
1484-1. Before driving
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)
CAUTION
Observe the following precautions.
Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury.
■When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pedal while stopped with the engine running. This
prevents the vehicle from creeping.
■When driving the vehicle
●Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accelerator ped-
als to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing th e accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal will
result in sudden acceleration that may lead to an accident.
• When backing up, you may twist your body around, leading to a difficulty in oper-
ating the pedals. Make sure to operate the pedals properly.
• Make sure to keep a correct driving posture even when moving the vehicle only slightly. This allows you to depress th e brake and accelerator pedals properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your righ t foot. Depressing the brake pedal using
your left foot may delay response in an emergency, resulting in an accident.
●Do not drive the vehicle over or stop the vehicle near flammable materials.
The exhaust system and exhaust gases can be extremely hot. These hot parts may
cause a fire if there is any flammable material nearby.
●During normal driving, do not turn off the engine. Turning the engine off while driving
will not cause loss of steering or braking co ntrol, but the power assist to these systems
will be lost. This will make it more difficul t to steer and brake, so you should pull over
and stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
However, in the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the
vehicle in the normal way: P. 4 4 7
●Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving down a steep
hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause th e brakes to overheat and lose effective-
ness. ( P. 1 6 4 )
●Do not adjust the positions of the steering wh eel, the seat, or the inside or outside rear
view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control.
●Always check that all passengers’ arms, heads or other parts of their body are not
outside the vehicle.
●Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Ev en if the legal speed limit permits it, do not
drive over 85 mph (140 km/h) unless your vehicle has high-speed capability tires.
Driving over 85 mph (140 km/h) may result in tire failure, loss of control and possible
injury. Be sure to consult a tire dealer to determine whether the tires on your vehicle
are high-speed capability tires or not before driving at such speeds.

159
4
Driving
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)4-2. Driving procedures
Check that the parking brake is set.
Check that the shift lever is in P.
Firmly depress the brake pedal.
and a message will be displayed on
the multi-information display.
If it is not displayed, the engine cannot be started.
Press the engine switch.
The engine will crank until it starts or for
up to 30 seconds, whichever is less.
Continue depressing the brake pedal
until the engine is completely started.
The engine can be started from any
engine switch mode.
Stop the vehicle.
Shift the shift lever to P.
Set the parking brake. ( P. 1 7 2 )
Press the engine switch.
Release the brake pedal and check that the display on the meters is off.
Engine (ignition) switch
Performing the following op erations when carrying the electronic key on your
person starts the engine or changes engine switch modes.
Starting the engine
1
2
3
4
Stopping the engine
1
2
3
4
5

1614-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)
■Auto power off function
If the vehicle is left in ACCESSORY mode for more than 20 minutes or IGNITION ON
mode (the engine is not running) for more than an hour with the shift lever in P, the engine
switch will automatically turn off. However, this function cannot entirely prevent battery
discharge. Do not leave the vehicle with the engine switch in ACCESSORY or IGNI-
TION ON mode for long periods of ti me when the engine is not running.
■Electronic key battery depletion
P. 1 0 1
■Conditions affe cting operation
P. 116
■Notes for the entry function
P. 117
■If the engine does not start
●Check that the shift lever is securely set in P. The engine may not start if the shift lever is
displaced out of P.
●The engine immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. ( P. 6 9 )
Contact your Lexus dealer.
■Steering lock
After turning the engine switch off and opening and closing the doors, the steering wheel
will be locked due to the stee ring lock function. Operating the engine switch again auto-
matically cancels the steering lock.
■When the steering lock cannot be released
■Steering lock motor overheating prevention
To prevent the steering lock motor from over heating, operation of the motor may be sus-
pended if the engine is turned on and off repeat edly in a short period of time. In this case,
refrain from operating the engine switch. After about 10 seconds, the steering lock
motor will resume functioning. “Steering Lock active” will be displayed on the
multi-information display.
Check that the shift lever is in P. Press the
engine switch while turning the steering wheel
left and right.

1624-2. Driving procedures
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)
■When “Check Access System with Elec. Key” is displayed on the multi-information dis-
play
The system may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.
■If the electronic key battery is depleted
P. 4 2 7
■Operation of the engine switch
●When operating the engine switch, one short, firm press is enough. If the switch is
pressed improperly, the engine may not start or the engine switch mode may not
change. It is not necessary to press and hold the switch.
●If attempting to restart the engine immediat ely after turning the engine switch off, the
engine may not start in some cases. After tu rning the engine switch off, please wait a
few seconds before re starting the engine.
■If the smart access system with push-butto n start has been deactivated by a customized
setting
P. 4 8 8
CAUTION
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not depress the accelerator
pedal while starting the engine under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident resu lting in death or serious injury.
■Caution while driving
If engine failure occurs while the vehicle is moving, do not lock or open the doors until
the vehicle reaches a safe and complete stop. Activation of the steering lock in this cir-
cumstance may lead to an accident, re sulting in death or serious injury.
■Stopping the engine in an emergency
If you want to stop the engine in an emergency while driving the vehicle, press and hold
the engine switch for more than 2 seconds, or press it briefly 3 times or more in succes-
sion. ( P. 4 4 7 )
However, do not touch the engine switch while driving except in an emergency. Turning
the engine off while driving will not cause lo ss of steering or braking control, but the
power assist to these systems will be lost. Th is will make it more difficult to steer and
brake, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.

