2015 Lexus GS450h heating

801-2. Hybrid system
GS450h_OM_OM30F70U_(U)
CAUTION
■Hybrid battery (traction battery)
●Your vehicle contains a sealed nickel-metal hydride battery. Never resell, hand
over or modify the hybrid battery. To prevent accidents, hybrid batteries that have
been removed from a disposed vehicle are collected through Lexus dealer. Do
not dispose of the battery yourself.
Unless the battery is properly collected, the following may occur, resulting in
death or serious injury:
• The hybrid battery may be illegally disp osed of or dumped, and it is hazardous
to the environment or someone may touch a high voltage part, resulting in an
electric shock.
• The hybrid battery is intended to be used exclusively with your hybrid vehicle. If the hybrid battery is used outside of your vehicle or modified in any way,
accidents such as electric shock, heat generation, smoke generation, an
explosion and electrolyte leakage may occur.
When reselling or handing over your vehicle, the possibility of an accident is
extremely high because the person rece iving the vehicle may not be aware of
these dangers.
●If your vehicle is disposed of without the hybrid battery having been removed,
there is a danger of serious electric shock if high voltage parts, cables and their
connectors are touched. In the event that your vehicle must be disposed of, the
hybrid battery must be disposed of by your Lexus dealer or a qualified service
shop. If the hybrid battery is not disposed of properly, it may cause electric shock
that can result in death or serious injury.
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery air vents
●Do not put foreign objects near the air vents. The hybrid battery (traction battery)
may overheat and be damaged.
●Clean the air vents regularly to prevent the hybrid battery (traction battery) from
overheating.
●Do not wet or allow foreign substances to enter the air vents as this may cause a
short circuit and damage the h ybrid battery (traction battery).
●Do not carry large amounts of water such as water cooler bottles in the vehicle. If
water spills onto the hybrid battery (t raction battery), the battery may be dam-
aged. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.

GS450h_OM_OM30F70U_(U)
952. Instrument cluster
2
Instrument cluster
■ECO lamp and SPORT lamp
●When sport mode is selected, SPORT lamp (red) will illuminate.
●When all of the following conditions are satisfied and Eco-friendly driving, ECO
lamp (blue) will illuminate. (ECO lamp will become brighter the more Eco-friendly
driving you perform. Also, while the vehicle is stopped or the acceleration exceeds
Zone of Eco driving, ECO lamp turns off. [P. 9 4 ] H o w e v e r, w h e n E c o d r i v e
mode is selected, while the vehicle is stopped or the acceleration exceeds Zone of
Eco driving, ECO lamp does not turn off.):
• Driving with the shift lever in D
• Paddle shift switch is not operated.
• Either normal mode or Eco drive mode is selected.
• The vehicle speed is approximately 80 mph (130 km/h) or below.
■Tachometer
Hybrid System Indicator switches to the ta chometer when driving mode is in sport
mode.
■Engine speed
On hybrid vehicles, engine speed is precis ely controlled in order to help improve
fuel efficiency and reduce exhaust emissions etc.
There are times when the engine speed that is displayed may differ even when vehi-
cle operation and driving conditions are the same.
■Customization
Settings (e.g. on/off operatio n of ECO lamp) can be changed.
(Customizable features: P. 5 9 9 )
NOTICE
■To prevent damage to the engine and its components
●Do not let the indicator needle of the tachometer enter the red zone, which indi-
cates the maximum engine speed.
●The engine may be overheating if the engine coolant temperature gauge is in the
red zone (H). In this case, immediately stop the vehicle in a safe place, and check
the engine after it has cooled completely. ( P. 566)

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GS450h_OM_OM30F70U_(U)
4-1. Before driving
CAUTION
■When taking a nap in the vehicle
Always turn the hybrid system off. Otherwise, if you accidentally move the shift
lever or depress the accelerator pedal, this could cause an accident or fire due to
hybrid system overheating. Additionally, if the vehicle is parked in a poorly venti-
lated area, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle, leading to death or a
serious health hazard.
■When braking
●When the brakes are wet, drive more cautiously.
Braking distance increases when the brakes are wet, and this may cause one side
of the vehicle to brake differently than the other side. Also, the parking brake may
not securely hold the vehicle.
●If the electronically controlled brake system does not operate, do not follow other
vehicles closely and avoid hills or sharp turns that require braking.
In this case, braking is still possible, but the brake pedal should be depressed
more firmly than usual. Also, the braking distance will increase. Have your brakes
fixed immediately.
●The brake system consists of 2 or more individual hydraulic systems; if one of the
systems fails, the other(s) will still operate. In this case, the brake pedal should be
depressed more firmly than usual and th e braking distance will increase. Have
your brakes fixed immediately.

