2023 CHEVROLET MALIBU brakes

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
90 Instruments and Controls
Electric Parking Brake Light
MetricEnglish Base Level
English Uplevel
This light comes on when the parking brake
is applied. If the light continues flashing
after the parking brake is released, or while
driving, there is a problem with the Electric
Parking Brake system. A message may also
display in the Driver Information
Center (DIC).
If the light does not come on, or remains
flashing, see your dealer.
Service Electric Parking Brake
Light
This light should come on briefly when the
vehicle is turned on. If it does not come on,
have it fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
If this light stays on or comes on while
driving, there is a problem with the Electric
Parking Brake (EPB). Take the vehicle to a
dealer as soon as possible. In addition to the
parking brake, other safety functions that
utilize the EPB may also be degraded.
A message may also display in the Driver
Information Center (DIC). See Electric Parking
Brake 0185.
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light
This light comes on briefly when the vehicle
is turned on to show that the light is
working. If it does not come on then, have
it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
If the ABS warning light stays on, or comes
on again while driving, the vehicle needs
service. A chime may also sound when the
light stays on.
If the ABS warning light is the only light on,
the vehicle has regular brakes, but ABS is
not functioning.
If both the ABS warning light and the brake
system warning light are on, ABS is not
functioning and there is a problem with the
regular brakes. See your dealer for service.
See Brake System Warning Light 089.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
100 Instruments and Controls
Timer :This display can be used as a timer.
To start the timer, press
Vwhile this
display is active. The display will show the
amount of time that has passed since the
timer was last reset. To stop the timer,
press
Vbriefly while this display is active
and the timer is running. To reset the timer
to zero, press and hold
Vwhile this display
is active, or press
pand select reset.
Speed Limit : Shows the current speed limit
on vehicles with the navigation system. The
information for this page comes from a
roadway database.
Follow Distance : When Adaptive Cruise
Control (ACC) is not engaged, the current
follow time to the vehicle ahead is displayed
as a time value on this page. When ACC has
been engaged, the display switches to the
gap setting page. This page shows the
current gap setting along with the vehicle
ahead indicator.
Battery Voltage : Displays the current
battery voltage, if equipped. Battery voltage
changes are normal while driving. See
Charging System Light 087. If there is a
problem with the battery charging system,
the DIC will display a message. Coolant Temperature :
Shows the engine
coolant temperature in either degrees
Celsius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit (°F).
Oil Pressure : Oil pressure is displayed in
either kilopascal (kPa) or in pounds per
square inch (psi).
Oil pressure can vary with engine speed,
outside temperature, and oil viscosity. On
some models, the oil pump will vary engine
oil pressure according to engine needs. Oil
pressure may change quickly as the engine
speed or load varies. This is normal. If the
oil pressure warning light or Driver
Information Center (DIC) message indicates
oil pressure outside the normal operating
range, check the vehicle's oil as soon as
possible.
Blank Page : Shows no information.
Vehicle Messages
Messages displayed on the DIC indicate the
status of the vehicle or some action that
may be needed to correct a condition.
Multiple messages may appear one after
another. The messages that do not require
immediate action can be acknowledged and
cleared by pressing
V. The messages that
require immediate action cannot be cleared
until that action is performed.
All messages should be taken seriously;
clearing the message does not correct the
problem.
If a SERVICE message appears, see your
dealer.
Follow the instructions given in the
messages. The system displays messages
regarding the following topics:
.Service Messages
.Fluid Levels
.Vehicle Security
.Brakes
.Steering
.Ride Control Systems
.Driver Assistance Systems
.Cruise Control
.Lighting and Bulb Replacement
.Wiper/Washer Systems
.Doors and Windows
.Seat Belts
.Airbag Systems

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
Instruments and Controls 101
.Engine and Transmission
.Tire Pressure
.Battery
Engine Power Messages
ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED
This message displays when the vehicle's
propulsion power is reduced. A reduction in
propulsion power can affect the vehicle's
ability to accelerate. If this message is on,
but there is no observed reduction in
performance, proceed to your destination.
Under certain conditions the performance
may be reduced the next time the vehicle is
driven. The vehicle may be driven while this
message is on, but maximum acceleration
and speed may be reduced. Anytime this
message stays on, or displays repeatedly,
the vehicle should be taken to your dealer
for service as soon as possible.
