2009 Lexus ES350 steering

54
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
●Do not recline the seat any more than necessary to achieve a proper seating
position. The seat belt is most effective when the occupants are sitting up straight
and well back in the seats.
●Do not wear the shoulder belt under your arm.
●Always wear your seat belt low and snug across your hips.
■Adjustable shoulder anchor
Always make sure the shoulder belt is positioned across the center of your shoul-
der. The belt should be kept away from your neck, but not falling off your shoulder.
Failure to do so could reduce the amount of protection in an accident and cause
death or serious injuries in the event of a sudden stop, sudden swerve or accident.
(→ P. 5 1 )
■Seat belt pretensioners
●Do not place anything, such as a cushion, on the front passenger's seat. Doing so
will disperse the passenger's weight, which prevents the sensor from detecting
the passenger's weight properly. As a result, the seat belt pretensioner for the
front passenger's seat may not activate in the event of a collision.
●If the pretensioner has activated, the SRS warning light will come on. In that case,
the seat belt cannot be used again and must be replaced at your Lexus dealer.
■Child restraint lock function belt precaution
Do not allow children to play with the child restraint lock function belt. If the belt
becomes twisted around a child’s neck, it will not be possible to pull the belt out
leading to choking or other serious injuries that could result in death. If this occurs
and the buckle cannot be unfastened, scissors should be used to cut the belt.

55
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■Seat belt damage and wear
●Do not damage the seat belts by allowing the belt, plate, or buckle to be jammed
in the door.
●Inspect the seat belt system periodically. Check for cuts, fraying, and loose parts.
Do not use a damaged seat belt until it is replaced. Damaged seat belts cannot
protect an occupant from death or serious injury.
●Ensure that the belt and tab are locked and the belt is not twisted.
If the seat belt does not function correctly, immediately contact your Lexus
dealer.
●Replace the seat assembly, including the belts, if your vehicle has been involved in
a serious accident, even if there's no obvious damage.
●Do not attempt to install, remove, modify, disassemble or dispose of the seat belts.
Have any necessary repairs carried out by your Lexus dealer. Inappropriate han-
dling of the pretensioner may prevent it from operating properly resulting in
death or serious injury.
■Using a seat belt extender
●Do not wear the seat belt extender if you can fasten the seat belt without the
extender.
●Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a child restraint system because
the belt will not securely hold the child restraint system, increasing the risk of
death or serious injury in the event of an accident.
●The personalized extender may not be safe on another vehicle, when used by
another person, or at a different seating position other than the one originally
intended.
NOTICE
■When using a seat belt extender
When releasing the seat belt, press on the buckle release button on the extender,
not on the seat belt.
This helps prevent damage to the vehicle interior and the extender itself.

56
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
Steering wheel
Auto tilt awayWhen the “ENGINE START
STOP” switch is turned OFF, the
steering wheel returns to its
stowed position by moving up and
away to enable easier driver entry
and exit.
Turning the “ENGINE START
STOP” switch to ACCESSORY or
IGNITION ON mode will return
the steering wheel to the original
position.
The steering wheel can be adjusted to a comfortable position while the
“ENGINE START STOP” switch is in ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON
mode.
Up
Down
Away from the driver
Toward the driver
CAUTION
■Caution while driving
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving.
Doing so may cause the driver to mishandle the vehicle and an accident, resulting in
death or serious injury.

57
1
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
Before driving
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
Anti-glare inside rear view mirror
■To prevent sensor error
CAUTION
■Caution while driving
Do not adjust the position of the mirror while driving.
Doing so may lead to mishandling of the vehicle and an accident, resulting in death
or serious injury.
In AUTO mode, sensors are used to detect the headlights of vehicles
behind and automatically reduces the reflected light.
Turns AUTO mode ON/OFF
The indicator comes on when
AUTO mode is turned ON.
The anti-glare mirror default
mode is AUTO. The anti-glare
mirror is automatically set to
AUTO whenever the “ENGINE
START STOP” switch is turned
on.
To ensure that the sensors operate properly,
do not touch or cover it.

