2012 Lexus IS250 Owner's Manual

512
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS350/250_U
CAUTION
■Battery precautions
The battery contains poisonous and corrosive acidic electrolyte, while related parts
contain lead and lead compounds. Observe the following precautions when han-
dling the battery.
●When working with the battery, always wear safety glasses and take care not to
allow any battery fluids (acid) to come into contact with skin, clothing or the vehi-
cle body.
●Do not lean over the battery.
●In the event that battery fluid comes into contact with the skin or eyes, immedi-
ately wash the affected area with water and seek medical attention.
Place a wet sponge or cloth over the affected area until medical attention can be
received.
●Always wash your hands after handling the battery support, terminals, and other
battery-related parts.
●Do not allow children near the battery.
NOTICE
■To prevent damaging the vehicle
Do not pull- or push-start the vehicle, because the three-way catalytic converter
may overheat and become a fire hazard.
■When handling jumper cables
Be careful that the jumper cables do not become tangled in the cooling fan or any
of the belts when connecting or disconnecting them.

5
When trouble arises
513
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS350/250_U
If your vehicle overheats
If your engine overheats:
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and turn off the automatic air
conditioning system.
Check to see if steam is coming out from under the hood.
If you see steam: Stop the engine. Carefully lift the hood after the steam sub-
sides and then restart the engine.
If you do not see steam: Leave the engine running and carefully lift the hood.
Check to see if the cooling fans are operating.
If the fans are operating: Wait until the temperature of the engine (shown on the
instrument cluster) begins to fall and then stop the engine.
If the fans are not operating: Stop the engine immediately and call your local Lexus
dealer.
After the engine has cooled
down sufficiently, check the
engine coolant level and inspect
the radiator core (radiator) for
any leaks.
If the engine compartment
cover needs to be removed:
→P. 3 9 9
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

514
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS350/250_U
■Overheating
If you observe the following, your vehicle may be overheating.
●The engine coolant temperature gauge enters the red zone or a loss of power is
experienced.
●Steam is coming from under the hood.
CAUTION
■To prevent an accident or injury when inspecting under the hood of your vehicle
●If steam is seen coming from under the hood, do not open the hood until the
steam has subsided. The engine compartment may be very hot, causing serious
injury such as burns.
●Keep hands and clothing away from the fans and other belts while the engine is
running.
●Do not loosen the radiator cap while the engine and radiator are hot.
Serious injury, such as burns, may result from hot coolant and steam released
under pressure.
Add engine coolant if required.
Water can be used in an emer-
gency if engine coolant is
unavailable. (→P. 5 2 7 )
Have the vehicle checked at your nearest Lexus dealer as soon as pos-
sible.
STEP5

5
When trouble arises
515
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS350/250_U
NOTICE
■When adding engine coolant
Wait until the engine has cooled down before adding engine coolant.
When adding coolant, do so slowly. Adding cool coolant to a hot engine too quickly
can cause damage to the engine.

516
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS350/250_U
If the vehicle becomes stuck
CAUTION
■When attempting to free a stuck vehicle
If you choose to rock the vehicle back and forth to free it, make sure the surround-
ing area is clear, to avoid striking other vehicles, objects or persons. The vehicle
may also lunge forward or lunge back suddenly as it becomes free. Use extreme
caution.
■When shifting the shift lever
With automatic transmission vehicles, 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.
Carry out the following procedures if the tires spin or the vehicle becomes
stuck in mud, dirt, or snow.
Stop the engine. Set the parking brake and shift the shift lever
to P (vehicles with an automatic transmission) or N (vehicles
with a manual transmission).
Remove the mud, snow, or sand from around the stuck tire.
Place wood, stones or some other material to help provide
traction under the tires.
Restart the engine.
Shift the shift lever to the D or R position (vehicles with an auto-
matic transmission) or 1 or R position (vehicles with a manual
transmission), release the parking brake and carefully apply
the accelerator to free the vehicle.
Turn off TRAC and VSC if these functions are hampering your
attempts to free the vehicle. (→ P. 1 9 8 )
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP5

5
When trouble arises
517
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS350/250_U
NOTICE
■To avoid damaging the transmission and other components
●Avoid spinning the wheels and do not rev the engine.
●If the vehicle remains stuck after trying these procedures, the vehicle may require
towing to be freed.

518
5-2. Steps to take in an emergency
IS350/250_U
If your vehicle has to be stopped in an emergency
CAUTION
■If the engine has to be turned off while driving
Power assist for the brakes and steering wheel will be lost, making the brake pedal
harder to depress and the steering wheel heavier to turn. Decelerate as much as
possible before turning off the engine.
Only in an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the vehicle
in the normal way, stop the vehicle using the following procedure:
Steadily step on the brake pedal with both feet and firmly
depress it.
Do not pump the brake pedal repeatedly as this will increase the
effort required to slow the vehicle.
Shift the shift lever to N.
If the shift lever is shifted to N After slowing down, stop the vehicle in a safe place by the road.
Stop the engine.
If the shift lever cannot be shifted to N Keep depressing the brake pedal with both feet to reduce vehi-
cle speed as much as possible.
Stop the engine by pressing and
holding the “ENGINE START
STOP” switch for 3 consecutive
seconds or more.
Stop the vehicle in a safe place by the road.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4
STEP3
Press and hold for 3 seconds or more
STEP4
STEP5

Vehicle specifications6
519
IS350/250_U
6-1. SpecificationsMaintenance data (fuel, oil level, etc.) .............. 520
Fuel information ..................... 537
Tire information....................... 541
6-2. Customization Customizable features ........ 553
6-3. Initialization Items to initialize .................... 559