child seat CHEVROLET MALIBU 2009 7.G Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint System............................. 1-1
Head Restraints
......................................... 1-2
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
..............................................1-10
Safety Belts
.............................................1-12
Child Restraints
.......................................1-32
Airbag System
.........................................1-58
Restraint System Check
............................1-73
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
......................................2-10
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-21
Mirrors
....................................................2-37
OnStar
®System
......................................2-40
Universal Home Remote System
................2-43
Storage Areas
.........................................2-50
Sunroof
..................................................2-51
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-28
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-43
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-56Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle
....... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-26
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-14
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-47
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-47
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-50
Tires
......................................................5-51
Appearance Care
.....................................5-90
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-97
Electrical System
......................................5-98
Capacities and Specications
...................5-108
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-15
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-17
Index................................................................ 1
2009 Chevrolet Malibu Owner ManualM

Head Restraints...............................................1-2
Front Seats......................................................1-3
Manual Seats................................................1-3
Power Seats..................................................1-4
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-5
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-6
Seatback Latches...........................................1-8
Power Lift Seat..............................................1-9
Rear Seats.....................................................1-10
Split Folding Rear Seat.................................1-10
Safety Belts...................................................1-12
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-17
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-26
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-31
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-32
Child Restraints.............................................1-32
Older Children..............................................1-32
Infants and Young Children............................1-35
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-39Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-42
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH)..................................................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position....................................1-52
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position............................1-54
Airbag System...............................................1-58
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-60
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-63
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-64
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-64
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-64
Passenger Sensing System............................1-66
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle..........
.1-71
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-72
Restraint System Check..................................1-73
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-73
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-74
Section 1 Seats and Restraint System
1-1

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a
lap-shoulder belt.
The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can
sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across
you more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt is pulled
out all the way, the child restraint locking feature
may be engaged. If this happens, just let the belt go
back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature in the
right front seating position may affect the passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 1-66for more information.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-32.
Position the release button on the buckle so that the
safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster,
move it to the height that is right for you. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash. See
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment” later in this
section for instruction on use and important safety
information.
1-26

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt away
from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each outboard passenger position
in the rear seat. Here is how to install a comfort guide to
the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the
two edges of the belt into the slots of the guide.
1-29

Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer/retailer
will order you an extender. When you go in to order it,
take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the extender will
be long enough for you. To help avoid personal injury, do
not let someone else use it, and use it only for the seat it
is made to t. The extender has been designed for adults.
Never use it for securing child seats. To wear it, attach it
to the regular safety belt. For more information, see the
instruction sheet that comes with the extender.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
1-32

The manufacturer’s instructions that come with the
booster seat state the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder belt
until the child passes the below t test:
Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees bend
at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat.
Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder belt
rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, try using
the rear safety belt comfort guide. See “Rear Safety
Belt Comfort Guides” underLap-Shoulder Belt on
page 1-26for more information. If the shoulder belt
still does not rest on the shoulder, then return to the
booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and snug on the hips,
touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t be maintained for the length
of the trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to the
booster seat.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a position
with a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional
restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt
and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can
provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should t snugly below the hips,
just touching the top of the thighs. This applies belt
force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash. It should
never be worn over the abdomen, which could cause
severe or even fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-26.
According to accident statistics, children and infants are
safer when properly restrained in a child restraint system
or infant restraint system secured in a rear seating
position.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
1-33

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing child restraint in the
right front seat, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.
1-37

{CAUTION:
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. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries during a crash,
young children should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infant
seat (A) provides restraint
with the seating surface
against the back of
the infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a
crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
1-39

A forward-facing child
seat (B) provides restraint
for the child’s body
with the harness.
A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
1-40

Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child restraint is not properly secured in the
vehicle. Secure the child restraint properly in the
vehicle using the vehicle’s safety belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that came with
that child restraint and the instructions in this
manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-44for more information. A child can
be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be on
the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important,
so if they are not available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in the vehicle — even when no child
is in it.
Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly following the
instructions that came with that child restraint.
1-41