2005 DODGE STRATUS SEDAN Owners Manual

CAUTION!
To avoid damage to the mirror during cleaning,
never spray any cleaning solution directly onto the
mirror. Apply the solution onto a clean cloth and
wipe the mirror clean.
Electric Remote-Control Mirrors—If Equipped
Both of the outside mirrors can be adjusted by using the
remote controls mounted on the instrument panel to the
left of the steering wheel.
NOTE:Place the mirror selector switch in the center
(neutral) position to prevent accidental movement of the
mirrors.
Power Mirror Controls
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 57
3

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.
Outside Mirror—Passenger’s Side
Adjust the convex outside mirror so you can just see the
side of your vehicle in the part of the mirror closest to the
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.
Illuminated Vanity Mirrors—If Equipped
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 lights will turn on automati-
cally. Closing the mirror cover turns off the lights.
Illuminated Vanity Mirror
58 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

SEATS
Manual Front Seat Adjustments
Forward/Rearward
The adjusting bar is at the front of the seats, near the
floor. Pull the bar up to move the seat to the desired
position.
After releasing the adjusting bar, apply forward and
rearward body pressure to be sure the seat is latched.
Reclining Bucket Seats
The recliner control is on the side of the seat. To recline,
lean forward slightly before lifting the lever, then lean
back to the desired position and release the lever. Lean
forward and lift the lever to return the seatback to its
normal position.
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.
•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.
Manual Seat Adjuster
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 59
3

Lumbar Support—If Equipped
This feature allows you to increase or decrease the
amount of lumbar support. The control lever is located
on the inboard side of the driver’s seatback. Turn the
control lever forward to increase and rearward to de-
crease the desired amount of lumbar support.
Power Seats—If Equipped
The power seat switches are on the outboard side of the
seat near the floor. Use the front switch to move the seat
up, down, forward, rearward, or to tilt the seat. The rear
switch controls the seatback recliner.
CAUTION!
Do not place any article under a power seat as it may
cause damage to the seat controls.
Power Seat Switches
60 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Adjustable Head Restraints
Head restraints can reduce the risk of whiplash injury in
the event of impact from the rear. Adjust the restraints so
that the upper edge is as high as practical. To raise, pull
up on the head restraint. To lower, depress the button on
the post guide and push down on the head restraint.
Folding Rear Seat
To provide additional storage area, the rear seatback can
be folded forward. Pull on the loops shown in the picture
to fold down either or both seatbacks.
When returning the rear seat back to the upright position
be sure the seat back is latched.
Adjustable Head RestraintFolding Rear Seats
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 61
3

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
the hood release lever located under the left side of the
instrument panel.
Hood Release Lever
62 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Then lift the secondary latch located under the front edge
of the hood, near the center and raise the hood.
Use the hood prop rod to secure the hood in the open
position. Place the upper end of the prop rod in the hole
marked“prop”on the underside of the hood.
To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Use a firm downward push at the center of the
hood to ensure that both latches engage.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.
LIGHTS
Interior Lights
The map/courtesy lights come on when a door is opened
and the panel lamp dimmer switch (located on the turn
signal control stalk) is in any detent except fully counter-
clockwise (dome lamp ON position) or fully clockwise
(dome lamp OFF position). Rotating the panel dimmer
switch fully counter-clockwise will turn on the lights.
Turn the panel dimmer switch fully clockwise to prevent
the lights from coming on when a door is opened.
NOTE:The interior lights have a“fade to off”feature.
When the lights are turned off, they gradually“fade”off.
Hood Safety Catch
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 63
3

Dimmer Control
With the parking lights or headlights
on, rotating the dimmer control for the
interior lights on the Multi-Function
Control Lever upward will increase
the brightness of the instrument panel
lights.
Dome Light Position
Rotate the dimmer control completely
upward to the second detent to turn
on the interior lights. The interior
lights will remain on when the dim-
mer control is in this position.
Interior Light Defeat (OFF)
Rotate the dimmer control to the ex-
treme bottom full-circle position. The
interior lights will remain off when the
doors are open.
Daytime Mode (Daytime Brightness Feature)
Rotate the dimmer control to the first
detent (full-circle). This feature bright-
ens the odometer and radio display
when the parking lights or headlights
are on during daylight conditions.
64 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE