Chevrolet 2003 Malibu User manual

The 2003 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Manual
Seats and RestraintSystems ........................... 1-1
FrontSeats ............................................... I -2
RearSeats ............................................... 1-6
Safety Belts .............................................. I -7
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-31
SupplementalRestraintSystem(SRS) ......... 1-53
RestraintSystemCheck ............................ 1-60
Keys ........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-8
Windows ................................................. 2-1 5
Theft-DeterrentSystems ............................ 2-17
Starting andOperatingYour Vehicle ........... 2-18
Mirrors .................................................... 2-30
StorageAreas ......................................... 2-32
S!Jr?rnef .................................................. L r) vu 99
Instrument Pane[ ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-2
ClimateControls ...................................... 3-1 8
Warning Lights, Gagesand Indicators ......... 3-23
FeaturesandControls ..................................... 2-1
nu IW UY=GIII\J~ 3-38
At Idin Cttctnm/c-\
.......................................
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving. the Road. and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-29
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Sewice ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
CheckingThingsUnder the Hood ............... 5-10
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-45
Windshield WiperBladeReplacement ......... 5-51
Tires ...................................................... 5-52
AppearanceCare ..................................... 5-72
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-80
Ekctrical System ...................................... 5-81
Capacities and Specifications ..................... 5-87
NormalMaintenanceReplacement Parts ...... 5-88
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
bhintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information .................. 7-2
index ................................................................. i

Canadian Owners
GENERALMOTORS,GM, the GMEmblem,
CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem and the name
MALIBU are registeredtrademarks of General Motors
Corporation.
This manual includesthe latest information
at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
after that time without further notice. For vehicles first
sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors
of
Canada Limited”for Chevrolet Motor Divisionwhenever
it appears in this manual.
Please keep this manual inyour vehicle,
so it will be
there
if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it
so the
new owner can use
it.
You can obtain a Frenchcopy of this manual from your
dealer or from:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit,
MI 48207
How to Use This Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first 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.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual.
It’s an alphabeticallist of what’s
in the manual, and the page number where you’ll find it.
‘
Litho in USA. ‘CopyrightGeneral MotorsCorporation06/03/02
Part No. 22691530
A First Edition A11 RightsReserved
ii

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 couldhurt you
if you were to ignore
the warning.
These mean there
is something that could hurt
I you orotherpeople.
I I
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.
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.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice will 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.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehiclemay beequippedwith components and
labelsthat use symbolsinsteadof text. Symbols, used on
your vehicle, are shown alongwiththe text describing the
operationor informationrelatingto a specific component,
control,message, gageor indicator.
If you need help figuring out a specific name of a
component, gage
or indicator reference the following
topics in the Index:
0 “Engine Compartment Overview”
0 “Instrument PanelOverview”
0 “Climate Controls”
0 “Audio Systems”
Also see
WarningLights, Gages and Indicators on
page 3-23.
iv

These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
4CID COULD
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR
COULD
FLAME
'lib
EXPLODE -
BAlTERY
1
LATCH BOTH LAP AND
SHOULDER BELTSTO
PROTECTOCCUPANT
C
DO NOTTWISTSAFETY *
BELT WHEN A-TTACHING
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
MOVESEAT
FULLY
\$!%
REARWARD+ /z
SECURE
CHILDSEAT
PULL BELT
COMPLETELY
THEN SECURE
CHILD SEAT
1
DO NOT INSTALL
A REAR-FACING
CHILD RESTRAINT
INTHIS SEATING
POSITION
DO NOT INSTALL A
FORWARD-FACING
CHILD RESTRAINT
INTHIS SEATING
POSITION
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
LIGHTING
-
MASTER SWITCH u- / , \
SIGNALS @G
TURN
LAMPS
Pf
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(@)
COOLANT
d
ENGINEOIL
PRESSURE Wb
ANTI-LOCK fmj
BRAKES t!J
ENGINE
COOLANT
FAN
FUEL
OWNER'S
MANUAL
SERVICE
SERVICE
MANUAL
V

