2005 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1 Front Seats ............................................... 1-2 Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8 Safety Belts ............................................. 1-10 Child Restraints ....................................... 1-32 Airbag System ......................................... 1-51 Restraint System Check ............................ 1-62 Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1 Keys ........................................................ 2-3 Doors and Locks ...................................... 2-10 Windows ................................................. 2-15 Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-16 Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-21 Mirrors .................................................... 2-32 OnStar® System ...................................... 2-34 HomeLink® Transmitter ............................. 2-36 Storage Areas ......................................... 2-39 Sunroof .................................................. 2-42 Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1 Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4 Climate Controls ...................................... 3-22 Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-31 M Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-45 Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-52 Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1 Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2 Towing ................................................... 4-35 Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1 Service ..................................................... 5-3 Fuel ......................................................... 5-5 Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10 Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-40 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-44 Tires ...................................................... 5-46 Appearance Care ..................................... 5-74 Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-83 Electrical System ...................................... 5-84 Capacities and Specifications ..................... 5-93 Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1 Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2 Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1 Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2 Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-10 Index ................................................................ 1 Canadian Owners A French language copy of this manual can be obtained from your dealer or from: Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207 GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem, the MALIBU Emblem, and the name MALIBU are registered trademarks; and the name MALIBU MAXX is a trademark of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes 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. Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it is needed while you are on the road. If the vehicle is sold, leave this manual in the vehicle. How to Use This Manual Many people read the owner manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If this is done, it can help you learn about the features and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work together in the owner manual to explain things. Index A good place to quickly locate information about the vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the page number where it can be found. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 05MALIBU A First Edition ii © 2004 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Safety Warnings and Symbols There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. 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 do not, you or others could be hurt. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means "Do Not," "Do Not do this" or "Do Not let this happen." {CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. iii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this manual you will find these notices: Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. A notice tells about something that can damage the vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your vehicle's warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell 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. There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. Vehicle Symbols The vehicle has components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a specific component, control, message, gage, or indicator. If you need help figuring out a specific name of a component, gage, or indicator, reference the following topics: · · · · · · · Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1 Features and Controls in Section 2 Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3 Climate Controls in Section 3 Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3 Audio System(s) in Section 3 Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5 iv These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle: v NOTES vi Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Child Restraints .............................................1-32 Older Children ..............................................1-32 Infants and Young Children ............................1-34 Child Restraint Systems .................................1-38 Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-41 Top Strap ....................................................1-41 Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-43 Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-43 Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System .........................................1-46 Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position ............................................1-46 Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position ............................................1-49 Airbag System ...............................................1-51 Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-54 When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-58 What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-59 How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-59 What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-60 Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-62 Restraint System Check ..................................1-62 Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-62 Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash ...................................................1-63 1-1 Front Seats ......................................................1-2 Manual Seats ................................................1-2 Six-Way Power Driver Seat ..............................1-3 Manual Lumbar ..............................................1-3 Heated Seats .................................................1-4 Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-4 Head Restraints .............................................1-6 Passenger Folding Seatback ............................1-6 Rear Seats .......................................................1-8 Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-8 Safety Belts ...................................................1-10 Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-10 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-15 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-16 Driver Position ..............................................1-16 Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment .....................1-23 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-24 Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-24 Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-24 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults .......................................1-27 Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-31 Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-31 Front Seats Manual Seats If your vehicle has a manual seat adjustment, lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock it. {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 do not want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Try to move the seat back and forth to be sure the seat is locked in place. Power Lift Seat If your vehicle has this feature, to move the power lift seat forward or rearward, pull up on the lever located under the front of the driver's seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever. Try to move the seat with your body to make sure the seat is locked into place. To raise or lower the power lift seat, hold the switch located on the outboard side of the driver's seat up or down. 1-2 Six-Way Power Driver Seat Manual Lumbar If your vehicle has this feature, the power seat control is located on the outboard side of the driver's seat. To adjust the power seat, do the following: · Move the seat forward or rearward by pushing the control toward the front or back of the vehicle. · Raise or lower the entire seat cushion by holding the center of the control up or down. If your vehicle has this feature, the handle is located on the outboard side of the driver's seat. Ratchet the handle down to increase lumbar support. Ratchet the handle up to decrease lumbar support. · Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by holding the front of the control up or down. · Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by holding the rear of the control up or down. 1-3 Heated Seats Your vehicle may have heated front seats. The buttons are located on the outboard corner of the driver and front passenger seat. Reclining Seatbacks Press the top of the switch to turn the feature on. The seat will heat to the high setting. The indicator light above the switch will be lit next to the number 2. Press the top of the switch again to go to the low heat setting. The indicator light will be lit next to the number 1. Press the bottom of the switch to turn the feature off. To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the outboard side of the seat and move the seatback to the desired position. Release the lever to lock the seatback. Pull up on the lever without pushing on the seatback, and the seatback will return to the upright position. 1-4 {CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can not do their job when you are reclined like this. The shoulder belt can not do its job because it will not 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 not 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. But do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. 1-5 Head Restraints Passenger Folding Seatback {CAUTION: If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo is not near an airbag. In a crash, an inflating airbag might force that object toward a person. This could cause severe injury or even death. Secure objects away from the area in which an airbag would inflate. For more information, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 1-54 and Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-29. The head restraints on both the front and rear seats are adjustable. Press the button on the side of the post to adjust the head restraint. Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your head ...