2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU power steering

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
102 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 103
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 103
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 104
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 104
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Instrument Cluster (Base Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Instrument Cluster
(Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Tachometer (Non-Hybrid) . . . . . 115
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Power Indicator Gauge (Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 117
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 118
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Charging System Light . . . . . . . 119
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 120
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . 123
Pedestrian Ahead Indicator . . . 124
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 124
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 125
Low Fuel Warning Light (Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Low Fuel Warning Light (Base Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Vehicle Ready Light
(Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 127
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 127
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 127
Door Ajar Light (Uplevel) . . . . . 128
Information Displays
Center Stack Display . . . . . . . . . 128
Power Flows (Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . 128
Energy Information (Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Base Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Driver Information Center (DIC) (Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Battery Voltage and Charging
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Brake System Messages . . . . . 136
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . 137
Cruise Control Messages . . . . . 137
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 138
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 139
Engine Power Messages . . . . . 139
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 139

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Instruments and Controls 143
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.
Airbag System Messages
SERVICE AIRBAG
This message displays if there is a
problem with the airbag system. See
your dealer for service.
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 KEYLESS START
SYSTEM
This message is displayed if there is
a problem with the pushbutton start
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.
Steering System
Messages
SERVICE POWER STEERING
This message displays and a chime
may sound when there may be a
problem with the power steering
system. If this message displays
and a reduction in steeringperformance or loss of power
steering assistance is noticed, see
your dealer.
STEERING ASSIST IS
REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE
This message can appear for
several reasons. Take the vehicle to
your dealer if the problem persists.
Starting the Vehicle
Messages
INITIALIZING
—WAIT TO
SHIFT
In extreme cold temperatures the
hybrid vehicle can take up to
30 seconds to start. Wait to shift
from P (Park) while the vehicle is
starting.
PRESS BRAKE TO START
This message displays when
attempting to start the vehicle
without first pressing the brake
pedal.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Infotainment System 169
functions may gray out when they
are unavailable. Many infotainment
features are also available through
the instrument cluster and steering
wheel controls.
Before driving:
.Become familiar with the
operation, faceplate buttons, and
screen buttons.
. Set up the audio by presetting
favorite stations, setting the
tone, and adjusting the
speakers.
. Set up phone numbers in
advance so they can be called
easily by pressing a single
button or by using a single voice
command if equipped with
Bluetooth phone capability.
See Defensive Driving 0217
ii.
To play the infotainment system with
the ignition off, see Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) 0231
ii.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
The infotainment system has an
electronic security system installed
to prevent theft.
The infotainment system only works
in the vehicle in which it was first
installed, and cannot be used in
another vehicle.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Infotainment System 183
.See “Deleting a Bluetooth
Device” under“Bluetooth
(Infotainment Controls)” in
Bluetooth (Overview) 0182
iior
Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls
Radio with Touchscreen) 0188
iior Bluetooth (Infotainment
Controls Radio without
Touchscreen) 0184
ii.
{Warning
When using a cell phone, it can
be distracting to look too long or
too often at the screen of the
phone or the infotainment system.
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
Vehicles with a Bluetooth system
can use a Bluetooth-capable cell
phone with a Hands-Free Profile to
make and receive phone calls. The
infotainment system is used to
control the system. The system can
be used while in ACC/ACCESSORY
or ON/RUN. See Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) 0231
ii. Not all phones support all functions and
not all phones work with the
Bluetooth system. See
www.gm.com/bluetooth for more
information about compatible
phones.
The Bluetooth system range can be
up to 9.1 m (30 ft).
There may be restrictions on using
Bluetooth wireless technology in
some locations.
Due to the variety of Bluetooth
devices and their firmware versions,
the device may respond differently
when performing over Bluetooth.
On a current phone call, an image
of the current contact from the
phone's contact list may be
displayed. Not all phones are
compatible with this feature.
Refer to the cell phone
manufacturer
’s user guide for
questions about the phone's
Bluetooth functionality.
Bluetooth Controls
If equipped with Bluetooth capability,
use the buttons on the infotainment
system and the steering wheel to
operate the system.
Steering Wheel Controls
g: Press to interact with Bluetooth
or OnStar, if equipped. See
Bluetooth (Overview) 0182
iior
Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls
Radio with Touchscreen) 0188
iior
Bluetooth (Infotainment Controls
Radio without Touchscreen) 0184
iior OnStar Overview 0398ii.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Driving and Operating 215
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 219
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 220
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 222
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 226
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 234
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 238
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 240
Regenerative Braking (Hybrid Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/ElectronicStability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 246
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 253
Assistance Systems forParking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 253 Assistance Systems for
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Front Automatic Braking (FAB)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 263
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 265
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 269
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Driving and Operating 217
Refer to the Infotainment section for
more information on using that
system, including pairing and using
a cell phone.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means“always
expect the unexpected.” The first
step in driving defensively is to wear
the safety belt. See Safety Belts
0 63
ii.
. Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and
other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes.
Anticipate what they might do
and be ready.
. Allow enough following distance
between you and the driver in
front of you.
. Focus on the task of driving.
Drunk Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a global
tragedy.
{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.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
218 Driving and Operating
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 underService Vehicle
Messages 0143
ii. See your dealer if
there is a problem.
Curve Tips
. Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
. Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
. Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
. Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
. Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
. The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) allows steering while
braking.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement.
2. Turn the steering wheel about one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Driving and Operating 227
If the vehicle is not in P (Park), the
ignition will return to ACC/
ACCESSORY and display the
message SHIFT TO PARK in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
SeeTransmission Messages 0144
ii.
When the vehicle is shifted into
P (Park), the ignition system will
switch to OFF.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in an
emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to N (Neutral). This can be done while the
vehicle is moving. After shifting
to N (Neutral), firmly apply the
brakes and steer the vehicle to
a safe location. 3. Come to a complete stop, shift
to P (Park), and turn the
ignition to OFF. On vehicles
with an automatic transmission,
the shift lever must be in
P (Park) to turn the ignition
switch to the OFF position.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake 0238
ii.
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over
and must be shut off while driving,
press and hold ENGINE START/
STOP for longer than two seconds,
or press twice in five seconds.
ACC/ACCESSORY (Amber
Indicator Light) : This mode allows
you to use some electrical
accessories when the engine is off. With the ignition off, pressing the
button one time without the brake
pedal applied will place the ignition
system in ACC/ACCESSORY.
The ignition will switch from ACC/
ACCESSORY to OFF after
five minutes to prevent battery
run down.
ON/RUN/START (Green Indicator
Light) :
This mode is for driving and
starting. With the ignition off, and
the brake pedal applied, pressing
the button once will place the
ignition system in ON/RUN/START.
Once engine cranking begins,
release the button. Engine cranking
will continue until the engine starts.
See Starting the Engine 0228
ii. The
ignition will then remain in ON/RUN.
Service Only Mode
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may
be required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off, and
the brake pedal not applied,
pressing and holding the button for
more than five seconds will place