2003 Lexus ES300 Owner's Manuals (in English)

SECTION 1 – 2
27
INSTRUMENTS AND CONTROLS
Switches
Headlight switch (U.S.A.)28
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Headlight switch (Canada) 30
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Headlight dimmer and turn signal switch 33
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Fog light switch 34
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. . . . . .
Windshield wiper and washer switch 34
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rear window and outside rear view mirror
defogger switch 39
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. . . . . .
Power window switches 40
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Emergency flasher switch 43
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Seat heater switches 44
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.

SWITCHES
28
HEADLIGHT SWITCH(U.S.A.)
“AUTO” position
The headlights and all other lights automatically turn on
depending on the darkness of the surroundings when the
ignition key is in the “ON” position.*
NOTE:
* The sensitivity of the automatic light control sensor can be
changed.
Ask your Lexus dealer for details.
To turn on the lights manually, twist the knob on the end
of the lever.
First clickstop: Only the parking, tail, license plate, side
marker and instrument panel lights turn on.
Second clickstop: Headlights also turn on. When
the headlights are on, the headlight indicator lights up in
the instrument cluster.
With the knob in the “AUTO” position, there may be a case
that the headlights do not turn on immediately, even when
the vehicle enters a dark place such as a tunnel or parking
lot according to lighting conditions. In this case, we
recommend you to twist the knob manually to the second
clickstop to turn on the headlights immediately.
When the headlight switch is turned to the first or second
clickstop, the brightness of the instrument cluster will be
reduced slightly unless the instrument panel light control dial
is turned fully up.
“DRL OFF” position
The daytime running light (DRL) system does not work
when the knob is set in this position.
For details, see the following “Daytime Running Light (DRL)
System”.

SWITCHES
29
The automatic light control sensor is on the top of the driver’s
side instrument panel.
Do not place anything on the instrument panel, and/or do not
affix anything on the windshield to block this sensor.
When the headlights are on, they automatically turn off about
30 seconds after any door or trunk lid is opened and closed
with the ignition key turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position\
.*
If you want to turn off the lights immediately, push the “LOCK”
button on the wireless remote control key twice. The lights also
can be turned off immediately by pushing the “LOCK” button
on the wireless remote control key with all the doors locked and
the trunk lid closed.NOTE:
* The time before turning off the lights can be changed.
Ask your Lexus dealer for details. To turn on the lights again, turn the ignition key to the “ON”
position, or twist the knob on the end of lever to the “AUTO”
position and then twist the k
nob until the first or second
clickstop.
If you are going to park for over one week, make sure the knob
is in the “AUTO” or “DRL OFF” position.
Daytime Running Light (DRL) System
When the knob is set in the “AUTO” position, the headlights
turn on at reduced intensity when the parking brake is released
with the engine started. They will not go off until the ignition
switch is turned off.
The headlights will automatically adjust to full intensity and/or
turn on the other lights dependi ng on the darkness of the
surroundings.
To turn on the other exterior lights and instrument panel lights,
twist the knob to the first clickstop.
Twist the knob to the second clickstop to turn on the headlights
to full intensity for driving at night.
To cancel the DRL system, twist the knob to the “DRL OFF”
position.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not
leave the lights on longer than necessary when the
engine is not running.

SWITCHES
30
Automatic headlight leveling system
(vehicles with discharge headlight only)
Vehicle position changes according to loading condition,
passengers getting on and off, vehicle acceleration and
deceleration, etc. However, as the headlight beam level is
always maintained automatically by the system at the proper
level, your headlights do not dazzle other road users.
If this system fails, the warning light in the instrument cluster
comes on. If this occurs, have your vehicle checked by your
Lexus dealer.
If you replace the rear suspension and/or the vehicle height
changes, contact your Lexus dealer to check the automatic
headlight leveling system and headlight beam level.
HEADLIGHT SWITCH(Canada)
To turn the lights on, twist the knob on the end of the lever.
FIRST CLICKST OP: Only the parking, tail, license plate, side
marker and instrument panel lights turn on.
SECOND CLICKSTOP: Headlights also turn on.
THIRD CLICKSTOP (“AUTO”): The headlights and all other
lights automatically turn on depending on the darkness of the
surroundings.*
NOTE:
* The sensitivity of the automatic light control sensor can be
changed.
Ask your Lexus dealer for details.