Section 1
Seats and Restraint Systems
Front Seats ...................................................... 1-2
Manual Seats
................................................ 1.2
Six-Way Power Driver Seat .............................. 1-3
Reclining Seatbacks
........................................ 1-4
HeadRestraints
............................................. 1-5
Rear Seats
....................................................... 1.6
Rear Seat Operation
....................................... 1-6
SafetyBelts:TheyAreforEveryone
................. 1-7
How to WearSafety Belts Properly
................. 1-12
Driver Position
.............................................. 1-13
SafetyBeltUse During Pregnancy
.................. 1-21
Right Front Passenger Position
....................... 1-22
Safety Belts
..................................................... 1-7
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-11
RearSeatPassengers
.................................. 1-22
CenterRearPassenger Position
..................... 1-26
Children andSmall Adults
.......................... 1-28
ChildRestraints
............................................. 1-31
Older Children
.............................................. 1-31
Infants and Young Children
............................ 1-34
Child Restraint Systems
................................. 1-37
Where to Put the Restraint............................. 1-40
Top Strap
.................................................... 1-41
RearSafetyBeltComfortGuidesfor
3CllCLY Del1 LAlW IUCl I -Ju
P-L-A., n-lr r..r--~- .. 4 qn
.....................................
Top Strap Anchor Location ............................. 1-42
Children (LATCH System)
........................... 1-43
LowerAnchorages and
Top Tethers for
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Securing a Child Restraint in aCenterRear
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
LATCHSystem
......................................... 1-45
Seat Position
............................................ 1-45
Seat Position
............................................ 1-48
Seat Position
............................................ 1-50
System (SRS)
............................................. 1-53
Where Are the Air Bags?
............................... 1-55
WhenShouldanAir Bag Inflate?
.................... 1-57
WhatMakes an Air Bag Inflate?
..................... 1-57
HowDoesanAirBag Restrain?
..................... 1-57
What Will YouSeeAfteran
Servicing YourAirBag-Equipped Vehicle
......... 1-59
Supplemental Restraint
AirBag Inflates?
....................................... 1-58
Restraint System Check
.................................. 1-60
CheckingYour Restraint Systems ................... 1-60
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash ............................................ 1-60
1-1

Front Seats
Manual Seats
You can lose contrc If 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.
1
Lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock
it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release
the bar.
Try to move the seat with your body to be sure
the seat is locked in place.
1 -2

Six-Way Power Driver Seat
To adjust the power seat, do the following:
0 Movethe seat forward or rearward by pushing the
control toward the front or back of the vehicle.
Raise or lower the entire seat cushion by holding
the control up or down.
Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by
holdingthe front of the control up or down.
0 Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by
holding the rear of the control up or down.
If your vehicle has this feature, the power seat control is
located on theoutboardside of the driver’s seat.
1-3

Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the
outboard side of the seatand movethe seatback
to where you want it. Releasethe lever to lock the
seatback. Pull up on the lever without pushing on the
seatback, and the seatbackwill go to an upright position.
But don’t have a seatback reclined
if your vehicle is
moving.
1 -4

Head Restraints
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 it’s job either. In a crash
the belt could
go up over your abdomen.
The belt forces would be there, notat your
pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
properly.
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wets LJaCin Ill &lit atac QliU uvltias ywul aarcry WGOL
1-5

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Folding the Seatback
Your vehicle may have a split folding rear seatback.
To fold down the rear seatback, do the following:
2. Once a tether is pulled, the seatback can be
pushed open through the trunk, or pulled open
from inside the vehicle.
To close the split folding rear seatback, push the
seatback up until
you hear a click. Then pull on the
seatback
to make sure it is secure.
1. Open the trunk and pull one or both of the tethers
located on the driver’s side of the trunk. The left
tether will open the larger side of the seatback.
The right tether will open the smaller side
of
the seatback.
1 -6

Safety Belts
SafetyBelts:They re forEveryone
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.
,,n’t
let ,.iyone 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 notbe, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
fastened properly too.
ai~u c;rlec;n trral yuu~ passtaryt=ra IJCSL~ QIG
-1 -I- - - 1- 1L-1 .-- - 9 I--#&- -.._
It is extremely c,.lge. ,us 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.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as
a
reminder to buckle up.
See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-26.
1 -7

In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never kvow 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 som’etimeswalk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts invehicles,
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’sjust
a seat
on wheels.
1 -8

Put someone on it. Get
it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop.
c
1-9

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident
if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be - whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not, But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And yourchance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so you
can unbuckle and get out, is much greater
if you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I haveto
wear safety belts?
A:
Air bags are in many vehicles today and will
be in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety beits - not insteaa oi tnem. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has requiredthe use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has
air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection.That’s true not only infrontal collisions,
but especially in side and othrr collisions.
1-1 1

Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may beanexcellent driver,but if you’re in an
accident
- even onethat isn’t yourfault - you and
your passengerscan be hurt.Beinga gooddriver
doesn’tprotectyou from things beyondyourcontrol,
such as baddrivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are specialthings
to know about
safety belts and children.And there are different
rules for smaller childrenand babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see
Older Children on page 1-31
or Infants and Young Children on page 1-34. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraintsystems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
1-12

Driver Position
This part describes thedriver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulderbelt. Here’s how to
wear it properly.
1. Closeandlock thedoor.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see
Manual Seats on page 1-2 or Six- Way
Power Driver Seat on page
1-3.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock
if you pull the belt
across you very quickiy. II ulls rlappe~ IS, 1e1 11 le ueI1
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across
you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
vr II~’ 9- ~ ~ ~ ~ . 1- L SI- - I- -11
1-13