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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off.
Otherwise, you may accidentally move the shift lever or press the accelerator
pedal, which could cause an accident or fire due to abnormal engine overheating.
Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust fumes may
enter the vehicle and cause gas poisoning.
■When braking the vehicle
●When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and may cause one side of
the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. Also the parking brake may
not securely hold the vehicle.
●If the power brake assist function does not operate, do not follow other vehicles
closely and avoid downhill or sharp turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but it will require more force on the pedal than
usual. Braking distance may also increase.
●Do not pump the brake pedal if the engine stalls.
Each push on the pedal uses up yo ur reserved brake fluid pressure.
●The brake system consists of 2 individual hydraulic systems: if one of the systems
fails, the other will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal should be depressed
more firmly than usual and braking distance becomes longer.
Do not drive your vehicle with only a single brake system. Have your brakes fixed
immediately.
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2-1. Driving procedures
NOTICE
■While driving the vehicle
Do not use the accelerator pedal or depress accelerator and brake pedals together
to hold the vehicle on a hill.
■When parking the vehicle
Always put the shift lever in “P”. Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to move or
the vehicle may accelerate suddenly if the accelerator pedal is accidentally
depressed.
■Avoiding damage to vehicle parts
●Do not turn the steering wheel fully in either direction and hold it there for a long
time.
Doing so may damage the power steering pump.
●When driving over bumps in the road, drive as slowly as possible to avoid damag-
ing the wheels, underside of the vehicle, etc.
■If you hear a squealing or scraping no ise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
Have your Lexus dealer check and replac e the brake pads as soon as possible.
The rotor damage can result if the pads are not replaced when needed.
■If you get a flat tire while driving
A flat or damaged tire may cause the following situations. Hold the steering wheel
firmly and gradually press the brak e pedal to slow down the vehicle.
●It may be difficult to control your vehicle.
●The vehicle will make abnormal sounds.
●The vehicle will behave abnormally.
Replace a flat tire with a new one. ( P. 3 5 6 )
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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
Starting the engine
■Turning the key from “ACC” to “LOCK”
■Ignition switch
“LOCK”:
The steering wheel is locked
and the key can be removed.
“A C C ” :
Some electrical components
such as the audio system can be
used.
“ON”:
All electrical components can
be used.
“START”:
For starting the engine.
■Starting the engine
Check that the parking brake is set.
Turn off unnecessary lights and accessories.
Check that the shift lever is set in “P”.
Sit in the driver’s seat and firmly depress the brake pedal.
Turn the ignition switch to the “START” position to start the
engine.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP5
Shift the shift lever to “P”.
Push in the key and turn to the
“LOCK” position.STEP1
STEP2
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2-1. Driving procedures
Automatic transmission
Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.
■Shifting the shift lever
While the ignition switch
is in the “ON” position,
depress the brake pedal
and move the shift lever.
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2-1. Driving procedures
■Downshifting restrictions
Keep the engine rpm from going into the red zone. The maximum allowable speed
is as follows:
■When driving with the cruise control system
The engine brake will not operate when downshifting from “D” to “4”. (P. 1 1 8 )
■If the shift lever cannot be shifted from “P”
P. 3 6 8
DownshiftingTr a n s f e r p o s i t i o nMaximum speed
mph (km/h)
4 3“H”86 (139)
“L”33 (54)
3 2“H”58 (94)
“L”22 (36)
2 L“H”24 (40)
“L”9 (15)
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2-1. Driving procedures
Parking brake
NOTICE
■Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components over-
heating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake wear.
Sets the parking brake
Fully set the parking brake
while depressing the brake
pedal
Releases the parking
brake
CanadaU.S.A.
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2-3. Operating the lights and windshield wipers
■Daytime running light system
To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers, the front turn signal lights turn on
automatically whenever the engine is started and the parking brake is released.
■Headlight control sensor
■Automatic light off system
The headlights and tail lights turn off 30 seconds after a door is opened or closed if
the ignition switch is turned to the “ACC ” or “LOCK” position while the headlights
are turned on. (The lights turn off immedi ately if the “LOCK” button on the key is
pressed after all doors are locked.)
To turn the lights on again, turn the igniti on switch to the “ON” position, or turn the
light switch “OFF” once and th en back to the or position.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. light sensor sensitivity) can be changed. ( P. 400)
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the lights on longer than necessary when the engine is not running.
The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything
that blocks the sensor is affixed to the wind-
shield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor detecting
the level of ambient light and may cause the
automatic headlight system to malfunction.
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2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
■Cruise control can be set when
●The shift lever is in “D” or “4”.
●Vehicle speed is between approximately 25 mph (40 km/h) and 125 mph
(200 km/h).
■Accelerating
The vehicle can be accelerated normally. After acceleration, the set speed
resumes.
■Automatic cruise control cancelation
The set speed is automatically canceled in any of the following situations.
●Actual vehicle speed falls more than 10 mph (16 km/h) below the preset vehicle
speed
●Actual vehicle speed is below 25 mph (40 km/h)
●VSC is activated
■If the cruise control indicator light flashes
Turn the “ON-OFF” button off once, and then reactivate the system.
If the cruise control speed cannot be set or if the cruise control cancels immediately
after being activated, there may be a malfun ction in the cruise control system. Have
the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
■ Canceling and resuming regular acceleration
Cancel
Push the lever towards you to
cancel cruise control.
The setting is also canceled
when the brake pedal is
depressed.
Resume
To resume cruise control and
return to the set speed, push the
lever up.