CHEVROLET MALIBU 1998 User Guide

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they fist 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.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of what’s in
the manual, and the page number where you’ll find it.
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.
These mean there is something that could hurt
you or other people.
I It
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.
-1 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.”
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine For example,
these symbols
are used
on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BURNS AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your vehicle is
driven:
n
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols have
to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e e
TURN
FOG LAMPS
$0
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
-
These symbols
are
on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
CHARGING 1-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
R
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
D
HORN )cr
SPEAKER
cr
FUEL p3
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0 Section 1 Seats and Seat Restraints
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your Chevrolet 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.
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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
1-49 1-52
1-52 1-52 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

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them
-- and also about reclining seatbacks and
head restraints.
Manual 5ats
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 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

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 6-Way Power Seat ( ~ Equipped)
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.
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 end 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.
1-3

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever 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

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine r*ArTTION:
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.
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.
Rear Seats
Folding Rear Seat
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-hand tether will open the larger side
of
the seatback. The right-hand 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.
1-5

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
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.
I
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.
’
A 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.
1-6

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your vehicle has a light
’ that comes on as a reminder
1 to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
1 the Index.)
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.
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