Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
308 Service and Maintenance
Maintenance Schedule Additional
Required Services - Severe12 000 km/7,500 mi
24 000 km/15,000 mi
36 000 km/22,500 mi
48 000 km/30,000 mi 60 000 km/37,500 mi
72 000 km/45,000 mi84 000 km/52,500 mi
96 000 km/60,000 mi
108 000 km/67,500 mi 120 000 km/75,000 mi 132 000 km/82,500 mi
144 000 km/90,000 mi 156 000 km/97,500 mi
168 000 km/105,000 mi 180 000 km/112,500 mi
192 000 km/120,000 mi 204 000 km/127,500 mi 216 000 km/135,000 mi
228 000 km/142,500 mi
240 000 km/150,000 mi
Rotate tires and perform Required Services. Check engine oil
level and oil life percentage. Change engine oil and filter,
if needed. Check engine air filter life percentage and status.
Change engine air filter, if needed.@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
Replace passenger compartment air filter. (1)@ @@@@@
Inspect evaporative control system. (2)@ @@
If the vehicle is not equipped with the engine air filter life
system, replace engine air cleaner filter. (3)@@@
Change automatic transmission fluid. (Except 1.5L engine.)@@@
Change automatic transmission fluid and filter. (1.5L
engine only.)@@@
Replace spark plugs. Inspect spark plug wires and/or boots.@ @
Drain and fill engine cooling system and Power Electronics
cooling system. (4)@
Visually inspect accessory drive belts. (5)@
Replace brake fluid. (6)
Replace windshield wiper blades. (7)
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
Replace hood and/or body lift support gas struts. (8)@ @
Replace air conditioning desiccant. (9)
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
312 Service and Maintenance
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
Fluids and lubricants identified below by name or specification, including fluids or lubricants not listed here, can be obtained from your dealer.Usage Fluid/Lubricant
Automatic Transmission (2.0L Engine) DEXRON-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid. Automatic Transmission (1.5L Engine) Continuously Variable Ratio Transmission (CVT) Fluid. See your dealer. Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL Coolant.
Engine Oil Engine oil meeting the dexos1 specification of the proper SAE viscosity grade. ACDelco dexos1 full synthetic is recommended. See Engine Oil0234.
Hood Latch Assembly, Secondary Latch, Pivots, Spring Anchor, and Release Pawl Lubriplate Lubricant Aerosol or lubricant meeting requirements of NLGI #2 Category LB
or GC-LB.
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 4 Hydraulic Brake Fluid.
Key Lock Cylinders, Hood and Door Hinges Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube. See your dealer. Weatherstrip Conditioning Weatherstrip Lubricant. See your dealer.Windshield Washer Automotive windshield washer fluid that meets regional freeze protection requirements.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
318 Technical Data
ApplicationCapacities
Metric English
Fuel Tank 59.8 L 15.8 gal
Wheel Nut Torque 140 Y100 lb ft
All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this manual. Recheck fluid level after
filling.
*Engine cooling system capacity values are based on the entire cooling system and its components.
Engine Specifications
Engine VIN CodeTransmission Spark Plug Gap
1.5L L4 Engine (LFV) TAutomatic0.60–0.70 mm (0.024–0.028 in)
2.0L L4 Engine (LTG) XAutomatic 0.75–0.90 mm (0.030–0.035 in)
Spark plug gaps are preset by the manufacturer. Re-gapping the spark plug is not recommended and can damage the spark plug.
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
340 Index
AudioBluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Auto Stop Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Automatic Transmission
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Shift Lock Control Function Check . . . . . . 247
Auxiliary Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Avoiding Untrusted Media Devices . . . . . . . 120
B
Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Battery Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . 109
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Battery - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . 244, 290
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Bluetooth Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141, 142
Bluetooth Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Brake
Parking, Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174 Automatic Emergency (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Braking System
Front Pedestrian (FPB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
Buckle To Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Bulb Replacement Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, and Parking Lamps . . . . . . 250
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and Back-up
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250, 251
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
C
California
Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . 228
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228, 244, 290,
Back Cover
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Cargo Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Charging Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Check Engine Light (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . 87
Child Restraints Infants and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67, 68
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
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
14584249) - 2021 - CRC - 11/9/20
348 Index
System (cont'd)Forward Collision Alert (FCA) . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Global Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Systems Driver Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
TaillampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250, 251
Teen Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
All-Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Low Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Tires (cont'd)
Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266, 267
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Sealant and Compressor Kit,
Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . 275
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . 276
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . 273
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Trademarks and License Agreements . . . . . 156
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Transmission Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . 325
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Turn Signal Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250, 251
U
Umbrella Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
UpdatesMap Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
USB Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Using the Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
Using the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
V
Vehicle Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19