Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/21/19
250 Vehicle Care
Wheels and Tires
Tires
Every new GM vehicle has
high-quality tires made by a
leading tire manufacturer. See
the warranty manual for
information regarding the tire
warranty and where to get
service. For additional
information refer to the tire
manufacturer.
{Warning
.Poorly maintained and
improperly used tires are
dangerous.
.Overloading the tires can
cause overheating as a
result of too much
flexing. There could be a
blowout and a serious
crash. SeeVehicle Load
Limits 0151.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Underinflated tires pose
the same danger as
overloaded tires. The
resulting crash could
cause serious injury.
Check all tires frequently
to maintain the
recommended pressure.
Tire pressure should be
checked when the tires
are cold.
.Overinflated tires are
more likely to be cut,
punctured, or broken by
a sudden impact —such
as when hitting a pothole.
Keep tires at the
recommended pressure.
.Worn or old tires can
cause a crash. If the
tread is badly worn,
replace them.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
.Replace any tires that
have been damaged by
impacts with potholes,
curbs, etc.
.Improperly repaired tires
can cause a crash. Only
the dealer or an
authorized tire service
center should repair,
replace, dismount, and
mount the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 56 km/h
(35 mph) on slippery
surfaces such as snow,
mud, ice, etc. Excessive
spinning may cause the
tires to explode.
See Tire Pressure for
High-Speed Operation 0259 for
inflation pressure adjustment for
high-speed driving.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/21/19
258 Vehicle Care
{Warning
Neither tire underinflation nor
overinflation is good.
Underinflated tires, or tires
that do not have enough air,
can result in:
.Tire overloading and
overheating which could
lead to a blowout.
.Premature or
irregular wear.
.Poor handling.
.Reduced fuel economy.
Overinflated tires, or tires that
have too much air, can
result in:
.Unusual wear.
.Poor handling.
.Rough ride.
.Needless damage from
road hazards. The Tire and Loading
Information label on the vehicle
indicates the original equipment
tires and the correct cold tire
inflation pressures. The
recommended pressure is the
minimum air pressure needed to
support the vehicle's maximum
load carrying capacity. See
Vehicle Load Limits
0151.
How the vehicle is loaded
affects vehicle handling and ride
comfort. Never load the vehicle
with more weight than it was
designed to carry.
When to Check
Check the pressure of the tires
once a month or more. Do not
forget the compact spare, if the
vehicle has one. The cold
compact spare tire pressure
should be at 420 kPa (60 psi).
See Compact Spare Tire 0285. How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type
gauge to check tire pressure.
Proper tire inflation cannot be
determined by looking at the tire.
Check the tire inflation pressure
when the tires are cold, meaning
the vehicle has not been driven
for at least three hours or no
more than 1.6 km (1 mi).
Remove the valve cap from the
tire valve stem. Press the tire
gauge firmly onto the valve to
get a pressure measurement.
If the cold tire inflation pressure
matches the recommended
pressure on the Tire and
Loading Information label, no
further adjustment is necessary.
If the inflation pressure is low,
add air until the recommended
pressure is reached. If the
inflation pressure is high, press
on the metal stem in the center
of the tire valve to release air.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
Index 349
DrivingAssistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . 188
Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . 144
Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 149
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 151
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
E
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . 168
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . 106
Electrical Equipment,
Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 242
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Electrical System (cont'd)
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Check Light (MalfunctionIndicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 216
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 163
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . 223
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 332
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 125
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 127
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
F
Filter,Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 128
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 222
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
352 Index
Lights (cont'd)Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . 111
Low-Profile Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
Maintenance and Care
Additional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . 304 Maintenance Schedule (cont'd)
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . 104
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Messages
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Mirrors Automatic DimmingRearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Tilt in Reverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Mirrors, Interior Rearview . . . . . . . . 28
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
N
NavigationConnected Services . . . . . . . . . . 343
Net, Convenience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . 155
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . 221
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . . . 66
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . . 322
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
OnStar Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
OnStar Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
OnStar Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
OnStar Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Overview Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
P
ParkShifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183