tow CHRYSLER 300 SRT 2007 1.G Owner's Manual

▫6.1L Engine.........................246
▫Reformulated Gasoline.................246
▫Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends..............247
▫MMT In Gasoline.....................247
▫Materials Added To Fuel................247
▫Fuel System Cautions..................248
▫Carbon Monoxide Warnings..............248

Adding Fuel..........................249
▫Fuel Filler Cap (Gas Cap)...............249
▫Loose Fuel Filler Cap Message............251

Vehicle Loading.......................252▫Vehicle Certification Label...............252
▫Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).......252
▫Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).........252
▫Overloading.........................253
▫Loading............................253

Trailer Towing........................254

Recreational Towing
(Behind Motorhome, Etc.)
................254
▫Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle
(Flat Towing With All Four Wheels On The
Ground)............................254

Ground Clearance.....................254
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WARNING!
•Never pour fuel or other flammable liquid into
the throttle body air inlet opening in an attempt to
start the vehicle. This could result in flash fire
causing serious personal injury.
•Do not attempt to push or tow your vehicle to get
it started. Vehicles equipped with an automatic
transmission cannot be started this way. Un-
burned fuel could enter the catalytic converter and
once the engine has started, ignite and damage the
converter and vehicle. If the vehicle has a dis-
charged battery, booster cables may be used to
obtain a start from a booster battery or the battery
in another vehicle. This type of start can be
dangerous if done improperly. See section 6 of
this manual for the proper jump-starting proce-
dures and follow them carefully.
If the engine is flooded, it may start to run, but not have
enough power to continue running when the key is
released. If this occurs, continue cranking up to 15
seconds with the accelerator pedal pushed all the way to
the floor. Release the accelerator pedal and the key once
the engine is running smoothly. Do not overspeed the
engine.
If the engine shows no sign of starting after two 15-
second periods of cranking with the accelerator pedal
held to the floor, the “NORMAL STARTING” procedure
should be repeated.
After Starting
The idle speed is controlled automatically and it will
decrease as the engine warms up.
198 STARTING AND OPERATING

