stroke. Always lock the
vehicle whenever leaving it.
.Outsiders can easily enter
through an unlocked door
when you slow down or stop
the vehicle. Locking the doors
can help prevent this from
happening.
To lock or unlock the doors from the
outside:
.PressQorKon the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation on
page 2-3.
.Use the key in the driver door. To lock or unlock the doors from the
inside:
.Push down the manual lock
knob on the driver door to lock
all doors. Push down the manual
lock knob on a passenger door
to lock that door only.
.Pull the door handle once to
unlock the door. Pull the handle
again to unlatch it.
.PressQorKon the power door
lock switch.
Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-13
Lockout Protection
If equipped with pushbutton start
and the vehicle is in ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN/START,
and locking is requested with the
driver door open, all doors will lock
and only the driver door will unlock.
If equipped with a keyed ignition,
and the key is in the ignition when
locking is requested with the driver
door open, all doors will lock and
then the driver door will unlock.
Lockout Protection with the key in
the ignition can be manually
overridden with the driver door open
by pressing and holding
Qon the
power door lock switch.
If Open or Unlocked Door Anti
Lockout is turned on and the vehicle
is off, and locking is requested with
the driver door open, all doors will
lock and only the driver door will
unlock. The Unlocked Door Anti
Lockout feature can be turned on or off using the vehicle personalization
menus. See
Vehicle Personalization
on page 5-31.
Safety Locks
The rear door safety locks prevent
passengers from opening the rear
doors from inside the vehicle.
Manual Safety Locks
If equipped, the safety lock is
located on the inside edge of the
rear doors. To use the safety lock:
1. Insert the key into the safety lock slot and turn it so the slot is in
the horizontal position.
2. Close the door.
3. Do the same for the other rear door.
To open a rear door when the safety
lock is on:
1. Unlock the door by activating the inside handle, using the power
door lock switch, or the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
2. Open the door from the outside.
To cancel the safety lock:
1. Unlock the door and open it from the outside.
2. Insert the key into the safety lock slot and turn it so the slot is in
the vertical position. Do the
same for the other door.
Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
2-14 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Doors
Trunk
{Warning
Exhaust gases can enter the
vehicle if it is driven with the
liftgate, hatch/trunk open, or with
any objects that pass through the
seal between the body and the
hatch/trunk or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains carbon
monoxide (CO) which cannot be
seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
If the vehicle must be driven with
the liftgate or hatch/trunk open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on
or under the instrument
panel.(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
brings in only outside air and
set the fan speed to the
highest setting. See “Climate
Control Systems” in the
Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with
a power liftgate, disable the
power liftgate function.
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9-24.
Trunk Release
To open the trunk the vehicle must
be off or with the shift lever in
P (Park).
.PressYon the RKE
transmitter when removed from
the ignition.
.Press the touch pad on the rear
of the trunk after unlocking all
doors.
If equipped with Keyless Access,
the trunk may be opened while the
vehicle is locked by pressing the
touch pad on the rear of the trunk
while the RKE transmitter is within
1 m (3 ft) of the rear of the vehicle.
See Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2-3.
Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
2-18 Keys, Doors, and Windows
The immobilization system is
disarmed when the ignition button is
pushed in and a valid transmitter is
found in the vehicle.
The security light on the instrument
cluster comes on when there is a
problem with arming or disarming
the theft-deterrent system.
The system has one or more
transmitters matched to an
immobilizer control unit in the
vehicle. Only a correctly matched
transmitter will start the vehicle.
If the transmitter is ever damaged,
you may not be able to start your
vehicle.
When trying to start the vehicle, the
security light comes on briefly when
the ignition is turned on.If the vehicle does not start and the
security light stays on, there is a
problem with the system. Turn the
vehicle off and try again.
If the RKE transmitter appears to be
undamaged, try another transmitter,
or place the transmitter in the
transmitter pocket. See
“Starting the
Vehicle with a Low Transmitter
Battery” underRemote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 2-3.
If the vehicle does not start with the
other transmitter or when the
transmitter is in the transmitter
pocket, your vehicle needs service.
See your dealer who can service
the theft-deterrent system and have
a new transmitter programmed to
the vehicle.
Do not leave the transmitter or
device that disarms or deactivates
the theft-deterrent system in the
vehicle.
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{Warning
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
3-6 Seats and Restraints
Memory Seats
If available, the“1”and “2”buttons
on the outboard side of the driver
seat are used to manually save and
recall the positions of the driver seat
and outside mirrors. These manually
stored positions are referred to as
Button Memory positions.
The vehicle will also automatically
save driver seat and outside mirror
positions to the current driver
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter when the ignition is
placed in OFF. These automatically stored positions are referred to as
RKE Memory positions. See
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2-3.
Storing Button Memory Positions
To save positions into Button
Memory:
1. Adjust the driver seat, seatback
recliner, and both outside mirrors
to the desired driving positions.
2. Press and hold MEM (Memory) and “1”at the same time until a
beep sounds.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for a second driver using “2.”
