check engine light CHEVROLET MALIBU 2020 Owner's Guide

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
310 Service and Maintenance
Additional
Maintenance and Care
Your vehicle is an important
investment and caring for it properly
may help to avoid future costly
repairs. To maintain vehicle
performance, additional
maintenance services may be
required.
It is recommended that your dealer
perform these services—their
trained dealer technicians know
your vehicle best. Your dealer can
also perform a thorough
assessment with a multi-point
inspection to recommend when your
vehicle may need attention.
The following list is intended to
explain the services and conditions
to look for that may indicate
services are required.
Battery
The 12-volt battery supplies power
to start the engine and operate any
additional electrical accessories. .
To avoid break-down or failure to
start the vehicle, maintain a
battery with full cranking power.
. Trained dealer technicians have
the diagnostic equipment to test
the battery and ensure that the
connections and cables are
corrosion-free.
Belts
. Belts may need replacing if they
squeak or show signs of
cracking or splitting.
. Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the belts and
recommend adjustment or
replacement when necessary.
Brakes
Brakes stop the vehicle and are
crucial to safe driving.
. Signs of brake wear may include
chirping, grinding, or squealing
noises, or difficulty stopping. .
Trained dealer technicians have
access to tools and equipment
to inspect the brakes and
recommend quality parts
engineered for the vehicle.
Fluids
Proper fluid levels and approved
fluids protect the vehicle’s systems
and components. See
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants 0313 for GM approved
fluids.
. Engine oil and windshield
washer fluid levels should be
checked at every fuel fill.
. Instrument cluster lights may
come on to indicate that fluids
may be low and need to be
filled.
Hoses
Hoses transport fluids and should
be regularly inspected to ensure
that there are no cracks or leaks.
With a multi-point inspection, your
dealer can inspect the hoses and
advise if replacement is needed.

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
346 Index
IndexA
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Active Fuel Management . . . . . . . 162
Adaptive Cruise Control . . . . . . . . 174
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . 210
Additional Information OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Additional Maintenance
and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . . . 223
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . 134, 137
Air Filter
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Passenger Sensing System . . . . 59
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . 55
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 103
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Alarm Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Alert Lane Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Side Blind Zone (SBZA) . . . . . . 193
All-Season Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . 166 Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Armrest Rear Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
Index 347
Assistance Program,Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Assistance Systems for Parking and Backing . . . . . . . . . . 183
Auto Stop
Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Emergency Braking (AEB) . . . . 190
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Automatic Transmission Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
B
BatteryExterior Lighting BatterySaver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Battery - North America . . . . 232, 286
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . . . 235 Brake
Parking, Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
System Warning Light . . . . . . . . 106
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 AutomaticEmergency (AEB) . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Braking System Front Pedestrian (FPB) . . . . . . . 191
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 155
Bulb Replacement Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . . . 240
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . 239, 240
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
California Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
California Proposition
65 Warning . . . . . . . . . .213, 232, 286, Back Cover
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . 2
Capacities and
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Cargo Tie-Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Caution, Danger, and Warning . . . . 2
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . . 86
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Charging
Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . 104
Check
Engine Light (MalfunctionIndicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
Index 349
DrivingAssistance Systems . . . . . . . . . . 188
Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . 144
Characteristics and
Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 149
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 151
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
E
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . 168
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . 106
Electrical Equipment,
Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Electrical System Engine Compartment FuseBlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . 242
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Electrical System (cont'd)
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Emergency OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Check Light (MalfunctionIndicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 216
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 163
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Engine Air Filter Life System . . . . 223
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . . . 332
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Extended Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Extender, Seat Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 125
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 127
Exterior Lighting Battery
Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
F
Filter,Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 128
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 222
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Frequency Statement Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Front Pedestrian Braking (FPB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
Index 351
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
IndicatorPedestrian Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Vehicle Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Information Publication Ordering . . . . . . . . . . 329
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 96, 97
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . . . 5
Interior Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . 28
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
J
Jump Starting - North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
K
Keyless Entry
Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . 8
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . . . 252 Lamps
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . 127
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Malfunction Indicator (Check Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . . . 194
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . . . 196
Lane Keep Assist Light . . . . . . . . . 108
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
LATCH System Replacing Parts after aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
LED Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Lighting Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Lighting (cont'd)
LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Lights Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 106
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Check Engine (Malfunction Indicator) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 106
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning . . . . . . . .110
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . .110
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . 127
Lane Keep Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Low Fuel Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Seat Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . 102
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Service Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
StabiliTrak OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
13555849) - 2020 - CRC - 8/16/19
354 Index
RoofSunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . . 318
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
S
Safety Defects ReportingCanadian Government . . . . . . . . 331
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . . 325
Sealant Kit, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Seat Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
How to Wear Seat BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . . . 53
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . 51
Seats
Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Seats (cont'd)
Heated and Ventilated Front . . . . 41
Heated, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 36
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . 36
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Securing Child Restraints . . . . 80, 82
Security
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
OnStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Vehicle Alarm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Climate Control System . . . . . . . 134
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 214
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . 315
Maintenance, General
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
Parts Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 325
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Services Special Application . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Shift Lock Control Function
Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . 193
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Spare Tire
Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Special Application Services . . . . 309
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
StabiliTrak
OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Start Assist, Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Heated Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Stop/Start System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158