58
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
Outside rear view mirrors
■When the mirrors are fogged up
Turn on the mirror defoggers to defog the mirrors. (→P. 1 9 5 )
■Folding back the mirrors
■One-touch adjustment of the mirror angle
(vehicles with driving position memory)
A desired mirror face angle can be entered to memory and adjusted with the touch
of a button. (→P. 4 4 )
Mirror angle can be adjusted using the switch when the “ENGINE START
STOP” switch is in ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON mode.
Select a mirror to adjust
(L: left or R: right)
Adjust the mirror up, down,
in, or out using the switch
Push back in the direction of the vehicle's
rear.

59
1-3. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
■Linked mirror function when reversing (vehicles with driving position memory)
The outside rear view mirrors will automatically angle downwards when the vehicle
is reversing in order to give a better view of the ground. However, this function will
not operate when the mirror select switch is in the neutral position (between L and
R).
■Auto anti-glare function
When the anti-glare inside rear view mirror is set to AUTO mode, the outside rear
view mirrors will activate in conjunction with the anti-glare inside rear view mirror to
reduce reflected light. (→P. 5 7 )
CAUTION
■When driving the vehicle
Observe the following precautions while driving.
Failing to do so may result in loss of control of the vehicle and cause an accident,
resulting in death or serious injury.
●Do not adjust the mirrors while driving.
●Do not drive with the mirrors folded back.
●Both the driver and passenger side mirrors must be extended and properly
adjusted before driving.
■When the mirror defoggers are operating
Do not touch the rear view mirror surfaces, as they can become very hot and burn
you.

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1
Before driving
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
1-7. Safety information
Correct driving posture
Drive in a good posture as follows:
Sit upright and well back in
the seat. (→P. 4 3 )
Adjust the position of the seat
forward or backward to
ensure the pedals can be
reached and easily
depressed to the extent
required. ( →P. 4 3 )
Adjust the seatback so that
the controls are easily opera-
ble.
Adjust the tilt and telescopic
positions of the steering
wheel downward so the
airbag is facing your chest.
(→ P. 56)
Lock the head restraint in
place with the center of the
head restraint closest to the
top of your ears. ( →P. 4 9 )
Wear the seat belt correctly.
(→ P. 50)

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1-7. Safety information
1
Before driving
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)The main SRS airbag system components are shown above. The SRS air-
bag system is controlled by the airbag sensor assembly. The airbag sen-
sor assembly consists of a safing sensor and an airbag sensor.
In certain types of severe frontal or side impacts, the SRS airbag system
triggers the airbag inflators. A chemical reaction in the inflators quickly
fills the airbags with non-toxic gas to help restrain the motion of the occu-
pants.
■If the SRS airbags deploy (inflate)
●Bruising and slight abrasions may result from contact with a deploying (inflating)
SRS airbag.
●A loud noise and white powder will be emitted.
●Parts of the airbag module (steering wheel hub, airbag cover and inflator) as
well as the seats, and parts of the front pillar, rear pillar and roof side rail, may be
hot for several minutes. The airbag itself may also be hot.
●The front windshield may crack.
■SRS airbag deployment conditions (front airbags)
●The front SRS airbags will deploy in the event of an impact that exceeds the
set threshold level (the level of force corresponding to a 12 - 18 mph [20 - 30
km/h] frontal collision with a fixed wall that does not move or deform).
However, this threshold velocity will be considerably higher if the vehicle strikes
an object, such as a parked vehicle or sign pole, which can move or deform on
impact, or if the vehicle is involved in an underride collision (e.g. a collision in
which the front of the vehicle “underrides”, or goes under, the bed of a truck, etc.).
●It is possible that in some collisions where the forward deceleration of the vehi-
cle is very close to the designed threshold level, the SRS front airbags and the
seat belt pretensioners may not activate together.
●The SRS front passenger airbag will not activate if there is no passenger sitting
in the front passenger seat. However, the front passenger airbag may deploy if
luggage is put in the seat, or the seat belt is fastened, even if the seat is unoccu-
pied. (
→P. 8 8 )