2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU airbag off

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
82 Seats and Restraints
Yo u r d e a l e r a n d t h e s e r v i c e m a n u a lhave information about the locationof the airbag sensors, sensing anddiagnostic module, and airbagwiring.
In addition, the vehicle has apassenger sensing system for thefront outboard passenger position,which includes sensors that are partof the passenger seat. Thepassenger sensing system may notoperate properly if the original seattrim is replaced with non-GMcovers, upholstery, or trim; or withGM covers, upholstery, or trimdesigned for a different vehicle. Anyobject, such as an aftermarket seatheater or a comfort-enhancing pador device, installed under or on topof the seat fabric, could alsointerfere with the operation of thepassenger sensing system. Thiscould either prevent properdeployment of the passengerairbag(s) or prevent the passengersensing system from properlyturning off the passenger airbag(s).SeePassenger SensingSystem077.
If the vehicle has rollover roof-railairbags, seeDifferent Size Tiresand Wheels0334for additionalimportant information.
If you have to modify your vehiclebecause you have a disability andyou have questions about whetherthe modifications will affect thevehicle's airbag system, or if youhave questions about whether theairbag system will be affected if thevehicle is modified for any otherreason, call Customer Assistance.SeeCustomer AssistanceOffices0385.
Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not needregularly scheduled maintenance orreplacement. Make sure the airbagreadiness light is working. SeeAirbag Readiness Light0120.
Caution
If an airbag covering is damaged,
opened, or broken, the airbag
may not work properly. Do not
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any
opened or broken airbag
coverings, have the airbag
covering and/or airbag module
replaced. For the location of the
airbags, seeWhere Are the
Airbags?072.Seeyourdealer
for service.
Replacing Airbag System
Parts after a Crash
{Warning
Acrashcandamagetheairbag
systems in the vehicle.
Adamagedairbagsystemmay
not properly protect you and your
passenger(s) in a crash, resulting
in serious injury or even death. To
help make sure the airbag
systems are working properly
after a crash, have them
(Continued)

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
Seats and Restraints 89
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{Warning
Achildcanbeseriouslyinjuredor
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child
properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the
Restraint
According to accident statistics,children and infants are safer whenproperly restrained in an appropriatechild restraint secured in a rearseating position.
Whenever possible, children aged12 and under should be secured inarearseatingposition.
Never put a rear-facing childrestraint in the front. This is becausethe risk to the rear-facing child is sogreat if the airbag deploys.
{Warning
Achildinarear-facingchild
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front passenger
airbag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
front passenger airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the front seat, always move the
front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure
the child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
077for additional information.
When securing a child restraint in arear seating position, study theinstructions that came with the childrestraint to make sure it iscompatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seatsvary considerably in size, and somemay fit in certain seating positionsbetter than others.
Depending on where you place thechild restraint and the size of thechild restraint, you may not be ableto access adjacent safety belts orLATCH anchors for additionalpassengers or child restraints.Adjacent seating positions shouldnot be used if the child restraintprevents access to or interferes withthe routing of the safety belt.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
98 Seats and Restraints
Securing Child Restraints
(With the Safety Belt in
the Front Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rearseat is a safer place to secure aforward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint089.
In addition, the vehicle has apassenger sensing system which isdesigned to turn off the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbagand knee airbag under certainconditions. SeePassenger SensingSystem077andPassenger AirbagStatus Indicator0121for moreinformation, including importantsafety information.
Never put a rear-facing child seat inthe front. This is because the risk tothe rear-facing child is so great if theairbag deploys.
{Warning
Achildinarear-facingchild
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag inflates.
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is
in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger airbag(s), no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag(s) are off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the
airbag(s) are off. If you secure a
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
forward-facing child restraint in
the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
077for additional information.
If the child restraint uses a toptether, seeLower Anchors andTe t h e r s f o r C h i l d r e n ( L AT C HSystem)090for top tether anchorlocations.
Do not secure a child seat in aposition without a top tether anchorif a national or local law requiresthat the top tether be anchored, or ifthe instructions that come with thechild restraint say that the top strapmust be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires thatforward-facing child restraints haveatoptether,andthatthetetherbeattached.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
Seats and Restraints 99
When using the lap-shoulder belt tosecure the child restraint in thisposition, follow the instructions thatcame with the child restraint and thefollowing instructions:
1. Move the seat as far back as itwill go before securing theforward-facing child restraint.Move the seat upward or theseatback to an upright position,if needed, to get a tightinstallation of the childrestraint.
When the passenger sensingsystem has turned off the frontoutboard passenger frontalairbag and knee airbag, the offindicator on the passengerairbag status indicator shouldlight and stay lit when you startthe vehicle. SeePassengerAirbag Status Indicator0121.
2. Put the child restraint onthe seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and runthe lap and shoulder portionsof the vehicle's safety belt
through or around the restraint.The child restraint instructionswill show you how.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button onthe buckle, away from the childrestraint system, so that thesafety belt could be quicklyunbuckled if necessary.
5. Pull the shoulder belt all theway out of the retractor to setthe lock. When the retractorlock is set, the belt can betightened but not pulled out ofthe retractor.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
100 Seats and Restraints
6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull theshoulder portion of the belt totighten the lap portion of thebelt, and feed the shoulder beltback into the retractor. Wheninstalling a forward-facing childrestraint, it may be helpful touse your knee to push down onthe child restraint as youtighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of theretractor to make sure theretractor is locked. If theretractor is not locked, repeatSteps 5 and 6.
7. Before placing a child in thechild restraint, make sure it issecurely held in place. Tocheck, grasp the child restraintat the safety belt path andattempt to move it side to sideand back and forth. When thechild restraint is properlyinstalled, there should be nomore than 2.5 cm (1 in) ofmovement.
If the airbags are off, the offindicator in the passenger airbagstatus indicator will come on andstay on when the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installedand the on indicator is lit, see“If theOn Indicator Is Lit for a ChildRestraint”underPassenger SensingSystem077.
To r e m o v e t h e c h i l d r e s t r a i n t ,unbuckle the vehicle safety belt andlet it return to the stowed position.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
Instruments and Controls 103
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 104Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 104Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . 105Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 105Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Instrument Cluster (BaseLevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Instrument Cluster(Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Ta c h o m e t e r ( N o n - H y b r i d ) . . . . . 11 7Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Power Indicator Gauge(Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Engine Coolant TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 120Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 120Passenger Airbag StatusIndicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Charging System Light . . . . . . . 122Malfunction Indicator Lamp(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 122Brake System WarningLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Electric Parking BrakeLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Service Electric Parking BrakeLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Antilock Brake System (ABS)Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Lane Keep Assist (LKA)Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . 126Pedestrian Ahead Indicator . . . 126Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126StabiliTrak®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 127Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak®Light . . . . . . . . . . . 127Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 127Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 128Low Fuel Warning Light(Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Low Fuel Warning Light (BaseLevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Vehicle Ready Light(Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 129Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 130Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 130Door Ajar Light (Uplevel) . . . . . 130
Information Displays
Power Flows (Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . 131Energy Information(Hybrid) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Driver Information Center (DIC)(Base Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Driver Information Center (DIC)(Uplevel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Brake System Messages . . . . . 138Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . 139Cruise Control Messages . . . . . 139Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 140Engine Cooling SystemMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 141Engine Power Messages . . . . . 141Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 141Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 141

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
120 Instruments and Controls
Safety Belt Reminders
Driver Safety Belt Reminder
Light
There is a driver safety beltreminder light on the instrumentcluster.
When the vehicle is started, thislight flashes and a chime may comeon to remind the driver to fastentheir safety belt. Then the light stayson solid until the belt is buckled.This cycle may continue severaltimes if the driver remains orbecomes unbuckled while thevehicle is moving.
If the driver safety belt is buckled,neither the light nor the chimecomes on.
Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
There is a passenger safety beltreminder light near the passengerairbag status indicator. SeePassenger Sensing System077.
When the vehicle is started, thislight flashes and a chime may comeon to remind passengers to fastentheir safety belt. Then the light stayson solid until the belt is buckled.This cycle continues several times ifthe passenger remains or becomesunbuckled while the vehicle ismoving.
If the passenger safety belt isbuckled, neither the chime nor thelight comes on.
The front passenger safety beltreminder light and chime may turnon if an object is put on the seatsuch as a briefcase, handbag,
grocery bag, laptop, or otherelectronic device. To turn off thereminder light and/or chime, removethe object from the seat or bucklethe safety belt.
Airbag Readiness Light
This light shows if there is anelectrical problem with the airbagsystem. The system check includesthe airbag sensor(s), passengersensing system, the pretensioners,the airbag modules, the wiring, andthe crash sensing and diagnosticmodule. For more information on theairbag system, seeAirbagSystem071.
The airbag readiness light comes onfor several seconds when thevehicle is started. If the light doesnot come on then, have it fixedimmediately.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
Instruments and Controls 121
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passengersensing system. SeePassengerSensing System077for importantsafety information. The overheadconsole has a passenger airbagstatus indicator.
United States and Canada
Mexico
When the vehicle is started, thepassenger airbag status indicatorwill light ON and OFF, or the symbolfor on and off, for several secondsas a system check. Then, afterseveral more seconds, the statusindicator will light either ON or OFF,or either the on or off symbol, to letyou know the status of the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbagand knee airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol islit on the passenger airbag statusindicator, it means that the front
outboard passenger frontal airbagand knee airbag are allowed toinflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol islit on the airbag status indicator, itmeans that the passenger sensingsystem has turned off the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbagand knee airbag.
If, after several seconds, both statusindicator lights remain on, or if thereare no lights at all, there may be aproblem with the lights or thepassenger sensing system. Seeyour dealer for service.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light0120for more information,
including important safety
information.