Bumper-to-Bumper 3-years/36,000 miles (60 000 km) Limited Warranty Every 2000 Malibu under warranty is backed with the following services: (For vehicles purchased in Canada, call 1-800-268-6800) that provides in an emergency: 1-800-CHEV-USA Courtesy Transportation Free lockout assistance Free dead-battery assistance Free out-of-fuel assistance Free flat-tire change Emergency towing 2000 Chevrolet Malibu Owner's Manual Litho in U.S.A. Part Number 22619478 A First Edition © Copyright General Motors Corporation 1999 All Rights Reserved i Table of Contents Seats and Restraint Systems Section 1 Seats and Seat Controls Safety Belts Air Bag Systems Child Restraints Features and Controls Section 2 Keys and Door Locks Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Trunk Release Automatic Transmission Parking Brake Windows Tilt Wheel Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever Windshield Wipers Cruise Control Interior and Exterior Lamps Mirrors Storage Compartments Convenience Net (If Equipped) Sunroof (If Equipped) Instrument Panel, Warning Lights and Gages ii Table of Contents (cont'd) Comfort Controls and Audio Systems Section 3 Heating and Air Conditioning Setting the Radio Clock Radio/Cassette Player/CD Player Radio Theft-Deterrent Feature Your Driving and the Road Section 4 Braking/Anti-lock Brakes Traction Control System Steering Driving Tips for Various Road Conditions Recreational Vehicle Towing Loading Your Vehicle Towing a Trailer Problems on the Road Section 5 Hazard Warning Flashers Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle Engine Overheating Changing a Flat Tire If You're Stuck iii Table of Contents (cont'd) Service and Appearance Care Section 6 Fuel Checking Fluids and Lubricants Bulb Replacement Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement Tires and Wheels Appearance Care Electrical System/Fuses and Circuit Breakers Capacities and Specifications Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts Maintenance Schedule Section 7 Scheduled Maintenance Periodic Maintenance Inspections Recommended Fluids and Lubricants Maintenance Records iv Table of Contents (cont'd) Customer Assistance Information Section 8 Customer Satisfaction Procedures Customer Assistance Offices Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation Warranty Information (See Warranty Manual) Reporting Safety Defects on page 8-10 Service Publications Index Section 9 In the Index you will find an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. Please refer to the last page of this manual for your Service Station Guide v We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem and the name MALIBU are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in the product after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited" for Chevrolet Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be there if you ever need it when you're on the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing Services Ltd. 1577 Meyerside Dr. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1B9 vi How to Use this Manual Many people read their owner's manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don't, you or others could be hurt. Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means "Don't," "Don't do this" or "Don't let this happen." vii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this book you will find these notices: NOTICE: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. viii Vehicle Symbols These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. For example, these symbols are used on an original battery: CAUTION POSSIBLE INJURY PROTECT EYES BY SHIELDING CAUSTIC BATTERY ACID COULD CAUSE BURNS AVOID SPARKS OR FLAMES SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BATTERY These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have to do with your lamps: MASTER LIGHTING SWITCH These symbols are on some of your controls: WINDSHIELD WIPER These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: Here are some other symbols you may see: ENGINE COOLANT TEMP WINDSHIELD WASHER BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM FUSE DOOR LOCK UNLOCK TURN SIGNALS LIGHTER PARKING LAMPS FASTEN SEAT BELTS WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER HORN BRAKE HAZARD WARNING FLASHER POWER WINDOW DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER COOLANT SPEAKER ENGINE OIL PRESSURE VENTILATING FAN FUEL AIR BAG FOG LAMPS ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ix Service Station Guide Cooling System For a More Detailed Look at What's Under the Hood See Section 6 See Section 5 Tire Pressure See Section 6 Spare Tire Pressure See Section 5 Hood Release See Section 6 Battery See Section 6 Engine Oil Dipstick Windshield Washer Fluid See Section 6 See Section 6 Oil Viscosity Engine Oil See Section 6 Use unleaded gas only, 87 Octane or higher. See Section 6 Section 1 Seats and Seat Restraints Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts. 1-2 1-6 1-10 1-11 1-11 1-19 1-20 1-20 1-27 Seats and Seat Controls Safety Belts: They're for Everyone Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and the Answers How to Wear Safety Belts Properly Driver Position Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy Right Front Passenger Position Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Rear Seat Passengers 1-30 1-32 1-34 1-37 1-48 1-51 1-51 1-51 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults Center Passenger Position Children Child Restraints Larger Children Safety Belt Extender Checking Your Restraint Systems Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash 1- 1-1 Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them -- and also about reclining seatbacks and head restraints. Manual Seats CAUTION: You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. Lift the lever located under the front seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it. Then release the lever and try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is locked into place. 1-2 6-Way Power Seat (If Equipped) Move the seat higher by lifting and holding the bottom of the button. Lower the seat by pushing and holding the top of the button. To move the seat forward, push the rear of the button forward. To move the seat backward, push the front of the button rearward. Raise the front of the seat by lifting and holding the bottom front end of the button. Lower the front of the seat by pushing and holding the top front of the button. Raise the rear of the seat by lifting and holding the bottom rear of the button. Lower the rear of the seat by pushing and holding the top rear of the button. The power seat button is located on the lower left side of the driver's seat. This button allows you to move the seat up, down, forward and backward. It will also move the front of the seat up or down and the rear of the seat up or down. 1-3 Reclining Front Seatbacks To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the outer side of the seat and move the seatback to where you want it. Release the lever and ensure the handle returns to the original position and the seatback is securely locked. Pull up on the lever and the seat will go to an upright position. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. 1-4 Rear Seats CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can't do their job when you're reclined like this. The shoulder belt can't do its job because it won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in front of you. In a crash you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries. The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly. Folding Rear Seat Head Restraints Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash. To open the folding rear seat, open the trunk and pull one or both of the tethers located on the left side of the trunk. The left tether will open the larger side of the seatback. The right tether will open the smaller side of the seatback. Once a tether is pulled, the seatback can be pushed open through the trunk, or pulled open from inside the vehicle. To close the split folding rear seat, push the seatback up until you hear a click. Then pull on the seatback to make sure it is secure. 1-5 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts. And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), or air bag system. CAUTION: It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly. CAUTION: Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you're not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts are fastened properly too. Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. (See "Safety Belt Reminder Light" in the Index.) 1-6 In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here's why: They work. You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one. A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ... a lot! Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes. Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels. 1-7 Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider doesn't stop. 1-8 ...