Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
In Brief 5
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . . 6
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . 8
Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Heated and Ventilated Seats . . . 12
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 13
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Passenger Sensing System . . . 13
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 14
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 16
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Vehicle Features
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . . . 20
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 21
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Forward Automatic Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . 23
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . 23
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . 24
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Parking Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Automatic Parking Assist (APA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Universal Remote System . . . . . 25
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Hybrid Features
Hybrid Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 High Voltage Safety
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Regenerative Braking (Hybrid Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control/Electronic
Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . . . 28
Fuel (1.5L and 1.8L Engines) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Fuel (2.0L Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
E85 or FlexFuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . 29
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
12 In Brief
SeeReclining Seatbacks 057.
Memory Features
If equipped, memory seats allow two
drivers to store and recall their
unique seat positions for driving the
vehicle, and a shared exit position
for getting out of the vehicle. Other
feature positions may also be set,
such as power mirrors, if equipped.
Memory positions are linked to RKE
transmitter 1 or 2 for automatic
memory recalls.
Before storing, adjust all available
memory feature positions. Turn the
ignition on and then press and release SET; a beep will sound.
Then immediately press and hold 1,
2, or
B(Exit) on the driver door
until two beeps sound. To manually
recall these positions, press and
hold 1, 2, or
Buntil the saved
position is reached.
When Auto Memory Recall is
enabled in vehicle personalization,
positions previously stored to
memory buttons 1 and 2 are
recalled when the ignition is
changed from off to on or ACC/
ACCESSORY.
When Easy Exit Options is enabled
in vehicle personalization, the
feature automatically recalls the
previously stored exit position when
exiting the vehicle. See Memory
Seats 059.
Second Row Seats
The rear seatbacks can be folded
down to increase cargo space.
See Rear Seats 063.
Heated and Ventilated
Seats
If available, the buttons are on the
climate control panel. To operate,
the engine must be running.
To heat the driver or passenger seat
cushion and seatback, press
Lor
M. Indicator lights on the button
show the current setting.
To ventilate the driver or passenger
seat, press
{orC. Indicator lights
on the button show the current
setting.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
Keys, Doors, and Windows 49
Power Mirrors
To adjust a mirror:1. Press
}or|to choose the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Press the arrows on the control pad to move each mirror in the
desired direction.
Memory Mirrors
The vehicle may have memory
mirrors. See Memory Seats 059.
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA)
The vehicle may have SBZA. See
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) 0253. Lane Change Alert (LCA)
The vehicle may have LCA. See
Lane Change Alert (LCA)
0253.
Turn Signal Indicator
The vehicle may have a turn signal
indicator on the mirror housings.
The indicator will flash when a turn
signal or the hazard warning
flashers are used.
Folding Mirrors
Manual Folding Mirrors
The mirrors can be folded inward
toward the vehicle to prevent
damage when going through an
automatic car wash. Push the mirror
outward to return it to the original
position.
Heated Mirrors
If equipped with heated mirrors:
K: The rear window defogger also
heats the outside mirrors.
See Dual Automatic Climate Control
System 0199.
Reverse Tilt Mirrors
If equipped with memory seats, the
passenger and/or driver mirror tilts
to a preselected position when the
vehicle is in R (Reverse). This
allows the curb to be seen when
parallel parking.
The mirror(s) return to the original
position when:
.
The vehicle is shifted out of
R (Reverse), or remains in
R (Reverse) for about
30 seconds.
. The ignition is turned off.
. The vehicle is driven in
R (Reverse) above a set speed.
