2005 LEXUS LS430 transmission

STARTING AND DRIVING
312Vehicles with the cruise control —
When
the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift
from “D” or “5” (fifth range) to “4” (fourth range)\
, engine
braking will not be enabled because the cruise control is not
cancelled. For vehicle speed reduction, see page 328.
Vehicles with the dynamic radar/laser cruise control —
When the cruise control is being used in the conventional
(fixed speed) cruise control mode or in the
vehicle −to−vehicle distance control mode, even if you
downshift from “D” or “5” (fifth range) to “4” (fourth range),
engine braking will not be enabled because the cruise
control is not cancelled. For vehicle speed reduction, see
pages 359 and 344.
 Shift into the “3” (third range) position. The transmission will
downshift to third gear when the vehicle speed is or
becomes lower than 146 km/h (91 mph) and more powerful
engine braking will be enabled.
If you drive in the “D” position: Shift the selector lever to
the “S” position and shift the lever down to the “–” posi\
tion
twice to select the “3” (third range). However, when you
move the lever to the “S” position while the AI shifting control
is operating, the first shift range will be “5” (fifth range), “\
4”
(fourth range) or “3” (third range) because the suitable shift
range is selected depending on the driving condition.
If you drive in the “S” position: Shift the selector lever
down to the “–” position to select “3” (third range). 
Shift into the “2” (second range) position. The transmission
will downshift to second gear when the vehicle speed is or
becomes lower than 98 km/h (61 mph) and more powerful
engine braking than that of the “3” (third range) position will
be enabled.
If you drive in the “D” position: Shift the selector lever to
the “S” position and shift the lever down to the “–” posi\
tion
three times to select “2” (second range).
If you drive in the “S” position: Shift the selector lever
down to the “–” position to select “2” (second range).
 Shift into the “1” (first range) position. The transmission will
downshift to first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes
lower than 35 km/h (22 mph) and maximum engine braking
will be enabled.
If you drive in the “D” position: Shift the selector lever to
the “S” position and shift the lever down to the “–” posi\
tion
four times to select “1” (first range).
If you drive in the “S” position: Shift the selector lever
down to the “–” position to select “1” (first range).
CAUTION
Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface.
The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the
vehicle to skid or spin.

STARTING AND DRIVING
314
(e) Parking
31L325
 1Parking brake pedal 2Brake pedal
3“P” (Park) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Depress the parking brake pedal fully to securely apply the
parking brake.
3. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “P” position.
CAUTION
Never attempt to move the selector lever into “P” under
any circumstances while the vehicle is moving. Serious
mechanical damage and loss of vehicle control may
result.
(f) Good driving practice
 If the transmission repeatedly shifts up and down between
fourth and overdrive gears when climbing a gentle slope,
shift the selector lever to the “4” position. Be sure to shift the
selector lever to the “D” position after climbing the slope.
 When towing a trailer, in order to maintain efficient engine
braking and electrical charging performance, do not use
overdrive. The selector lever must be in the “4” position.
CAUTION
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped
with the engine running. This prevents the vehicle from
creeping.
NOTICE
Always use the brake pedal or the parking brake to hold
the vehicle on an upgrade. Do not attempt to hold the
vehicle using the accelerator pedal, as this can cause
the transmission to overheat.

STARTING AND DRIVING
315
(g) If you cannot shift the selector lever
If you cannot shift the selector lever even though the brake
pedal is depressed, use the shift lock override button. For
instructions, see “If you cannot shift automatic transmission
selector lever” on page 423.
ELECTRONIC THROTTLECONTROL SYSTEM
The electronic throttle control system always maintains
appropriate engine output in relation to the accelerator
opening in all driving conditions.
31L322
 1Power position 2Normal position
3Snow position
The electronic throttle control system has 3 modes:
Normal, Power and Snow modes.
Normal mode: For ordinary driving, Lexus recommends that
you use the normal mode to improve fuel economy.
Power mode: For more powerful acceleration and sporty
driving.

STARTING AND DRIVING
316In the power mode, the “ECT PWR” 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 “SNOW” 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
“SNOW” side, the snow mode is turned on and the “ECT
SNOW” light in the instrument cluster comes on.
To return to the normal mode, push the driving pattern selector
switch on the “SNOW” side again.
When you turn the ignition switch off in the snow mode, the
mode automatically changes to the normal mode.
LEXUS PARK ASSIST SYSTEM
31L354b
 Sensors
The Lexus park assist system will help you to easily park
by detecting any obstacle around your vehicle with
ultrasonic sensors and informing you of the approximate
distance from the vehicle to the obstacle with the
indicators on the display and with beeping sounds.*
This system will operate at a vehicle speed of less than about
10 km/h (6 mph) with the selector lever in a position other than
“P”.
NOTE:
* The volume of the beeps can be changed.
Ask your Lexus dealer for details.