SWITCHES
31
With
the knob in the “AUTO” position, there may be a case
that the headlights do not turn on immediately, even when
the vehicle enters a dark place such as a tunnel or parking
lot according to lighting conditions. In this case, we
recommend you to twist the knob manually to the second
clickstop to turn on the headlights immediately.
When the tail lights are on, the tail light indicator lights up in the
instrument cluster.
When the headlight switch is turned to the first or second
clickstop, the brightness of the instrument cluster will be
reduced slightly unless the instrument panel light control dial
is turned fully up.
The automatic light control sensor is on the top of the driver’s
side instrument panel.
Do not place anything on the instrument panel, and/or do not
affix anything on the windshield to block this sensor.
When the headlights are on, they automatically turn off about
30 seconds after any door or trunk lid is opened and closed
with the ignition key turned to the “ACC” or “LOCK” position\
.*
If you want to turn off the lights immediately, push the “LOCK”
button on the wireless remote control key twice. The lights also
can be turned off immediately by pushing the “LOCK” button
on the wireless remote control key with all the doors locked and
the trunk lid closed.
NOTE:
* The time before turning off the lights can be changed.
Ask your Lexus dealer for details.

SWITCHES
32To turn on the lights again, turn the ignition key to the “ON”
position, or
turn the headlight switch off and then twist the knob
until the first or second clickstop.
If you are going to park for over one week, make sure the
headlight switch is off.
Daytime Running Light System
The headlights turn on at reduced intensity when the parking
brake is released with the engine started, even with the light
switch in the “OFF” position. They will not go off until the
ignition switch is turned off.
To turn on the other exterior lights and instrument panel lights,
twist the knob to the first clickstop.
Twist the knob to the second clickstop to turn on the headlights
to full intensity for driving at night.
When setting the knob to the third clickstop (“AUTO”), the
headlights will automatically adjust to full intensity and/or turn
on the other lights depending on the darkness of the
surroundings. Likewise, as the surroundings become brighter,
the headlights will turn to reduced intensity, ultimately turning
off the other lights.
NOTICE
To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not
leave the lights on longer than necessary when the
engine is not running.
Automatic headlight leveling system
(vehicles with discharge headlight only)
Vehicle position changes according to loading condition,
passengers getting on and off, vehicle acceleration and
deceleration, etc. However, the headlight beam level is always
maintained automatically by the system at the proper level so
that your headlights do not dazzle other road users.
If this system fails, the warning light in the instrument cluster
comes on. If this occurs, have your vehicle checked by your
Lexus dealer.
If you replace the rear suspension and/or the vehicle height
changes, contact your Lexus dealer to check the automatic
headlight leveling system and headlight beam level.

SWITCHES
33
HEADLIGHT DIMMER AND TURNSIGNAL SWITCH
For high beam, push the lever forward. Pull it back for low
beam. For the headlight flasher, pull it further back.
A blue light in the instrument cluster indicates high beam or
headlight flasher is on.
The headlight flasher works even when the headlight switch is
off.
For signaling turns, move the lever up or down in the
conventional manner.
The ignition key must be in the “ON” position.
The turn signal is self −cancelling after a turn, but after a lane
change, you may have to cancel it by hand. You can also signal
a lane change by moving the turn signal lever partway and
holding it there.
If the green light in the instrument cluster flashes faster than
normal, it indicates that the front or rear turn signal bulb has
burned out. If this indicator light does not come on, the fuse
or the indicator light itself has probably failed.

SWITCHES
34
FOG LIGHT SWITCH
To turn on the fog lights, turn the switch to the “ON”
position. The fog lights come on only when the headlights
are on low beam.
Fog light indicator light in the instrument cluster will tell you that
the fog lights are on.
WINDSHIELD WIPER AND WASHERSWITCH
Intermittent operation type
 1Interval adjuster 2Washer on
To turn the wipers on, move the lever down until you reach
the desired speed setting.
The ignition key must be in the “ON” position.
There are 3 settings:
“INT” position: Intermittent operation
“LO” position: Low speed operation
“HI” position: High speed operation