2014 Lexus GX460 TRAILER

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GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)4-1. Before driving
●Always place wheel blocks under both the vehicle’s and the trailer’s 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’s and trailer’s
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 P, start the engine. Be sure to keep the brake pedal
pressed.
Shift into 3, 2, L, or R (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.
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
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GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)
1754-1. Before driving
4
Driving
■Matching trailer ball height to trailer coupler height
■Before towing
Check that the following conditions are met:
●Ensure that your vehicle’s tires are properly inflated. (→P. 5 6 2 )
●Trailer tires are inflated according to the trailer manufacturer’s recommendation.
●All trailer lights work as required by law.
●All lights work each time you connect them.
●The trailer ball is set at the proper height for the coupler on the trailer.
●The trailer is level when it is hitched.
Do not drive if the trailer is not level, and check for improper tongue weight, overload-
ing, worn suspension, or other possible causes.
●The trailer cargo is securely loaded.
●The rear view mirrors conform to all applicable federal, state/provincial or local regula-
tions. If they do not, install rear view mirrors appropriate for towing purposes.
No matter which class of tow hitch applies, for a
more safe trailer hookup, the trailer ball setup
must be the proper height for the coupler on the
trailer.
Trailer ball
Coupler
1
2
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GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)4-1. Before driving
■AVS (adaptive variable suspension system)
The suspension can be switched fo
r improvement in driveability. (→P. 331)
■Break-in schedule
If your vehicle is new or equipped with any new power train components (such as an
engine, transmission, differential or wheel bearing), Lexus recommends that you do not
tow a trailer until the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km).
After the vehicle has been driven for over 500 miles (800 km), you can start towing.
However, for the next 500 miles (800 km), drive the vehicle at a speed of less than
50 mph (80 km/h) when towing a trailer, and avoid full throttle acceleration.
■Maintenance
●If you tow a trailer, your vehicle will require more frequent maintenance due to the addi-
tional load. (See “Owner’s Guide”, “Warranty and Services Guide”, “Owner’s Manual
Supplement” or “Warranty Booklet”.)
●Retighten the fixing bolts of the towing ball and bracket after approximately 600 miles
(1000 km) of trailer towing.
■If trailer sway occurs
One or more factors (crosswinds, passing vehicles, rough roads, etc.) can adversely
affect handling of your vehicle and trailer, causing instability.
●If trailer swaying occurs:
• Firmly grip the steering wheel. Steer straight ahead.
Do not try to control trailer swaying by turning the steering wheel.
• Begin releasing the accelerator pedal immediately but very gradually to reduce speed.
Do not increase speed. Do not apply vehicle brakes.
If you make no extreme correction with the steering or brakes, your vehicle and trailer
should stabilize.
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GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)
1774-1. Before driving
4
Driving
●After the trailer swaying has stopped:
• Stop in a safe place. Get all occupants out of the vehicle.
• Check the tires of the vehicle and the trailer.
• Check the load in the trailer.Make sure the load has not shifted.
Make sure the tongue weight is appropriate, if possible.
• Check the load in the vehicle. Make sure the vehicle is not overloaded after occupants get in.
If you cannot find any problems, the speed at which trailer swaying occurred is beyond
the limit of your particular vehicle-trailer combination.
Drive at a lower speed to prev ent instability. Remember that swaying of the towing vehi-
cle-trailer increases as speed increases.
CAUTION
■Trailer towing precautions
●To tow a trailer safely, use extreme care and drive the vehicle in accordance with the
trailer’s characteristics and operating conditions. Failure to do so could cause an acci-
dent resulting in death or se rious injury. Vehicle stability and braking performance are
affected by trailer stability, brake setting and performance, and the hitch. Your vehicle
will handle differently when towing a trailer.
●Set the vehicle height to the LO mode and turn off the rear height control air suspen-
sion when you connect a trailer, otherwise the vehicle height may change due to the
automatic leveling function, and you may catch part of your body in the vehicle,
resulting in an accident.
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GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)4-1. Before driving
CAUTION
■To avoid accident or injury
●Do not exceed the TWR, unbraked TWR, GCWR, GVWR or GAWR.
●If the gross trailer weight is over 2000 lb. (907 kg), a sway control device with suffi-
cient capacity is required.
●If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2268 kg), a weight distributing hitch with
sufficient capacity is required.
●Adjust the tongue weight within the appropriate range. Place heavier loads as close
to the trailer axle as possible.
●Do not exceed 65 mph (104 km/h), the posted towing speed limit or the speed limit
for your trailer as set forth in your trailer owner’s manual, whichever is lowest. Slow
down sufficiently before making a turn, in
crosswinds, on wet or slippery surface, etc.
to help avoid an accident. If you experience a vehicle-trailer instability from reducing
a certain speed, slow down and make sure you keep your vehicle speed under the
speed of which you expe rience the instability.
●Do not make jerky, abrupt or sharp turns.
●Do not apply the brakes suddenly as you ma y skid, resulting in jackknifing and loss of
vehicle control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
●Do not exceed the trailer hitch assembly weight, gross vehicle weight, gross axle
weight and trailer tongue weight capacities.
●Do not use cruise control when towing.
●Slow down and downshift before descending steep or long downhill grades. Do not
make sudden downshifts while descending steep or long downhill grades.
