2002 Lexus ES300 Page 62

GAUGES, METERS AND SERVICE REMINDER INDICATORS
47
Your vehicle may overheat during severe operating conditions,
such as:

Driving up a long hill on a hot day.
 Reducing speed or stopping after high speed driving.
 Idling for a long period with the air conditioning on in
stopandgo traffic.
 Towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Do not remove the thermostat in the engine cooling
system as this may cause the engine to overheat. The
thermostat is designed to control the flow of coolant
to keep the temperature of the engine within the
specified operating range.
 Do not continue driving with an overheated engine.
See “If your vehicle overheats” on page 263.
TACHOMETER
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The tachometer indicates engine speed in thousands of
rpm (revolutions per minute). Use it while driving to
prevent engine overrevving.
Driving with the engine running too fast causes excessive
engine wear and poor fuel economy. Remember, in most
cases the slower the engine speed, the greater the fuel
economy.
NOTICE
Do not let the indicator needle get into the red zone. This
may cause severe engine damage.

GAUGES, METERS AND SERVICE REMINDER INDICATORS
52
NOTICE
Do not continue driving if the engine drive belt is broken
or loose.
(f) Low Engine Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil pressure is too low.
If it flickers or stays on while you are driving, pull off the road
to a safe place and stop the engine immediately. Call a Lexus
dealer or qualified repair shop for assistance.
The light may occasionally flicker when the engine is idling or
it may come on briefly after a hard stop. There is no cause for
concern if it then goes out when the engine is accelerated
slightly.
The light may come on when the oil level is extremely low. It
is not designed to indicate low oil level, and the oil level must
be checked using the oil level dipstick.
NOTICE
Do not drive the vehicle with the warning light on even
for one block. It may ruin the engine.
(g) Low Engine Oil Level Warning Light
This light warns that the engine oil level is too low. Add oil as
soon as possible. (For instructions, see “Checking the engine
oil level” on page 302.)
While driving on steep inclines or rough roads which causes
the vehicle to substantially sway or on curves, this light may
come on due to the movement of engine oil in the engine.
NOTICE
Continued engine operation with low engine oil will
damage the engine.
(h) Malfunction Indicator Lamp
This lamp comes on when the ignition key is turned to the
“ON” position and goes off after the engine starts. This
means that the warning light system is operating properly.
If the lamp remains on, or the lamp comes on while
driving, first check the followings.
 Empty fuel tank
If the fuel tank is empty, refuel immediately.
 Loose fuel tank cap
If the fuel tank cap is loose, securely tighten it.
These cases are temporary malfunctions. The malfunction
indicator lamp will go off after taking several driving trips.

GAUGES, METERS AND SERVICE REMINDER INDICATORS
53
If the lamp will not go off even after the several trips, contact
your Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
If the fuel tank is not empty or the fuel tank cap is not
loose...

There is a problem somewhere in the engine, emission
control system, electronic throttle control system, automatic
transmission electrical system or warning light system itself.
Contact your Lexus dealer as soon as possible to service the
vehicle.
If the engine speed does not increase with the accelerator
pedal depressed down, there may be a problem somewhere
in your electronic throttle control system.
At this time, vibration may occur. However, if you depress the
accelerator pedal more firmly and slowly, you can drive your
vehicle at low speeds. Have your vehicle checked by your
Lexus dealer as soon as possible.
Even if the abnormality of the electronic throttle control system
is corrected during low speed driving, the system may not be
recovered until the engine is stopped and the ignition key is
turned to “ACC” or “LOCK” position.
CAUTION
Be especially careful to prevent erroneous pedal
operation.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) programs
Your vehicle may not pass a state emission inspection if the
malfunction indicator lamp remains on. Contact your Lexus
dealer to check your vehicle’s emission control system and
OBD (OnBoard Diagnostics) system before taking your
vehicle for the inspection.
For details, see “Emissions Inspection and Maintenance (I/M)
programs” on page 285.
(i) “ABS” Warning Light
Vehicles without vehicle skid control system—
The light comes on with the ignition key turned to the “ON”
position. If the antilock brake system works properly, the light
turns off after a few seconds. Thereafter, if the system
malfunctions, the light comes on again.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and the brake system
warning light is off), the antilock brake system does not
operate, but the brake system still operates conventionally.
When the “ABS” warning light is on (and the brake system
warning light is off), the antilock brake system does not
operate so that the wheels could lock up during a sudden
braking or braking on slippery road surfaces.

