
Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Keys, Doors, and Windows 13
1. Press the button on the side of theremote key near the bottom and pull the
key out. Never pull the key out without
pressing the button.
2. Separate the two halves of the remotekey using a flat tool inserted into the
bottom center of the remote key. Do not
use the key slot.
3. Remove the battery by pushing on thebattery and sliding it toward the bottom
of the remote key. Do not use a metal
object.
4. Insert the new battery, positive side facing the back cover. Push the battery
down until it is held in place. Replace
with a CR2032 or equivalent battery.
5. Ensure that the silicone mat is correctly positioned with no gaps or wrinkles.
6. Set remote key button side down on a hard surface and press the other half
straight down to force the halves
together.
7. Reinsert the key.
Remote Vehicle Start
If equipped, this feature allows the engine
to be started from outside the vehicle.
/: This button will be on the remote key
if the vehicle has remote start.
The climate control system will determine
the best mode and temperature setting for
operation during the remote start. Once the
vehicle is started with the Engine Start/Stop
button, the climate control system will
begin to operate at the last customer
selected operating mode and temperature.
The rear window defogger may come on
during a remote start based on cold ambient
conditions. The rear defog indicator light
does not come on during a remote start.
If the vehicle has heated seats, they may
come on during a remote start. See Heated
and Ventilated Front Seats 034.
Laws in some local communities may restrict
the use of remote starters. For example,
some laws require a person using remote
start to have the vehicle in view. Check local
regulations for any requirements.
Other conditions can affect the performance
of the remote key. See Remote Key07.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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14 Keys, Doors, and Windows
If your vehicle is low on fuel, do not use the
remote start feature. The vehicle may run
out of fuel.
Starting the Engine Using Remote Start
To start the engine using the remote start
feature:1. Press and release
Q.
2. Immediately after completing Step 1, press and hold
/for at least
four seconds or until the turn signal
lamps flash. The turn signal lamps
flashing confirms the request to remote
start the vehicle has been received.
When the engine starts, the parking lamps
will turn on and remain on as long as the
engine is running. The doors will be locked
and the climate control system may
come on.
The engine will continue to run for
15 minutes. After 30 seconds, repeat the
steps if a 15-minute extension is desired.
Remote start can be extended only once.
Start the vehicle before driving. Extending Engine Run Time
The engine run time can be extended by
another 15 minutes, if during the first
15 minutes Steps 1 and 2 are repeated while
the engine is still running. An extension can
be requested 30 seconds after starting.
When the remote start is extended, the
second 15-minute period is added on to the
first 15 minutes for a total of 30 minutes.
The remote start can only be extended once.
A maximum of two remote starts, or a
single start with an extension, is allowed
between ignition cycles.
The vehicle's ignition must be turned on and
then back off before the remote start
procedure can be used again.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start, do one of the
following:
.Aim the remote key at the vehicle and
press and hold
/until the parking lamps
turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
.Turn the vehicle on and then off. Conditions in Which Remote Start Will
Not Work
The remote vehicle start feature will not
operate if:
.A remote key is in the vehicle.
.The hood is not closed.
.The vehicle is on.
.The hazard warning flashers are on.
.The malfunction indicator lamp is on.
.The engine coolant temperature is
too high.
.The oil pressure is low.
.Two remote vehicle starts, or a single
remote start with an extension, have
already been used.
.The vehicle is not in P (Park).
Door Locks
{Warning
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
.Passengers, especially children, can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. The doors can be
unlocked and opened while the vehicle
is moving. The chance of being thrown
(Continued)

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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Keys, Doors, and Windows 15
Warning (Continued)
out of the vehicle in a crash is
increased if the doors are not locked.
So, all passengers should wear seat
belts properly and the doors should be
locked whenever the vehicle is driven.
.Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out.
A child can be overcome by extreme
heat and can suffer permanent injuries
or even death from heat stroke.
Always lock the vehicle whenever
leaving it.
.Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down
or stop the vehicle. Locking the doors
can help prevent this from happening.
To lock or unlock the doors from the
outside:
.PressQorKon the remote key. See
Remote Key Operation 07.
