Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
Driving and Operating 205
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 209
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 210
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 212
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 216
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 224
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 228
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 230
Regenerative Braking (Hybrid Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/ElectronicStability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . 235
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 242
Assistance Systems forParking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 243 Assistance Systems for
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Forward Automatic
Braking (FAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 253
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 255
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 259
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Trailer Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Driving Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
Driving and Operating 259
occurs, return to your authorized
dealer for diagnosis. If it is
determined that the condition is
caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs may not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
The U.S., Canada, and Mexico post
fuel octane ratings in anti-knock
index (AKI). For fuel not to use in a
foreign country, see“Prohibited
Fuels” inFuel 0257.
Fuel Additives
To keep fuel systems clean, TOP
TIER detergent gasoline is
recommended. See Fuel0257.
If TOP TIER detergent gasoline is
not available, one bottle of GM Fuel
System Treatment Cleaner added to
the fuel tank at every engine oil
change, can help. GM Fuel System
Treatment Cleaner is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.
Filling the Tank
The fuel door is on the passenger
side of the vehicle. To open the fuel
door, push and release the rearward
center edge of the door.
{Warning
Overfilling the fuel tank by more
than three clicks of a standard fill
nozzle may cause: . Vehicle performance issues,
including engine stalling and
damage to the fuel system.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Fuel spills.
. Potential fuel fires.
Be careful not to spill fuel. Wait a
few seconds after you have finished
pumping before removing the
nozzle. Clean fuel from painted
surfaces as soon as possible. See
Exterior Care 0349.
{Warning
Fuel vapors and fuel fires burn
violently and can cause injury or
death.
. To help avoid injuries to you
and others, read and follow
all the instructions on the
fuel pump island.
. Turn off the engine when
refueling.
. Keep sparks, flames, and
smoking materials away
from fuel.
(Continued)
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
11348460) - 2018 - crc - 5/3/17
404 Index
Front Pedestrian Braking(FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . . 61
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Low Fuel Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128, 129
Requirements, California . . . . . 258
Fuses Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 301
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . . 150Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Gas Strut(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Gauges
Engine Coolant
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Power Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 359
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
GM Mobility Reimbursement
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Hands-Free Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 157
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Headlamps (cont'd)
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 129
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 156
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . 130
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196, 199
High Voltage Devices and
Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . . . 317
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 210
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . 230
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106