2003 Lexus IS300 brake

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TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
(With vehicle skid control system)
The traction control system automatically help control the
spinning of the rear wheels which may occur when
accelerating on slippery road surfaces, thus assisting
driver control the driving power of the rear wheels. When
you turn the ignition switch on, the traction control
system always turns on automatically, and the slip
indicator light w ill come on. The indicator lights will go off
after a few seconds.
SV31037

Slip indicator light
Leave the system on during ordinary driving so that it can
operate when needed. When traction control is applied,
the slip indicator light blinks.
SV31033
You can turn off the traction control system by pushing
the ºTRAC OFFº switch. The ºTRAC OFFº
indicator/warning light will then come on. Pushing the
ºTRAC OFFº switch a second time turns the system back
on and extinguishes the ºTRAC OFFº indicator/warning
light.
You may hear a sound in the engine compartment for a few
seconds when the engine is started or just after the vehicle is
started. This means that the traction control system is in the
self±check mode, and does not indicate malfunction.
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.
If the light flashes, this indicates a malfunction in the traction
control system. Contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.
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246
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
(Without vehicle skid control system)
The traction control system automatically help control the
spinning of the rear wheels which may occur when
accelerating on slippery road surfaces, thus assisting
driver control the driving power of the rear wheels. When
you turn the ignition switch on, the traction control
system always turns on automatically, and the slip
indicator light w ill come on. The indicator lights will go off
after a few seconds.
SV31037

Slip indicator light
Leave the system on during ordinary driving so that it can
operate when needed. When traction control is applied,
the slip indicator light blinks.
SV31036
You can turn off the traction control system by pushing
the ºTRAC OFFº switch. The ºTRAC OFFº
indicator/warning light will then come on. Pushing the
ºTRAC OFFº switch a second time turns the system back
on and extinguishes the ºTRAC OFFº indicator/warning
light.
You may hear a sound in the engine compartment for a few
seconds when the engine is started or just after the vehicle is
started. This means that the traction control system is in the
self±check mode, and does not indicate malfunction.
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.
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247
If the light flashes, this indicates a malfunction in the traction
control system. Contact your Lexus dealer as soon as
possible to service the vehicle.
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.
VEHICLE SKID CONTROL SYSTEM
The vehicle skid control system helps provide integrated
control of the systems such as an anti±lock brake system,
brake assist system, traction control, engine control, 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.
SV31037

Slip indicator light
If the vehicle is going to skid during driving, the slip indicator
light flashes and an alarm sounds intermittently.
The vehicle skid control activates when the vehicle speed is
about more than 15 km/h (9 mph).
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BRAKE SYSTEM
The tandem master cylinder brake system is a hydraulic
system with two separate sub±systems. If either sub±system
should fail, the other will still work. However, the pedal will be
harder to press, and your stopping distance will be longer.
Also, the brake system warning light may come on.
CAUTION
Do not drive your vehicle with only a single brake
system. Have your brakes fixed immediately.
Brake booster
The brake booster uses engine vacuum to power±assist the
brakes. If the engine should quit while you are driving, you can
bring the vehicle to a stop with normal pedal pressure. There
is enough reserved vacuum for one or two stops but no more!
CAUTION
Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the pedal uses up your reserved
vacuum.
 Even if the power assist is completely lost, the brakes
will still work. But you will have to push the pedal
hard, much harder than normal. And your braking
distance will be longer.
Anti±lock brake system
The anti±lock brake system is designed to automatically
help prevent lock±up of the wheels during a sudden
braking or braking on slippery road surfaces. This assists
in providing directional stability and steering
performance of the vehicle under these circumstances.
Effective way to press the ABS brake pedal: When the
anti±lock brake system function is in action, you may feel the
brake pedal pulsating and hear a noise. In this situation, to
let the anti±lock brake system work for you, just hold the
brake pedal down more firmly. Do not pump the brake in a
panic stop. This will result in reduced braking performance.
The anti±lock brake system becomes operative after the
vehicle has accelerated to a speed in excess of approximately
10 km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when the vehicle
decelerates to a speed below approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).
Depressing the brake pedal on slippery road surfaces such as
on the manhole cover, the steel plate under the construction,
joints in the bridge, etc. on a rainy day tends to activate the
anti±lock brake system.
You may hear a click or motor sound in the engine
compartment for a few seconds when the engine is started or
just after the vehicle begins to move. This means that the
anti±lock brake system is in the self±check mode, and does not
indicate a malfunction.
When the anti±lock brake system is activated, the
following conditions may occur. They do not indicate a
malfunction of the system:
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You may hear the anti±lock brake system operating and feel
the brake pedal pulsating and the vibrations of the vehicle
body and steering wheel. You may also hear the motor
sound in the engine compartment even after the vehicle is
stopped.
 At the end of the anti±lock brake system activation, the
brake pedal may move a little forward.
CAUTION
Do not overestimate the anti±lock brake system:
Although the anti±lock brake system assists in
providing vehicle control, it is still important to drive
with all due care and maintain a moderate speed and
safe distance from the vehicle in front of you, because
there are limits to the vehicle stability and effectiveness
of steering wheel operation even with the anti±lock
brake system on.
If tires grip performance exceeds its capability, or if
hydroplaning occurs during high speed driving in the
rain, the anti±lock brake system does not provide
vehicle control.
Anti±lock brake system is not designed to shorten the
stopping distance: Always drive at the moderate speed
and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of
you. Compared with vehicles without an anti±lock
brake system, your vehicle may require a longer
stopping distance in the following cases:
 Driving on rough, gravel or snow±covered roads.
 Driving with tire chains installed.
 Driving over the steps such as the joints on the road.
 Driving on roads where the road surface is pitted or
has other differences in surface height.
Install all 4 tires of specified size at appropriate
pressure: The anti±lock brake system detects vehicle
speeds using the speed sensors for respective wheels'
turning speeds. The use of tires other than specified
may fail to detect the accurate turning speed resulting
in a longer stopping distance.
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252ºABSº warning light
SV31014

