2015 LEXUS RX450h brake

911-4. Adjustable components (seats, mirrors, steering wheel)
1
Before driving CAUTION■
When folding the rear seatbacks down
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or serious
injury. ●
Do not fold the seatbacks down while driving.●
Do not fold seatbacks down while passenge rs are seated or luggage is placed on
the seats.●
Stop the vehicle on level ground, set the parking brake and shift the shift lever to
P.●
After folding the seatback, lightly move the seat back and forth to lock it in place.●
Do not allow anyone to sit on a folded seatback or in the luggage compartment
while driving.●
Do not allow children to en ter the luggage compartment.■
Seat adjustment ●
To reduce the risk of sliding under the lap belt during a collision, do not recline the
seat more than necessary.
If the seat is too reclined, the lap belt may slide past the hips and apply restraint
forces directly to the abdomen, or yo ur neck may contact the shoulder belt,
increasing the risk of death or seriou s injury in the event of an accident.●
Adjustments should not be made while driving as the seat may unexpectedly
move and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.■
After returning the rear seatback to the upright position
Observe the following precautions. Failure to do so may result in death or serious
injury. ●
Make sure the seatback is securely locked by pushing it forward and rearward on
the top.
●
Check that the seat belts are not tw isted or caught in the seatback.

When driving
2
1652-1. Driving procedures
Driving the vehicle.................. 166
Power (ignition) switch .......... 177
EV drive mode.......................... 183
Hybrid transmission ............... 186
Turn signal lever ....................... 193
Parking brake ........................... 195
Horn ............................................ 196
2-2. Instrument cluster
Gauges and meters ................ 197
Indicators and warning
lights ......................................... 201
Multi-information display .... 206
Head-up display ...................... 212
2-3. Operating the lights and
windshield wipers
Headlight switch...................... 217
Fog light switch ........................ 221
Windshield wipers and
washer ................................... 223
Rear window wiper and
washer .................................... 229
Headlight cleaner switch...... 231 2-4. Using other driving
systems
Cruise control......................... 232
Dynamic radar cruise
control .................................... 236
Intuitive parking assist .......... 248
Rear view monitor system
(rear view mirror-attached
type) ........................................ 258
Rear view monitor system
(vehicles with the Lexus
Display Audio system) ....... 266
Driving assist systems ............. 271
Hill-start assist control .......... 276
Pre-Collision System ............ 278
BSM
(Blind Spot Monitor) .......... 286
2-5. Driving information
Utility vehicle
precautions ........................... 292
Cargo and luggage ............... 296
Vehicle load limits ................... 301
Winter driving tips ................. 302
Tr a i l e r t o w i n g ( AW D m o d e l s
with towing package)......... 306
Trailer towing (without
towing package).................. 323
Dinghy towing ......................... 324

1662-1. Driving procedures
Driving the vehicle
Starting off on a steep uphill
Make sure that the pa rking brake is set and shift the shift lever to
D.
Gently depress the accelerator pedal.
Release the parking brake. The following procedures should be observed to ensure safe driving.
■ Starting the hybrid system
 P. 177
■ Driving
With the brake pedal depressed, shift the shift lever to D.
(  P. 1 8 6 )
Release the parking brake. (  P. 195)
Gradually release the brake pedal and gently depress the
accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle.
■ Stopping
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
If necessary, set the parking brake. If the vehicle is to be stopped for an extended period of time, shift the
shift lever to P. (
 P. 1 8 6 )
■
Parking the vehicle
With the shift lever in D, depress the brake pedal.
Set the parking brake. (  P. 1 9 5 )
Shift the shift lever to P. (  P. 1 8 6 )If parking on a hill, block the wheels as needed.
Press the “POWER” switch to stop the hybrid system.
Lock the door, making sure that you have the electronic key on
your person.STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3

1672-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■
When starting off on an uphill
The hill-start assist control is available. (  P. 2 76 )■
Driving in the rain ●
Drive carefully when it is raining, becaus e visibility will be reduced, the windows
may become fogged-up, and the road will be slippery.●
Drive carefully when it starts to rain, be cause the road surface will be especially
slippery.●
Refrain from high speeds when driving on an expressway in the rain, because
there may be a layer of water between th e tires and the road surface, preventing
the steering and brakes from operating properly.■
Engine speed while driving
In the following conditions, the engine speed may become high while driving. This is
due to automatic up-shifting control or down-shifting implementation to meet driv-
ing conditions. It does not indicate sudden acceleration.●
The vehicle is judged to be driving uphill or downhill●
When the accelerator pedal is released●
When the brake pedal is depresse d while sport mode is selected■
Breaking in your new Lexus
To extend the life of the vehicle, observing the following precautions is recom-
mended: ●
For the first 200 miles (300 km):
Avoid sudden stops.●
For the first 500 miles (800 km):
Do not tow a trailer.●
For the first 1000 miles (1600 km):
• Do not drive at extremely high speeds.
• Avoid sudden acceleration.
• Do not drive continuously in low gears.
• Do not drive at a constant speed for extended periods.

