Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
172 Driving and Operating
Driving and Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . 173
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Impaired Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . 186
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . 187
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . 188
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Brakes
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic StabilityControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Adaptive Cruise Control (Advanced) . . . . 197
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Assistance Systems for Parking orBacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . 209
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . 211 Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Recommended Fuel (1.5L Engine) . . . . . . . 218
Recommended Fuel (2.0L Engine) . . . . . . 218
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 220
Trailer Towing
General Towing Information . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
218 Driving and Operating
Recommended Fuel (1.5L Engine)
Use regular unleaded gasoline meeting
ASTM specification D4814 with a posted
octane rating of 87—(R+M)/2 —or higher.
Do not use gasoline with a posted octane
rating of less than 87, as this may cause
engine knock and will lower fuel economy.
Do not use any fuel labeled E85 or FlexFuel.
Do not use gasoline with ethanol levels
greater than 15% by volume.
Recommended Fuel (2.0L Engine)
Premium unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM
specification D4814 with a posted octane
rating of 93 —(R+M)/2 —is highly
recommended for best performance and fuel economy. Unleaded gasoline with an octane
rated as low as 87 can be used. Using
unleaded gasoline rated below 93 octane,
however, will lead to reduced acceleration
and fuel economy. If knocking occurs, use a
gasoline rated at 93 octane as soon as
possible, otherwise, the engine could be
damaged. If heavy knocking is heard when
using gasoline with a 93 octane rating, the
engine needs service.
Do not use any fuel labeled E85 or FlexFuel.
Do not use gasoline with ethanol levels
greater than 15% by volume.
Prohibited Fuels
Caution
Do not use fuels with any of the
following conditions; doing so may
damage the vehicle and void its
warranty:
.For vehicles that are not FlexFuel, fuel
labeled greater than 15% ethanol by
volume, such as mid-level ethanol
blends (16–50% ethanol), E85,
or FlexFuel.
(Continued)
Caution (Continued)
.Fuel with any amount of methanol,
methylal, ferrocene, and aniline. These
fuels can corrode metal fuel system
parts or damage plastic and rubber
parts.
.Fuel containing metals such as
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT), which can damage
the emissions control system and
spark plugs.
.Fuel with a posted octane rating of
less than the recommended fuel. Using
this fuel will lower fuel economy and
performance, and may decrease the
life of the emissions catalyst.
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
0218.
Fuel Additives
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is highly
recommended for use with your vehicle.
If your country does not have TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline, add ACDelco Fuel
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
342 Index
Driving (cont'd)If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Impaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
E
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Electrical SystemEngine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . 254
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Check Light (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . . 87
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . 91 Engine (cont'd)
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . 109
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Flat Tire (cont'd)
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . 209
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Economy, Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 220
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Top Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217