U.S.A.
SV31031

CANADA
The light comes on when the ignition key is turned to the ºONº
position. If the anti±lock brake system and the brake assist
work properly, the light turns off after a few seconds.
Thereafter, if either of the systems malfunctions, the light
comes on again.
When the ºABSº warning light is on (and the brake system
warning light is off), the anti±lock brake system, the brake
assist system, the traction control system and/or the vehicle
skid control system do not operate, but the brake system still
operates conventionally.
When the ºABSº warning light is on (and the brake system
warning light is off), the anti±lock brake system and/or the
traction
control system do/does not operate so that the wheels
could lock up during a sudden braking or braking on slippery
road surfaces.
If either of the following conditions occurs, this indicates
a malfunction somewhere in the parts monitored by the
warning light system. Contact your Lexus dealer as soon
as possible to service the vehicle.
 The light does not come on when the ignition key is turned
to the ºONº position, or remains on.
 The light comes on while you are driving.
A warning light turning on briefly during operation does not
indicate a problem.
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CAUTION
If the ºABSº warning light remains on together with the
brake system warning light, immediately stop your
vehicle at a safe place and contact your Lexus dealer.
In this case, not only the anti±lock brake system will fail
but also the vehicle will become extremely unstable
during braking.
Drum±in±disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum±in±disc type parking brake system.
This type of brake system needs bedding±down of the brake
shoes periodically or whenever the parking brake shoes
and/or drums are replaced.
Have your Lexus dealer perform the bedding±down.
Brake assist system
When you slam the brakes on, the brake assist system
judges as an emergency stop and provides more powerful
braking for a driver who cannot hold down the brake pedal
firmly.
When you slam the brakes on, more powerful braking will be
applied. At this time, you may hear a sound in the engine
compartment and feel the vibrations of the brake pedal. This
does not indicate a malfunction.
The brake assist system becomes operative after the vehicle
has accelerated to a speed in excess of approximately 10 km/h
(6 mph). It stops operating when the vehicle decelerates to a
speed below approximately 5 km/h (3 mph).For an explanation of this system's warning light, see ºABS
warning lightº on page 50 and ºVehicle skid control system
failure warningº on page 248.
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BRAKE PAD WEAR INDICATORS
SS31030
The brake pad wear limit indicators on your disc brakes
give a warning noise when the brake pads are worn to the
extent that replacement is required.
If you hear a squealing or scraping noise while driving, have
the brake pads checked and replaced by your nearest Lexus
dealer immediately.
Avoid continuous driving with the warning noise.
Continuous driving without replacing the brake pads will cause
expensive rotor damage and increasing brake pedal effort to
get the same stopping distance.
TYPES OF TIRES
Determine w hat kind of tires your vehicle is originally equipped
with.
1. Summer tires
Summer tires are high±speed capability tires best suited to
highway driving under dry conditions.
Since summer tires do not have the same traction performance
as snow tires, summer tires are inadequate for driving on
snow±covered or icy roads. For driving on snow±covered or
icy roads, we recommend using snow tires. If installing snow
tires, be sure to replace all four tires.
2. All season tires
All season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow
and to be adequate for driving in most winter conditions, as well
as for use all year round.
All season tires, however, do not have adequate traction
performance compared with snow tires in heavy or loose snow.
Also, all season tires fall short in acceleration and handling
performance compared with summer tires in highway driving.
2003 IS300 from Aug. '02 Prod. (OM53439U)