2009 Lexus ES350 tire indicator

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2-1. Driving procedures
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
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 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.
It is dangerous to drive the vehicle when the wear limits of the brake pads and/or
that of the brake discs are exceeded.
■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. 400)

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2-4. Using other driving systems
2
When driving
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■When the slip indicator flashes and a warning buzzer sounds
This situation occurs immediately while VSC is activated. Always drive carefully.
Reckless driving may cause an accident. Exercise particular care when the indica-
tor light flashes and a buzzer sounds.
■Replacing tires
Make sure that all tires are of the same size, brand, tread pattern and total load
capacity. In addition, make sure that the tires are inflated to the recommended tire
pressure level.
The ABS and VSC systems will not function correctly if different tires are fitted on
the vehicle.
Contact your Lexus dealer for further information when replacing tires or wheels.

326
4-3. Do-it-yourself maintenance
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
Tires
Replace or rotate tires in accordance with maintenance schedules and
treadwear.
■Checking tires
New tread
Treadwear indicator
Worn tread
The location of treadwear indi-
cators is shown by the TWI or ∆
marks, etc., molded on the side-
wall of each tire.
Check spare tire condition and
pressure if not rotated.
■ Tire rotation
If equipped with full-size spare tire
Rotate the tires in the order
shown.
To equalize tire wear and extend
tire life, Lexus recommends that
tire rotation is carried out at the
same interval as tire inspection.
Front

380
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
■SRS warning light
This warning light system monitors the following:
• The airbag sensor assembly
• The front airbag sensors
• The side and curtain shield airbag sensor assemblies
• The curtain shield airbag sensor assemblies
• The driver’s seat position sensor
• The driver’s seat belt buckle switch
• Occupant detection system (ECU and sensors)
• AIR BAG ON and AIR BAG OFF indicator lights
• Front passenger’s seat belt buckle switch
• The seat belt pretensioner assemblies
• The inflators
• The interconnecting wiring and power sources
■Front passenger detection sensor and passenger seat belt reminder
If luggage or other load is placed on the front passenger seat, depending on its
weight, the reminder light may flash and buzzer may sound.
■When the tire pressure warning light comes on
Check the tire inflation pressure and adjust to the appropriate level. Pushing the tire
pressure warning reset switch does not turn off the tire pressure warning light.
■The tire pressure warning light may turn on due to natural causes
The tire pressure warning light may turn on due to natural causes such as natural air
leaks or tire inflation pressure changes caused by temperature. In this case, adjust-
ing the tire inflation pressure will turn off the warning light (after a few minutes).

384
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
CAUTION
■Maintenance of the tires
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label (tire and load information label).
(If your vehicle has tires of a different size than the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label [tire and load information label], you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been equipped with a tire pressure
monitoring system (TPMS-tire pressure warning system) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale (tire pressure warning light) when one or more of your tires is sig-
nificantly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire pressure telltale (tire pres-
sure warning light) illuminates, you should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the vehicle's handling
and stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not reached the level to trigger illumination of
the TPMS low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warning light).
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a TPMS (tire pressure warning system)
malfunction indicator to indicate when the system is not operating properly. The
TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunction indicator is combined with the
low tire pressure telltale (tire pressure warning light). When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approximately one minute and then remain
continuously illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists. When the malfunction indicator is illumi-
nated, the system may not be able to detect or signal low tire pressure as intended.
TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea-
sons, including the installation of replacement or alternate tires or wheels on the
vehicle that prevent the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) from functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS (tire pressure warning system) malfunction tell-
tale after replacing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels allow the TPMS (tire pressure warning
system) to continue to function properly.