●Vehicle-trailer instability is more likely on steep long down hills. Before descending
steep or long downhill grades, slow down and downshift. Do not make sudden down-
shifts when descending steep or long do wnhill grades. Avoid holding the brake pedal
down too long or applying the brakes too frequently. This could cause the brakes to
overheat and result in reduced braking efficiency.
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GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)
1794-1. Before driving
4
Driving
CAUTION
■Hitch
Trailer hitch assemblies have different weight capacities established by the hitch manu-
facturer. Even though the vehicle may be physically capable of towing a higher weight,
the operator must determine the maximum weight rating of the particular hitch assem-
bly and never exceed the maximum weight rating specified for the trailer-hitch.
Exceeding the maximum weight rating set by the trailer-hitch manufacturer can cause
an accident resulting in death or serious personal injuries.
■When towing a trailer
Lexus recommends trailers with brakes that conform to any applicable federal and
state/provincial regulations.
●If the gross trailer weight exceeds unbraked TWR, trailer brakes are required. Lexus
recommends trailers with brakes that conform to all applicable federal and state/pro-
vincial regulations.
●Never tap into your vehicle’s hydraulic system, as this will lower the vehicle’s braking
effectiveness.
●Never tow a trailer without using a safety chain securely attached to both the trailer
and the vehicle. If damage occurs to the coupling unit or hitch ball, there is danger of
the trailer wandering into another lane.
NOTICE
■When installing a trailer hitch
Use only the position recommended by your Lexus dealer. Do not install the trailer
hitch on the bumper; this may cause body damage.
■Do not directly splice trailer lights
Do not directly splice trailer lights. Direct ly splicing trailer lights may damage your
vehicle’s electrical system and cause a malfunction.
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198
GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)4-3. Operating the lights and wipers
●In the situations below, the system may not be able to correctly detect the surrounding
brightness levels, and may flash or expose nearby pedestrians to the high beam. There-
fore, you should consider turning the high be
am on or off manually rather than relying
on the Automatic High Beam system.
• In bad weather (rain, snow, fog, sandstorms etc.)
• The windshield is obscured by fog, mist, ice, dirt etc.
• The windshield is cracked or damaged.
• The inside rear view mirror or camera sensor is deformed or dirty.
• The camera sensor temperature is extremely high.
• Surrounding brightness levels are equal to those of headlights, tail lights or fog lights.
• Vehicles ahead have headlights that are either switched off, dirty, are changing color, or are not aimed properly.
• When driving through an area of interm ittently changing brightness and darkness
• When frequently and repeated ly driving ascending/descending roads, or roads with
rough, bumpy or uneven surfaces (such as stone-paved roads, gravel tracks etc.)
• When frequently and repeatedly taking curves or driving on a winding road
• There is a highly reflective object ahead of the vehicle, such as a sign or a mirror.
• The back of a vehicle ahead is highly reflective, such as a container on a truck.
• The vehicle’s headlights are damaged or dirty.
• The vehicle is listing or tilting, due to a flat tire, a trailer being towed etc.
• The Automatic High Beam indicator is flashing.
• The high beam and low beam are repeatedly being switched between in an abnor- mal manner.
• The driver believes that the high beam may be causing problems or distress to other
drivers or pedestrians nearby.
■If the Automatic High Beam indicator flashes...
It may indicate a malfunction in the system. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Temporary lowering sensor sensitivity
The sensitivity of the sensor can be temporarily lowered.
To lower the sensitivity, push and hold the “AUTO” button on the inside rear view mirror
for 15 to 20 seconds, and release. The indicator light on the inside rear view mirror will
flash to indicate that the sensitivity has been lowered.
When the engine switch is turned off, the sens itivity will be returned to its normal level.
■Customization that can be configured at your Lexus dealer
The Automatic High Beam can be turned off.
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216
GX 460 _O M_ OM6 0K 80 U_ (U)4-5. Using the driving support systems
■Automatic cruise control cancelation
Cruise control will stop maintaining the vehicle speed in any of the following situations:
●Actual vehicle speed falls more than approximately 10 mph (16 km/h) below the preset
vehicle speed.
At this time, the memorized set speed is not retained.
●Actual vehicle speed is below approximately 25 mph (40 km/h).
●VSC is activated.
●The center differential lock/unlock is not completed within 5 seconds while the cruise
control system is on.
■If the warning message for the cruise contro
l is shown on the multi-information display
Press the “ON-OFF” button once to deactivate the system, and then press the button
again to reactivate the system.
If the cruise control speed cannot be set or if the cruise control cancels immediately after
being activated, there may be a malfunction in the cruise control system. Have the vehi-
cle inspected by your Lexus dealer.
CAUTION
■To avoid operating the cruise control by mistake
Switch the cruise control off using the “ON-OFF” button when not in use.
■Situations unsuitable for cruise control
Do not use cruise control in any of the following situations.
Doing so may result in loss of control and could cause an accident resulting in death or
serious injury.
●In heavy traffic
●On roads with sharp bends
●On winding roads
●On slippery roads, such as those covered with rain, ice or snow
●On steep hills
Vehicle speed may exceed the set speed when driving down a steep hill.
●When your vehicle is towing a trailer (with towing hitch) or during emergency towing
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