2009 Lexus ES350 start

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2-4. Using other driving systems
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
■Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, brake assist, VSC and TRAC systems
●A sound may be heard from the engine compartment when the engine is
started or just after the vehicle begins to move. This sound does not indicate that
a malfunction has occurred in any of these systems.
●Any of the following conditions may occur when the above systems are operat-
ing. None of these indicates that a malfunction has occurred.
• Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
• A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
• The brake pedal may pulsate slightly after the ABS is activated.
• The brake pedal may move down slightly after the ABS is activated.
CAUTION
Any of the following conditions may result in an accident which could cause death or
serious injury:
■The ABS does not operate effectively when
●The limits of tire gripping performance have been exceeded.
●The vehicle hydroplanes while driving at high speed on the wet or slick road.
■Stopping distance when the ABS is operating will exceed that of normal condi-
tions
The ABS is not designed to shorten the vehicle’s stopping distance. Always main-
tain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you in the following situations.
●When driving on dirt, gravel or snow-covered roads
●When driving with tire chains
●When driving over bumps in the road
●When driving over roads with potholes or roads with uneven roads
■TRAC may not operate effectively when
Directional control and power may not be achievable while driving on slippery road
surfaces, even if the TRAC system is operating.
Do not drive the vehicle in conditions where stability and power may be lost.

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2-5. Driving information
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
Trailer towing tipsYour vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. The three main
causes of vehicle-trailer accidents are driver error, excessive speed and
improper trailer loading. Keep these in mind when towing.
● Before starting out, check the trailer’s lights and the vehicle-trailer
connections. Recheck after driving a short distance.
● Practice turning, stopping and reversing with the trailer attached in an
area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel of the
vehicle.
● Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and requires practice. Grip
the bottom of the steering wheel and move your hand to the left to
move the trailer to the left. Move your hand to the right to move the
trailer to the right. (This is generally opposite to reversing without a
trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have someone
guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an accident.
● As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to-
vehicle distance should be increased. For each 10 mph (16 km/h) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and trailer length.
NOTICE
■Safety chain
A safety chain must always be used between the towing vehicle and the trailer.
Leave sufficient slack in the chain for turns. The chain should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent the tongue from dropping to the ground in the case that it
becomes damaged or separated. For the correct safety chain installation proce-
dure, ask your Lexus dealer.
■Do not directly splice trailer lights
Directly splicing may damage your vehicle's electrical system and cause a malfunc-
tion.

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2-5. Driving information
2
When driving
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)●
Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing and loss
of control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
● Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before making a
turn.
● Note that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than the
vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making a
larger than normal turning radius.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely affect handling of your
vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Periodically check the rear to prepare
for being passed by large trucks or buses, which may cause your vehi-
cle and trailer to sway. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the steering wheel,
reduce speed immediately but gradually, and steer straight ahead.
Never increase speed. If you make no extreme correction with the
steering or brakes, your vehicle and trailer will stabilize.
● Take care when passing other vehicles. Passing requires considerable
distance. After passing a vehicle, do not forget the length of your
trailer, and be sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes.
● In order to maintain efficient engine braking and electrical charging
performance, do not use overdrive. Transmission shift range position
must be in 4, in the S mode.
● Due to the added load of the trailer, your vehicle's engine may over-
heat on hot days (at temperatures over 85°F [30°C]) when driving up
a long or steep grade. If the engine coolant temperature gauge indi-
cates overheating, immediately turn off the air conditioning (if in use),
pull your vehicle off the road and stop in a safe spot. See “If you vehicle
overheats”. ( →P. 4 1 6 )