1682-1. Driving procedures
■
Drum-in-disc type parking brake system
Your vehicle has a drum-in-disc type parking brake system. This type of brake sys-
tem needs bedding-down of the brake shoe s periodically or whenever the parking
brake shoes and/or drum are replaced. Have your Lexus dealer perform the bed-
ding down operation.■
Operating your vehicle in a foreign country
Comply with the relevant vehicle registration laws and confirm the availability of the
correct fuel. (  P. 800)■
For efficient use ●
Shift the shift lever to D when driving.
In the N position, the gasoline engine op erates but electricity cannot be gener-
ated. The hybrid battery (traction battery) will discharge, requiring unnecessary
engine power to recharge.●
Drive your vehicle smoothly.
Avoid abrupt acceleration and deceleration. Gradual acceleration and decel-
eration will make more effective use of the electric motor (t raction motor) with-
out having to use gasoline engine power.●
Avoid repeated acceleration.
Repeated acceleration consumes hybrid battery (traction battery) power,
resulting in poor acceleration. Battery power can be restored by driving with
the accelerator pedal slightly released.●
Shift the shift lever to P when parking.
In the N position, the hybrid battery (traction battery) does not recharge.
Leaving the shift lever in the N position for an extended period of time may dis-
charge the hybrid battery. The vehicle cannot run if the hybrid battery is dis-
charged.■
Eco-friendly driving
 P. 1 9 9
CAUTION
■
When starting the vehicle
Always keep your foot on the brake pe dal while stopped with the hybrid system
operating. This prevents the vehicle from creeping.

1692-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving CAUTION■
When driving the vehicle ●
Do not drive if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accelerator
pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal.
• Accidentally depressing the accelerato r pedal instead of the brake pedal will
result in sudden acceleration that may le ad to an accident that could result in
death or serious injury.
• When backing up, you may twist your bo dy around, leading to a difficulty in
operating 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 the brake and accelerator pedals
properly.
• Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal
using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, resulting in an acci-
dent.●
When the hybrid vehicle is driven using the electric motor only, no engine noise is
made. As such, pedestrians, people riding bicycles or other people and vehicles
in the surrounding area may not realize that the vehicle is approaching. Even with
the Vehicle Proximity Notification System active, people may not realize the vehi-
cle is approaching when the surrounding area is noisy and so forth. Therefore,
take extra care while driving.●
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.●
Do not let the vehicle roll backward while the shift lever is in a driving position, or
roll forward while the shift lever is in R.
Doing so may result in an acci dent or damage to the vehicle.●
If the smell of exhaust is noticed inside the vehicle, open the windows and check
that the back door is closed. Large amounts of exhaust in the vehicle can cause
driver drowsiness and an accident, resulting in death or a serious health hazard.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
●
Do not shift the shift lever to P while the vehicle is moving.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.

1702-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION●
Do not shift the shift lever to R while the vehicle is moving forward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.●
Do not shift the shift lever to D while the vehicle is moving backward.
Doing so can damage the transmission and may result in a loss of vehicle control.●
Moving the shift lever to N while the vehicle is moving will disengage the hybrid
system. Engine braking is not availabl e with the hybrid system disengaged.●
During normal driving, do not turn off the hybrid system. Turning the hybrid sys-
tem off while driving will not cause loss of steering or braking control, however,
power assist to the steering will be lost. This will make it more difficult to steer
smoothly, so you should pull over and stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
In the event of an emergency, such as if it becomes impossible to stop the vehicle
in the normal way:  P. 7 9 5●
Use engine braking (downshift) to maintain a safe speed when driving down a
steep hill.
Using the brakes continuously may cause the brakes to overheat and lose effec-
tiveness. (  P. 1 8 6 )●
When stopped on an incline, use the brake pedal and parking brake to prevent
the vehicle from rolling backward or forward, causing an accident. ●
Do not adjust the position of the steering wheel, the seat, or the inside or outside
rear view mirrors while driving.
Doing so may result in a loss of vehicle control that can cause accidents, resulting
in death or serious injury.●
Always check that all passengers' arms, heads or other parts of their body are not
outside the vehicle, as this may result in death or serious injury.●
Do not drive in excess of the speed limit. Even 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.

1712-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving CAUTION■
When driving on slippery road surfaces ●
Sudden braking, acceleration and steering may cause tire slippage and reduce
your ability to control the vehi cle, resulting in an accident.●
Sudden acceleration, engine braking due to shift changing, or changes in engine
speed could cause the vehicle to skid, resulting in an accident.●
After driving through a pudd le, lightly depress the brak e pedal to make sure that
the brakes are functioning properly. Wet brake pads may prevent the brakes from
functioning properly. If the brakes on on ly one side are wet and not functioning
properly, steering control may be af fected, resulting in an accident.■
When shifting the shift lever
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.■
If you hear a squealing or scraping no ise (brake pad wear limit indicators)
Have your Lexus dealer check and replac e the brake pads as soon as possible.
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
those of the brake discs are exceeded.