436
6-1. Specifications
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
Tire size (→ P. 4 3 7 )
DOT and Tire Identification Number (TIN) (→ P. 4 3 7 )
Location of treadwear indicators (→ P. 326)
Tire ply composition and materials
Plies are layers of rubber-coated parallel cords. Cords are the strands
which form the plies in a tire.
Radial tires or bias-ply tires
A radial tire has RADIAL on the sidewall. A tire not marked RADIAL is a
bias-ply tire.
TUBELESS or TUBE TYPE
A tubeless tire does not have a tube and air is directly filled in the tire. A
tube type tire has a tube inside the ti re and the tube maintains the air pres-
sure.
Load limit at maximum cold tire inflation pressure ( →P. 3 3 0 )
Maximum cold tire inflation pressure (→ P. 4 2 9 )
This means the pressure to which a tire may be inflated.
Uniform tire quality grading
For details, see “Uniform tire quality grading” that follows.
Summer tire or all season tire (→ P. 3 3 1 )
An all season tire has “M+S” on the sidewall. A tire not marked “M+S” is a
summer tire.
TEMPORARY USE ONLY (→ P. 403)
A compact spare tire is identified by the phrase “TEMPORARY USE
ONLY” molded into its sidewall. This tire is designed for temporary emer-
gency use only.

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6-1. Specifications
6
Vehicle specifications
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
*: Ta b l e 1  Occupant loading and distribution for vehicle normal load forvarious designated seating capacities
Sidewall separationThe parting of the rubber compound from the cord
material in the sidewall
Snow tire
A tire that attains a traction index equal to or greater
than 110, compared to the ASTM E-1136 Standard
Reference Test Tire, when using the snow traction test
as described in ASTM F-1805-00, Standard Test
Method for Single Wheel Driving Traction in a
Straight Line on Snow-and Ice-Covered Surfaces,
and which is marked with an Alpine Symbol (
)
on at least one sidewall
Te s t r i mThe rim on which a tire is fitted for testing, and may be
any rim listed as appropriate for use with that tire
Tr e a dThat portion of a tire that comes into contact with the
road
Tr e a d r i bA tread section running circumferentially around a
tire
Tread separationPulling away of the tread from the tire carcass
Treadwear indicators
(TWI)The projections within the principal grooves
designed to give a visual indication of the degrees of
wear of the tread
Wheel-holding fixtureThe fixture used to hold the wheel and tire assembly
securely during testing
Tire related termMeaning

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Alphabetical index
ES350_U_(L/O_0808)
TiresChains ....................................................... 174
Checking ............................................... 326
If you have a flat tire.......................... 397
Inflation pressure................................ 334
Inflation pressure sensor................ 327
Information............................................ 435
Replacing............................................... 397
Rotating tires ........................................ 326
Size ........................................................... 429
Snow tires ................................................ 176
Spare tire................................................ 397
Tools ........................................................... 397
Total load capacity .................................. 171
Towing Dinghy towing ...................................... 185
Emergency towing ...........................365
Trailer towing.........................................178
TRAC............................................................ 161
Traction control ........................................ 161
Trip meter ................................................. 125
Trunk Extending a space............................. 276
Opener ........................................................ 41
Trunk light Trunk light..................................................42
Wattage.................................................... 431
Turn signal lights
Replacing light bulbs........................ 354
Switch ........................................................ 122
Wattage.................................................... 431 Vanity lights
Vanity lights...........................................264
Wattage ................................................... 431
Vanity mirrors ........................................ 264
Vehicle identification number ......... 423
Vehicle stability control ........................ 161
Ventilators ................................................. 271
VSC .............................................................. 161
Warning buzzers
Brake system........................................375
Downshifting............................................ 121
Open door ........................................... 377
Seat belt reminder ............................. 377
Warning lights Anti-lock brake system ...................376
Brake assist system ...........................376
Brake system........................................375
Charging system ................................376
Low fuel level........................................ 377
Low tire pressure warning light......................................................... 377
Malfunction indicator lamp ...........376
Master warning light......................... 377
Open door ............................................ 377
Pre-collision system..........................376
Pretensioners .......................................376
Rear light failure warning light ..... 377
Seat belt reminder light ................... 377
SRS airbags...........................................376V
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