To turn this feature on or off, see
Vehicle Personalization 0138.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
54 Seats and Restraints
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . 57
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Heated and Ventilated FrontSeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Rear Seats
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Rear Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Seat Belts
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
How to Wear Seat BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Seat Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Seat Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 71
Seat Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Replacing Seat Belt System
Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . 74
When Should an AirbagInflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Passenger Sensing System . . . 78
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Adding Equipment to the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 83
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . 83
Replacing Airbag System Parts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Infants and Young Children . . . . 86
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . 88
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . 90
Lower Anchors and Tethers forChildren (LATCH System) . . . . 91 Replacing LATCH System Parts
After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the
Rear Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the
Front Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
Seats and Restraints 59
Memory Seats
If equipped, memory seats allow two
drivers to store and recall their
unique seat positions for driving the
vehicle, and a shared exit position
for getting out of the vehicle. Other
feature positions may also be set,
such as power mirrors, if equipped.
Memory positions are linked to RKE
transmitter 1 or 2 for automatic
memory recalls.
Before storing, adjust all available
memory feature positions. Turn the
ignition on and then press and
release SET; a beep will sound.
Then immediately press and hold 1,2, or
B(Exit) on the driver door
until two beeps sound. To manually
recall these positions, press and
hold 1, 2, or
Buntil the saved
position is reached.
The vehicle identifies the current
driver ’s RKE transmitter number
(1–8). See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation 032. Only
RKE transmitters 1 and 2 can be
used for automatic memory recalls.
A Driver Information Center (DIC)
welcome message indicating the
transmitter number may display for
the first few ignition cycles following
a transmitter change. For Auto
Memory Recall to work properly,
save the positions to the memory
button (1 or 2) matching the RKE
transmitter number displayed in the
DIC welcome message. Carry the
linked RKE transmitter when
entering the vehicle.
Vehicle Personalization Settings
. To have the Auto Memory Recall
movement begin when the
vehicle is started, select the
Settings menu, then Vehicle,
then Comfort and Convenience, and then Auto Memory Recall.
Select On or Off. See
“Auto
Memory Recall” later in this
section.
. To begin Easy Exit Recall
movement when the ignition is
turned off and the driver door is
opened, or when the ignition is
turned off with the driver door
already opened, select the
Settings menu, then Vehicle,
then Comfort and Convenience,
and then Easy Exit Options.
Select On or Off. See “Easy Exit
Recall” later in this section.
. See Vehicle Personalization
0 138 for additional setting
information.
Identifying Driver Number
To identify the driver number: 1. Start the vehicle with the other key or RKE transmitter. The
DIC should display the driver
number; 1 or 2. Turn the
ignition off and remove the key
or RKE transmitter from the
vehicle.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
60 Seats and Restraints
2. Start the vehicle with the initialkey or RKE transmitter. The
DIC should display the other
driver number not shown in
step 1.
Saving Memory Positions
Read these instructions completely
before saving memory positions.
To save preferred driving positions
1 and 2: 1. Turn the ignition on or to ACC/ ACCESSORY.
A DIC welcome message may
be displayed indicating number
1 or 2 for memory recalls.
2. Adjust all available memory features to the desired driving
position.
3. Press and release SET; a beep will sound.
4. Immediately press and hold the 1 or 2 memory button matching
the above DIC welcome
message until two beeps
sound. If too much time passes
between releasing SET and
pressing 1, the memory
position will not be saved and
two beeps will not sound.
Repeat Steps 3 and 4.
1 or 2 corresponds to the driver
number. See
“Identifying Driver
Number” in this section.
5. Repeat Steps 1–4 for a second driver using 1 or 2.
To save the position for
Band
easy exit features, repeat Steps 1–4
using
B. This stores the position
for getting out of the vehicle.
Save preferred memory feature
positions to both 1 and 2 if you are
the only driver.
Manually Recalling Memory
Positions
Press and hold 1, 2, or
Bto recall
the previously stored memory
positions.
To stop manual recall movement,
release 1, 2, or
B. Recall can also
be stopped by pressing a power seat, SET, or power mirror control,
if memory equipped. The driver or
passenger side mirror must be
selected.
