2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU steering

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Seats and Restraints 73
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, in
rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
advanced technology frontal
airbags. Advanced technology
frontal airbags adjust the restraint
according to crash severity.
Knee airbags are designed to inflate
in moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal impacts. Knee airbags
are not designed to inflate during
vehicle rollovers, in rear impacts,
or in many side impacts.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags
are designed to inflate in moderate
to severe side crashes depending
on the location of the impact.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags
are not designed to inflate in frontal
impacts, near frontal impacts,
rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is designed to inflate on the side of
the vehicle that is struck.
Roof-rail airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes depending on the locationof the impact. In addition, these
roof-rail airbags are designed to
inflate during a rollover or in a
severe frontal impact. Roof-rail
airbags are not designed to inflate in
rear impacts. Both roof-rail airbags
will inflate when either side of the
vehicle is struck, if the sensing
system predicts that the vehicle is
about to roll over on its side, or in a
severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
vehicle damage or repair costs.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover. The inflator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag locations, see
Where Are
the Airbags? 071
ii.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts by
distributing the force of the impact
more evenly over the
occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
74 Seats and Restraints
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? 072
ii.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 071
ii.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate. The feature may also activate,
without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. You can lock the doors,
and turn off the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers by using
the controls for those features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
Hybrid vehicles have a high voltage
battery and a standard 12-volt
battery. If an airbag inflates or the
vehicle has been in a crash, the

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
80 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end, or side sheet
metal, may keep the airbag system
from working properly. The
operation of the airbag system can
also be affected by changing any
parts of the front seats, safety belts,
the airbag sensing and diagnostic
module, steering wheel, instrument
panel, any of the airbag modules,
ceiling or pillar garnish trim, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
or airbag wiring.Your dealer and the service manual
have information about the location
of the airbag sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, and airbag
wiring.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
front outboard passenger position,
which includes sensors that are part
of the passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system may not
operate properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery, or trim; or with
GM covers, upholstery, or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any
object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort-enhancing pad
or device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of the
passenger sensing system. This
could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger
sensing system from properly
turning off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing System
0 75
ii. If the vehicle has rollover roof-rail
airbags, see
Different Size Tires
and Wheels 0334
iifor additional
important information.
If you have to modify your vehicle
because you have a disability and
you have questions about whether
the modifications will affect the
vehicle's airbag system, or if you
have questions about whether the
airbag system will be affected if the
vehicle is modified for any other
reason, call Customer Assistance.
See Customer Assistance Offices
0 386
ii.
Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance or
replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See
Airbag Readiness Light 0118
ii.
Caution
If an airbag covering is damaged,
opened, or broken, the airbag
may not work properly. Do not
(Continued)