.In the case of a dead battery, use the key
in the driver door. The key lock cylinder is
covered with a cap. To lock or unlock the doors from the inside:
.PressQorKon the power door lock
switch.
.Pull the door handle once to unlock the
door. Pull the handle again to unlatch it.
Keyless Access
The remote key must be within 1 m (3 ft) of
the trunk or door being opened. Press the
button on the door handle to open. See
“Keyless Access Operation” inRemote Key
Operation 07.
Driver Door Key Lock Cylinder Access (In
Case of Dead Battery)
To access the driver door key lock cylinder:
1. Pull the door handle (1) to the open position and hold it open until cap
removal is complete.
2. Insert the key into the slot (3) on the bottom of the cap (2) and lift the key
upward.
3. Move the cap (2) rearward and remove.
4. Use the key in the cylinder.
To replace the cap: 1. Pull the door handle (1) to the open position and hold it open until cap
installation is complete.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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16 Keys, Doors, and Windows
2. Insert the two tabs (6) at the back of thecap between the seal (5) and the metal
base (4).3. Slide the cap forward and press theforward edge to install the cap in place.
4. Release the door handle.
5. Check that the cap is secure.
Free-Turning Locks
The door key lock cylinder turns freely when
either the wrong key is used, or the correct
key is not fully inserted. The free-turning
door lock feature prevents the lock from
being forced open. To reset the lock, turn it
to the vertical position with the correct key
fully inserted. Remove the key and insert it
again. If this does not reset the lock, turn
the key halfway around in the cylinder and
repeat the reset procedure.
Power Door Locks
Q: Press to lock the doors.
K:Press to unlock the doors.
The indicator light in the switch will
illuminate when the door is locked.
Locking or unlocking the doors will also lock
or unlock the trunk. See Trunk018.
Delayed Locking
This feature delays the actual locking of the
doors until five seconds after all doors are
closed.

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Keys, Doors, and Windows 17
Delayed locking can only be turned on when
the Open Door Anti-Lockout feature has
been turned off.
When
Qis pressed on the power door lock
switch with the door open, a chime will
sound three times indicating that delayed
locking is active.
The doors will then lock automatically
five seconds after all doors are closed. If a
door is reopened before five seconds have
elapsed, the five-second timer will reset once
all the doors are closed again.
Press
Qon the door lock switch again,
or press
Qon the RKE transmitter, to
override this feature and lock the doors
immediately.
Delayed locking can be programmed. To
view available settings for this feature,
touch the Settings icon on the infotainment
home page. Select “Vehicle”to display the
list of available options and select “Power
Door Locks”.
Automatic Door Locks
The doors will lock automatically when all
doors are closed, the ignition is on, and the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park). If a vehicle door is unlocked, and then
opened and closed, the doors will lock either
when your foot is removed from the brake
or the vehicle speed becomes faster than
13 km/h (8 mph).
To unlock the doors:
.PressKon the power door lock switch.
.Shift the transmission into P (Park).
Automatic door locking cannot be disabled.
Automatic door unlocking can be
programmed. To view available settings for
this feature, touch the Settings icon on the
infotainment home page. Select “Vehicle”to
display the list of available options and
select “Power Door Locks”.
Lockout Protection
If the ignition is on or in accessory mode
and the power door lock switch is pressed
with the driver door open, all the doors will
lock and only the driver door will unlock.
If the vehicle is off and locking is requested
while a door is open, when all doors are
closed the vehicle will check for remote keys
inside. If an remote key is detected and the
number of remote keys inside has not
reduced, the driver door will unlock and the
horn will chirp three times. Lockout Protection can be manually
overridden with the driver door open by
pressing and holding
Qon the power door
lock switch.
Open Door Anti-Lockout
If Open Door Anti-Lockout has been turned
on and the vehicle is off, the driver door is
open, and locking is requested, all the doors
will lock and the driver door will remain
open. The Open Door Anti-Lockout feature
can be turned on or off. To view available
settings from the infotainment screen, touch
the Settings > Vehicle > Power Door Locks.
