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CAUTION
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
●Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and reduce
your ability to control the vehicle, resulting in an accident.
●Sudden changes in engine speed, such as engine braking caused by up-shifting
or down-shifting, may cause the vehicle to skid, resulting in an accident.
●After driving through a puddle, lightly depress the brake pedal to make sure that
the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from
functioning properly. If the brakes on only one side are wet and not functioning
properly, steering control may be affected, resulting in an accident.
■When shifting the shift lever
Be careful not to shift the shift lever with the accelerator pedal depressed.
This may lead to unexpected rapid acceleration of the vehicle that may cause an
accident and result in death or serious injury.
■When the vehicle is stopped
●Do not race the engine.
If the vehicle is in any gear other than “P” or “N” the vehicle may accelerate sud-
denly and unexpectedly, and may cause an accident.
●Do not leave the vehicle with the engine running for a long time.
If such a situation cannot be avoided, park the vehicle in an open space and
check that exhaust fumes do not enter the vehicle interior.
●Always keep a foot on the brake pedal while the engine is running to prevent an
accident caused by the vehicle moving.
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2
When driving
CAUTION
■When the vehicle is parked
●Do not leave glasses, cigarette lighters, spray cans, or soft drink cans in the vehi-
cle when it is in the sun.
Failure to do so may result in the following:
• Gas may leak from a cigarette lighter or spray can, and may lead to a fire.
• The temperature inside the vehicle may cause the plastic lenses and plasticmaterial of eye glasses to deform or crack.
• Soft drink cans may fracture, causing the contents to spray over the interior of the vehicle, and may also cause a short circuit in the vehicle’s electrical com-
ponents.
●Always apply the parking brake, shift the shift lever to “P”, stop the engine and
lock the vehicle.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended while the engine is running.
●Do not touch the exhaust pipe while the engine is running or immediately after
turning the engine off.
Doing so may cause burns.
●Do not leave the engine running in an area with snow build-up, or where it is
snowing. If snowbanks build up around the vehicle while the engine is running,
exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle. This may lead to death or a seri-
ous health hazard.
■Exhaust gases
Exhaust gases include harmful carbon monoxide (CO) that is colorless and odor-
less. Inhaling exhaust gases may lead to death or a serious health hazard.
●If the vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area, turn the engine off. In a closed area,
such as a garage, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle. This may lead
to death or a serious health hazard.
●The exhaust should be checked occasionally. If there is a hole or crack caused by
corrosion, damage to a joint or abnormal exhaust noise, be sure to have the vehi-
cle inspected and repaired by your Lexus dealer. Failure to do so may allow
exhaust gases to enter the vehicle, resulting in death or a serious health hazard.
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2-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the engine off.
Otherwise, you may accidentally move the shift lever or depress the accelerator
pedal, which could cause an accident or fire due to engine overheating. Addition-
ally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust gases may collect
and enter the vehicle, leading to death or a serious health hazard.
■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 the reserve for the power-assisted brakes.
●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.
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.
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2
When driving
NOTICE
■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 noise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
Have your Lexus dealer check and replace 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 brake 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 9 1 )
■When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded after heavy rain etc. Doing so may cause the
following serious damage to the vehicle.
●Engine stalling
●Short in electrical components
●Engine damage caused by water immersion
In the event that you drive on a flooded road and the vehicle is flooded, be sure to
have your Lexus dealer check the following.
●Brake function
●Changes in quantity and quality of oil and fluid used for the engine, transmission,
transfer, differentials, etc.
●Lubricant condition for the propeller shaft, bearings and suspension joints (where
possible) and the function of all joints, bearings, etc.
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Engine (ignition) switch
■Turning the key from “ACC” to “LOCK”
■Engine (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 engine 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
When driving
Automatic transmission
Select a shift position appropriate for the driving conditions.
■Shifting the shift lever
While the engine switch is in the “ON” position, depress the
brake pedal and move the shift lever.
■ Shift position uses
*: To improve fuel consumption and reduce noises, set the shift lever in the
“D” position for normal driving.
Shift positionFunction
PParking the vehicle or starting the engine
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*
4Position for moderate engine braking
3, 2Position for more powerful engine braking
LPosition for maximum engine braking
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2
When driving
■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 4 2 )
■If the shift lever cannot be shifted from “P”
→P. 4 0 3
DownshiftingTransfer positionMaximum 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
When driving
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 pedalReleases the parking brake
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