GS450h_OM_OM30F70U_(U)
1974-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
■When the steering lock cannot be released
■Steering lock motor overheating prevention
To prevent the steering lock motor from overheating, the motor may be suspended if
the hybrid system is turned on and off repeatedly in a short period of time. In this
case, refrain from operating the hybrid sy stem. After about 10 seconds, the steering
lock motor will resume functioning.
■When “Check Access System with Elec. Key” will be displayed on the multi-infor-
mation display
The system may be malfunctio ning. Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer
immediately.
■If the “READY” indicator does not come on
If the “READY” indicator does not come on when you press the power switch with
the shift lever in P and the brake pedal depressed, contact your Lexus dealer imme-
diately.
■If the hybrid system is malfunctioning
 P. 5 1 4
■If the electronic key battery is depleted
P. 4 6 0
■Operation of the power switch
●When operating the power switch, one short, firm press is enough. If the switch is
pressed improperly, the hybrid system may not start or the power switch mode may
not change. It is not necessary to press and hold the switch.
●If attempting to restart the hybrid sy stem immediately after turning the power
switch off, the hybrid system may not star t in some cases. After turning the power
switch off, please wait a few seconds before restarting the hybrid system.
■If the smart access system with push-but ton start has been deactivated in a cus-
tomized setting
 P. 559
“Steering Lock active” will be displayed on
the multi-information display.
Check that the shift lever is set in P. Press the
power switch while turning the steering wheel
left and right.

GS450h_OM_OM30F70U_(U)
2134-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
■When there is a malfunction in the system
Warning lights and/or warning message will turn on or flash. (P. 505, 518)
Depending on the condition, the parking brake indicator light may flash.
■Usage in winter time
 P. 3 1 9
NOTICE
■When parking the vehicle
Before you leave the vehicle, set the parking brake, shift the shift lever to P and
make sure that the vehicle does not move.
■When the system malfunctions
Stop the vehicle in a safe place and check the warning messages.
■When the parking brake cannot be released due to a malfunction
Use the parking brake release tool to manually release the parking brake.
( P. 5 5 7 )
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components over-
heating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake wear.

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4-5. Using the driving support systems
■Operation of the air conditioning system in Eco drive mode
Eco drive mode controls the heating/cooling operations and fan speed of the air
conditioning system to enhance fuel efficiency ( P. 335). To improve air condition-
ing performance, adjust the fan sp eed or turn off Eco drive mode.
■Automatic operation of the seat heater during Eco drive mode
Eco drive mode controls the heating operation and fan speed of the air conditioning
system to enhance fuel efficiency. If the driving mode select switch is switched to Eco
drive mode in cold temperatures, the seat heater will be automatically operated to
assist heating performance.
■Sport mode automatic deactivation
Sport mode is automatically deactivated if th e power switch is turned off after driving
in sport mode.

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4-6. Driving tips
Hybrid vehicle driving tips
◆Using Eco drive mode
When using Eco drive mode, the torque corresponding to the acceler-
ator pedal depression amount can be generated more smoothly than it
is in normal conditions. In addition, the operatio n of the air conditioning
system (heating/cooling) will be mini mized, improving the fuel econ-
omy. ( P. 280)
◆Use of Hybrid System Indicator
The Eco-friendly driving is possible by keeping the indicate of Hybrid
System Indicator within Eco area. ( P. 9 4 )
◆When braking the vehicle
Make sure to operate the brakes gently and in good time. A greater
amount of electrical energy can be retained when slowing down.
◆Delays
Repeated acceleration and decelerati on, as well as long waits at traffic
lights, will lead to bad fuel consumption. Check traffic reports before
leaving and avoid delays as much as possible. When encountering a
delay, gently release the brake pedal to allow the vehicle to move for-
ward slightly while avoiding overuse of the accelerator pedal. Doing so
can help control excessive gasoline consumption.
◆Highway driving
Control your speed and keep at a constant speed. Also, before stop-
ping at a toll booth or similar, allow plenty of time to release the acceler-
ator and gently apply the brakes. A greater amount of electrical energy
can be retained when slowing down.
For economical and ecological drivin g, pay attention to the following
points:

GS450h_OM_OM30F70U_(U)
3535-2. Using the air conditioning system and defogger
5
Interior features
■Operation of the air conditioning system in Eco drive mode
In the Eco drive mode, the air conditioning system is controlled as follows to priori-
tize fuel efficiency:
●Engine speed and compressor operation co ntrolled to restrict heating/cooling
capacity
●Fan speed restricted when automatic mode is selected
To improve air conditioning performanc e, perform the following operations:
●Adjust the fan speed
●Turn off Eco drive mode
■When the outside temperature falls to nearly 32 F (0C)
The dehumidification function may not operate even when “A/C” on the option con-
trol screen is selected.
■Ventilation and air conditioning odors
●To let fresh air in, set the air conditioning system to the outside air mode.
●During use, various odors from inside an d outside the vehicle may enter into and
accumulate in the air condit ioning system. This may then cause odor to be emitted
from the vents.
●To reduce potential odors from occurring:
• It is recommended that the air conditio ning system be set to outside air mode
prior to turning the vehicle off.
• The start timing of the blower may be delayed for a short period of time immedi- ately after the air conditioning system is started in automatic mode.
■Air conditioning filter
 P. 4 5 8
■Customization
Settings (e.g. exhaust gas sensor sensitivity) can be changed.
(Customizable features: P. 5 9 9 )