Safety Locks
The rear door safety locks prevent
passengers from opening the rear doors
from inside the vehicle.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
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18 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Manual Safety Locks
If equipped, the safety lock is on the inside
edge of the rear doors. To use the
safety lock:1. Move the lever forward to the lock position.
2. Close the door.
3. Do the same for the other rear door.
To open a rear door when the safety lock
is on: 1. Unlock the door by activating the inside handle, by pressing the power door lock
switch, or by using the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter.
2. Open the door from the outside. When the safety lock is enabled, adults and
older children will not be able to open the
rear door from the inside. Cancel the safety
locks to enable the doors to open from the
inside.
To cancel the safety lock:
1. Unlock the door and open it from the outside.
2. Move the lever rearward to unlock. Do the same for the other door.
Doors
Trunk
{Warning
Exhaust gases can enter the vehicle if it
is driven with the liftgate, hatch/trunk
open, or with any objects that pass
through the seal between the body and
the hatch/trunk or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains carbon monoxide (CO)
which cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even death.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
If the vehicle must be driven with the
liftgate or hatch/trunk open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on or under
the instrument panel.
.Adjust the climate control system to a
setting that brings in only outside air
and set the fan speed to the highest
setting. See“Climate Control Systems”
in the Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with a
power liftgate, disable the power
liftgate function.
For more information about carbon
monoxide, see Engine Exhaust 0181.
Trunk Release
To open the trunk the vehicle must be off or
the shift lever must be in P (Park).
.PressXtwice quickly on the
remote key.

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Keys, Doors, and Windows 19
.Press the touch pad on the rear of the
trunk after unlocking all doors.
The trunk may be opened while the vehicle
is locked by pressing the touch pad on the
rear of the trunk while the remote key is
within 1 m (3 ft) of the rear of the vehicle.
See Remote Key Operation 07.
Emergency Trunk Release Handle
Caution
Do not use the emergency trunk release
handle as a tie-down or anchor point
when securing items in the trunk as it
could damage the handle.
There is a glow-in-the-dark emergency trunk
release handle on the trunk lid. This handle
glows following exposure to light. Pull the
release handle to open the trunk from the
inside.
After pulling the emergency trunk release
handle, push the handle back into the bezel.
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent features;
however, they do not make the vehicle
impossible to steal.

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20 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Vehicle Alarm System
This vehicle has an anti-theft alarm system.
The indicator light, on the instrument panel
near the windshield, indicates the status of
the system:
Off :Alarm system is disarmed.
On Solid : Vehicle is secured during the
delay to arm the system.
Fast Flash : Vehicle is unsecured. A door, the
hood, or the trunk is open.
Slow Flash : Alarm system is armed.
Arming the Alarm System
1. Close the trunk and the hood. Turn off
the vehicle.
2. Lock the vehicle in one of three ways:
.Use the RKE transmitter.
.Use the Keyless Access system,
if equipped.
.With a door open, press the
inside
Q.
3. After 30 seconds the alarm system will arm, and the indicator light will begin to
slowly flash indicating the alarm system
is operating. Pressing
Qon the RKE
transmitter a second time will bypass
the 30-second delay and immediately
arm the alarm system.
The vehicle alarm system will not arm if the
doors are locked with the key.
If the driver door is opened without first
unlocking with the RKE transmitter, the horn
will chirp and the lights will flash to indicate
pre-alarm. If the vehicle is not started,
or the door is not unlocked by pressing
K
on the RKE transmitter during the 10-second
pre-alarm, the alarm will be activated. If a door, the hood, or the trunk is opened
without first disarming the system, the turn
signals will flash and the horn will sound for
about 30 seconds. The alarm system will
then re-arm to monitor for the next
unauthorized event.
Disarming the Alarm System
Do one of the following to disarm the alarm
system or turn off the alarm if it has been
activated:
.PressKon the RKE transmitter.
.Unlock the vehicle using the Keyless
Access system, if equipped.
.Start the vehicle.
To avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
.Lock the vehicle after all occupants have
left the vehicle and all doors are closed.
.Always unlock a door with the RKE
transmitter or use the Keyless Access
system, if equipped.
Unlocking the driver door with the key will
not disarm the system or turn off the alarm.