2016 Lexus ES300h traction control

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ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)The SRS airbag and seat belt pretensioner
devices in your Lexus contain explosive
chemicals. If the vehicle is scrapped with the airbags and seat belt pretensioners not
deployed, this may cause an acci dent such as fire. Be sure to have the systems of the SRS
airbag and seat belt pretensioner removed an d disposed of by a qualified service shop or
by your Lexus dealer before you scrap your vehicle.
Special handling may apply, See www.dts c.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
Your vehicle has components that may contain perchlorate. These components may
include airbag, seat belt pretensioners, and wireless remote control batteries.
Scrapping of your Lexus
Perchlorate Material
WA R N I N G
■General precautions while driving
●Obey all traffic laws
●The driver is responsible for the proper operation of the vehicle, including evaluation
of weather conditions and road conditions.
Driving under the influence: Never drive your vehicle when under the influence of
alcohol or drugs that have im paired your ability to operate your vehicle. Alcohol and
certain drugs delay reaction time, impair judgment and reduce coordination, which
could lead to an accident that could result in death or serious injury.
Defensive driving: Always drive defensively. Anticipate mistakes that other drivers or
pedestrians might make and be ready to avoid accidents.
Driver distraction: Always give your full atte ntion to driving. Anything that distracts the
driver, such as adjusting controls, talking on a cellular phone or reading can result in a
collision causing death or serious injury to you, your occupants or others.
■General precaution regarding children’s safety
Never leave children unattended in the vehicle, and never allow children to have or use
the key.
Children may be able to start the vehicle or sh ift the vehicle into neutral. There is also a
danger that children may injure themselves by playing with the windows, the moon
roof, or other features of the vehicle. In addition, heat build-up or extremely cold tem-
peratures inside the vehicl e can be fatal to children.

711-2. Hybrid system
ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)
1
For safety and security
Hybrid system precautions
The illustration is an example for explanation and may differ from the actual item.
Take care when handling the hybrid system, as it is a high voltage system
(about 650 V at maximum) as well as contains parts that become extremely
hot when the hybrid system is operating. Obey the warning labels attached to
the vehicle.
Air conditioning compressor
Power control unit
High voltage cables (orange)
Hybrid battery (traction battery) Service plug
Electric motor (traction motor)
Warning label1
2
3
4
5
6
7

ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)
972. Instrument cluster
2
Instrument cluster
Navigation system screen
Press the “MENU” button on the Remote To uch, then select “Info” on the “Menu”
screen, and then select “Fuel Consumption”.
If the “Trip Information” or “Past Record ” screen is displayed, select “Energy”.
Lexus Display Audio screen
Press the “MENU” button on the Lexus Display Audio controller, then select
“Info” on the “Menu” screen, and then select “Fuel Consumption”.
If the “Energy Monitor” screen does not ap pear, move the controller to the right and
select “Energy”.
Multi-information display
Press or of the meter control switches and select , and then press
or to select the energy monitor display.
Energy monitor
Navigation system screen or Lexus Display Audio screenMulti-information display
When the vehicle is
powered by the elec-
tric motor (traction
motor)
When the vehicle is
powered by both the
gasoline engine and
the electric motor
(traction motor)
When the vehicle is
powered by the gaso-
line engine

156
ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-1. Before driving
WA R N I N G
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 “READY” indicator is
illuminated. 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.
●The driver should pay extra attention to pedestrians when the vehicle is powered only
by the electric motor (traction motor). As there is no engine noise, the pedestrians
may misjudge the vehicle’s movement. Even with the vehicle proximity notification
system active, people may not realize the vehicle is approaching when the surround-
ing area is noisy and so forth. Ther efore, 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.
●During normal driving, do not turn off the hybrid system. Turning the hybrid system 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. 4 9 3
●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 74 )
●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.

ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)
1754-2. Driving procedures
4
Driving
■S mode
●When the shift range is 4 or lower, holding the shift lever toward “+” sets the shift range
to 6.
●To prevent excessive engine speed, a function was adopted that automatically selects a
higher shift range before the engine speed becomes too high.
■When driving with cruise control or dynamic radar cruise control activated
Even when performing the following actions with the intent of enabling engine braking,
the engine brake will not operate in the S mo de, even when downshifting to 5 or 4.
(  P. 2 3 4 )
■Downshifting restrictions warning buzzer
To help ensure safety and driving performa nce, downshifting operation may sometimes
be restricted. In some circumstances, downshifting may not be possible even when the
shift lever is operated. (A buzzer will sound twice.)
■If the S indicator does not come on ev en after shifting the shift lever to S
This may indicate a malfunct ion in the hybrid transmission system. Have the vehicle
inspected by your Lexus dealer immediately.
(In this situation, the transmission will operat e in the same manner as when the shift lever
is in D.)
■If the shift lever cannot be shifted from P
 P. 5 2 0
■AI-SHIFT
AI-SHIFT automatically select s the suitable gear according to driver performance and
driving conditions.
AI-SHIFT automatically operates when the shift lever is in D. (Shifting the shift lever to S
cancels the function.)
WA R N I N G
■When driving on slippery road surfaces
Do not accelerate or shift gears suddenly.
Sudden changes in engine braking may cause th e vehicle to spin or skid, resulting in an
accident.
NOTICE
■Hybrid battery (traction battery) charge
If the shift lever is in N, the hybrid batter y (traction battery) will not be charged even
when the engine is running. Therefore, if the ve hicle is left with the shift lever in N for a
long period of time, the hybrid battery (tr action battery) will discharge, and this may
result in the vehicle not being able to start.

272
ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-5. Using the driving support systems
Driving assist systems
◆ECB (Electronically Controlled Brake System)
The electronically controlled system
generates braking force corresponding
to the brake operation
◆ABS (Anti-lock Brake System)
Helps to prevent wheel lock when the brakes are applied suddenly, or if the
brakes are applied while drivin g on a slippery road surface
◆Brake assist
Generates an increased level of braking force after the brake pedal is
depressed when the system detects a panic stop situation
◆VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)
Helps the driver to control skidding when swerving suddenly or turning on
slippery road surfaces
◆Enhanced VSC (Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control)
Provides cooperative control of the ABS, TRAC, VSC and EPS.
Helps to maintain directional stability when swerving on slippery road sur-
faces by controlling steering performance.
◆TRAC (Traction Control)
Helps to maintain drive power and prevent the drive wheels from spinning
when starting the vehicle or accelerating on slippery roads
◆Hill-start assist control
Helps to prevent the vehicle from rolling backward when starting on an
incline.
To help enhance driving safety and performance, the following systems oper-
ate automatically in response to various driving situations. Be aware, however,
that these systems are supplementary and should not be relied upon too
heavily when operating the vehicle.

ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)
2734-5. Using the driving support systems
4
Driving
◆EPS (Electric Power Steering)
Employs an electric motor to reduce the amount of effort needed to turn the
steering wheel
The slip indicator light will flash while
the TRAC/VSC/ABS systems are
operating.
If the vehicle gets stuck in mud, dirt or snow, the TRAC system may reduce
power from the hybrid system to the wheels. Pressing to turn the sys-
tem off may make it easier for you to rock the vehicle in order to free it.
To turn the TRAC system off, quickly
press and release .
The “Traction Control Turned Off” will
be shown on the multi-information dis-
play. Press again to turn the sys-
tem back on.
When the TRAC/VSC/ABS systems are operating
Disabling the TRAC system

274
ES300h_OM_OM33B71U_(U)4-5. Using the driving support systems
■Turning off both TRAC and VSC systems
To turn the TRAC and VSC systems off, pr
ess and hold for more than 3 seconds
while the vehicle is stopped.
The VSC OFF indicator light will come on an d the “Traction Control Turned Off” will be
shown on the multi- information display.
*
Press again to turn the systems back on.
*: On vehicles with pre-collision system, pre-collision brake assist and pre-collision
braking will also be disabled. The PCS wa rning light will come on and the message
will be shown on the multi-information display. ( P. 2 0 1 )
■When the message is displayed on the mu lti-information display showing that TRAC
has been disabled even if the VSC OFF switch has not been pressed
TRAC cannot be operated. Contact your Lexus dealer.
■When the 12-volt battery is disconnected
The steering wheel may move fr om its straight forward position, but this will be corrected
automatically when driving.
■Sounds and vibrations caused by the ABS, brake assist, TRAC, VSC and hill-start assist
control systems
Any of the following conditions may occur when the above systems are operating.
None of these indicates that a malfunction has occurred.
●Vibrations may be felt through the vehicle body and steering.
●A motor sound may be heard after the vehicle comes to a stop.
●The brake pedal may pulsate slight ly after the ABS is activated.
●The brake pedal may move down slig htly after the ABS is activated.