instrument panel CHEVROLET MALIBU 2007 6.G Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems
....................... 7
Front Seats
.............................................. 8
Rear Seats
............................................. 17
Safety Belts
............................................ 20
Child Restraints
...................................... 42
Airbag System
........................................ 72
Restraint System Check
......................... 90
Features and Controls
................................ 93
Keys
....................................................... 95
Doors and Locks
.................................. 104
Windows
............................................... 110
Theft-Deterrent Systems
....................... 113
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
..... 117
Mirrors
.................................................. 138
OnStar
®System
................................... 144Universal Home Remote System
.......... 148
Storage Areas
...................................... 160
Sunroof
................................................ 164
Instrument Panel
....................................... 165
Instrument Panel Overview
................... 168
Climate Controls
................................... 188
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
.......................................... 198
Driver Information Center (DIC)
............ 218
Audio System(s)
................................... 228
Driving Your Vehicle
................................. 287
Your Driving, the Road, and Your
Vehicle
.............................................. 288
Towing
................................................. 330
2007 Chevrolet Malibu Owner ManualM
1

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this manual you will nd 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 specic component,
control, message, gage, or indicator.
If you need help guring out a specic 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
5

The person keeps going until stopped by
something. In a real vehicle, it could be the
windshield...or the instrument panel...
23

{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults,
but not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system
nor its airbag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint system can
provide. Always secure children properly
in your vehicle. To read how, seeOlder
Children on page 42orInfants and Young
Children on page 45.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the
airbag symbol.The system checks the airbag electrical system
for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is
an electrical problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light
on page 202for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
74

The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver, it is in the side of the driver’s
seatback closest to the door.
75

Frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to inate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
Your vehicle may or may not have side impact
airbags. SeeAirbag System on page 72for more
information. Side impact airbags are intended
to inate in moderate to severe side crashes.
A side impact airbag will inate if the crash severity
is above the system’s designed threshold level.
The threshold level can vary with specic vehicle
design. Side impact airbags are not intended
to inate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers, or rear impacts. A side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side of the vehicle
that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what
the repair costs were. For frontal airbags,
ination is determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how quickly the
vehicle slows down. For side impact airbags,
ination is determined by the location and
severity of the impact.What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. The sensing system triggers a release
of gas from the inator, which inates the
airbag. The inator, airbag and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules. Frontal
airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and the instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags, there are
also airbag modules in the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door. For vehicles with
roof-mounted side impact airbags, there are
also airbag modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side window.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
steering wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.
79

Airbags supplement the protection provided
by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But the frontal airbags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including rollovers, rear
impacts, and many side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the airbag.
Side impact airbags would not help you in many
types of collisions, including many frontal or
near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then
only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate
to severe side collisions for vehicles with side
impact airbags.What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the frontal and seat-mounted side impact
airbags inate, they quickly deate, so quickly that
some people may not even realize an airbag
inated. Roof-mounted side impact airbags may still
be at least partially inated minutes after the vehicle
comes to rest. Some components of the airbag
module — the steering wheel hub for the driver’s
airbag, the instrument panel for the right front
passenger’s bag, the side of the seatback closest to
the door for the seat-mounted side impact airbags
(if equipped), and the garnish trim and the area
along the ceiling of your vehicle near the side
windows for the roof–mounted side impact airbags
(if equipped) — may be hot for a short time. The
parts of the airbag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming from the vents
in the deated airbags. Airbag ination does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of the windshield
or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it
prevent people from leaving the vehicle.
80

Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger’s position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible when you start
your vehicle in the instrument panel.
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on
and off, will be visible during the system check.
If you are using remote start to start your vehicle
from a distance, if equipped, you may not see
the system check. When the system check
is complete, either the word ON or the word OFF,
or the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will
be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 203.The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver’s airbags are not part of
the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer
if they are restrained in the rear rather than
the front seat.
We recommend that children be secured in a
rear seat, including: an infant or a child riding in
a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat; an older child riding
in a booster seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.
United StatesCanada
82

Safety belts help keep the passenger in position
on the seat during vehicle maneuvers and
braking, which helps the passenger sensing
system maintain the passenger airbag status.
See “Safety Belts” and “Child Restraints” in
the Index for additional information about the
importance of proper restraint use.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the
instrument panel cluster ever comes on
and stays on, it means that something
may be wrong with the airbag system.
If this ever happens, have the vehicle
serviced promptly, because an adult-size
person sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the
protection of the airbag(s). SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 202for more
on this, including important safety
information.
86

A thick layer of additional material, such as a
blanket or cushion, or aftermarket equipment such
as seat covers, seat heaters, and seat massagers
can affect how well the passenger sensing
system operates. You may want to consider not
using seat covers or other aftermarket equipment.
SeeAdding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 89for more information about
modications that can affect how the system
operates.
The passenger sensing system may suppress the
airbag deployment when liquid soaks into the
seat. If this happens, the off indicator in the
passenger airbag status indicator and the airbag
readiness light on the instrument panel will be
lit. The system should resume normal operation
after the seat is allowed to dry. If the system
operates incorrectly after the seat has dried,
have your dealer/retailer check the system.
{CAUTION:
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s
seat or between the passenger’s seat
cushion and seatback may interfere with
the proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
87