2004 DODGE STRATUS Owners Manual

WARNING!
High speed driving with your vehicle under maxi-
mum load is dangerous. The added strain on your
tires could cause them to fail. You could have a
serious accident. Don't drive a vehicle loaded to the
maximum capacity at continuous speeds above 75
mph (120 km/h).
Radial-Ply Tires
WARNING!
Combining radial ply tires with other types of tires
on your vehicle will cause your vehicle to handle
poorly. The instability could cause an accident. Al-
ways use radial ply tires in sets of four (or 6, in case
of trucks with dual rear wheels). Never combine
them with other types of tires.
Cuts and punctures in radial tires are repairable only in
the tread area because of sidewall flexing. Consult your
authorized tire dealer for radial tire repairs.
Compact Spare Tire Ð If Equipped
The compact spare is for temporary emergency use with
radial tires. It is engineered to be used on your style
vehicle only. Since this tire has limited tread life, the
original tire should be repaired (or replaced) and rein-
stalled at the first opportunity.
WARNING!
Temporary use spare tires are for emergency use
only. With these tires, do not drive more than 50 mph
(80 km/h). Temporary-use spare tires have a total
tread life of 3,000 miles (4 800 km). Be sure to follow
the warnings which apply to your spare. Failure to
do so could result in spare tire failure and loss of
vehicle control.
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Do not install a wheel cover or attempt to mount a
conventional tire on the compact spare wheel, since the
wheel is designed specifically for the compact spare.
Do not install more than one compact spare tire/wheel
on the vehicle at any given time.
CAUTION!
Because of the reduced ground clearance, do not take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with the
compact spare installed. Damage to the vehicle may
result.
Tire Spinning
When stuck in mud, sand, snow, or ice conditions, do not
spin your vehicle's wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h).
See the paragraph on Freeing A Stuck Vehicle in Section
6 of this manual.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated by excessive wheel speeds may cause tire dam-
age or failure. A tire could explode and injure
someone. Do not spin your vehicle's wheels faster
than 35 mph (55km/h) when you are stuck. And don't
let anyone near a spinning wheel, no matter what the
speed.
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Tread Wear Indicators
Tread wear indicators are in the original equipment tires
to help you in determining when your tires should be
replaced.
These indicators are molded into the bottom of the tread
grooves and will appear as bands when the tread depth
becomes 1/16 inch (2 mm). When the indicators appear
in 2 or more adjacent grooves, the tire should be replaced.
Many states have laws requiring tire replacement at this
point.
Replacement Tires
The tires on your new vehicle provide a balance of many
characteristics. They should be inspected regularly for
wear and correct cold tire inflation pressure. The manu-
facturer strongly recommends that you use tires equiva-
lent to the originals in size, quality and performance
when replacement is needed (see the paragraph on tread
wear indicators). Refer to the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard for the size designation of your tire. The
service description and load identification will be found
on the original equipment tire. Failure to use equivalent
replacement tires may adversely affect the safety, han-
dling, and ride of your vehicle. We recommend that you
contact your original equipment or an authorized tire
dealer with any questions you may have on tire specifi-
cations or capability.
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WARNING!
²Do not use a tire, wheel size or rating other than
that specified for your vehicle. Some combina-
tions of unapproved tires and wheels may change
suspension dimensions and performance charac-
teristics, resulting in changes to steering, han-
dling, and braking of your vehicle. This can cause
unpredictable handling and stress to steering and
suspension components. You could lose control
and have an accident resulting in serious injury or
death. Use only the tire and wheel sizes with load
ratings approved for your vehicle.
²Never use a tire with a smaller load index or
capacity, other than what was originally equipped
on your vehicle. Using a tire with a smaller load
index could result in tire overloading and failure.
You could lose control and have an accident.
²Failure to equip your vehicle with tires having
adequate speed capability can result in sudden
tire failure and loss of vehicle control.
CAUTION!
Replacing original tires with tires of a different size
may result in false speedometer and odometer read-
ings.
Alignment And Balance
Poor suspension alignment may result in:
²Fast tire wear.
²Uneven tire wear, such as feathering and one-sided
wear.
²Vehicle pull to right or left.
Tires may also cause the vehicle to pull to the left or right.
Alignment will not correct this condition. See your dealer
for proper diagnosis.
Improper alignment will not cause vehicle vibration.
Vibration may be a result of tire and wheel out-of-
balance. Proper balancing will reduce vibration and
avoid tire cupping and spotty wear.
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TIRE CHAINS
Due to limited clearance, tire chains are not recom-
mended.
CAUTION!