Recalling Button Memory
Positions
To recall the Button Memory
positions, press and hold “1”or“2.”
The driver seat and outside mirrors
move to the positions stored to
those buttons when pressed.
Releasing “1”or“2” before the
stored positions are reached stops
the recall. If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction; then press
and hold the power driver seat
control for two seconds. Try
recalling the memory position again
by pressing the appropriate memory
button. If the memory position is still
not recalling, see your dealer for
service.
Recalling RKE Memory Positions
The RKE Memory feature can recall
the driver seat and outside mirrors
to previously stored RKE Memory
positions when entering the vehicle.
Every time the ignition is placed in
OFF, the positions of the driver seat
and outside mirrors are
automatically stored to the RKE
transmitter that was used to start
the vehicle. These positions are
called RKE Memory positions and
may be different than the previously
mentioned Button Memory positions
saved to the
“1”or“2” buttons.
Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
Instruments and Controls 5-27
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays when the
vehicle's engine power is reduced.
Reduced engine power can affect
the vehicle's ability to accelerate.
If this message is on, but there is no
reduction in performance, proceed
to your destination. The
performance may be reduced the
next time the vehicle is driven. The
vehicle may be driven at a reduced
speed while this message is on, but
maximum acceleration and speed
may be reduced. Anytime this
message stays on, the vehicle
should be taken to your dealer for
service as soon as possible.
Fuel System Messages
FUEL LEVEL LOW
This message displays when the
vehicle is low on fuel. Refuel as
soon as possible.
TIGHTEN GAS CAP
This message displays when the
fuel cap is not on tight. Tighten the
fuel cap.
Key and Lock Messages
NO REMOTE DETECTED
This message displays when the
transmitter battery is weak on
vehicles with Keyless Access. See
“Starting the Vehicle with a Low
Transmitter Battery”underRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2-3.
REPLACE BATTERY IN
REMOTE KEY
This message displays when the
battery in the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter needs to be
replaced. See “Battery
Replacement” underRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2-3.
USE TRANSMITTER POCKET
TO START
This message displays when trying
to start the vehicle if an RKE
transmitter is not detected. The
transmitter battery may be weak.
See “Starting the Vehicle with a Low
Transmitter Battery” underRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2-3.
Lamp Messages
AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL
ON/OFF
This message is displayed when the
automatic light control has been
turned on or off. See Automatic
Headlamp System on page 6-3.
CHECK XXX TURN
SIGNAL LAMP
When one of the turn signals is out,
this message displays to show
which bulb needs to be replaced.
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
6-6 Lighting
Rear Reading Lamps
#or$(Reading Lamps):Press
the button near each lamp to turn it
on or off.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The headlamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, back-up lamps, dome
lamps, and most of the interior lights
turn on briefly when the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter
K
button is pressed. See Ignition
Positions (Keyless Access) on
page 9-14 orIgnition Positions (Key
Access) on page 9-16. After about
30 seconds the exterior lamps turn
off, then the dome lamps and
remaining interior lights dim to off.
Entry lighting can be disabled
manually by changing the ignition
out of the OFF position, or by
pressing the RKE transmitter
Q
button.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5-31.
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 automatically turn
on when a door is opened after the
ignition is turned off. The dome
lamps come on after the ignition is
changed to the OFF position. See
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access)
on page 9-14 orIgnition Positions
(Key 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 5-31.
Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
9-14 Driving and Operating
Starting and
Operating
New Vehicle Break-In
{Caution
The vehicle does not need an
elaborate break-in. But it will
perform better in the long run if
you follow these guidelines:
.Do not drive at any one
constant speed, fast or slow,
for the first 805 km (500 mi).
Do not make full-throttle
starts. Avoid downshifting to
brake or slow the vehicle.
.Avoid making hard stops for
the first 322 km (200 mi) or
so. During this time the new
brake linings are not yet
broken in. Hard stops with
new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier
replacement. Follow this(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake
linings.
Following break-in, engine speed
and load can be gradually
increased.
Ignition Positions
(Keyless Access)
The vehicle may have an electronic
keyless ignition with pushbutton
start.
Pressing the button cycles it through
three modes, ACC/ACCESSORY,
ON/RUN/START, and Stopping the
Engine/OFF. The transmitter must be in the
vehicle for the system to operate.
If the pushbutton start is not
working, the vehicle may be near a
strong radio antenna signal causing
interference to the Keyless Access
system. See
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation on
page 2-3.
To shift out of P (Park), the vehicle
must be in ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN and the brake pedal must
be applied.
Stopping the Engine/LOCK/
OFF (No Indicator Lights): When
the vehicle is stopped, press the
ENGINE START/STOP button once
to turn the engine off.
If the vehicle is in P (Park), the
ignition will turn off, and Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) will remain
active. See Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) on page 9-21.
If the vehicle is not in P (Park), the
ignition will return to ACC/
ACCESSORY and display the
message SHIFT TO PARK in the