STARTING AND DRIVING
326
31L357
Check surroundings for safety.
If a bright light (for example, sunlight reflected off the vehicle
body) is picked up by the camera, the smear effect* peculiar
to the camera may occur.
*: Smear effect — A phenomenon that occurs when a bright
light (for example, sunlight reflected off the vehicle body) is
picked up by the camera; when transmitted by the camera, the
light source appears to have a vertical streak above and below
it.
CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control allows you to cruise the vehicle at a
desired speed over about 40 km/h (25 mph) with your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
Your cruising speed can be maintained although a slight speed
change may occur when driving up or down a gradient, within
the limits of engine performance. On steeper hills, a great
speed change will occur so it is better to drive without the cruise
control.
When the cruise control is on, the driving pattern of the
automatic transmission is fixed in the normal position,
regardless of the position of the selector switch.
CAUTION
 To help maintain maximum control of your vehicle,
do not use the cruise control when driving in heavy
or varying traffic, or on slippery (rainy, icy or
snowcovered) or winding roads.
 Avoid vehicle speed increases when driving
downhill. If the vehicle speed is too fast in relation to
the cruise control set speed, cancel the cruise
control then downshift the transmission to use
engine braking to slow down.

STARTING AND DRIVING
327
Turning the system on
31L629
To operate the cruise control, push the “ON−OFF” button. 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 button will turn the system
completely off.
When the ignition switch is turned off, the “ON −OFF” button is
also automatically turned off. To use the cruise control again,
push the “ON −OFF” button again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidental cruise control engagement, keep
the “ONOFF” button off when not using the cruise
control.
Setting operation
31L630
 Each function is described below.
1
Setting at a desired speed.
The transmission must be in the “D” position, or the shift range
position must be “4” (fourth range), “5” (fifth range) o\
r “6” (sixth
range) in the “S” mode before you set the cruise control speed.
Bring the vehicle to the desired speed, press the control lever
downward in the “– SET” direction and release it. This sets the
vehicle at that speed. Now you may take your foot off the
accelerator pedal. If you need acceleration − for example,
when passing − depress the accelerator pedal enough for the
vehicle to exceed the set speed. When you release the
accelerator pe dal, the vehicle will return to the speed set prior
to the acceleration.

STARTING AND DRIVING
328
2Cancelling the preset speed
You can cancel the preset speed by either of the following:
a. Pulling the control lever in the “CANCEL” direction.
b. Depressing the brake pedal.
c. Pushing the “ON −OFF” button.
If the vehicle speed falls below about 40 km/h (25 mph), the
preset speed will be automatically cancelled.
If the vehicle speed drops 16 km/h (10 mph) below the preset
speed, the preset speed will also automatically be cancelled.
If the slip indicator light blinks and a warning tone sounds, the
preset speed will be automatically cancelled.
If the preset speed automatically cancels out for other than the
above reasons, do not operate the cruise control. Although it
is no problem to continue driving, have your vehicle checked
by your Lexus dealer at the earliest opportunity.
3 Resetting to a faster speed
Press the control lever upward in the “+ RES” direction and
hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed is attained.
While the lever is held upward, the vehicle will gradually gain
speed.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be
increased 1. 6 km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever upward in the “+ RES” direction quickly within 0.6
seconds. However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle
and then press the control lever downward in the “– SET”
direction.
4
Resetting to a slower speed
Press the co ntrol lever downward in the “– SET” direction and
hold it. Release the lever when the desired speed is attained.
While the lever is held downward, the vehicle speed will
gradually decrease.
When the difference between the actual vehicle speed and the
set speed is less than 5 km/h (3 mph), the set speed can be
lowered 1.6 km/h (1 mph) each time by pressing the control
lever downward in the “– SET” direction quickly within 0.6
seconds.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then press the control lever downward in the “– SET”
direction.
With the cruise control on, even if you downshift the
transmission from the “D” position or “6” (sixth range) to the “5”\
(fifth range), or from the “D” position or “5” (fifth ran\
ge) to the
“4” (fourth range), engine braking will not be enabled because
the cruise control is not cancelled. To decrease the vehicle
speed, reset to a slower speed with the cruise control lever or
depress the brake pedal. If you use the brake pedal, cruise
control is cancelled.

STARTING AND DRIVING
332To change to the vehicle
−to−vehicle distance control mode
from the conventional (fixed speed) cruise control mode, push
the lever in the “MODE” dire ction for longer than about 1
second.
CAUTION
In the conventional (fixed speed) cruise control mode,
a warning tone does not sound to warn you if you are too
close to the vehicle ahead, as neither the presence of
the vehicle ahead nor the vehicletovehicle distance is
detected. Pay special attention to the distance between
your vehicle and the vehicle ahead. Always confirm the
setting in the multiinformation display.
For the vehicle −to−vehicle distance control mode, see the
following description. For the conventional (fixed speed)
cruise control mode, see page 355.
Vehicletovehicle distance control mode
Dynamic radar cruise control—
The millimeter wave radar sensor in this system primarily
detects the reflected wave from the rear end of the vehicle
ahead of you to determine the presence of the vehicle
ahead as well as measuring the vehicletovehicle
distance. The detection range of the sensor is about 120
m (400 ft.) ahead.
When the dynamic radar cruise control is on, the driving
pattern (power, normal) of the automatic transmission is fixed
in the normal position, regardless of the position of the selector
switch.
CAUTION
The dynamic radar cruise control is not a
collisionavoidance system and will not prevent
accidents. The dynamic radar cruise control is a vehicle
speed control device that is intended for use only on
freeways or roads where the traffic is light or moderate.
To avoid serious injury, you must use caution and be
attentive to road and traffic conditions while using
dynamic radar cruise control.