Dodge 2009 Challenger Owner's Manual page 254

252 STARTING AND OPERATING
NOTE: During cold weather, you may experience in-
creased effort in shifting until the transmission fluid
warms up. This is normal.
Manual Shifter
Shifting
Fully press the clutch pedal before shifting gears. As you
release the clutch pedal, lightly press the accelerator
pedal.
The six-speed manual transmission has a spring that
centers the shift lever near third and fourth gear. This
spring helps you know which gear you are in when you
are shifting. Be careful when shifting from first to second
or downshifting from sixth to fifth.
The spring will try to pull the shift lever toward third and
fourth gear. Make sure you move the shift lever into
second or fifth gear. If you let the shift lever move in the
direction of the pulling, you may end shifting from first
to fourth or from sixth to third gear.
CAUTION!
Always make sure the vehicle comes to a complete
stop before shifting into REVERSE. Failure to do so
may result in transmission damage.
You must always use first gear (or Reverse) when starting
from a standing position.