INTERIOR EQUIPMENT
63
Sun visors
1To block out glare from the front , swing the sun visor
down.
2To block out glare from the side, remove the sun visor
from the hook and swing it to the side.
3To block out glare coming obliquely from behind you,
slide the visor backward.
At this position, the vanity light does not come on.
INTERIOR LIGHT
14E130
To turn on the interior light, slide the switch.
The interior light switch has the following positions:
“ON”—Keeps the light on all the time.
“OFF”—Turns the light off.
“DOOR”—Turns the light on when any of the door is opened.
The light goes off when all the doors are closed. For details,
see “Illuminated entry system” on page 64.

INTERIOR EQUIPMENT
68
GLOVE BOX
 1Unlock 2Open 3Lock
To open the glove box door, pull the lever. To lock the
glove box door, insert the master key and turn it
clockwise.
With the tail lights on, the glove box light will come on when the
glove box door is open.
The trunk lid opener main switch is installed inside the glove
box. See page 83 for further information.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in case of an accident or
a sudden stop, always keep the glove box door closed
while driving.
REAR CONSOLE BOX
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 1 Upper tray 2Console box
To access the upper tray, push the lock release button and
raise the lid. To access the console box, pull up the lock
release lever and raise the lid.
The rear console box light comes on when the tail lights are
turned on.
CAUTION
To reduce the chance of injury in case of an accident or
a sudden stop, always keep the rear console box closed
while driving.

INTERIOR EQUIPMENT
78
TIEDOWN HOOKS
14E092
To secure your luggage, use the tiedown hooks as
shown above.
See “Luggage stowage precautions” on page 78 for
precautions in loading luggage.
LUGGAGE STOWAGEPRECAUTIONS
When stowing luggage or cargo in the vehicle, observe
the following:
Put luggage or cargo in the trunk when at all possible. Be
sure all items are secured in place.
 Be careful to keep the vehicle level. Placing the weight as
far forward as possible helps maintain vehicle balance.
 For better fuel economy, do not carry unnecessary weight.
CAUTION
Do not place anything on the package tray behind the
rear seatback. Such items may be thrown about and
possibly injure people in the vehicle during sudden
braking or an accident.
 Do not drive with objects left on top of the instrument
panel. They may interfere with the driver’s field of
view. Or they may move during sharp vehicle
acceleration or turning, and impair the driver’s
control of the vehicle. In an accident they may injure
the vehicle occupants.

EXTERIOR EQUIPMENT
83
TRUNK LID
Trunk lid opener
To open the trunk lid, push the switch.
To close the trunk lid, lower it and press down on it. After
closing the trunk lid, try pulling it up to make sure it is securely
closed.
The trunk lid can be unlocked using the wireless remote control
key. For details, see page 15.
CAUTION
Keep the trunk lid closed while driving. This not only
keeps the luggage from being thrown out, but also
prevents exhaust gases from entering the vehicle.
Trunk lid opener main switch
 1Main switch 2Operative 3Inoperative
If you do not want to activate the trunk lid opener system,
turn off the main switch in the glove box. To turn it on,
push in the main switch.
The trunk lid can be opened using a loop of wire in the trunk
even with the main switch in the glove box turned off. When
keeping items in the trunk, be sure to turn off the main switch
and lock the glove box and rear armrest door. For locking the
glove box, see page 68. For locking the rear armrest door, see
page 97.

EXTERIOR EQUIPMENT
89
Operating the moon roof from outside the
vehicle
The moon roof can be opened using an ignition key.*NOTE:
* This feature can be deactivate.
Ask your Lexus dealer for details.
Insert the ignition key into the key hole on the driver’s
door.
Turn the key in the unlocking direction and hold it.
After the door is unlocked, the moon roof begins to open. To
stop in the middle, return the key.
The moon roof also can be opened using the wireless remote
control. For details, see page 16.
Jam protection function
During closing operation, the moon roof stops and is open if
something gets caught into the roof opening.
If the moon roof receives a strong impact, this function may
work even if nothing is caught.
If the battery is disconnected or run down
The moon roof may not operate automatically and the jam
protection function will not function correctly after you
reconnect, replace or recharge the battery. In any of these
cases, you should normalize the moon roof.
To normalize the moon roof, push and hold the switch on the
“TILT UP” side until the moon roof tilts all the way up and then
tilts down a little automatically.
Make sure that the moon roof opens and closes automatically.
If the moon roof cannot be operated properly, have it checked
by your Lexus dealer.
CAUTION
To avoid serious personal injury, you must do the
following.
 While the vehicle is moving, always keep the heads,
hands and other parts of the bodies of all occupants
away from the roof opening. Otherwise, they could
be seriously injured if the vehicle stops suddenly or
if the vehicle is involved in an accident.