1998 Lexus LS400 ignition

STARTING AND DRIVING
158driver’s door, a buzzer will remind you to remove the key.*
NOTE: *The volume or interval of beep sound can be changed.
Ask your Lexus dealer for details.
31L0031
”LOCK” Engine is off and the steering wheel is locked. The
ignition key can be removed only at this position.
To turn the key from ”ACC” to the ”LOCK” position, you must put
the transmission selector lever in the ”P” position.
Once you remove the key, the engine immobiliser system is
automatically set. See ”Engine immobiliser system” on page 10.
When starting the engine, the key may seem stuck at the ”LOCK”
position. To free it, first be sure the key is pushed all the way in, and
then rock the steering wheel slightly while turning the key gently.
If, in an emergency, you must turn the engine off while the vehicle
is moving, turn the key only to ”ACC”.
PARKING BRAKE
31L005
1
To set: Fully depress the parking brake pedal.
2
To release: Pull the parking brake release lever.
Before leaving your vehicle, firmly apply the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure the parking brake is fully released
and that the parking brake reminder light is off.

STARTING AND DRIVING
160
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Your automatic transmission has a shift lock system to minimize
the possibility of incorrect operation. This means you can only
shift out of ”P” position when the brake pedal is depressed with
the ignition switch in ”ON” position. ()
31L078
The shift position is displayed on the instrument cluster.P:Parking, engine starting and key removal position
R:Reverse position
N:Neutral position
D:Normal driving position (Shifting into overdrive possible)
4:Position for engine braking (Shifting into overdrive not
possible)
When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift
from ”D” to ”4”, engine braking will not be applied because
the cruise control is not cancelled. For the operation to
decrease the vehicle speed, see page 170.
3, 2:Position for more powerful engine braking
L:Position for maximum engine braking

STARTING AND DRIVING
161 Correct use of the automatic transmission is explained in the
following parts.
(a) Normal driving
(b) Using engine braking
(c) Using the ”3”, ”2” and ”L” positions
(d) Backing up
(e) Parking
(f) Good driving practice
(g) Rocking your vehicle if stuck
(h) If you cannot shift the selector lever
(i) If the ”ECT PWR” indicator light flashes
(a) Normal driving
31L0072
1
”P” (Park) position 2
”N” (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ”How to start the engine” on
page 159.
The transmission must be in ”P” or ”N”. The engine will not start
in any drive position even if the ignition key is turned to ”START”.

STARTING AND DRIVING
168In the power mode, the ”ECT PWR” light in the instrument cluster
is on and the transmission is shifted up at higher vehicle speeds and
shifted down more responsively than is the normal mode.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern selector
switch lightly on the ”SNOW” side.
Snow mode: For slippery road surfaces such as in snow. In this
mode, the spinning of the rear wheels is controlled appropriately.
When you push the driving pattern selector switch on the ”SNOW”
side, the snow mode is turned on and the ”ECT SNOW” light in the
instrument cluster comes on.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern selector
switch on the ”SNOW” side again.
When you turn the ignition switch off in the snow mode, the mode
automatically changes to the normal mode.
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle at a desired
speed over 40 km/h (25 mph) with your foot off the accelerator
pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or down a gradient, within the
limits of engine performance. On steeper hills, a great speed change
will occur so it is better to drive without the cruise control.
When the cruise control is on, the driving pattern of the automatic
transmission is fixed in the normal position, regardless of the
position of the selector switch.
CAUTION
To help maintain maximum control of your vehicle, do not
use the cruise control when driving in heavy or varying
traffic, or on slippery (rainy, icy or snowcovered) or
winding roads.
Avoid vehicle speed increases when driving downhill. If the
vehicle speed is too fast in relation to the cruise control set
speed, cancel the cruise control then downshift the
transmission to use engine braking to slow down.

