2006 Lexus ES330 engine

STARTING AND DRIVING
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1Brake pedal 2“D” (Drive) position
2. With your foot holding down the brake pedal, shift the
selector lever to “D”.
Always use the “D” position to improve fuel economy and quiet
driving. Only in this position, shifting into the overdrive gear is
possible. However, while the engine coolant temperature is
low, the transmission will not shift into the overdrive gear even
in the “D” position. (See “(b) Using engine braking” and\
“(f)
Good driving practice” for exceptions.)
CAUTION
Never put your foot on the accelerator pedal while
shifting.
3. Release the parking brake and brake pedal. Depress
the accelerator pedal slowly for smooth starting.
In normal cruising, the vehicle will start in 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 the “4” 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 “(b) Using engine braking”.

STARTING AND DRIVING
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(b) Using engine braking
To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the
transmission in the way described below:
1Shift into the “4” position. The transmission will downshift
to fourth gear and engine braking will be enabled.
When the cruise control is being used, even if you
downshift from “D” to “4”, engine braking will not be
enabled because the cruise control is not cancelled. If
you need to decrease the vehicle speed, see page cclxxi.
2Shift into the “3” position. The transmission will downshift
to third gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 129 km/h (80 mph) and more powerful engine
braking will be enabled.
3Shift into the “2” position. The transmission will downshift
to second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes
lower than 83 km/h (51 mph) and more powerful engine
braking than that of “3” position will be enabled.
4Shift into the “L” position. The transmission will downshift
to first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower
than 39 km/h (24 mph) and maximum engine braking will
be enabled.
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
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(c) Using the “3”, “2” and “L” positions
The “3”, “2” and “L” positions are used for strong engine\
braking
as described previously.
With the selector lever in “3”, “2” or “L”, you can start the vehicle
in motion as with the lever in “D”.
With the selector lever in “3” or “2”, the vehicle will start in firs\
t
gear and automatically shift to second gear or third gear.
With the selector lever in “L”, the transmission is engaged in
first gear.
NOTICE
 Be careful not to overrev the engine. Watch the
tachometer to keep engine rpm from going into the
red zone. The approximate maximum allowable
speed for each position is given above for your
reference.
“3” 133 km/h (82 mph). . . . . . . .
“2” 85 km/h (53 mph)
. . . . . . . . .
“L” 47 km/h (29 mph)
. . . . . . . . .
 Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long
time in the “3”, “2” or “L” position. This may cause
severe automatic transmission damage from
overheating. To prevent such damage, “4” position
should be used in hill climbing or hard towing.
(d) Backing up
1Brake pedal2“R” (Reverse) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. With the brake pedal held down with your foot, shift the
selector lever to the “R” position.
NOTICE
Never shift into reverse while the vehicle is moving.
Vehicles with driving position memory system —
When the selector lever is shifted into the “R” position, the
outside rear view mirrors automatically down to help backing
up. For details, see page clxxv.

STARTING AND DRIVING
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(e) Parking
1Brake pedal2Parking brake pedal
3“P” (Park) position
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Depress the parking brake 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.
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.
(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 cccxxvii.

STARTING AND DRIVING
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CRUISE CONTROL
The cruise control is designed to maintain a set cruising
speed without requiring the driver to operate the
accelerator. Cruising speed can be set to any speed above
40 km/h (25 mph).
Within the limits of the engine’s capabilities, cruising speed can
be maintained up or down grades. However, changes in
vehicle speed may occur on steeper grades.
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.
Turning the system on and off
To turn the cruise control on, press the “ON− OFF” button. The
“CRUISE” indicator light in the instrument cluster will come on
to indicate that the cruise control is operational. Pressing the
“ON−OFF” button again turns the system off.
When the system is turned off, cruising speed must be reset
when the cruise control is turned on again.
When the ignition key is turned off, the main switch is also
automatically turned off. To use the cruise control again, press
the “ON− OFF” button again to turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidentally engaging the cruise control, turn
the system off when it is not in use. Make sure the
“CRUISE” indicator light is off.

STARTING AND DRIVING
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3Resuming the cruise control
If the cruise control is temporarily cancelled, the cruising speed
can be resumed by pushing the lever up in the “+RES”
direction.
Vehicle speed must be above 40 km/h (25 mph).
4Resetting to a faster speed
Push 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 pushing the control
lever upward in the “+ RES” direction quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to accelerate the vehicle and
then push the control lever downward in the “− SET” direction.
5Resetting to a slower speed
Push the control 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 pushing the control
lever downward in the “ − SET” direction quickly.
However, a quicker way to reset is to depress the brake pedal
and then push the control lever downward in the “ − SET”
direction.
Even if you downshift the transmission from the “D” position to
“4” with the cruise control on, 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
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TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
The traction control system automatically helps prevent
the spinning of front wheels when the vehicle is started or
accelerated on slippery road surfaces.
When the ignition key is turned to “ON”, the system
automatically turns on.
CAUTION
Under certain slippery road conditions, full traction of
the vehicle and power against front 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 may cause the
vehicle to lose traction control. 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 speed for the
present road conditions.
Normal driving mode
 Slip indicator light
Leave the system on during the ordinary driving so that it
can operate when needed.
You may hear a 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 traction control system
is in the self −check mode, but does not indicate a malfunction.
When the traction control system is operating, the following
conditions occur:
 The system controls the spinning of the front wheels. At this
time, the slip indicator light blinks.
 You may feel vibration or noise in your vehicle, caused by
operation of the brakes. This indicates the system is
functioning properly.

STARTING AND DRIVING
cclxxivThe slip indicator light comes on for a few seconds when the
ignition key is turned to “ON”. If the indicator light does not
come on when the ignition is turned on, contact your Lexus
dealer.
Traction control off mode
If your wheels get stuck in a ditch when you are driving on
a severe off road and sand, turn off the traction control
system. This system that controls engine performance
interferes with the process of freeing your wheels.
To turn off: Push “TRAC OFF” switch.
The “TRAC OFF” indicator light will come on.
The vehicle stability control system is always activated, even
if the traction control system is turned off.
To turn on: Push “TRAC OFF” switch once again.
The “TRAC OFF” indicator light will go off.
“TRAC OFF”
indicator light comes on for a few seconds when
the ignition key is turned to “ON”. It will come on again when
you push the “TRAC OFF” switch to turn off the system.
In the following cases, contact your Lexus dealer:
 The indicator light does not come on when the ignition key
is turned to “ON”.
 The indicator light remains on after the ignition is turned on.
 The indicator light comes on with the normal driving mode
while driving.