Damage to the vehicle may result if tire chains are
used.
SNOW TIRES
Some areas of the country require the use of snow tires
during winter. Standard tires are of the all season type
and satisfy this requirement as indicated by the M+S
designation on the tire side wall.
If you need snow tires, select tires equivalent in size and
type to the original equipment tires. Use snow tires only
in sets of 4, failure to do so may adversely affect the
safety and handling of your vehicle.Snow tires generally have lower speed ratings than what
was originally equipped with your vehicle and should
not be operated at sustained speeds over 75 mph (120
km/h).
Tire Rotation Recommendations
Tires on the front and rear axles of vehicles operate at
different loads and perform different steering, driving
and braking functions. For these reasons, they wear at
unequal rates, and tend to develop irregular wear pat-
terns.
These effects can be reduced by timely rotation of tires.
The benefits of rotation are especially worthwhile with
aggressive tread designs such as those on all season type
tires. Rotation will increase tread life, help to maintain
mud, snow and wet traction levels, and contribute to a
smooth, quiet ride.
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Follow the recommended tire rotation frequency for your
type of driving found in the ªMaintenance Schedulesº
Section of this manual. More frequent rotation is permis-
sible if desired. The suggested rotation method is the
ªforward-crossº shown in the diagram.AUTOSTICK Ð IF EQUIPPED
Autostick is a driver-interactive transaxle that offers
manual gear shifting capability to provide you with more
control. Autostick allows you to maximize engine brak-
ing, 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.
Autostick Operation
The Autostick position is just below the Overdrive posi-
tion and is identified by the word ªAUTOSTICKº. When
you place the shift lever in the Autostick position, it can
be moved from side to side. Moving the lever to the left
(-) triggers a downshift and to the right (+) an upshift.
The gear position will be shown in the transmission gear
display.
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You can shift in or out of the autostick mode at any time
without taking your foot off the accelerator pedal. If you
choose the Overdrive mode, the transaxle will operate
automatically; shifting between the four available gears.
When you wish to engage autostick, simply move the
autostick lever to the AUTOSTICK position. The trans-
axle will remain in the current gear until an upshift or
downshift is chosen.
Move the lever back to the Overdrive position to shift out
of the Autostick mode.
Autostick General Information
²
The transaxle will automatically upshift from first to
second gear and from second to third gear when
engine speed reaches about 6300 RPM.
²Downshifts from third to second gear above 66 mph
(106 km/h) and from second to first gear above 37
mph (60 km/h) will be ignored.
²You can start out in first, second, or third gear. Shifting
into fourth gear can occur only after vehicle speed
reaches 15 mph (24 km/h).
²The transaxle will automatically downshift to first
gear when coming to a stop.
²Starting out in third gear is helpful in snowy or icy
conditions.
²While in the Autostick mode, Speed Control will only
function in third or fourth gear. Downshifting out of
third gear turns off speed control.
²If the system detects powertrain overheating, the
transaxle will revert to the automatic shift mode and
remain in that mode until the powertrain cools off.
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²If the system detects a problem it will disable the
Autostick mode and the transaxle will return to the
automatic mode until the problem is corrected.
FUEL REQUIREMENTS
Your vehicle is designed to meet all emis-
sion regulations and provide excellent fuel
economy when using high quality regular
unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of
87. The use of premium gasoline is not
recommended. The use of premium gaso-
line will provide no benefit over high quality regular
gasolines, and in some circumstances, may result in
poorer performance.
Light spark knock at low engine speeds is not harmful to
your engine. However, continued heavy spark knock at
high speeds can cause damage and should be reported to
your dealer immediately. Engine damage resulting from
operating with a heavy spark knock may not be covered
by the new vehicle warranty.Poor quality gasoline can cause problems such as hard
starting, stalling and stumble. If you experience these
problems, try another brand of regular gasoline before
considering service for the vehicle.Reformulated Gasoline
Many areas of the country require the use of cleaner
burning fuel referred to as ªReformulated Gasolineº.
Reformulated gasolines contain oxygenates, and are spe-
cially blended to reduce vehicle emissions and improve
air quality.
The manufacturer supports the use of reformulated gaso-
lines. Properly blended reformulated gasolines will pro-
vide excellent performance and durability of engine and
fuel system components.
Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends
Some fuel suppliers blend unleaded gasoline with mate-
rials called oxygenates such as 10% ethanol, MTBE and
ETBE. Oxygenates are required in some areas of the
country during the winter months to reduce carbon
monoxide emissions. Fuels blended with these oxygen-
ates may be used in your vehicle.
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