STARTING AND DRIVING
169
Turning on the system
31L067
To operate the cruise control, push the main switch. This turns the
system on. The indicator light in the instrument cluster shows that
you can now set your desired cruising speed. Another push on the
switch will turn the system completely off.
When the ignition key is turned off, the main switch is also
automatically turned off. To use the cruise control again, push the
main switch again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep the main
switch off when not using the cruise control.
Setting at a desired speed
31L068
The transmission must be in ”D” or ”4” before you set the cruise
control speed.
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the ”SET/COAST” direction and release it. This sets
the vehicle at that speed. Now you may take your foot off the
accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration for example, when
passing depress the accelerator pedal enough for the vehicle to
exceed the set speed. When you release the accelerator pedal, the
vehicle will return to the speed set prior to the acceleration.
Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by either of the following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the ”CANCEL” direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.

STARTING AND DRIVING
172”NORMAL” mode For driving on roads with a normal surface.
”HIGH” mode For driving on rough roads which are unsurfaced
or continually bumpy.
The damping effect is set slightly firmer in ”HIGH” mode. So you
may feel the vibration of the vehicle compared to in ”NORMAL”
mode. However, this does not mean a malfunction in the system. We
recommend you use a ”NORMAL” mode in normal driving.
To change the mode, push the selector switch.
”NORMAL” mode
The vehicle height remains at normal height at all driving speeds.
”HIGH” mode
The vehicle height switches between the following two vehicle
heights according to the driving conditions:
Vehicle height
Driving condition
NormalMedium and high speed driving
HighLow speed driving
31L016-2
The indicator light shows ”HIGH” mode is selected.
When you turn the ignition key to the ”ON” position, the indicator
light will come on for 2 seconds in any mode.
NOTICE
For vehicles equipped with the height control switch, be sure to
turn the ignition switch off before jacking. If this is not done, the
vehicle height adjustment function will operate, which may
cause body damage.
(b) Malfunction warning
If the ”HI” indicator light blinks, there is a malfunction in this
system. Have the system checked by your Lexus dealer at the first
opportunity.

STARTING AND DRIVING
173
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
The traction control system automatically helps control the
spinning of the rear wheels which may occur when accelerating
on slippery road surfaces, thus assisting driver to control the
driving power of the rear wheels.
31L0521
When you turn the ignition switch on, this system always turns
on. Leave the system on during ordinary driving so that it can
operate when needed. When traction control is applied, the slip
indicator light blinks.
When the traction control system is operating, you may feel
vibration of your vehicle, caused by operation of the brakes. This
indicates the system is functioning properly.
When getting the vehicle out of mud or new snow, etc. the traction
control system will help operate to prevent the wheels from
spinning.
To turn off the traction control system, see page 174.
CAUTION
Under certain slippery road conditions, full traction of the
vehicle and power to the rear wheels cannot be maintained,
even though the traction control system is in operation. Do not
drive the vehicle under any speed or maneuvering conditions
which will cause the vehicle to lose traction. In situations
where the road surface is covered with ice or snow, your
vehicle should be fitted with snow tires or tire chains. Always
drive at an appropriate and cautious pace.

STARTING AND DRIVING
174
VEHICLE SKID CONTROL SYSTEM
The vehicle skid control system helps to provide comprehensive
control of the systems such as an antilock brake system,
traction control, engine control, electronically modulated air
suspension, etc. This system automatically controls the output
of the brakes or engine to help prevent the vehicle from skidding
when cornering on a slippery road surface or abrupt steering
wheel operation occurs.
31L0521
Slip indicator light
If the vehicle is going to skid during driving, the slip indicator light
flashes and an alarm sounds.
The vehicle skid control activates when the vehicle speed is about
more than 15 km/h (9 mph).Depressing the brake pedal repeatedly causes a small noise from the
engine compartment. This is a pump pulsating sound of the brake
system and it is not a malfunction.
You may hear a slight clicking noise in the engine compartment for
a few seconds when the engine is started or just after the vehicle is
started. This means that the vehicle skid control is in the selfcheck
mode and does not indicate a malfunction.
31L017-2
You can turn off the vehicle skid control system by pushing the
”VSC OFF” switch. The ”VSC OFF” indicator comes on. At
this time, the traction control system also turns off. You cannot
turn off either one of them. Pushing the ”VSC OFF” switch a
second time turns the system back on and extinguishes the ”VSC
OFF” indicator light.
When you turn the ignition switch on, this system always turns on.