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 103
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 139
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Object Detection SystemMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Ride Control System
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Airbag System Messages . . . . 143
Security Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Service Vehicle Messages . . . . 143
Steering System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Starting the Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Transmission Messages . . . . . . 144
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Window Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 145
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . . 157
Universal Remote System Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Universal Remote System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Pull or push the steering wheel closer or away from you.
4. Pull the lever up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Steering Wheel Controls
g: If equipped with OnStar®or a
Bluetooth®system, press to interact
with those systems. See OnStar
Overview 0398
ii,Bluetooth
(Overview) 0182iior Bluetooth
(Infotainment Controls Radio with
Touchscreen) 0188
iior Bluetooth
(Infotainment Controls Radio without
Touchscreen) 0184
ii, or “Bluetooth
(Overview)” in the infotainment
manual.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
104 Instruments and Controls
c:Press to reject an incoming
call or end a current call. Press to
mute or unmute the infotainment
system when not on a call.
The favorite and volume switches
are on the back of the steering
wheel.
1. Favorite: When on a radio source, press to select the next
or previous favorite. When on a
media source, press to select
the next or previous track.
2. Volume: Press to increase or decrease the volume.
Heated Steering Wheel
(:If equipped with a heated
steering wheel, press to turn on or
off. A light on the button displays
when the feature is turned on.
The steering wheel takes about
three minutes to start heating.
Horn
Pressaon the steering wheel pad
to sound the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is on the side of the steering
column. With the ignition in ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN, move
the windshield wiper lever to select
the wiper speed.
HI : Use for fast wipes.
LO : Use for slow wipes.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
114 Instruments and Controls
Cluster Menu
There is an interactive display area
in the center of the instrument
cluster.
Use the right steering wheel control
to open and scroll through the
different items and displays.
Press
oto access the cluster
applications. Use
worxto scroll
through the list of available
applications. Not all applications will
be available on all vehicles.
. Info app. This is where you can
view the selected Driver
Information Center (DIC) displays. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) (Base Level) 0129
iior Driver Information Center
(DIC) (Uplevel) 0132ii.
. Audio
. Phone
. Navigation
. Options
Audio
In the main view of the Audio app,
press
worxto scroll through
radio stations or move to the next/
previous track of a CD/USB/
Bluetooth device that is connected
to the vehicle. Press
Vto select the
Audio app, then press
pto enter
the Audio menu. In the Audio menu
browse for music, select from the
favorites, or change the audio
source.
Phone
Press
Vto select the Phone app,
then press
pto enter the Phone
menu. In the Phone menu, if there is
no active phone call, view recent calls, scroll through contacts,
or select from the favorites. If there
is an active call, mute or unmute the
phone or switch to handset or
handsfree operation.
Navigation
Press
Vto select the Navigation
app, then press
pto enter the
Navigation menu. If there is no
active route, you can resume the
last route and turn the voice
prompts on/off. If there is an active
route, press
Vto cancel route
guidance or turn the voice prompts
on/off.
Options
Press
Vto select the Options app.
Use
worxto scroll through the
items in the Options menu.
Units : Press
pwhile Units is
displayed to enter the Units menu.
Choose U.S. or metric units by
pressing
Vwhile the desired item is
highlighted.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9087641) - 2016 - crc - 9/3/15
Instruments and Controls 121
previous guidelines and see your
dealer for service as soon as
possible.
If the light is on steady :A
malfunction has been detected.
Diagnosis and service may be
required.
Check the following:
. For vehicles without the capless
fuel system, a loose or missing
fuel cap may cause the light to
come on. See Filling the Tank
0 269
ii. A few driving trips with
the cap properly installed may
turn the light off.
. For vehicles with the capless
fuel system, if fuel has been
added to the vehicle using the
capless funnel adapter, make
sure that it has been removed.
See “Filling the Tank with a
Portable Gas Can” underFilling
the Tank 0269
ii. The diagnostic
system can detect if the adapter
has been left installed in the
vehicle, allowing fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere. A few driving trips with the
adapter removed may turn off
the light.
. Poor fuel quality can cause
inefficient engine operation and
poor driveability, which may go
away once the engine is warmed
up. If this occurs, change the
fuel brand. It may require at
least one full tank of the proper
fuel to turn the light off. See Fuel
0 267
ii.
If the light remains on, see your
dealer.
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
If the vehicle requires an Emissions
Inspection/Maintenance test, the
test equipment will likely connect to
the vehicle's Data Link
Connector (DLC).
The DLC is under the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
wheel. Connecting devices that are
not used to perform an Emissions
Inspection/Maintenance test or to
service the vehicle may affect
vehicle operation See Add-On
Electrical Equipment 0278
ii. See
your dealer if assistance is needed.
The vehicle may not pass
inspection if:
. The light is on when the engine
is running.
. The light does not come on
when the ignition is in Service
Only Mode.
. Critical emission control systems
have not been completely
diagnosed. If this happens, the
vehicle would not be ready for
inspection and might require
several days of routine driving
before the system is ready for
inspection. This can happen if
the 12-volt battery has recently
been replaced or run down, or if
the vehicle has been recently
serviced.