Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
2015 Chevrolet Malibu Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9 Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-2
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-31
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-38
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-14
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-25
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-29
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
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 . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-9
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10 Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Vehicle Features
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-15
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17 Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Universal Remote System . . . 1-18
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-20
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-20
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-1
Keys, Doors, and
Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . 2-12
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Doors
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Vehicle Security
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . 2-15 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Immobilizer Operation (Key
Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Immobilizer Operation (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Power Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Reverse Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Interior Mirrors
Interior Rearview Mirrors . . . . . 2-19
Manual Rearview Mirror . . . . . . 2-19
Automatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Windows
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Roof
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Keys and Locks
Keys
{Warning
Leaving children in a vehicle with
an ignition key or Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is
dangerous and children or others
could be seriously injured or
killed. They could operate the
power window or other controls or
make the vehicle move. The
windows will function with the key
in the ignition or with the RKE
transmitter in the vehicle, and
children or others could be caught
in the path of a closing window.
Do not leave children in a vehicle
with the ignition key or an RKE
transmitter.
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
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 5-31.
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 5-31. 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.
Heated Front Seats
{Warning
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns. To
reduce the risk of burns, people
with such a condition should use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
(Continued)
Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
5-34 Instruments and Controls
Climate and Air Quality
Select and the following may
display:
.Auto Fan Speed
.Remote Start Heated Seats
.Auto Defog
.Auto Rear Defog
Auto Fan Speed
This allows for selecting the
automatic fan speed. It can be
adjusted to run lower or higher than
normal.
Select High, Medium, or Low.
Remote Start Heated Seats
When turned on, this feature will
turn the heated seats on when using
remote start on cold days.
Select On or Off.
Auto Defog
Only vehicles with dual automatic
climate control will have this option.
This allows for turning the auto
defog on or off. Select On or Off.
Auto Rear Defog
This will allow for turning the auto
rear defog on or off. This feature will
automatically turn on the rear
window defogger when it is cold
outside.
Select On or Off.
Collision Detection Systems
Select and the following may
display:
.Park Assist
.Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
.Rear Cross Traffic Alert
Park Assist
This allows the Park Assist feature
to be turned on or off.
Select On or Off.
See Parking Assist on page 9-36.
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
This allows the SBZA feature to be
turned on or off. Select On or Off.
See
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
on page 9-37.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select Off or On.
See Rear Vision Camera (RVC) on
page 9-39.
Comfort and Convenience
Select and the following may
display:
.Easy Exit Driver Seat
.Chime Volume
.Reverse Tilt Mirror
Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature moves the seat
rearward allowing the driver more
room to exit the vehicle.
See “Easy Exit Driver Seat” under
Memory Seats on page 3-6.
Select On or Off.
Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
Instruments and Controls 5-35
Chime Volume
This allows selection of the chime
volume level.
Select Normal or High.
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 2-19.
Select On or Off.
Lighting
Select and the following may
display:
.Vehicle Locator Lights
.Exit LightingVehicle Locator Lights
This allows the vehicle locator lights
to be turned on or off. The vehicle
locator lights come on when
unlocking the vehicle with the RKE
transmitter.
Select On or Off.
Exit Lighting
This allows for selecting how long
the exterior lamps stay on when
leaving the vehicle and it is dark
outside.
Select Off, 30 Seconds, 1 Minute,
or 2 Minutes.
Power Door Locks
Select and depending on the radio
the following may display:
.Open Door Anti Lock Out
.Unlocked Door Anti Lock Out
.Auto Door Unlock
.Delayed Door Lock
.Auto Door LockOpen Door Anti Lock Out or
Unlocked Door Anti Lock Out
When on, this feature will keep the
driver door from locking when the
door is open. If Off is selected, the
Delayed Door Lock menu will be
available and the door will lock as
programmed through this menu.
Select to turn On or Off.
Auto Door Unlock
This allows selection of which of the
doors will automatically unlock when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
Select All Doors, Driver Door, or Off.
Delayed Door Lock
When on, this feature will delay the
locking of the doors until
five seconds after the last door is
closed. Three chimes will signal
delayed locking is in use. Press
either the power lock button or
Qon
the RKE transmitter twice to
override the delayed locking feature
and immediately lock all of the
doors.
Black plate (36,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
5-36 Instruments and Controls
Select to turn On or Off.
Auto Door Lock
This allows selection of which of the
doors will automatically lock when
the vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
Select All Doors, Driver Door, or Off.
Remote Lock/Unlock/Start
Select and depending on the radio
the following may display:
.Remote Unlock Feedback
.Unlock Feedback (Lights)
.Remote Lock Feedback
.Locking Feedback
.Remote Door Unlock
.Door Unlock Options
.Memory Remote Recall
.Remote Left in Vehicle Reminder
.Relock Remote Door
.Passive Door Unlock
.Passive Door LockRemote Unlock Feedback or
Unlock Feedback (Lights)
When on, the exterior lamps will
flash when unlocking the vehicle
with the RKE transmitter.
Select On or Off. Press TUNE/
MENU to confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Remote Lock Feedback or
Locking Feedback
This allows selection of what type of
feedback is given when locking the
vehicle with the RKE transmitter.
Press TUNE/MENU when Locking
Feedback is highlighted. Turn the
TUNE/MENU knob to select Lights
and Horn, Lights Only, Horn Only,
or Off. Press TUNE/MENU to
confirm and go back to the
last menu.
Remote Door Unlock or Door
Unlock Options
This allows selection of which doors
will unlock when pressingKon the
RKE transmitter. Press TUNE/MENU when Door
Unlock Options is highlighted. Turn
the TUNE/MENU knob to select All
Doors or Driver Door Only. When
set to Driver Door Only, the driver
door will unlock the first time
Kis
pressed and all doors will unlock
when
Kis pressed a second time.
When set to All Doors, all of the
doors will unlock at the first press of
K. Press TUNE/MENU to confirm
and go back to the last menu.
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 equipped with Keyless
Access, the recall will occur upon
opening the driver door. See
“Recalling RKE Memory Positions”
under Memory Seats on page 3-6.
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
7575972) - 2015 - crc - 4/1/14
Climate Controls 8-3
higher humidity inside the vehicle
and window fogging before the
engine restarts.
Pressing the
0button during an
auto stop will restart the engine to
prevent window fogging. To reach
comfort levels quickly during an
auto stop, the engine will restart if
the air conditioner is off and AUTO
or
#is selected.
For comfort a/c, press
#again.
The indicator will turn amber.
When the indicator light is on, the
air conditioner runs automatically to
cool the air inside the vehicle or to
dry the air needed to defog the
windshield faster.
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.
MorL(Heated Seats, If
Equipped): Press to turn the
heated seats on or off. See Heated
Front Seats on page 3-7.
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.
If equipped 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 2-19.
{Caution
Using a razor blade or sharp
object on the inside rear window
can damage the antenna or
defogger. Repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Do not stick anything to the rear
window.
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.