2000 Lexus LS400 ignition

STARTING AND DRIVING
284
IGNITION SWITCH WITHSTEERING LOCK
31L001±1

STARTING AND DRIVING
285
ºSTARTº ± Starter motor on. The key will return to
the ºONº position when released.
For starting tips, see page 288.
ºONº ± Engine on and all accessories on.
This is the normal driving position.
NOTICE
Do not leave the key in the ºONº position if the
engine is not running. The battery will dischargeand the electronic ignition system could bedamaged.
ºACCº ± Accessories such as the radio operate, but
the engine is off. If you leave the key in the ºACCº or ºLOCKº position and
open the driver'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.
31L003±1

STARTING AND DRIVING
286ºLOCKº ± Engine is off and the steering wheel is
locked. The ignition key can be removed only at this
position.
To turn the key from ºACCº to the ºLOCKº position, you
must put the transmission selector lever in the ºPº
position.
Once you remove the key, the engine immobiliser
system is automatically set. See ºEngine immobiliser
systemº on page 15.
When
starting the engine, the key may seem stuck at the
ºLOCKº 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 ºACCº.
PARKING BRAKE
31L005a

STARTING AND DRIVING
289
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 ºPº position
when the brake pedal is depressed with the ignition
switch in ºONº position. ( )

STARTING AND DRIVING
292
(a) Normal driving
31L007b

1ºPº (Park) position 2ºNº (Neutral) position
1. Start the engine as instructed in ºHow to start the
engineº on page 288.
The transmission must be in ºPº or ºNº. The engine will
not start in any drive position even if the ignition key is
turned to ºSTARTº.

STARTING AND DRIVING
304In the power mode, the ºECT PWRº light in the
instrument cluster is on and the transmission is shifted
up at higher vehicle speeds and shifted down more
responsively than in the normal mode.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern
selector switch lightly on the ºSNOWº 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
ºSNOWº side, the snow mode is turned on and the ºECT
SNOWº light in the instrument cluster comes on.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern
selector switch on the ºSNOWº side again.
When you turn the ignition switch off in the snow mode,
the mode automatically changes to the normal mode.

STARTING AND DRIVING
306
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.

STARTING AND DRIVING
312
31L016-2
The indicator light shows ºHIGHº mode is selected.
When you turn the ignition key to the ºONº position, the
indicator light will come on for 2 seconds in any mode.
NOTICE
For vehicles equipped with the height controlswitch, be sure to turn the ignition switch offbefore jacking. If this is not done, the vehicleheight adjustment function will operate, whichmay cause body damage.
(b) Malfunction warning
If the ºHIº indicator light blinks, there is a malfunction in
this system. Have the system checked by your Lexus
dealer at the first opportunity.
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.