5 Speed Automatic Transmission
Shifting from D (Drive) to P (Park) or R (Reverse) (or
from P or R to D) should be done only after the
accelerator pedal is released and the vehicle is stopped.
Be sure to keep your foot on the brake when moving the
selector lever between these gears.
Gear Ranges
P (Park)
P (Park) supplements the parking brake by locking the
transmission. The engine can be started in this range.Never use P (Park) while the vehicle is in motion.
Apply the parking brake when leaving the vehicle in
this range.
When parking on a flat surface, place the gear selector in
the P (Park) position first, and then apply the parking
brake.
When parking on a hill, it is important to set the parking
brake before placing the gear selector in P (Park), other-
wise the load on the transmission locking mechanism
may make it difficult to move the selector out of park. As
an added precaution, turn the front wheels toward the
curb on a downhill grade and away from the curb on an
uphill grade.
WARNING!
Never use Park position on an automatic transmis-
sion as a substitute for the parking brake. Always
apply parking brake fully when parked to guard
against vehicle movement and possible injury or
damage.
Selector Lever
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The following indicators should be used to ensure that
you have engaged the selector lever into the P (Park)
position:
•When shifting into P (Park) move the lever all the way
forward until it stops, and is fully seated.
•Look at the shift indicator display on the instrument
panel to ensure it is in the P (Park) position.
CAUTION!
Damage to the shifter could result if the selector
lever is moved out of P (Park) before the ignition is
turned from the LOCK to ON position.
R (Reverse)
Shift into R (Reverse) gear only when the vehicle is
completely stopped.
N (Neutral)
No power is transmitted from the engine to the drive
axle. When the brakes are released, the vehicle can be
moved freely (pushed or towed). Do not engage N(Neutral) position while driving except to coast when
the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g., on icy roads).
The engine may be started in this range. Use this range
for starting your vehicle if it is moving or being towed.
CAUTION!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other reason
with selector lever in NEUTRAL can result in trans-
mission damage.
WARNING!
Do not coast in N (Neutral) and never turn off the
ignition to coast down a hill. These are unsafe
practices that limit your response to changing traffic
or road conditions. You might lose control of the
vehicle and have an accident.
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D (Drive)
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down-
shifts and best fuel economy.
The transmission automatically upshifts through fifth
gear. The D (Drive) position provides optimum driving
characteristics under all normal operating conditions.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs when using
the Overdrive range, such as when operating the vehicle
under heavy loading conditions (in hilly terrain, travel-
ing into strong head winds, or while towing heavy
trailers, use the AutoStickmode and select the “3”
range.
AutoStickGear selection
The AutoStickfeature can be selected by pressing the
selector lever to the right or the left with the lever in the
D (Drive) position. The gear currently selected is indi-
cated in the instrument cluster display. Briefly, press the
selector lever in the “D -” direction and the transmission
will shift from the current gear to the next lower gear.Press and hold the selector lever in the “D-” direction and
the transmission will shift from the current gear directly
to the next lowest gear for best acceleration.
NOTE:To avoid overrevving the engine when the
selector lever is moved in “D -” direction, the transmis-
sion will not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s revolu-
tions per minute (RPM) limit would be exceeded.
Briefly, press the selector lever in the “D +” direction and
the transmission will shift from the current gear to the
next higher gear.
Press and hold the selector lever in the “D +” direction
and the transmission will shift from the current gear
directly to gear “D.”
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NOTE:Even if the transmission can be reset, we
recommend that you visit a dealer at your earliest
possible convenience. Your dealer has diagnostic equip-
ment to determine if the problem could recur.
Have the transmission checked at your authorized dealer
as soon as possible.
If the problem has been momentary, the transmission can
be reset to regain all forward gears.
Permanent Transmission Limp Home Mode
Permanent Limp Home Mode will be activated if the
transmission enters temporary Limp Home Mode three
times. Follow the reset procedure described under “Tem-
porary Transmission Limp Home Mode” in this section.
In Permanent Limp Home Mode, P (Park), R (Reverse),
and N (Neutral) will continue to operate. Second gear
will operate in the D (Drive) shifter position. The mal-
function indicator light may illuminate.
AUTOSTICK
Autostickis a driver-interactive transmission that offers
manual gear shifting to provide you with more control of
the vehicle. Autostickallows you to maximize engine
braking, eliminate undesirable upshifts and downshifts,
and improve overall vehicle performance. This system
can also provide you with more control during passing,
city driving, cold slippery conditions, mountain driving,
trailer towing, and many other situations.
AutostickOperation
By placing the selector lever in the D (Drive) position, it
can be moved from side to side. This allows the driver to
select a higher or lower range of gears. Moving the
selector lever to the Left (-) triggers a downshift and to
the Right (+) an upshift. The gear position will display in
the instrument cluster on the transmission range indica-
tor.
NOTE:
•
In Autostickmode, the transmission will only shift
up and down when the driver manually moves the
selector lever Right (D+) or Left (D-).
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PARKING BRAKE
The parking brake should always be applied when the
driver is not in the vehicle.
WARNING!
Never use Park position on an automatic transmis-
sion as a substitute for the parking brake. Always
apply parking brake fully when parked to guard
against vehicle movement and possible injury or
damage.
When parking on a flat surface, place the gear selector in
the P (Park) position first, and then apply the parking
brake.
When parking on a hill, it is important to apply the
parking brake before placing the gear selector in P (Park),
otherwise the load on the transmission locking mecha-
nism may make it difficult to move the selector out of
park. As an added precaution, turn the front wheels
toward the curb on a downhill grade and away from the
curb on an uphill grade.The foot operated parking brake is positioned below the
lower left corner of the instrument panel. To apply the
parking brake, push the parking brake pedal down and
then remove your foot from the pedal. To release the
parking brake, push down on the parking brake pedal
and then release.
The brake light in the instrument cluster will turn on
when the parking brake is applied and the ignition
switch is on.
Parking Brake
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Loading
The vehicle maximum load on the tire must not exceed
the load carrying capacity of the tire on your vehicle. You
will not exceed the tire’s load carrying capacity if you
adhere to the loading conditions, tire size, and cold tire
inflation pressures specified on the “Tire and Loading
Information” placard and in the “Vehicle Loading” sec-
tion of this manual.
NOTE:Under a maximum loaded vehicle condition,
gross axle weight ratings (GAWR’s) for the front and rear
axles must not be exceeded. For further information on
GAWR’s, vehicle loading, and trailer towing, refer to the
“Vehicle Loading” section of this manual.
To determine the maximum loading conditions of your
vehicle, locate the statement “The combined weight of
occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX kg or XXX
lbs.” on the Tire and Loading Information placard. The
combined weight of occupants, cargo/luggage and
trailer tongue weight (if applicable) should never exceed
the weight referenced here.
Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The combined weight of occu-
pants and cargo should never exceed XXX pounds” on
your vehicle’s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and
passengers that will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and pas-
sengers from XXX kilograms or XXX pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of
cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if “XXX”
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will be five 150 lb.
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs. (since 5 x 150 = 750,
and 1400 – 750 = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo
being loaded on the vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your
trailer will be transferred to your vehicle. Consult this
226 STARTING AND OPERATING

manual to determine how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity of your vehicle.
NOTE:The following table shows examples on how to
calculate total load, cargo/luggage, and towing capaci-
ties of your vehicle with varying seating configurations
and number and size of occupants. This table is forillustration purposes only and may not be accurate for
the seating and load carry capacity of your vehicle.NOTE:For the following example, the combined
weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 865
lbs. (392 Kg).
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Overloading
The load carrying components (axle, springs, tires,
wheels, etc.) of your vehicle will provide satisfactory
service as long as you do not exceed the GVWR and front
and rear GAWR.
The best way to figure out the total weight of your
vehicle is to weigh it when it is fully loaded and ready for
operation. Weigh it on a commercial scale to insure that it
is not over the GVWR.
Figure out the weight on the front and rear of the vehicle
separately. It is important that you distribute the load
evenly over the front and rear axles.
Overloading can cause potential safety hazards and
shorten useful service life. Heavier axles or suspension
components do not necessarily increase the vehicle’s
GVWR.
Loading
To load your vehicle properly, first figure out its empty
weight, axle by axle and side by side. Store heavier items
down low and be sure you distribute their weight as
evenly as possible. Stow all loose items securely beforedriving. If weighing the loaded vehicle shows that you
have exceeded either GAWR, but the total load is within
the specified GVWR, you must redistribute the weight.
Improper weight distribution can have an adverse effect
on the way your vehicle steers and handles and the way
the brakes operate.
A loaded vehicle is shown in the illustration. Note that
neither the GVWR nor the GAWR capacities have been
exceeded.
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