
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
70 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
Do not bleach or dye safety belt
webbing. It may severely weaken
the webbing. In a crash, they
might not be able to provide
adequate protection. Clean and
rinse safety belt webbing only
with mild soap and lukewarm
water. Allow the webbing to dry.
Safety belts should be properlycared for and maintained.
Safety belt hardware should be keptdry and free of dust or debris. Asnecessary exterior hard surfacesand safety belt webbing may belightly cleaned with mild soap andwater. Ensure there is not excessivedust or debris in the mechanism.If dust or debris exists in the systemplease see the dealer. Parts mayneed to be replaced to ensureproper functionality of the system.
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts after a
Crash
{Warning
Acrashcandamagethesafety
belt system in the vehicle.
Adamagedsafetybeltsystem
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in a
crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.
After a minor crash, replacement ofsafety belts may not be necessary.But the safety belt assemblies thatwere used during any crash mayhave been stressed or damaged.See your dealer to have the safetybelt assemblies inspected orreplaced.
New parts and repairs may benecessary even if the safety beltsystem was not being used at thetime of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensionerschecked if the vehicle has been in acrash, or if the airbag readiness lightstays on after you start the vehicleor while you are driving. SeeAirbagReadiness Light0120.

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
Instruments and Controls 111
Warning Lights,
Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning lights and gauges cansignal that something is wrongbefore it becomes serious enoughto cause an expensive repair orreplacement. Paying attention to thewarning lights and gauges couldprevent injury.
Some warning lights come on brieflywhen the engine is started toindicate they are working. Whenone of the warning lights comes onand stays on while driving, or whenone of the gauges shows there maybe a problem, check the section thatexplains what to do. Waiting to dorepairs can be costly and evendangerous.

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.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
Instruments and Controls 125
display in the Driver InformationCenter (DIC). SeeBrake SystemMessages0138.
If the light does not come on,or remains flashing, see your dealer.
Service Electric Parking
Brake Light
For vehicles with the ElectricParking Brake (EPB), the serviceelectric parking brake light shouldcome on briefly when the vehicle isin ON/RUN. If it does not come on,have the vehicle serviced by yourdealer.
If this light stays on, there is aproblem with a system on thevehicle that is causing the parkingbrake system to work at a reducedlevel. The vehicle can still be driven,but should be taken to a dealer as
soon as possible. SeeElectricParking Brake0238.Ifamessagedisplays in the Driver InformationCenter (DIC), seeBrake SystemMessages0138.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
For vehicles with the Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS), this light comes onbriefly when the engine is started.
If it does not, have the vehicleserviced by your dealer. If thesystem is working normally, theindicator light then goes off.
If the ABS light stays on, turn theignition off. If the light comes onwhile driving, stop as soon as it issafely possible and turn the ignitionoff. Then start the engine again toreset the system. If the ABS lightstays on, or comes on again while
driving, the vehicle needs service.If the regular brake system warninglight is not on, the vehicle still hasbrakes, but not antilock brakes.If the regular brake system warninglight is also on, the vehicle does nothave antilock brakes and there is aproblem with the regular brakes.SeeBrake System WarningLight0124.
For vehicles with a DriverInformation Center (DIC), seeBrakeSystem Messages0138for allbrake-related DIC messages.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
Light
If available, this light comes onbriefly while starting the vehicle.
If it does not come on, have thevehicle serviced.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
Lighting 163
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . 163Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Headlamp High/Low-BeamChanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Automatic HeadlampSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 166Turn and Lane-ChangeSignals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel IlluminationControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167Courtesy Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Battery Load Management . . . 169Battery Power Protection . . . . . 170Exterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is on theinstrument panel to the left of thesteering column.
O:Turns the exterior lamps onand off.
AUTO :Turns the exterior lamps onand off automatically depending onoutside lighting.
;:Turns on the parking lampsincluding all lamps, except theheadlamps.
5:Turns on the headlampstogether with the parking lamps andinstrument panel lights.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
Lighting 165
.The other vehicle's lamps cannotbe detected due to denseexhaust, smoke, fog, snow, roadspray, mist, or other airborneobstructions.
.The vehicle's windshield is dirty,cracked, or obstructed bysomething that blocks the viewof the light sensor.
.The vehicle is loaded such thatthe front end points upward,causing the light sensor to aimhigh and not detect headlampsand taillamps.
.Driving on winding or hilly roads.
The IntelliBeam system may need tobe disabled if any of the aboveconditions exist.
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
Awarningchimesoundsifthedriverdoor is opened while the ignition isoff and the exterior lamps are on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
3:Push the turn signal lever awayfrom you and release, to turn thehigh beams on. To return to lowbeams, push the lever again or pullit toward you and release.
This indicator light turns on in theinstrument cluster when thehigh-beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
To f l a s h t h e h i g h b e a m s , p u l l t h eturn signal lever toward you, andrelease.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
DRL can make it easier for others tosee the front of your vehicle duringthe day. Fully functional DRL arerequired on all vehicles first sold inCanada.
The DRL system comes on indaylight when the followingconditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamp control is inAUTO, if equipped.
.The light sensor determines it isdaytime.
.The vehicle is not in P (Park).
When the DRL are on, the taillamps,sidemarker lamps, instrument panellights, and other lamps will notbe on.
The DRL turn off when the
headlamps are turned toOor(,
or when the ignition is off.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-10122664) - 2017 - crc - 5/23/16
166 Lighting
Automatic Headlamp
System
The headlamps come onautomatically when the exteriorlamp control is set to AUTO and it isdark enough outside
There is a light sensor on top of theinstrument panel. Do not cover thesensor, otherwise the headlampswill come on when they are notneeded.
The system may also turn on theheadlamps when driving through aparking garage or tunnel.
When it is bright enough outside,the headlamps will turn off or maychange to Daytime RunningLamps (DRL).
The automatic headlamp systemturns off when the exterior lamp
control is turned toOor the ignition
is off.
Lights On with Wipers
If the windshield wipers areactivated in daylight with the engineon, and the exterior lamp control isin AUTO, the headlamps, parkinglamps, and other exterior lampscome on. The transition time for thelamps coming on varies based onwiper speed. When the wipers arenot operating, these lamps turn off.
Move the exterior lamp control toO
or;to disable this feature.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|:Press this button to make thefront and rear turn signal lampsflash on and off. Press again to turnthe flashers off.
The hazard warning flashers turn onautomatically if the airbags deploy.