Auto Memory Recall
The vehicle identifies the number of
the current driver
’s RKE transmitter
(1–8). See Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation 032. If the
RKE transmitter is 1 or 2, and Auto
Memory Recall is programmed on in
vehicle personalization, the
positions saved to the same
memory button number 1 or 2 are
automatically recalled when the
ignition is turned on, or turned from
off to ACC/ACCESSORY. RKE
transmitters 3–8 will not provide
automatic memory recalls.
To turn Auto Memory Recall on or
off, see "Vehicle Personalization
Settings" previously in this section
and Vehicle Personalization 0138.
The transmission must be in
P (Park) to initiate Auto Memory
Recall. Auto Memory Recall will
complete if the vehicle is shifted out
of P (Park) prior to reaching the
stored memory position.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
Seats and Restraints 61
To stop Auto Memory Recall
movement, turn the ignition off or
press any of the following memory
controls:
.Power seat
. Memory SET, 1, 2, or
B
.Power mirror, with the driver or
passenger side mirror selected
If the stored memory seat position
does not automatically recall or
recalls to the wrong positions, the
driver ’s RKE transmitter number (1
or 2) may not match the memory
button number that positions were
saved to. Try storing the position to
the other memory button or try the
other RKE transmitter.
Easy Exit Recall
Easy Exit Recall is not linked to an
RKE transmitter. The position stored
to
Bis used for all drivers. To turn
Easy Exit Recall on or off, see
"Vehicle Personalization Settings"
previously in this section and
Vehicle Personalization 0138. If turned on, the position saved to
Bis automatically recalled when
one of the following occurs:
. The vehicle is turned off and the
driver door is opened within a
short time.
. The vehicle is turned off with the
driver door open.
To stop Easy Exit Recall movement,
press any of the following memory
controls:
. Power seat
. Memory SET, 1, 2, or
B
.Power mirror, with the driver or
passenger side mirror selected
Obstructions
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction and try the
recall again. If the memory position
still does not recall, see your dealer
for service.
Heated and Ventilated
Front Seats
{Warning
If temperature change or pain to
the skin cannot be felt, the seat
heater may cause burns. To
reduce the risk of burns, use care
when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
cover, or similar item. This may
cause the seat heater to
overheat. An overheated seat
heater may cause a burn or may
damage the seat.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
140 Instruments and Controls
Climate and Air Quality
Select and the following may
display:
.Auto Fan Speed
. Auto Defog
. Auto Rear Defog
Auto Fan Speed
This adjusts the blower level during
automatic operation.
Select Low, Medium, or High.
Auto Defog
This allows the climate control
system to prevent fog on the inside
of the windows. See “Auto Defog”in
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System 0199.
Select Off or On.
Auto Rear Defog
This allows the rear window
defogger to turn on automatically
when the interior temperature is cold
and the outside temperature is
about 7 °C (44 °F) and below. See “Rear Window Defogger”
inDual
Automatic Climate Control System
0 199.
Select Off or On.
Comfort and Convenience
Select and the following may
display:
. Auto Memory Recall
. Easy Exit Options
. Chime Volume
. Reverse Tilt Mirror
. Extended Hill Start Assist
Auto Memory Recall
This feature automatically recalls
the current driver ’s previously stored
1 or 2 button positions when the
ignition is changed from off to on or
ACC/ACCESSORY. See Memory
Seats 059.
Select Off or On. Easy Exit Options
This feature automatically recalls
the previously stored Exit button
position when exiting the vehicle.
See
Memory Seats 059.
Select Off or On.
Chime Volume
Select to set the chime volume
level.
Reverse Tilt Mirror
When on, both the driver and
passenger, driver, or passenger
mirrors will tilt downward when the
vehicle is shifted to R (Reverse) to
improve visibility of the ground near
the rear wheels. They will return to
their previous driving position when
the vehicle is shifted out of
R (Reverse) or the ignition is turned
to off.
Select Off, On - Driver and
Passenger, On - Driver, or On -
Passenger.
Extended Hill Start Assist
This allows the duration of the Hill
Start Assist to be changed.