2004 CHRYSLER 300 M lights

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

NOTE:The map lights or reading lights that are manu-
ally switched on will not turn off automatically.
Instrument Panel Lighting
The brightness of the instrument panel lighting can be
regulated by rotating the dimmer switch.
Daytime Brightness Feature
Certain instrument panel components can be illuminated
at full brightness during the daytime. These are the
Odometer, Transmission Range Indicator, Radio, Climate
Controls, and the Overhead Travel Information Center.
This can be helpful when driving with your headlightson during the daytime such as in a parade or a funeral
procession. To activate this feature, rotate the Dimmer
Control upward to the first detent.
Front Map/Reading Lights
These lights are mounted between the sun visors. Each
light is turned On by pressing the lens. Press the lens a
second time to turn the light Off. The lights also come on
when a door is opened or the dimmer switch is turned
fully upward, past the second detent.
NOTE:The lights will remain on until the switch is
pressed a second time, so be sure they have been turned
off before leaving the vehicle. They will not turn off
automatically.
Rear Seat Reading/Courtesy Lights
These lights may be individually operated by a switch
next to the light. The Battery Saver feature will not turn
these lights off. Be sure the lights are off before leaving
the vehicle. The lights also come on when a door is
opened or the dimmer switch is turned to the dome light
position, past the detent.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 65
3

EXTERIOR LIGHTS
Headlights And Parking Lights
When the headlight switch is turned clockwise
from Off to the first position, the parking lights,
taillights, side marker lights, license plate light and
instrument panel lights are all turned on. The headlights
turn on when the switch is turned to the second position.
Lights-On Reminder
If the headlights or parking lights are left on after the
ignition is turned Off, a chime will sound when the
driver’s door is opened.
Automatic Headlights
This system automatically turns your headlights on at a
preset level of outdoor lighting. To turn the system on,
turn the headlight switch to the extreme left. When the
system is on, the headlight delay feature is also on. This
means that your headlights will stay on for about 90
seconds after you turn the ignition switch off. To turn the
66 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Automatic system off, turn the headlight switch clock-
wise, to the off position.
The engine must be running before the headlights will
come on in the automatic mode.
NOTE:The Automatic Headlight System will turn on
the headlights if it detects that the windshield wipers
have been in operation for more than 10 seconds.
NOTE:Your 300M Special vehicle may be equipped
with high intensity headlights (HID). When first turned
on these lights take on a blue hue for about 15 seconds
after which they brighten to a clear light.
Headlight Time Delay
This feature provides the safety of headlight illumination
for about 90 seconds when leaving your vehicle in an
unlighted area. For vehicles equipped with Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), this is customer pro-
grammable to Off, 30, 60, or 90 seconds. (See the Elec-
tronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) section of this
manual.)To activate the delay, turn off the ignition while the
headlights are still on. Then turn off the headlights within
45 seconds. The delay interval begins when the ignition is
turned off.
If the headlights are turned off before the ignition, they
will go off in the normal manner.
Battery Saver Feature
If an exterior light is left on when the ignition switch is
moved to the Off position, it will automatically turn off
after 10 minutes. Normal operation will resume when the
ignition is turned On or when the headlight switch is
turned to another position.
Fog Lights
Turn the headlight switch to any ON position,
then pull out the headlight switch knob to turn on
the fog lights. A light near the switch will illumi-
nate to show that the Fog Lights are On.
NOTE:Turning on the high beam headlights will turn
off the fog lights. Fog light operation will resume when
the high beams are turned off and the lights return to the
low beam, parking light, or automatic positions.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 67
3

Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only)
The headlights are on at a dimmer level whenever the
vehicle is started and the parking brake is released. The
lights remain on until the ignition switch is turned OFF.
MULTIFUNCTION CONTROL LEVERTurn Signals
The arrows on each side of the instrument cluster flash to
show operation of the front and rear turn signal lights. If
either light flashes at an extremely fast rate, check for a
defective outside light bulb. If both of the indicators fail
to light when the lever is moved, it would suggest that
the fuse or indicator bulbs are defective.
Headlight Dimmer Switch
Pull the multi-function control lever toward the steering
wheel to switch the headlights from high or low beam.
Passing Light
You can signal another vehicle with your headlights by
lightly pulling the multi-function lever toward the steer-
ing wheel. This will cause the headlights to turn on at
high beam and remain on until the lever is released.
68 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

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

downshift again to second gear. The transmission will
upshift as the vehicle reaches the top of the hill.
When Descending A Hill
If vehicle speed rises 3 mph (5 km/h) over the Speed
Control SET speed, the transmission will downshift to
third gear. This provides engine braking to keep vehicle
speed under control. The transmission will not downshift
below third gear to control vehicle overspeed. The trans-
mission will upshift to fourth gear after the vehicle has
reached the bottom of the hill.
NOTE:On very steep hills, a greater speed loss or gain
may occur. It may be preferable to drive without Speed
Control.
Rolling Hills
The transmission may downshift into third gear and
remain there as the vehicle travels over rolling hills. The
transmission will upshift into fourth gear when the road
flattens out.
The transmission will resume its normal shift schedule if
you depress the accelerator pedal during any of the
above conditions.
OVERHEAD CONSOLE
The overhead console contains dome/reading lights, an
optional universal garage door opener (HomeLink), an
optional sunroof switch, and either an Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC) or an Overhead Travel Infor-
mation System (OTIS).
Dome/Reading Lights
Located in the overhead console are two dome/reading
lights.
74 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

The dome/reading lights illuminate when a door is
opened or when the interior lights are turned on by
rotating the dimmer control located on the multi-function
lever.
The reading lights are activated by pressing on the
recessed area of the corresponding lens.
NOTE:The dome/reading lights will remain on until
the switch is pressed a second time, so be sure they have
been turned off before leaving the vehicle.
GARAGE DOOR OPENER — IF EQUIPPED
Equipped in vehicles that have the optional Overhead
Travel Information System (OTIS)
The HomeLinkUniversal Transceiver replaces up to
three remote controls (hand held transmitters) that oper-
ate devices such as garage door openers, motorized
gates, or home lighting. It triggers these devices at the
push of a button. The Universal Transceiver operates off
your vehicle’s battery and charging system; no batteries
are needed.For additional information on HomeLink, call
1–800–355–3515, or on the internet at
www.homelink.com.
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 75
3