warning CHRYSLER 300 M 2004 1.G Owner's Manual

To attach a child restraint tether strap:
1. Lift the cover over the anchor directly behind the seat
where you are placing the child restraint.
2. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path
for the strap between the anchor and the child seat. If
your vehicle is equipped with adjustable rear head
restraints, raise the head restraint and route the tether
strap under the head restraint and between the two posts.
If not possible, lower the head restraint and pass the
tether strap around the outboard side of the head re-
straint.3. Attach the tether strap hook (A) of the child restraint to
the anchor (B) and remove slack in the tether strap
according to the child restraint manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
WARNING!
An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchor positions directly behind
the child seat to secure a child restraint top tether
strap.
Transporting Pets
Airbags deploying in the front seat could harm your pet.
An unrestrained pet will be thrown about and possibly
injured, or injure a passenger during panic braking or in
a collision.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet harnesses
or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
The engine in your new vehicle does not require a long
break-in period.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km).
After the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or 55
mph (80 or 90 km/h) are desirable.
While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration, within the
limits of local traffic laws, contributes to a good break-in.
Wide open throttle acceleration in low gear can be
detrimental and should be avoided.
The crankcase oil installed in the engine at the factory is
a high quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil
changes should be consistent with expected climate con-
ditions under which vehicle operations will occur. The
recommended viscosity and quality grades are in Section
7 of this manual.
Do not use non-detergent or straight mineral oils.
A new engine may consume some oil during its first few
thousand miles of operation. This is a normal part of the
break-in and not an indication of a problem.
SAFETY TIPS
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO) which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO)
follow the safety tips below.
•Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in confined
areas any longer than needed to move your vehicle in
or out of the area.
•If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running, adjust your heating or cooling con-
trols to force outside air into the vehicle. Set the blower
at high speed.
•To avoid drawing exhaust gases into the vehicle, close
the trunk while driving. However, if for some reason it
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47
2

NOTE:Place the mirror switch in the neutral (center)
position to prevent accidental changing of the mirror
setting.
Supplemental Indicators — 300M Special Only
The 300M Special is equipped with Supplemental Indi-
cators on each of the side mirrors. When using the
Multifunction Control lever to signal, small lights in the
side outside mirrors will flash designating the direction
of the turn.
Mirror Adjustment
Outside Mirror — Driver’s Side
Adjust the outside mirror to center on the adjacent lane of
traffic, with a slight overlap of the view obtained on the
inside mirror.
Right Side Mirror
Adjust the convex outside mirror so you can just see the
side of your vehicle. This type of mirror will give a much
wider view to the rear, and especially of the lane next to
your vehicle.
WARNING!
Vehicles and other objects seen in the right side
convex mirror will look smaller and farther away
than they really are. Relying too much on your right
side mirror could cause you to collide with another
vehicle or other object. Use your inside mirror when
judging the size or distance of a vehicle seen in this
convex mirror.
Mirror Tilt in Reverse
This feature will tilt the driver’s exterior mirror down-
ward to improve visibility of the rear wheel area when
the vehicle is placed in reverse. Once reverse is disen-
gaged, the driver’s exterior mirror will return to it’s
original position.
This feature can be turned on or off by performing the
following procedure:
1. Press and hold the Set button.
2. Move the horizontal seat switch forward.
3. Release the Set button and the horizontal seat switch.
56 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

On vehicles equipped with an EVIC (Electronic Vehicle
Information Center), these functions can be selected at
the EVIC using the Customer Programmable Features.
Refer to EVIC-Customer Programmable Features for de-
tails.
Illuminated Vanity Mirrors
An illuminated vanity mirror is on each sun visor. To use
the mirror, rotate the sun visor down and swing the
mirror cover upward. The lamps turn on automatically.
Closing the mirror cover turns off the lamps.
SEATS
Power Seats
The power seat switch is on the outboard side of the seat
near the floor. Use this switch to move the driver’s seat
up or down, forward or rearward, or to tilt the seat. The
passenger’s seat will move forward or rearward.
WARNING!
Adjusting a seat while the vehicle is moving is
dangerous. The sudden movement of the seat could
cause you to lose control. The seat belt might not be
properly adjusted and you could be injured. Adjust
the seat only while the vehicle is parked.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 57
3

