2015 LEXUS RX450h heating

381-1. Hybrid system
CAUTION●
If your vehicle needs to be towed, do so with all front wheels (for 2WD models) or
four wheels (for AWD models) raised. If the wheels connected to the electric
motor (traction motor) are on the ground when towing, the motor may continue
to generate electricity. This may cause an electricity leakage leading to a fire.
(
 P. 7 2 5 )●
Carefully inspect the ground under the vehicle. If you find that liquid has leaked
onto the ground, the fuel system may have been damaged. Leave the vehicle as
soon as possible.■
Nickel-metal hydride battery
Your vehicle contains a sealed nickel-metal hydride battery. If disposed of improp-
erly, it is hazardous to the environment and there is a risk of severe burns and elec-
trical shock that may result in death or serious injury.■
Emergency shut off system
Carefully check to see if there are exposed high voltage parts or cables. Never
touch the parts or cables. (
 P. 3 4 )
NOTICE■
Hybrid battery air vents ●
Do not put foreign objects over the air vents. The hybrid battery (traction battery)
may overheat or lose power 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 hybrid battery (traction battery).●
Do not carry large amounts of water such as an aquarium into the vehicle. If water
spills onto the hybrid battery (tractio n battery), the battery may be damaged.
Have the vehicle inspected by your Lexus dealer.

1742-1. Driving procedures
CAUTION■
Exhaust gases
Exhaust gases include harmfu l carbon monoxide (CO) th at is colorless and odor-
less. Inhaling exhaust gases may lead to death or a serious health hazard. ●
If the vehicle is in a poorly ventilated area, stop the hybrid system. In a closed
area, such as a garage, exhaust gases may collect and enter the vehicle. This may
lead to death or a serious health hazard.●
The exhaust system should be checked occasionally. If there is a hole or crack
caused by corrosion, damage to a joint or abnormal exhaust noise, be sure to
have the vehicle inspected and repaired by your Lexus dealer . Failure to do so
may allow exhaust gases to enter the vehicl e, resulting in death or a serious health
hazard.■
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 the vehicle ●
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 syst em 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) wi ll still operate. In this case, the brake pedal should be
depressed more firmly than usual and the braking distance will increase. Have
your brakes fixed immediately.

1802-1. Driving procedures
■
Note for the entry function
 P. 6 3■
If the hybrid system does not start
The immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. (  P. 1 2 4 )
Contact your Lexus dealer.■
Steering lock
After turning the “POWER” switch off and opening and closing the doors, the
steering wheel will be locked due to th e steering lock function. Operating the
“POWER” switch again automatically cancels the steering lock.■
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 re peatedly in a short period of time. In this
case, refrain from operating the hybrid sy stem. After about 2 seconds, the steering
lock motor will resume functioning.■
When the “POWER” switch indicator flashes in amber
The system may be malfunctioning. 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 pe dal depressed, contact your Lexus dealer
immediately.
■
If the hybrid system is malfunctioning
 P. 74 4
■
If the electronic key battery is depleted
 P. 6 8 7 The green indicator light on the “POWER”
switch will flash and a message will be shown
on the multi-information display. Press the
“POWER” switch again while turning the
steering wheel left and right.

1872-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving ■ Selecting Eco drive mode
When the vehicle is driven in Eco drive mode, vehicle driving force
and operation of the air condit ioning system (heating/cooling) is
controlled to improve fuel efficiency.
Press the menu switch. The multi-information display
will change modes to electronic
features control mode.
Press the “  ” or “  ” switch
until “ECO MODE” appears.
Press the “ENTER” switch to
change to “ON”.
The “ECO MODE” indicator
will be displayed. Each pressing of the switch
turns Eco drive mode on and off.
Press the menu switch to
change to the normal display.STEP 1
STEP 2

1902-1. Driving procedures
Changing shift ranges in S mode
When the shift lever is in the S position, the shift lever can be operated as
follows:
Upshifting
Downshifting
The initial shift range in S mode is set automatically to “5” or “4” accord-
ing to vehicle speed.
■ Shift ranges and their functions
● You can choose from 6 levels of engine braking force.
● A lower shift range will provide gr eater engine braking force than a
higher shift range, and the engi ne speed will also increase.■
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. 342, 350) To improve air con-
ditioning performance, adjust the fa n speed or turn off Eco drive mode. ■
Automatic return to normal driving mode
If snow mode or sport mode is selected , the driving mode will automatically return
to normal mode when the hybrid system is turned off.
■
S mode
●
When the shift range is “5” or lower, holding the shift lever toward “+” sets the
shift range to “6”.
●
To prevent the engine from over-revving, upshifting may automatically occur.

1952-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving Parking brake ■
Usage in winter time
 P. 3 0 2
NOTICE■
Before driving
Fully release the parking brake.
Driving the vehicle with the parking brake set will lead to brake components over-
heating, which may affect braking performance and increase brake wear. To set the parking brake, fully
depress the parking brake pedal
with your left foot while
depressing the brake pedal with
your right foot.
(Depressing the pedal again
releases the parking brake.) Canada
U.S.A.

2002-2. Instrument cluster
NOTICE■
To prevent damage to the engine and its components
The engine may be overheating if the engi ne 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. 7 8 8 )

2742-4. Using other driving systems
■
Reactivation of the TRAC sy stem linked to vehicle speed
When only the TRAC system is turned off, the TRAC system will turn on when vehi-
cle speed increases. However, when both TRAC and VSC systems are turned off,
the systems will not turn on even when vehicle speed increases.■
Reduced effectiveness of the EPS system
The effectiveness of the EPS system is reduced to prevent the system from over-
heating when there is frequent steering in put over an extended period of time. The
steering wheel may feel heavy as a result. Should this occur, refrain from excessive
steering input or stop the vehicle and turn the hybrid system off. The EPS system
should return to normal within 10 minutes.
CAUTION■
The ABS does not operate effectively when ●
The limits of tire gripping performance have been exceeded (such as excessively
worn tires on a snow covered road).●
The vehicle hydroplanes while driving at high speed on a wet or slick road.■
Stopping distance when the ABS is operating may exceed that of normal condi-
tions
The ABS is not designed to shorten the vehicle’s stopping dist ance. Always main-
tain a safe distance from the vehicle in fron t of you, especially in the following situa-
tions: ●
When driving on dirt, gravel or snow-covered roads●
When driving with tire chains●
When driving over bumps in the road●
When driving over roads with potholes or roads with uneven surfaces■
TRAC may not operate effectively when
Directional control and power may not be ac hievable while driving on slippery road
surfaces, even if the TRAC system is operating.
Drive the vehicle carefully in conditions where stability and power may be lost.