1634-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
●Do not leave the engine switch in ACCESSORY or IGNITION ON mode for long
periods of time without the engine running.
●If “ACCESSORY” or “IGNITION ON” is disp layed on the meters while the engine is
not running, the engine switch is not off. Exit the vehicle after turning the engine
switch off.
●Do not stop the engine when the shift lever is in a position other than P. If the engine is
stopped in another shift lever position, the engine switch will not be turned off but
instead be turned to ACCESSORY mode. If the vehicle is left in ACCESSORY
mode, battery discharge may occur.
■When starting the engine
●Do not race a cold engine.
●If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have your vehicle checked
by your Lexus dealer immediately.
■Symptoms indicating a malfun ction with the engine switch
If the engine switch seems to be operating somewhat differently than usual, such as the
switch sticking slightly, there may be a malf unction. Contact your Lexus dealer immedi-
ately.

1654-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)
*1: To improve fuel efficiency and reduce noise, shift the shift lever to D for normal driv-
ing.
*2: Any gear range can be fixed when driving in M mode.
■Sport mode/Eco drive mode
P. 2 3 1
■Snow mode
Snow mode can be selected to suit th e conditions when driving on slippery
road surfaces, such as snow.
Press the switch.
Press the switch again to return to
normal mode.
Shift position purpose
Shift positionObjective or function
PParking the vehicle/starting the engine
RReversing
NNeutral
DNormal driving*1
MM mode driving*2 ( P. 1 6 7 )
Selecting the driving mode

1744-3. Operating the lights and wipers
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)
With the headlights on, push the
lever away from you to turn on the
high beams.
Pull the lever toward you to the center
position to turn the high beams off.
Pull the lever toward you and release
it to flash the high beams once.
You can flash the high beams with the
headlights on or off.
■Daytime running light system
●To make your vehicle more visible to other drivers, the parking lights turn on automati-
cally (at an increased intensity) whenever th e engine is started and the parking brake is
released. Daytime running lights ar e not designed for use at night.
●Compared to turning on the headlights, the daytime running light system offers greater
durability and consumes less electricity, so it can help improve fuel economy.
■Headlight control sensor
■Automatic light off system
When the light switch is in , or : The headlights and tail lights turn off 30
seconds after the engine switch is turned to ACCESSORY mode or turned off and a
door is opened and all of the doors and trunk are closed. (The lights turn off immediately
if on the key is pressed twice after all the doors are closed.)
To turn the lights on again, turn the engine switch to IGNITION ON mode, or turn the
light switch off once and then back to or .
If any of the doors or trunk lid is left open, the lights automatically turn off after 20 min-
utes.
■Automatic headlight leveling system
The level of the headlights is automatically ad justed according to the number of passen-
gers and the loading condition of the vehicle to ensure that the headlights do not inter-
fere with other road users.
Turning on the high beam headlights
1
2
The sensor may not function properly if an
object is placed on the sensor, or anything that
blocks the sensor is affixed to the windshield.
Doing so interferes with the sensor detecting
the level of ambient light and may cause the
automatic headlight system to malfunction.

2114-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
IS350/250_U (OM53758U)
■Temporary cancelation of the LDA system functions
If any of the following occurs, the LDA system functions will be temporarily canceled. The
functions will resume after the necessar y operating conditions have returned.
●The turn signal lever is operated.
●The vehicle speed deviates from the operating range of the LDA system functions.
●When the lane lines cannot be recognized while driving.
●When the lane departure warning sounds.
The lane departure warning function will no t operate again for a several seconds after it
has been activated, even if the vehicle leaves the lane again.
■The lane departure warning
Depending on the audio system sound level or air conditioning fan noise while the audio
system or air conditioning system is in use, it may be difficult to hear the warning sound.
■After the vehicle has been parked in the sun
The LDA system may not be available and a warning message ( P. 465) will be dis-
played for a while after driving has started. When the temperature in the cabin decreases
and the temperature around the camera sensor ( P. 196) becomes suit able for its oper-
ation, the functions will begin to operate.
■If there are lane markers on only one side of the vehicle
The lane departure warning will not operate fo r the side on which lane markers could not
be recognized.
■Conditions in which the functi on may not operate correctly
In the following situations, the camera sensor may be unable to recognize lane markers
causing the lane departure warn ing function to operate incorrectly. However, this does
not indicate a malfunction.
●When driving through an area with no lane markers, such as a tollbooth, a crossing or
before a ticket checkpoint
●When driving on a sharp curve
●When lane markers are extremely narrow or extremely wide
●When the vehicle leans to one side an unus ual amount due to a heavy load or improper
tire inflation pressure
●When the following distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead is extremely
short
●When the lane markers are yellow (These may be more difficult for the system to rec-
ognize compared to white markers.)
●When the lane markers are broken, Botts’ dots (raised pavement markers) or stones
●When the lane markers are on a curb etc.
●When lane markers are obscured or partially obscured by sand, dirt, etc.
●When there are shadows on the road running parallel with lane markers, or if a shadow
covers the lane markers
●When driving on a particularly brig ht road surface, such as concrete
●When driving on a road surface that is bright due to reflected light
●When driving in a location where the light level changes rapi dly, such as the entrance to
or exit from a tunnel
●When sunlight or the headlights of oncoming vehicles are shining directly into the cam-
era lens