CAUTION!
Do not place any article under a power seat as it may
cause damage to the seat controls.
Power Reclining Seats
The recliner control is on the outboard side of the seat.
WARNING!
Do not ride with the seatback reclined so that the
shoulder belt is no longer resting against your chest.
In a collision you could slide under the seat belt and
be seriously or even fatally injured. Use the recliner
only when the vehicle is parked.
Driver’s Seat Glide –To – Exit Feature
This feature provides ease of entry and exit for the driver
by moving the driver’s seat approximately 2–1/8 inches
(55mm) rearward on exit and the same distance forward
after entry, provided that the seat is not in the full
rearward position.After entry, the seat will return to its previously set
position after one of the following occurs:
•The ignition switch is turned on
•The seatbelt is fastened (the seat moves when the seat
belt webbing is pulled out.)
During exit, the seat will move rearward from the set
position when the key is removed from the ignition
providing that the seat is not in the full rearward
position.
This feature can be turned on or off by performing the
following procedure.
1. Press and hold the Set button.
2. Move the horizontal seat switch rearward.
3. Release the Set button and the horizontal seat switch.
NOTE:The glide feature is only available on the
driver’s seat.
58 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
The cargo area in the rear of the vehicle (with the
rear seatbacks in the locked-up or folded down
position) should not be used as a play area by
children when the vehicle is in motion. They could
be seriously injured in an accident. Children should
be seated and using the proper restraint system.
TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOOD
To open the hood, two latches must be released. First pull
up on the hood release lever located under the left side of
the instrument panel.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 63
3

Then lift up on the catch located under the front edge of
the hood, near the center.
To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Use a firm downward push at the center front
edge of the hood to ensure that both latches engage.
Never drive your vehicle unless the hood is fully closed,
with both latches engaged.WARNING!
If the hood is not fully latched, it could fly up when
the vehicle is moving and block your forward vision.
You could have a collision. Be sure all hood latches
are fully latched before driving.
INTERIOR LIGHTS
To Turn The Interior Lights On:
Rotate the Dimmer Control upward to the second detent.
Rotate the switch downward to turn the interior lights
off.
NOTE:The interior lights have a “fade to off” feature.
When the lights are turned off, they gradually “fade” off.
Battery Saver Feature—Interior Lights
The interior courtesy lights come on when a door is open
or left ajar. To prevent battery drain, if you leave a door
open or ajar these lights will turn off after 15 minutes.
After you close the door, the interior courtesy lights will
again function in the normal matter.
64 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Windshield Wipers And Washers
The wipers and washers are operated by a switch in the
control lever. Turn the end of the handle to select the
desired wiper speed.
To use the washer, push the knob in when spray is
desired. If the button is pushed while in the delay range,
the wiper will operate for several seconds after the knob
is released, and then resume the intermittent interval.
If the button is pushed and held while in the OFF
position, the wiper will operate for several wipes then
turn off.If the button is pushed while in the OFF position, the
wipers will cycle twice.
WARNING!
Sudden loss of visibility through the windshield
could lead to an accident. You might not see other
vehicles or other obstacles. To avoid sudden icing of
the windshield during freezing weather, warm the
windshield with the defroster before and during
windshield washer use.
Speed Sensitive Intermittent Wipers System
Use the intermittent feature of this system when weather
conditions make a single wiping cycle, with a variable
pause between cycles, desirable.
For maximum delay between cycles, turn the control
knob into the upper end of the delay range. The delay
interval decreases as you turn the knob until it enters the
LO continual speed position. The delay can be regulated
from a maximum of about 18 seconds between cycles, to
a cycle every 1/2 second.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 69
3

NOTE:Vehicle speed is monitored to calculate wiper
delay intervals. The delay between cycles is shortened
when the vehicle is moving above 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h)
and lengthened below 10 m.p.h. (16 km/h).
TILT STEERING COLUMN
To tilt the column, pull the small lever below the turn
signal control toward you and move the wheel up or
down, as desired. Release the lever to lock the wheel
firmly in place.
WARNING!
Tilting the steering column while the vehicle is
moving is dangerous. Without a stable steering col-
umn, you could lose control of the vehicle and have
an accident. Adjust the column only while the ve-
hicle is stopped. Be sure it is locked before driving.
TRACTION CONTROL SWITCH
To turn the Traction Control System Off, press the switch
located on the instrument panel, to the right of the
steering column, until the TRAC OFF light in the instru-
ment cluster lights up.
70 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

To Activate:
Push the ON/OFF button to turn the system ON. The
CRUISE light in the instrument cluster will illuminate
when the system is ON.
NOTE:You must press the ON/OFF button to activate
the system each time the engine is started.
WARNING!
Leaving the Electronic Speed Control system on
when not in use is dangerous. You could accidentally
set the system or cause it to go faster than you want.
You could lose control and have an accident. Always
leave the system OFF when you are not using it.
To Set At A Desired Speed:
When the vehicle has reached the desired speed, and the
system is activated, press and release the SET button.
Release the accelerator and the vehicle will operate at the
selected speed.
To Deactivate:
A soft tap on the brake pedal, pushing the CANCEL
button or normal brake pressure while slowing the
vehicle will deactivate the speed control without erasing
the memory. Pushing the ON/OFF button or turning off
the ignition turns the speed control system off and erases
the memory.
72 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE