Fuel Requirements

FUEL REQUIREMENTS
Your engine is designed to meet all emissions regulations and provide excellent fuel economy and performance when using high quality unleaded gasoline having an octane rating of 87. The use of premium gasoline is not recommended. The use of premium gasoline will provide no benefit over high quality regular gasoline, 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 immediate service is required. Engine damage resulting from operation 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 hesitations. If you experience these symptoms, try another brand of gasoline before considering service for the vehicle.

Over 40 auto manufacturers world-wide have issued and endorsed consistent gasoline specifications (the Worldwide Fuel Charter, WWFC) to define fuel properties necessary to deliver enhanced emissions, performance and durability for your vehicle. We recommend the use of gasolines that meet the WWFC specifications if they are available.

Reformulated Gasoline
Many areas of the country require the use of cleaner-burning fuel referred to as "reformulated" gasoline. Reformulated gasoline contains oxygenates and are specifically blended to reduce vehicle emissions and improve air quality.

DaimlerChrysler strongly supports the use of reformulated gasoline whenever available. Although your vehicle was designed to provide optimum performance and lowest emissions operating on high quality unleaded gasoline, it will perform equally well and produce even lower emissions when operating on reformulated gasoline.

Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends
Some fuel suppliers blend unleaded gasoline with oxygenates such as ethanol, MTBE, and ETBE. Oxygenates are required in some areas of the country during the winter months to reduce carbon monoxide emissions. The type and amount of oxygenate used in the blend is important.

The following are generally used in gasoline blends:

Ethanol - (Ethyl or Grain Alcohol) properly blended, is used as a mixture of 10 % ethanol and 90 % gasoline. Gasoline blended with ethanol may be used in your vehicle.

MTBE/ETBE - Gasoline and MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) blends are a mixture of unleaded gasoline and up to 15 % MTBE. Gasoline and ETBE (Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) are blends of gasoline and up to 17 % ETBE. Gasoline blended with MTBE or ETBE may be used in your vehicle.

Methanol - Methanol (Methyl or Wood Alcohol) is used in a variety of concentrations blended with unleaded gasoline. You may encounter fuels containing 3 % or more methanol along with other alcohols called cosolvents.

DO NOT USE GASOLINE CONTAINING METHANOL. DAMAGE TO CRITICAL FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS MAY OCCUR.

Use of methanol/gasoline blends may result in starting and driveability problems and damage critical fuel system components.

Problems that are the result of using methanol/gasoline blends are not the responsibility of Chrysler Corporation and may not be covered by the vehicle warranty.

MMT In Gasoline
MMT is a manganese-containing metallic additive that is blended into some gasoline to increase octane. Gasoline blended with MMT provide no performance advantage beyond gasoline of the same octane number without MMT. Gasoline blended with MMT reduce spark plug life and reduce emission system performance in some vehicles. We recommend that gasolines free of MMT be used in your vehicle. The MMT content of gasoline may not be indicated on the gasoline pump; therefore, you should ask your gasoline retailer whether or not his/her gasoline contains MMT.

It is even more important to look for gasoline with out MMT in Canada because MMT can be used at levels higher than allowed in the United States. MMT is prohibited in Federal and California reformulated gasoline.

Sulfur In Gasoline
If you live in the northeast United States, your vehicle may have been designed to meet California low emission standards with Cleaner-Burning California reformulated gasoline with low sulfur. If such fuels are not available in states adopting California emission standards, your vehicles will operate satisfactorily on fuels meeting federal specifications, but emission control system performance may be adversely affected. Gasoline sold outside of California is permitted to have higher sulfur levels which may affect the performance of the vehicle's catalytic converter. This may cause the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light to illuminate. We recommend that you try a different brand of unleaded gasoline having lower sulfur to determine if the problem is fuel related prior to returning your vehicle to an authorized dealer for service.

CAUTION: If the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light is flashing, immediate service is required; see on-board diagnostics system .

Materials Added To Fuel
All gasoline sold in the United States and Canada are required to contain effective detergent additives. Indiscriminate use of fuel system cleaning agents should be avoided. Many of these materials intended for gum and varnish removal may contain active solvents of similar ingredients that can be harmful to fuel system gasket and diaphragm materials.

FUEL SYSTEM CAUTIONS

CAUTION: Follow these guidelines to maintain your vehicle's performance:

- The use of leaded gas is prohibited by Federal law. Using leaded gasoline can impair engine performance, damage the emission control system, and could result in loss of warranty coverage.

- An out-of-tune engine, or certain fuel or ignition malfunctions, can cause the catalytic converter to overheat. If you notice a pungent burning odor or some light smoke, your engine may be out of tune or malfunctioning and may require immediate service. Contact your dealer for service assistance.

- When pulling a heavy load or driving a fully loaded vehicle when the humidity is low and the temperature is high, use a premium unleaded fuel to help prevent spark knock. If spark knock persists, lighten the load, or engine piston damage may result.

- The use of fuel additives which are now being sold as octane enhancers is not recommended. Most of these products contain high concentrations of methanol. Fuel system damage or vehicle performance problems resulting from the use of such fuels or additives is not the responsibility of DaimlerChrysler Corporation and may not be covered under the new vehicle warranty

NOTE: Intentional tampering with emissions control Systems can result in civil penalties being assessed against you.