Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
Instruments and Controls 121
SeeTires 0260, Vehicle Load
Limits 0183, and Tire Pressure
0 267.
More than one tire pressure
message can be received at a time.
The DIC also shows the tire
pressure values. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) 0112.
Transmission Messages
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays if there is a
problem with the transmission. See
your dealer.
SHIFT DENIED
This message displays when
attempting to use the automatic
transmission manual mode to shift
to too low or too high of a gear. See
Manual Mode 0199.
SHIFT TO PARK
This message displays when the
transmission needs to be shifted to
P (Park). This may appear when
turning the ignition off or removing
the key from the vehicle if the
vehicle is not in P (Park).
TRANSMISSION HOT —IDLE
ENGINE
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the transmission fluid in
the vehicle gets hot. Driving with the
transmission fluid temperature high
can cause damage to the vehicle.
Stop the vehicle and let it idle to
allow the transmission to cool. This
message clears when the fluid
temperature reaches a safe level.
Vehicle Reminder
Messages
ICE POSSIBLE DRIVE
WITH CARE
This message displays when ice
conditions are possible.
Washer Fluid Messages
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD
FLUID
This message displays when the
windshield washer fluid is low. Fill
the windshield washer reservoir as
soon as possible. See Engine
Compartment Overview 0229 for the location of the windshield
washer reservoir. Also, see
Washer
Fluid 0239 for more information.
Window Messages
OPEN, THEN CLOSE DRIVER/
PASSENGER WINDOW
This message is displayed when the
window needs to be reprogrammed.
If the vehicle's battery has been
recharged or disconnected, you will
need to program each front window
for the express-up feature to work.
See Power Windows 044.
Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
134 Lighting
When it is bright enough outside,
the headlamps will turn off or may
change to Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).
The automatic headlamp system
turns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned to
Oor the ignition
is off.
Lights On with Wipers
If the windshield wipers are
activated in daylight with the engine
on, and the exterior lamp control is
in AUTO, the headlamps, parking
lamps, and other exterior lamps
come on. The transition time for the
lamps coming on varies based on
wiper speed. When the wipers are
not operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control to
P
or;to disable this feature.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flashers) :
Press this button to make the front
and rear turn signal lamps flash on
and off. Press again to turn the
flashers off.
The hazard warning flashers turn on
automatically if the airbags deploy.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the turn signal lever all the
way up or down to signal a turn.
An arrow on the instrument cluster
flashes in the direction of the turn or
lane change.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. If the lever is
briefly pressed and released, the
turn signal flashes three times.
The turn signal can be turned off
manually by moving the lever back
to its original position.
Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
Lighting 137
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
Some exterior lamps and most of
the interior lights turn on briefly
when the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter
Kbutton is
pressed. 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
Qbutton.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization 0122.
Exit Lighting
Some exterior 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 lamps 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 changed to the OFF
position. The dome lamps also
come on after the ignition is
changed to the OFF position. See
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access)
0
187 orIgnition Positions (Key
Access) 0189.
The exterior lamps turn off
immediately by turning the exterior
lamps control off.
This feature can be changed. See
Vehicle Personalization 0122.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM), which
estimates the battery's temperature
and state of charge. It then adjusts
the voltage for best performance
and extended life of the battery. When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltage display on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), you may
see the voltage move up or down.
This is normal. If there is a problem,
an alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
138 Lighting
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a DIC message might
be displayed and it is recommended
that the driver reduce the electrical
loads as much as possible. See
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages0116.
Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
168 Climate Controls
The following are climate control
settings that use more fuel:
.Comfort air conditioning mode.
. Defrost mode.
. Setting the climate control to the
coldest or hottest temperature.
. High fan speed settings.
To help reduce fuel usage:
. Use eco air conditioning, instead
of the comfort air conditioning.
. Select a temperature setting that
is higher in hot weather and
lower in cold weather.
. Turn off the air conditioning
when it is not needed.
. Only use defrost to clear the
windows.
Temperature Control : Turn the
knob clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the driver or
passenger temperature setting.
Fan Control : Turn the knob
clockwise or counterclockwise to
increase or decrease the fan speed. 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
cycle between the off, comfort, and
eco (economy) air conditioning
modes. The indicator will be lit in
comfort and eco modes and turns
off when there is no A/C function. 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.
For eco a/c, press
#. The indicator
will turn green. This setting
balances fuel economy and air
conditioning comfort. In warm
weather conditions, auto stops may
occur more frequently and the
vehicle interior may be warmer as
compared to the comfort air
conditioning. This setting allows
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.
Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
172 Climate Controls
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.
For eco a/c, press
#. The indicator
will turn green. This setting
balances fuel economy and air
conditioning comfort. In warm
weather conditions, auto stops may
occur more frequently and the
vehicle interior may be warmer as
compared to the comfort air
conditioning. This setting allows
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.
If temperature controls are adjusted
cooler by more than 1 °C (1 °F)
during an auto stop, the engine will
restart to ensure that comfort is
reached. For comfort a/c, press
#again.
The indicator will turn amber.
Pressing
#again cancels
automatic air conditioning and turns
off the air conditioner. Press AUTO
to return to automatic operation and
the air conditioner runs
automatically as needed. 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.
Auto Defog : The climate control
system has a sensor that
automatically detects 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
0 122.
MorL(Heated Seats, If
Equipped) : Press to turn the
heated seats on or off. See Heated
Front Seats 053.
Rear Window Defogger
=(Rear Window Defogger) :
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off. An indicator light
on the button comes on to show that
the rear window defogger is on.
The defogger only works when the
ignition is in ON/RUN. The defogger
turns off if the ignition is in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF
position.
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
0 42.
Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
176 Driving and Operating
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Track Events and CompetitiveDriving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 180
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 181
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 183
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 187
Ignition Positions (Keyless Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Ignition Positions (Key Access) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 197
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 201
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Driver Assistance Systems
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . 206
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Lane Departure
Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 216
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Chevrolet Malibu Limited Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada-
9086425) - 2016 - crc - 7/30/15
178 Driving and Operating
{Warning
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious—or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or if you are
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time. Average driver reaction time is
about three-quarters of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.
Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
. Avoid needless heavy braking.
. Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
The vehicle has electric power
steering. It does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance
is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort.
See your dealer if there is a
problem.
If the steering wheel is turned until it
reaches the end of its travel and is
held against that position for an
extended period of time, power
steering assist may be reduced.
If the steering assist is used for an
extended period of time, power
assist may be reduced.
Normal use of the power steering
assist should return when the
system cools down.
See specific vehicle steering
messages under Service Vehicle
Messages 0120. See your dealer if
there is a problem.