2004 Lexus IS300 power steering

13.
SVPC012
Power Type
Manual Type
PICTORIAL INDEX
xiii
SEAT AND STEERING WHEEL
Page
1Tilt steering adjustmentlever 180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2Seat position, seat cushion
angle and height control switch 97, 98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3Seatback angle control switch 97 . . .
4Seat position lock release
lever 102 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5Seat cushion front edge angle
adjusting knob 103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6Seat cushion height adjusting
knob 103 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7Seatback lock release lever 102 . . . .
For detailed information, refer to the description given in each section.
03 07.09

OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
94
SEATS
While the vehicle is being driven, all vehicle occupants should
have the seatback upright, sit well back in the seat and properly
wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the occupants are
properly seated. Do not allow any passengers to sit
in the luggage compartment or cargo area. Persons
not properly seated and/or not properly restrained by
seat belts can be severely injured in the event of
emergency braking or a collision.
 During driving, do not allow any passengers to stand
up or move around between seats. Otherwise, severe
injuries can occur in the event of emergency braking
or a collision.
FRONT SEATS
(POWER TYPE)
Front seat precautions
Driver seat
CAUTION
The SRS driver airbag deploys with considerable force,
and can cause death or serious injury especially if the
driver is very close to the airbag. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSAº) advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag is the first 50Ð75
mm (2Ð3 in.) of inflation, placing yourself 250 mm (10
in.) from your driver airbag provides you with a clear
margin of safety. This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your breastbone. If you
sit less than 250 mm (10 in.) away now, you can change
your driving position in several ways:
 Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still
reaching the pedals comfortably.
03 07.09

STEERING WHEEL AND MIRRORS
181
CAUTION
Do not adjust the mirror while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so may cause the driver to mishandle the
vehicle and an accident may occur, resulting in
personal death or injuries.
 Since the mirror surfaces can get hot, keep your
hands off them when the rear window and outside
rear view mirror defogger switch is on or operate the
wipers.
Power rear view mirror control
SV16012

1Master switch 2Control switch
To adjust the power rear view mirror, first place the master
switch at ºLº (left) or ºRº (right), and push the contro\
l
switch on the desired side.
The power rear view mirrors can be adjusted when the key is
in the ºACCº or ºONº position.
NOTICE
If ice should jam the mirror, do not operate the control
or scrape the mirror face. Use a spray de-icer to free themirror.
Folding rear view mirrors
SS16030
To fold the rear view mirror, push backward.
The rear view mirrors can be folded backward for parking in
compact areas.
CAUTION
Do not drive with the mirrors folded backward. Both the
driver and passenger side rear view mirrors must be
extended and properly adjusted before driving.
03 07.09

STEERING WHEEL AND MIRRORS
186
CAUTION
Do not adjust the display while the vehicle is moving.
Be sure to adjust the display only when the vehicle is
stopped.
CALIBRATING THE COMPASS (circling calibration)
SV16139
ºCº appears on the display in case the circling calibration is
required due to a drastic change in the magnetic field. To
rectify this, follow the calibration procedure below.
SV16079
Drive the vehicle slowly (at 8 km/h (5 mph) or lower) in a circle
until the direction is displayed. If there is not enough space to
drive in a circle, drive around the block until the direction is
displayed.
After driving in 1 to 3 circles in the above method, calibration
is complete with the direction shown on the display.
If calibration cannot be performed because of the magnetized
vehicle, etc., take your vehicle to Lexus dealer.
 Do not perform circling calibration of the compass in a place
where the earth's magnetic field is subject to interference by
artificial magnetic fields (underground parking, under a
steel tower, between buildings, roof parking, near a crossing, near a large vehicle, etc.).
 During calibration, do not operate electric systems (moon
roof, power windows, etc.) as they may interfere with the calibration.
03 07.09

STARTING AND DRIVING
236When 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.
CAUTION
For manual transmission:
Never remove the key when the vehicle is moving, as
this will lock the steering wheel and result in loss of
steering control.
PARKING BRAKE
SV31017
To set: Pull up the lever. For better holding power, first
depress the brake pedal and hold it while setting the
parking brake.
To release: Pull up the lever slightly (1) , press the lock
release button (2), and lower (3).
To remind you that the parking brake is set, the parking brake
reminder light in the instrument panel remains on until you
release the parking brake.
CAUTION
Before driving, make sure the parking brake is fully
released
and that the parking brake reminder light is off.
03 07.09

STARTING AND DRIVING
241
5. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress
the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting.
In normal cruising, the vehicle will start in the first gear and
automatically shift up to the most suitable gear. On inclines,
declines or winding roads, etc., the vehicle shifts up and down
automatically
according to the running conditions to obtain the
suitable driving power and engine braking.
When the lever is in º3º position, the automatic transmission
system will select the most suitable gear for the running
conditions such as hill climbing, hard towing, etc.
If you need to accelerate rapidly while driving, depress the
accelerator pedal to the full throttle position. This provides
more acceleration by automatically downshifting the
transmission to the next lower gear or beyond, depending on
the vehicle speed.
If engine braking is needed, such as in descending a long hill,
see º(c) Using engine brakingº.
(b) Driving in M mode
If the change lever is shifted to M position, the shift range
position can be switched over between 5 and 2 using the
shift switch on the steering wheel instead of operating the
change lever. The first shift range position is on 5 when
the change lever is shifted to M position.
SV31024

1ºMº position
When the selector lever is put in the ºMº position, the M MODE
indicator is shown on the instrument cluster.
03 07.09

STARTING AND DRIVING
243
Warning tone sounds twice in any of the following cases:

You attempt to downshift the transmission when it is not
possible to downshift due to the high vehicle speed.
 You attempt to downshift from º2º position.
 You attempt to upshift from º5º position.
If the ºMº indicator flashes, there is a problem somewhere
in the system. In this case, it should be noted that you
cannot downshift or upshift the transmission using the
switches on the steering wheel. Consult with your Lexus
dealer as soon as possible. The transmission works
exactly in the same way as when you put the selector lever
in the ºDº position.
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to spin or skid.
(c) Using engine braking
SV31023
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the
transmission in the way described below:
1Shift into the ºMº position, and you push the transmission
down shift switch. The transmission will downshift to
fourth gear and engine braking will be obtained. This is
effective only when you are driving in the ºDº position or
in fifth gear (ºMº position).
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from º5º to º4º, engine braking will not be
enabled because the cruise control is not cancelled. If
you need to decrease the vehicle speed, see page 251.
2Shift into the º3º position. The transmission will downshift
to third gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than the speed listed below and stronger engine braking
will be obtained.
03 07.09

STARTING AND DRIVING
261
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 increase. 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 increase.
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 a manhole cover, a steel plate at a construction site, joints
in a 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:
03 07.09