Under certain operating conditions,
propulsion will be disabled. Try restarting
after the ignition has been off for
30 seconds.
Vehicle Speed Messages
SPEED LIMITED TO XXX KM/H (MPH)
This message shows that the vehicle speed
has been limited to the speed displayed. The
limited speed is a protection for various
propulsion and vehicle systems, such as
lubrication, thermal, brakes, suspension,
Teen Driver if equipped, or tires.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
150 Infotainment System
.Forward Automatic Braking, also called
Automatic Emergency Braking (if
equipped)–the number of times the
vehicle detected that a forward collision
was imminent and applied the brakes.
.Reverse Automatic Braking (if equipped) –
the number of times the vehicle detected
that a rearward collision was imminent
and applied the brakes.
.Traction Control –the number of times
the Traction Control System activated to
reduce wheel spin or loss of traction.
.Stability Control –the number of events
which required the use of electronic
stability control.
.Antilock Braking System Active –The
number of Antilock Brake System
activations.
.Tailgating Alerts (if equipped)– the
number of times the driver was alerted
for following a vehicle ahead too closely.
Report Card Data
Cumulative Data is saved for all trips until
the Report Card is reset or until the
maximum count is exceeded. If the
maximum count is exceeded for a Report
Card line item, that item will no longer be
updated in the Report Card until it is reset. Each item will report a maximum of
1,000 counts. The distance driven will report
a maximum of 64 374 km (40,000 mi).
To delete Report Card data, do one of the
following:
.From the Report Card display, touch
Reset.
.Touch Clear PIN and All Teen Driver Keys
from the Teen Driver menu. This will also
unregister any Teen Driver keys and
delete the PIN.
Forgotten PIN
See your dealer to reset the PIN.
Trademarks and License
Agreements
FCC Information
See Radio Frequency Statement 0308.
"Made for iPhone," means that an electronic
accessory has been designed to connect
specifically to iPhone, and has been certified
by the developer to meet Apple
performance standards. Apple is not
responsible for the operation of this device
or its compliance with safety and regulatory
standards. Please note that the use of this
accessory with iPhone may affect wireless
performance. iPhone are trademarks of
Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other
countries.
Trial length and service availability may vary
by model, model year or trim. Service will
automatically stop at the end of your trial
subscription period unless you decide to
continue service. If you do not wish to enjoy
your trial, you can cancel by calling the
number below. All SiriusXM services require
a subscription, each sold separately by
SiriusXM after the trial period. Service
subject to the applicable SiriusXM Customer
Agreement and Privacy Policy, visit

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
Driving and Operating 165
Driving and Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . 166
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Impaired Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . 179
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . 181
Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . 181
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Brakes
Electric Brake Boost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic StabilityControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Adaptive Cruise Control (Advanced) . . . 190
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Assistance Systems for Parking orBacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Park Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Automatic Parking Assist (APA) . . . . . . . 200
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202 Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . 202
Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . 207
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Fuel
Top Tier Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Prohibited Fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . 213
Trailer Towing
General Towing Information . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
Driving and Operating 167
.Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers)
are going to be careless and make
mistakes. Anticipate what they may do
and be ready.
.Allow enough following distance between
you and the driver in front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
Impaired Driving
Death and injury associated with impaired
driving is a global tragedy.
{Warning
Drinking alcohol or taking drugs and then
driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment
can be affected by even a small amount
of alcohol or drugs. You can have a
serious—or even fatal —collision if you
drive after drinking or taking drugs.
Do not drive while under the influence of
alcohol or drugs, or ride with a driver
who has been drinking or is impaired by
drugs. Find alternate transportation
home; or if you are with a group,
designate a driver who will remain sober.
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating are
important factors in helping to control a
vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time. Deciding to push the brake
pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is about
three-quarters of a second. In that time, a
vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels
20 m (66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:
.Keep enough distance between you and
the vehicle in front of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is
being driven, brake normally but do not
pump the brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the engine
stops, there will be some power brake assist
but it will be used when the brake is applied. Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Steering
Caution
To avoid damage to the steering system,
do not drive over curbs, parking barriers,
or similar objects at speeds greater than
3 km/h (1 mph). Use care when driving
over other objects such as lane dividers
and speed bumps. Damage caused by
misuse of the vehicle is not covered by
the vehicle warranty.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
Driving and Operating 169
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three control
systems:
.Braking Skid—wheels are not rolling.