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2-5. Driving information
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)●
Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and the trailer
wheels when parking. Apply the parking brake firmly, and put the
transmission in P. Avoid parking on a slope, but if unavoidable, do so
only after performing the following:
Apply the brakes and keep them applied.
Have someone place wheel blocks under both the vehicle and
trailer wheels.
When the wheel blocks are in place, release the brakes slowly
until the blocks absorb the load.
Apply the parking brake firmly.
Shift into P and turn off the engine.
● When restarting after parking on a slope:
With the transmission in the P position, start the engine. Be sure
to keep the brake pedal pressed.
Shift into 3, 2, 1, or the R position (if reversing).
Release the parking brake and brake pedal, and slowly pull or
back away from the wheel blocks.
Stop and apply the brakes.
Have someone retrieve the blocks.
CAUTION
■To avoid an accident
●Do not exceed 45 mph (72 km/h) or posted towing speed limit, whichever is
lower. As instability (swaying) of the towing vehicle-trailer combination increases
as speed increases, exceeding 45 mph (72 km/h) may cause loss of control.
●Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill grades. Do
not make sudden downshifts.
●Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long or too frequently. This could cause
the brakes to overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP5
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

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3-2. Using the audio system
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
●MP3 and WMA playback
When a disc containing MP3 or WMA files is inserted, all files on the disc are first
checked. Once the file check is finished, the first MP3 or WMA file is played. To
make the file check finish more quickly, we recommend you do not write in any
files other than MP3 or WMA files or create any unnecessary folders.
Discs that contain a mixture of music data and MP3 or WMA format data cannot
be played.
●Extensions
If the file extensions .mp3 and .wma are used for files other than MP3 and WMA
files, they will be mistakenly recognized and played as MP3 and WMA files. This
may result in large amounts of interference and damage to the speakers.
●Playback
• To play MP3 file with steady sound quality, we recommend a fixed bit rate of 128 kbps and a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz.
• CD-R or CD-RW playback may not be possible in some instances, depend-
ing on the characteristics of the disc.
• There is a wide variety of freeware and other encoding software for MP3 and WMA files on the market, and depending on the status of the encoding
and the file format, poor sound quality or noise at the start of playback may
result. In some cases, playback may not be possible at all.
• When files other than MP3 or WMA files are recorded on a disc, it may take
more time to recognize th e disc and in some cases, playback may not be
possible at all.
• Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Media are the registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the USA and other countries.

229
3-3. Using the hands-free phone system (for cellular phone)
3
Interior features
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
■Steering wheel
Vo l u m e
The voice guidance volume
cannot be adjusted by using
this button.
Hands-free phone system
ON/starts a call
Hands-free phone system
OFF/ends a call/refuses a call
Press: Voice command sys-
tem ON
Press and hold: Voice com-
mand system OFF
■ Microphone

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3-3. Using the hands-free phone system (for cellular phone)
3
Interior features
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
Using the hands-free phone system for the first time
Before using the hands-free phone system, it is necessary to register a
cellular phone in the system. The phone registration mode will be entered
automatically when starting the system with no cellular phone registered.
Follow the procedure below to register a cellular phone:
Press or .
The introductory guidance and phone name registration instructions are
heard.
Register a phone name by either of the following methods.
a. Select “Record Name” by using , and say a name to be
registered.
b. Press and say a name to be registered.
Voice guidance instruction to confirm the input is heard.
Select “Confirm” by using a voice command or .
A passkey is displayed and heard, and voice guidance instruction for
inputting the passkey into the cellular phone is heard. Input the passkey into the cellular phone.
Refer to the manual that comes with the cellular phone for the opera-
tion of the phone.
Guidance for registration completion is heard.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

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3
Interior features
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
3-4. Using the interior lights
Interior lights list
Your Lexus is equipped with the illuminated entry system to assist in enter-
ing the vehicle. Owing to the function of the system, the lights shown in the
following illustration automatically turn on/off according to the presence of
the electronic key, whether the door s are locked/unlocked, whether the
doors are opened/closed, and the “ENGINE START STOP” switch mode.
Front personal lights (→P. 255)
Front interior lights ( →P. 2 5 5 )
Rear personal lights (→ P. 2 5 5 )
Rear interior lights( → P. 2 5 5 )
Door courtesy lighting
Shift lever lighting
This light turns on or off depending on the darkness of the surroundings
when the “ENGINE START STOP” switch is in ACCESSORY or IGNI-
TION ON mode.
Front foot well lighting
Outer foot lights