1997 Chevrolet Malibu Owner's Manual - Page 276

Fuses and Circuit Breakers The wiring circuits in your vehicleare protected from short circuits by a combination of fuses, circuit breakers and fusible thermal linksin the wiring itself. This greatly reduces the chance fires caused by of electrical problems. Instrument Panel Fuse Block The instrument panelfuse blocks are located at each end of the instrument panel. To access thefuses, open the fuse panel doorby pulling out. To replace the door, insert the hooks at the front end first, then push the door in to the instrument panel to Isecure it. Look at the silver-colored band inside the fuse.If the band is broken or melted, replace the fuse. Be sure you replace a bad fuse with a new oneof the identical size and rating. If you ever have a problem on the road and don't have a spare fuse, you can borrow one that has the same amperage. Just pick a feature of your vehicle that you can get along without like the radio cigarette -or lighter -- and use its fuse, if it is the correct amperage. Replace it as soon as you can. Also, there are spare fuses in the left side instrument panel door. There are three fuse blocks in your vehicle: two instrument panelfuse blocks and the engine compartment fuse block. 6-55