tow 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

Passenger Folding Seatback (Maxx)
Your vehicle may have a passenger folding
seatback. This feature allows for more cargo space
or allows the seatback to be used as a temporary
table while the vehicle is stopped.
{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 inating 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 inate. For more information, see
Where Are the Airbags? on page 74and
Loading Your Vehicle on page 324.
{CAUTION:
Things you put on this seatback can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn,
or in a crash. Remove or secure all items
before driving.
To fold the seatback forward, do the following:
1. Make sure the seatback is in the most upright
position and locked by using the reclining
seatback lever on the outboard side of the seat.
SeeReclining Seatbacks on page 10.
14

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Folding the Seatback
Your vehicle may has a split folding rear seatback.
To fold down the rear seatback on the sedan,
do the following:
1. Open the trunk and pull one or both of the
handles located on the upper part of the
trunk opening. The driver’s side handle will
open the larger side of the seatback.
The passenger’s side handle will open the
smaller side of the seatback.Notice:Folding a rear seat with the safety
belts still fastened may cause damage to the
seat or the safety belts. Always unbuckle
the safety belts and return them to their normal
stowed position before folding a rear seat.
2. Once a handle is pulled, the seatback can be
pushed open through the trunk, or pulled
open from inside the vehicle.
17

To fold down the rear seatback on the MAXX,
do the following:
1. Pull up on and hold the lever located on the
side of either rear seat.
Notice:Folding a rear seat with the safety
belts still fastened may cause damage to the
seat or the safety belts. Always unbuckle
the safety belts and return them to their normal
stowed position before folding a rear seat.2. Once a lever is pulled, the seatback can be
pushed into the down position.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could
move forward in a sudden stop or crash.
That could cause injury to the person
sitting there. Always push and pull on the
seatback to be sure it is locked.
18

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same
belt. The belt cannot properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children
can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A belt must be used by only one
person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder
belt, but the child is so small that the
shoulder belt is very close to the child’s
face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a
window, move the child toward the center
of the vehicle. Also seeRear Safety Belt
Comfort Guides on page 37. If the child is
sitting in the center rear seat passenger
position, move the child toward the safety
belt buckle. In either case, be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide.
43

{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is
quite unlike that of an adult or older child,
for whom the safety belts are designed.
A young child’s hip bones are still so
small that the vehicle’s regular safety belt
may not remain low on the hip bones, as
it should. Instead, it may settle up around
the child’s abdomen. In a crash, the belt
would apply force on a body area that
is unprotected by any bony structure.
This alone could cause serious or fatal
injuries. Young children always should be
secured in appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use
in a motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system
designed to restrain or position a child on a
continuous at surface. Make sure that the infant’s
head rests toward the center of the vehicle.
49

{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck and the safety belt
continues to tighten. Secure any unused
safety belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull the
shoulder belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock, if your vehicle
has one, after the child restraint has
been installed. Be sure to follow the
instructions of the child restraint
manufacturer.
Notice:Contact between the child restraint or
the LATCH attachment parts and the vehicle’s
safety belt assembly may cause damage to
these parts. Make sure when securing unused
safety belts behind the child restraint that
there is no contact between the child restraint
or the LATCH attachment parts and the
vehicle’s safety belt assembly.Folding an empty rear seat with the safety
belts secured may cause damage to the safety
belt or the seat. When removing the child
restraint, always remember to return the safety
belts to their normal, stowed position before
folding the rear seat.
If you need to secure more than one child restraint
in the rear seat, seeWhere to Put the Restraint
on page 54. Depending on where you place
the child restraint, you may not be able to
access certain safety belt assemblies or LATCH
anchors for additional passengers or child
restraints.
You cannot secure three child restraints using
the LATCH anchors in the rear seat at the same
time, but you can install two of them. If you want
to do this, install one LATCH child restraint in
the passenger-side position, and install the
other one either in the driver’s-side position or
in the center position. Refer to the following
illustration to learn which anchors to use.
61

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

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

If you are ever driving and the security light comes
on and stays on, you may be able to restart
your engine if you turn it off. Your PASS-Key
®III+
system, however, is not working properly and
must be serviced by your dealer. Your vehicle is
not protected by the PASS-Key
®III+ system at
this time.
If you lose or damage your PASS-Key
®III+ key,
see your GM dealer or a locksmith who can
service PASS-Key
®III+ to have a new key made.
Starting and Operating
Your Vehicle
New Vehicle Break-In
Notice:Your vehicle does not need an
elaborate break-in. But it will perform better
in the long run if you follow these guidelines:
Do not drive at any one constant speed,
fast or slow, for the rst 500 miles (805 km).
Do not make full-throttle starts. Avoid
downshifting to brake, or slow, the vehicle.
Avoid making hard stops for the rst
200 miles (322 km) or so. During this time
the new brake linings are not yet broken in.
Hard stops with new linings can mean
premature wear and earlier replacement.
Follow this breaking-in guideline every
time you get new brake linings.
Do not tow a trailer during break-in.
SeeTowing a Trailer on page 333for
the trailer towing capabilities of your
vehicle and more information.
Following break-in, engine speed and load
can be gradually increased.
117