.Steering or Cornering Skid —too much
speed or steering in a curve causes tires
to slip and lose cornering force.
.Acceleration Skid —too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions,
and by not overdriving those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
If the vehicle starts to slide, follow these
suggestions:
.Ease your foot off the accelerator pedal
and steer the way you want the vehicle
to go. The vehicle may straighten out. Be
ready for a second skid if it occurs.
.Slow down and adjust your driving
according to weather conditions. Stopping
distance can be longer and vehicle control
can be affected when traction is reduced
by water, snow, ice, gravel, or other
material on the road. Learn to recognize warning clues
—such as enough water,
ice, or packed snow on the road to make
a mirrored surface —and slow down
when you have any doubt.
.Try to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle
speed by shifting to a lower gear. Any
sudden changes could cause the tires to
slide.
Remember: Antilock brakes help avoid only
the braking skid.
Driving on Wet Roads
Rain and wet roads can reduce vehicle
traction and affect your ability to stop and
accelerate. Always drive slower in these
types of driving conditions and avoid driving
through large puddles and deep-standing or
flowing water.
{Warning
Wet brakes can cause crashes. They
might not work as well in a quick stop
and could cause pulling to one side. You
could lose control of the vehicle. (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
After driving through a large puddle of
water or a car/vehicle wash, lightly apply
the brake pedal until the brakes work
normally.
Flowing or rushing water creates strong
forces. Driving through flowing water
could cause the vehicle to be carried
away. If this happens, you and other
vehicle occupants could drown. Do not
ignore police warnings and be very
cautious about trying to drive through
flowing water.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. Water can build
up under the vehicle's tires so they actually
ride on the water. This can happen if the
road is wet enough and you are going fast
enough. When the vehicle is hydroplaning, it
has little or no contact with the road.
There is no hard and fast rule about
hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow
down when the road is wet.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-
16273584) - 2023 - CRC - 9/28/22
170 Driving and Operating
Other Rainy Weather Tips
Besides slowing down, other wet weather
driving tips include:
.Allow extra following distance.
.Pass with caution.
.Keep windshield wiping equipment in
good shape.
.Keep the windshield washer fluid reservoir
filled.
.Have good tires with proper tread depth.
SeeTires 0251.
.Turn off cruise control.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or through mountains
is different than driving on flat or rolling
terrain. Tips include:
.Keep the vehicle serviced and in good
shape.
.Check all fluid levels and brakes, tires, and
cooling system.
.Shift to a lower gear when going down
steep or long hills.
{Warning
Using the brakes to slow the vehicle on a
long downhill slope can cause brake
overheating, can reduce brake
performance, and could result in a loss of
braking. Shift the transmission to a lower
gear to let the engine assist the brakes
on a steep downhill slope.
{Warning
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral) or with
the ignition off is dangerous. This can
cause overheating of the brakes and loss
of steering assist. Always have the engine
running and the vehicle in gear.
.Drive at speeds that keep the vehicle in
its own lane. Do not swing wide or cross
the center line.
.Be alert on top of hills; something could
be in your lane (e.g., stalled car, crash).
.Pay attention to special road signs (e.g.,
falling rocks area, winding roads, long
grades, passing or no-passing zones) and
take appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Caution
To avoid damage to the wheels and
brake components, always clear snow and
ice from inside the wheels and
underneath the vehicle before driving.
Snow or ice between the tires and the road
creates less traction or grip, so drive
carefully. Wet ice can occur at about 0 °C
(32 °F) when freezing rain begins to fall.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in freezing rain
until roads can be treated.
For Slippery Road Driving:
.Accelerate gently. Accelerating too quickly
causes the wheels to spin and makes the
surface under the tires slick.
.Turn on Traction Control. See Traction
Control/Electronic Stability Control 0186.
.The Antilock Brake System (ABS) improves
vehicle stability during hard stops, but
the brakes should be applied sooner than
when on dry pavement. See Antilock
Brake System (ABS) 0184.